VOGONS


First post, by Hanamichi

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In my growing CRT collection, (I have a problem, it gets worse by the day).
I have some multisync monitors and this smaller monitor it's a Toei FTC 1208 with an 8 Pin interface usually used for Digital RGB (CGA, EGA, NEC PC8801 etc).
It's a 0.28mm dot pitch, high contrast, beautiful thing from 1985!

On my multisync monitors this 8 pin interface is labelled as "Digital RGB".
On the montior in question (24KHz only native) it is labelled as "Video Input".
On the lower model Toei FTC 1203 it has the same port and switch for analogue and digital. (Like some Commodore monitors) There is no input switch on the FTC 1208 that I have, just intensity toggle for digital.

This is the port (the MSX pinout shown is different to normal use cases).
PCT-55_Digital_RGB_connector.jpg

My question is - if it succesfully displays the same signal (see below) albeit not quite in sync with an analogue source and a TTL digital source, does that mean it is compatible with both signals?

I would expect a digital only capable input to show a blank/garbage or solid colour screen when receiving an analogue signal.
The Toei does this for as second when fed an analogue input and then changes to normal and you can make out some text and graphics, so maybe it has a sensing capability?

More details:

I have tested it a bit using a Tseng ET4000 ISA Card with both 15pin analogue and 9pin digital outputs.
Both outputs produce the same image on the monitor, I can make out the bios image and Windows at 640x350.
Sadly it can't quite sync properly so far, even when the Tseng is set to EGA - it's a Japanese monitor and expecting 600x400@60.

I'm hoping to get one of the machines it's designed for later on and a downscaler capable of the precise 24KHz it expects for other sources.
NVIDIA custom resolutions has failed me so far being buggy at any really low resolution.
It would double up as an awesome scaled DOS, 8bit computer monitor and a shmup tate CRT if it can take analogue RGB. (don't hate me 😀)

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Reply 1 of 2, by Hanamichi

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Progress!

I scoured the web for the right timings and found this very useful site for PC-98 related things. http://radioc.web.fc2.com/column/pc98bas/pc98dispout2_en.htm
Anyway it has the exact timings I needed:

Normal mode 640x400 / 24kHz / Non-interlaced

Pixel Clock: 21.0526 MHz
H Freq: 40.28 us (24.83 kHz)
H Front Porch: 3.04 us (64 Pixels)
H Sync: 3.04 us (64 Pixels)
H Back Porch: 3.8 us (80 Pixels)
V Freq: 17.72 ms (56.42 Hz)
V Front Porch: 0.28 ms (7 Lines)
V Sync: 0.32 ms (8 Lines)
V Back Porch: 1.01 ms (25 Lines)

These are quite different from what CRU or NVIDIA come up with as default options.

The result is, it seems to accept analogue signals but only understands 16 colours as far as I can tell without a mod.
It's damn sharp!

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(Quick and dirty test with GOG Indiana Jones (so guessing the VGA version) on WIn 7 @ 256 colours compat mode means it's missing quite a lot of detail)

I will have to hook up a retro machine to test the 16 colour theory with some EGA games another day.

Reply 2 of 2, by Hanamichi

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Think I know whats happening.

It probably works by normalizing each RGB analogue voltage before the DAC in the monitor so: Analogue <0.45v = Digital 0v (Off) Analogue >0.45v = Digital 5v (On)

Pretty neat, need to test if it can just do 8 colours (2 steps) or 16 colours (3 steps - simulating RGBI).

Hoping a Vogoner can tell me if this is normal for CGA/EGA TTL monitors or some JDM circuit wizardry 😀