keenmaster486 wrote:

Ooh @DavejustDave, that shelf is nice. Do you have a way to quickly switch between the various machines without having to redo cables?

not yet i have a 12 outlet surge protector i need to hookup. then I'll get a hole saw and make holes in the backing behind each computer. this is more to be able to power them up once a week or so than to actually use them. Swapping doesn't take too long, and i try to rotate them every month or two. It's hard to find time for retro nowadays.

SpectriaForce wrote:

Do I see a C64 connected to a VGA monitor? How do you do that? It doesn't have a RGB output.

Good spotting! Up until recently I’ve been using a little Sony CRT TV for my C64 and consoles but I’m trying out a Retrotink 2X, the output of which I’m converting to VGA with one of those cheap HDMI to VGA adapters you can get almost anywhere. Image quality is fantastic and I still get that CRT glow - if anything its a little too good so I’ve ordered a scan line generator to take away the emulator-esque perfection 😵

badmojo wrote:

SpectriaForce wrote:

Do I see a C64 connected to a VGA monitor? How do you do that? It doesn't have a RGB output.

Good spotting! Up until recently I’ve been using a little Sony CRT TV for my C64 and consoles but I’m trying out a Retrotink 2X, the output of which I’m converting to VGA with one of those cheap HDMI to VGA adapters you can get almost anywhere. Image quality is fantastic and I still get that CRT glow - if anything its a little too good so I’ve ordered a scan line generator to take away the emulator-esque perfection 😵

That's an interesting new device which with a regular VGA CRT monitor can replace the need for an expensive old RGB monitor.

My $0.02, Composite to VGA converter.

SpectriaForce wrote:

That's an interesting new device which with a regular VGA CRT monitor can replace the need for an expensive old RGB monitor.

Yes the image quality is spectacular - I added a scan line generator into the mix last night (sits b/w the HDMI to VGA device and the monitor) and I am in heaven. The image was oddly uniform previously - like an emulator - but now it’s perfect. Scanlines help to mask the PS1 jaggies too which is nice.

Here's my setup if anyone's interested - it's getting pretty bulky but no probs with the right desk. I'm using an old school computer desk with a slide-out keyboard shelf so it's all hidden away.

I should give up taking pics of my CRTs because they don't represent the real thing but you can get a sense of the scanlines at least.

Is there any input lag with this many converters?

kixs wrote:

Is there any input lag with this many converters?

Not that I can tell, and I'm playing twitch games that I'm very familiar with. This is the Retrotink's big selling point, no lag, plus it handles svideo which is great for C64 fans. My only complaint with the tink is that it doesn't automatically detect the input, so you need to manually switch it into svideo mode for example. Not a big deal.

Lolz you go from composite to HDMI (add scanlines to composite first) to DVI and finally VGA 😀

Where do you use the component video for?

Salient wrote:

My setup on october 2018, still quite the same except for an additional Pentium 200 MMX + a lot of extra MIDI modules. :) […]
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My setup on october 2018, still quite the same except for an additional Pentium 200 MMX + a lot of extra MIDI modules. 😀

Damnnnnnn, very tasty! What's that Sega console in the top right case btw? Next to the Master system I think?

SpectriaForce wrote:

Lolz you go from composite to HDMI (add scanlines to composite first) to DVI and finally VGA 😀

Where do you use the component video for?

What? For C64 I go from svideo to line doubled HDMI to VGA, and get a beautiful looking, lag free image.

For PS1 and SMD I go from component to HDMI to VGA and get an even nicer image.

Here's where I keep a little retro flavor at work.

On the top shelf, I have (sealed for freshness!) copies of MS-DOS 5.0 and 6.22; Windows 3.0, 3.1, and 3.11 WfW Upgrade; Windows 95 and Plus!, Win 98 SE and Plus! 98, Win ME, Win 2000 Pro, Win XP Pro, Win Vista Ultimate, Win 7 Pro, and Win 8 Pro; and MS Visual C++ 4.0 and 6.0 Pro.

Next to that are (not sealed, but still fresh!) copies of OS X 10.0 Cheetah, 10.1 Puma, 10.2 Jaguar, 10.3 Panther, 10.4 Tiger, 10.5 Leopard (and 10.5.6, because I can't boot 10.5.0 on the Mac Mini).

The Mac Pro G4 Cube has OS X 10.0 through 10.4 on a 120GB SSD. The 2009 Mac Mini has 10.5 through 10.9 on a 320GB HDD (an SSD upgrade is in the works). I also have a 2012 Mac Mini with 10.10 - 10.14 on it, but it got repurposed as a multitrack recorder for band practices. 🙄

The Pro speakers (large round eyeballs) need to be repaired due to rotted foam surrounds. (They disintegrate with the slightest touch into a sticky goo.) I have some raw Aura drivers I think will fit. The Harmon / Kardon Sound Sticks also need some refurbishing -- mainly just disassembly, cleaning, and resealing where the adhesive and rubber isolation have started to break down.

Awesome Cube setup, SirNickity 😀 I used a G4 Cube as my main Mac for ~ 7 years, and it was a great experience especially with a few upgrades along the way (ending at a 1.4Ghz GigaDesign CPU and PC flashed Geforce 6200). Soon I'm preparing to get it resurrected again for display.

I also have the same SoundSticks which the casing popped open around the satellites, then glue broke away on the satellites themselves (some the rubber has perished). I rebuilt, reglued as best I could and re-sealed the satellites however they do distort at high volumes. The satellite speakers I'm unable to source and seems unlikely I'll get them back to original standard sadly.

The G4 Mac Mini: you need to try the patched OS 9 installer made for it 😀

The Mini is actually an Intel. 😀 It just happened that I could run all the PPC OS X versions on the Cube, and the Mini picked up with 10.5, after it had gone Universal Binary.

My gaming room 😀...the nes, snes, N64 and gamecube is emulated on wii.

next step...i try to repair and refurbish the arcade cabinet 😅

mjnman wrote:

My gaming room :)...the nes, snes, N64 and gamecube is emulated on wii. […]
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My gaming room 😀...the nes, snes, N64 and gamecube is emulated on wii.

Holy smokes what an excellent room! That shelf is groaning under the weight of all that awesome 😎

needs moar skeletor

mjnman wrote:

My gaming room 😀...the nes, snes, N64 and gamecube is emulated on wii.

I love all the CRT tv's and monitors, looks so period correct 😊 I wish that I had the room for all that equipment.

So much fun to be had in that room. Wow. I sometimes wish I had singular focus enough to dedicate a space to one hobby. Instead, my office / retro gaming room / electronics workspace / music room / man cave is a complete disaster of dozens of projects in various stages of completion occupying every flat surface - horizontal and vertical.

I think that the fun is to making the room with computer/parts from I when was young and with the computer/parts that I dreamed. The games list is very very long and I don't know if I will play...it's very long. I think it's more nostalgia...but I'm verry happy when I playing some games with ROLAND-MT32 sound or olds MSX games 😊