I've seen that before. Interesting, but not quite a bargain...

So awesome that it features the original green monochrome. Just too bad they don't have an amber mode like the old gas plasma displays used in the Toshiba T3200.

I can't see many people shelling out that much money for one when they have converters that you can use with cheaper LCD monitors that will change the old style 15khz signals to something a new monitor can handle.

http://www.ambery.com/rgbcgatovgac.html

$89 plus a cheap, used LCD and you're in business for a lot less money.

Their special 9 pin to 15 pin adapter cable is only $10.50 more.

http://www.ambery.com/db9todbadca.html

sliderider wrote:

I can't see many people shelling out that much money for one when they have converters that you can use with cheaper LCD monitor […]
Show full quote

I can't see many people shelling out that much money for one when they have converters that you can use with cheaper LCD monitors that will change the old style 15khz signals to something a new monitor can handle.

http://www.ambery.com/rgbcgatovgac.html

$89 plus a cheap, used LCD and you're in business for a lot less money.

Their special 9 pin to 15 pin adapter cable is only $10.50 more.

http://www.ambery.com/db9todbadca.html

Sliderider do you know if i can use this to hookup my ibm XT with an EGA card to a modern lcd ?

I'm thinking maybe this one can be usable as well ? :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/310129352296

Can also be found for as low as $20ish.

Covid EZpix 84 or 85...
(must have the/a special pin converter cable of course, some sellers sell only the box...!)

But as the ad says, there may be monitors that will not accept the old scanrates... 😜
Though I assume it is the 150mhz bandwith, and the resolution limitations it imposes on CRTs, which the warning refers to. (?)

...or the ones mentioned as problematic here?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multisync_monitor

Anyone tried this device, or ?

nemsys wrote:

Sliderider do you know if i can use this to hookup my ibm XT with an EGA card to a modern lcd ?

Nope, the converter linked above only supports 15 KHz analogue RGB input, which is fine for some home computers and arcade boards, but not old PC video cards.
The "CGA" in the description only refers to the 15 KHz horizontal frequency (similarly, 24 KHz signals often get called "EGA" in this context).

Real CGA and EGA cards output digital TTL signals, in slightly different form (RGBI vs. RrGgBb).

I still don't get this. Why would you want to use an LCD monitor instead of a nice bright green analog tube with no physical resolution and long-persistence phosphors which also functions as a central heating system?

The monitor is at least half the experience.

5u3 wrote:

Nope, the converter linked above only supports 15 KHz analogue RGB input, which is fine for some home computers and arcade board […]
Show full quote

nemsys wrote:

Sliderider do you know if i can use this to hookup my ibm XT with an EGA card to a modern lcd ?

Nope, the converter linked above only supports 15 KHz analogue RGB input, which is fine for some home computers and arcade boards, but not old PC video cards.
The "CGA" in the description only refers to the 15 KHz horizontal frequency (similarly, 24 KHz signals often get called "EGA" in this context).

Real CGA and EGA cards output digital TTL signals, in slightly different form (RGBI vs. RrGgBb).

Thanks for the explanation 5u3 .

jwt27 wrote:

I still don't get this. Why would you want to use an LCD monitor instead of a nice bright green analog tube with no physical resolution and long-persistence phosphors which also functions as a central heating system?

The monitor is at least half the experience.

True an original monitor is nicer but my old EGA monitor broken and i don't know if it can be repaired .

Yeah true, but the point is just that a modern TFT that is switchable between B&W and green monochrome is pretty cool. I guess at the price its something for people who already got everything else anyways.

jwt27 wrote:

I still don't get this. Why would you want to use an LCD monitor instead of a nice bright green analog tube with no physical resolution and long-persistence phosphors which also functions as a central heating system?

These are meant for legacy industrial machinery that cannot drive anything other than a TTL monochrome monitor or some-such. If that ancient CRT on your multi million dollar oil refinery controller or whatever blows up you can't get a new replacement anywhere (save for old beat up ones that are very likely to fail soon anyway) and thus the price of this one. $500 is peanuts compared to the cost of the machine that's going to be driving it for years to come.

jwt27 wrote:

The monitor is at least half the experience.

