Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Author Topic: A520 Better with time?  (Read 517 times)

Description:

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline 3583BytesTopic starter

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Join Date: Mar 2014
  • Posts: 87
    • Show only replies by 3583Bytes
A520 Better with time?
« on: November 19, 2014, 06:41:05 PM »
I use an Amiga 500 connecting to an LCD screen via the A520 modulator (I live in Canada no SCART).  

Now these things are usually terrible when it comes to quality, and mine was too when I first started using it.  But for some reason it has cleared up significantly after about 2 months of use.  I mean I use it in High with Interlaced mode and its very good.

Now I recently received another A520 from my Amiga club and used it for comparison.  The new one is terrible in quality, very blurry.  So my question is do these things get better with use, or did I just get lucky with the one I have?
-----------------------------------------
A1000, A500, A2000
3583Bytes.com
 

Offline danbeaver

Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2014, 10:17:56 PM »
Very Lucky!

In general (all of them but yours), they are horrible.
 

Offline Oldsmobile_Mike

Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2014, 10:33:22 PM »
The A520 is about the worst of the worst, but if that's all you've got, it's better than nothing.  ;)  FYI there is a hack that will let you convert it to S-Video output (would have to google it, don't remember the link off-hand).  Might help a bit?
Amiga 500: 2MB Chip|16MB Fast|30MHz 68030+68882|3.9|Indivision ECS|GVP A500HD+|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|Cocolino|SCSI DVD-RAM
Amiga 2000: 2MB Chip|136MB Fast|50MHz 68060|3.9|Indivision ECS + GVP Spectrum|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|AD516|X-Surf 100|RapidRoad|Cocolino|SCSI CD-RW
 Amiga videos and other misc. stuff at https://www.youtube.com/CompTechMike/videos
 

Offline Paulie85

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Join Date: Dec 2009
  • Posts: 146
  • Country: 00
    • Show only replies by Paulie85
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2014, 10:42:59 PM »
I hated the 520 -horrible quality and it always fell out of my A500. Scart is much better but S-Video is supposed to be good too.
 

Offline Darth_X

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jan 2003
  • Posts: 791
    • Show only replies by Darth_X
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2014, 10:57:27 PM »
Quote from: 3583Bytes;777817
I use an Amiga 500 connecting to an LCD screen via the A520 modulator (I live in Canada no SCART).  

Now these things are usually terrible when it comes to quality, and mine was too when I first started using it.  But for some reason it has cleared up significantly after about 2 months of use.  I mean I use it in High with Interlaced mode and its very good.

Now I recently received another A520 from my Amiga club and used it for comparison.  The new one is terrible in quality, very blurry.  So my question is do these things get better with use, or did I just get lucky with the one I have?


I'm in Canada as well! I just bought a scart to HDMI converter on ebay (which converts from scart to HDMI and between NTSC/PAL). I also bought an Amiga scart cable. Thing is, I don't have an LCD TV/monitor with HDMI input at the moment. Gotta go buy one.. LOL!

You want to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS55pmLIEjA
 

Offline RobertB

  • VIP / Donor - Lifetime Member
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2005
  • Posts: 1834
  • Thanked: 23 times
    • Show only replies by RobertB
    • http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2014, 03:42:03 AM »
Quote from: 3583Bytes;777817
Now these things are usually terrible when it comes to quality, and mine was too when I first started using it.  But for some reason it has cleared up significantly after about 2 months of use.  I mean I use it in High with Interlaced mode and its very good.

Oh, perhaps you should open it up and identify the components just to see if there are differences when compared to other A520's.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
 

Offline amigadave

  • Lifetime Member
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2004
  • Posts: 3836
    • Show only replies by amigadave
    • http://www.EfficientByDesign.org
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2014, 08:58:23 AM »
Quote from: 3583Bytes;777817
I use an Amiga 500 connecting to an LCD screen via the A520 modulator (I live in Canada no SCART).  

Now these things are usually terrible when it comes to quality, and mine was too when I first started using it.  But for some reason it has cleared up significantly after about 2 months of use.  I mean I use it in High with Interlaced mode and its very good.

Now I recently received another A520 from my Amiga club and used it for comparison.  The new one is terrible in quality, very blurry.  So my question is do these things get better with use, or did I just get lucky with the one I have?

I don't know why one A520 would be better than another, but if I were you, I would look into buying yourself an IndivisionECS to use instead of that A520 display adapter.  Jens of Individual Computer's has done some real magic with the IndivisionECS and it will give you some display choices with resolutions not available on any other ECS Amiga without an IndivisionECS.

Then keep your eyes focused on what the Apollo Team are doing with FPGA based accelerators for many different Amiga models and buy one that fits your A500 when they are finally finished and released for sale to the public.
How are you helping the Amiga community? :)
 

Offline Rob

Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2014, 02:35:24 PM »
I'm not sure if I ever used the A520.  Already had CM883 Mk2 I used with my Sam when I got the A500+.
 

Offline 3583BytesTopic starter

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Join Date: Mar 2014
  • Posts: 87
    • Show only replies by 3583Bytes
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2014, 03:47:40 PM »
Quote from: amigadave;777855
I don't know why one A520 would be better than another, but if I were you, I would look into buying yourself an IndivisionECS to use instead of that A520 display adapter.  Jens of Individual Computer's has done some real magic with the IndivisionECS and it will give you some display choices with resolutions not available on any other ECS Amiga without an IndivisionECS.