Of course, for us retro enthusiasts. 😁

CGA video cards worked at the same frequencies that TV, so you could try to connect (almost) directly your CGA output to a SCART/Peritel/Euroconector input (i.e.: a cheap TV set). There are some schemes on internet, but not all of them works (it seems that designs based around 74ls86 or 74hc86 works).

Also, you may put some OA and "add" RGBI signals, to make a crude greyscale signal, and made four outputs:
- Direct RGBI signals (full color).
- Greyscale feed to R, G and B (greyscale).
- Greyscale feed only to G (green).
- The fourth output would be an amber output, but I don't know how to get a realistic amber (nobody remember amber phosphor monitors?).

Also, with such a device you would only get green colours, but no persistence. And with my experience with some Sinclair Spectrums and a CPC, you'll get very big and clean pixels... maybe using the composite output will help you to get a more "fuzzy" image (with a 32 inch TV, the pixels are really BIG; but with a 15 inch TV set and some blur, they'll look "better").

Those thoughts are valid only if you're using a CGA card... EGA modes have different frequencies and won't get picked by a TV.

5u3 wrote:

Nope, the converter linked above only supports 15 KHz analogue RGB input, which is fine for some home computers and arcade board […]
Show full quote

nemsys wrote:

Sliderider do you know if i can use this to hookup my ibm XT with an EGA card to a modern lcd ?

Nope, the converter linked above only supports 15 KHz analogue RGB input, which is fine for some home computers and arcade boards, but not old PC video cards.
The "CGA" in the description only refers to the 15 KHz horizontal frequency (similarly, 24 KHz signals often get called "EGA" in this context).

Real CGA and EGA cards output digital TTL signals, in slightly different form (RGBI vs. RrGgBb).

I bought this converted not knowing anything about TTL vs analog, hooked it up and it works perfectly fine with all my tandys and 80286's that have a 9 pin monitor output. I also tried an old 8-bit cirrus logic card that lets you set the output to either CGA, EGA or VGA, using the 9 pin output to the converter (making sure monitor type is set to TTL) and then to my LCD. Works fine. I can't explain how or why, but it works. The only problem is that it looks... well... crappy The fonts are a little edgy and they all seem to flicker but it does work... somehow. EGA mode is a stretched vertically, but i think it's just my LCD "autoset" mode. Oh, and MDA doesn't work. I haven't tried Hercules yet.

Jan3Sobieski wrote:

5u3 wrote:

Nope, the converter linked above only supports 15 KHz analogue RGB input, which is fine for some home computers and arcade board […]
Show full quote

nemsys wrote:

Sliderider do you know if i can use this to hookup my ibm XT with an EGA card to a modern lcd ?

Nope, the converter linked above only supports 15 KHz analogue RGB input, which is fine for some home computers and arcade boards, but not old PC video cards.
The "CGA" in the description only refers to the 15 KHz horizontal frequency (similarly, 24 KHz signals often get called "EGA" in this context).

Real CGA and EGA cards output digital TTL signals, in slightly different form (RGBI vs. RrGgBb).

I bought this converted not knowing anything about TTL vs analog, hooked it up and it works perfectly fine with all my tandys and 80286's that have a 9 pin monitor output. I also tried an old 8-bit cirrus logic card that lets you set the output to either CGA, EGA or VGA, using the 9 pin output to the converter (making sure monitor type is set to TTL) and then to my LCD. Works fine. I can't explain how or why, but it works. The only problem is that it looks... well... crappy The fonts are a little edgy and they all seem to flicker but it does work... somehow. EGA mode is a stretched vertically, but i think it's just my LCD "autoset" mode. Oh, and MDA doesn't work. I haven't tried Hercules yet.

From reviewing the particular converter in question, it CANNOT handle CGA or EGA properly. It may seem to handle it okay at first glance, but the 9-15pin converter cable leaves the Secondary Red, Secondary Green/Intensity and Secondary Blue/Mono Video signals unconnected. Thus, with any EGA or CGA mode, the best you will get is 8 colors, not the 16 of CGA and 200-line EGA or the 64 of 350-line EGA. Hercules and MDA will show no output either. I also doubt it can handle the scan rates of either the MDA/Hercules (18.432kHz) or 350-line EGA (21.8Khz).