Then keep your eyes focused on what the Apollo Team are doing with FPGA based accelerators for many different Amiga models and buy one that fits your A500 when they are finally finished and released for sale to the public.


Thanks I am familiar with the IndivisionECS.  I may end up getting it for my Amiga 600.  However there are several issues with that approach. First the A520 works with all my Amigas, so its very easy to use different ones.  Also my Amiga 500 has the IDE mod so it can use a hard drive, and I find that changes it enough that it is not compatible with most hardware add-ons.  Both Gortek floppy emulator and ACA 500 won't work on it, so I am worried that the IndivisionECS simply won't work.
-----------------------------------------
A1000, A500, A2000
3583Bytes.com
 

Offline 3583BytesTopic starter

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Join Date: Mar 2014
  • Posts: 87
    • Show only replies by 3583Bytes
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2014, 03:50:03 PM »
Quote from: RobertB;777850
Oh, perhaps you should open it up and identify the components just to see if there are differences when compared to other A520's.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm


I don't really want to mess with the working one :) Plus I am not sure if it will help, it also started with a really bad signal but for some reason it just got better with time.  There is something in it that got worked in over time, I was just wondering if other people had the same experience.
-----------------------------------------
A1000, A500, A2000
3583Bytes.com
 

Offline 3583BytesTopic starter

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Join Date: Mar 2014
  • Posts: 87
    • Show only replies by 3583Bytes
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2014, 03:51:23 PM »
Quote from: Darth_X;777839
I'm in Canada as well! I just bought a scart to HDMI converter on ebay (which converts from scart to HDMI and between NTSC/PAL). I also bought an Amiga scart cable. Thing is, I don't have an LCD TV/monitor with HDMI input at the moment. Gotta go buy one.. LOL!

You want to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS55pmLIEjA


Thanks that may be a solution for the future, but for now the working A520 seems to do the job.
-----------------------------------------
A1000, A500, A2000
3583Bytes.com
 

Offline Oldsmobile_Mike

Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #11 on: November 20, 2014, 04:26:36 PM »
Quote from: 3583Bytes;777869
Thanks I am familiar with the IndivisionECS. I may end up getting it for my Amiga 600. However there are several issues with that approach. First the A520 works with all my Amigas, so its very easy to use different ones. Also my Amiga 500 has the IDE mod so it can use a hard drive, and I find that changes it enough that it is not compatible with most hardware add-ons. Both Gortek floppy emulator and ACA 500 won't work on it, so I am worried that the IndivisionECS simply won't work.

What sort of IDE mod do you have?  AFAIK ACA 500 compatibility issues are down to the specific revision of motherboard, lots of people have problems with them.

+1 for IndivisionECS, I have them in both my systems and they're among the most reliable bits of hardware I own.  And you can see from my sig that I'm using them with two very expanded systems, so compatibility between the IndivisionECS and other hardware shouldn't be an issue...
Amiga 500: 2MB Chip|16MB Fast|30MHz 68030+68882|3.9|Indivision ECS|GVP A500HD+|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|Cocolino|SCSI DVD-RAM
Amiga 2000: 2MB Chip|136MB Fast|50MHz 68060|3.9|Indivision ECS + GVP Spectrum|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|AD516|X-Surf 100|RapidRoad|Cocolino|SCSI CD-RW
 Amiga videos and other misc. stuff at https://www.youtube.com/CompTechMike/videos
 

Offline 3583BytesTopic starter

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Join Date: Mar 2014
  • Posts: 87
    • Show only replies by 3583Bytes
Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2014, 04:43:49 PM »
Quote from: Oldsmobile_Mike;777874
What sort of IDE mod do you have?  AFAIK ACA 500 compatibility issues are down to the specific revision of motherboard, lots of people have problems with them.

+1 for IndivisionECS, I have them in both my systems and they're among the most reliable bits of hardware I own.  And you can see from my sig that I'm using them with two very expanded systems, so compatibility between the IndivisionECS and other hardware shouldn't be an issue...


Its called AdIDE, it was actually installed in the 90s.  My Amiga is a rev 6 so the ACA 500 should work but that IDE mod changes things around a bit so I have a feeling its related to that.

Here is a document on AdIDE

http://amiga.resource.cx/manual/AdIDE2.pdf
-----------------------------------------
A1000, A500, A2000
3583Bytes.com
 

Offline Oldsmobile_Mike

Re: A520 Better with time?
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2014, 05:16:57 PM »
I suspect (most) processor sidecar expansions are incompatible with (most) processor socket expansions.  Still shouldn't have any effect on the display hardware.  My .02 cents.  ;)
Amiga 500: 2MB Chip|16MB Fast|30MHz 68030+68882|3.9|Indivision ECS|GVP A500HD+|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|Cocolino|SCSI DVD-RAM
Amiga 2000: 2MB Chip|136MB Fast|50MHz 68060|3.9|Indivision ECS + GVP Spectrum|Mechware card reader + 8GB CF|AD516|X-Surf 100|RapidRoad|Cocolino|SCSI CD-RW
 Amiga videos and other misc. stuff at https://www.youtube.com/CompTechMike/videos