MiniMig the no bull thoughts on this device

[Darrin]

I am thinking I won't be able to own one anyway as my monitor probably wont take it :rant: although it played fine with the indi ecs. I don't get it :rant:

The Indivision ECS (and AGA) promotes 50Hz to 60Hz as part of the design.  That's why they're such good flicker fixers to get as you can use them on just about any LCD.  Older Amiga flicker fixers have always had this problem (at least with cheapo USA monitors that forget that there are other standards out there).  

What brand/model monitor do you have?

[Darrin]

A quick search on Tiger Direct popped up these 50Hz models:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6515376&CatId=4420
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7199459&CatId=4420
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6052506&CatId=2775
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7199458&CatId=2775
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3184326&CatId=4420
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7455019&CatId=5469

[Darrin]

LG Flatron W2043SE.

Yeah, it looks bad.  I found the manual:
http://www.manualowl.com/m/LG/W2043SE-PF/Manual/318228s

[Darrin]

Why isn't there an option to run PAL at 60Hz?
I really don't care if it speeds things up by a 20%, I just want to use a standard 60Hz monitor.

It is part of the authentic "Amiga Experience".  Half the fun of being an Amiga owner is knowing that trying to connect an off-the-shelf monitor is a pain in the ass.  

[Darrin]

Looks like Viewsonic has some of the most easily accessible monitors in the US that are 50hz friendly.

However if you play a pal game on them is the scrolling smooth? I have seen some tvs that internally upscale 50 to 60 resulting in jerky scrolling.

I'm probably the worst person to ask about that sort of thing.  I watch old 4:3 ratio TV programs stretched on my widescreen and they look OK to me.  

[Darrin]

My ViewSonic monitor is a normal monitor.  This means it is not a RIPOFF.  This means it accepts PAL input signals.  And no it does not upscale it to 60 hz.  That would be horrible.  If some other model does that then yuck!  Don't buy it! (unless there is an option to turn that off).

Everything looks normal on my ViewSonic.  It actually looks better than my C= 1950 Multisync and my C= 1960 Multisync.

My ViewSonic displays PAL.  My ViewSonic displays NTSC.  My ViewSonic displays PC signals.  I have everything connected to this one monitor with a KVM switch.

Be aware though, some Viewsonics (mostly the dirt cheap ones) do state a minimum of 56Hz so do check first before you buy.

I bought a couple of 1920x1080 widescreen models because I usually connect a PC to the DVI connector and a Minimig to the VGA input.  Saves deskspace.

Oh, and on my A4000 I use one with the RTG Radeon attached to the DVI and the Indivision AGA attached to the VGA.  Switching between modes is a case of pressing the button on the front, or it switches back to native automatically if you exit all of the RTG screens.

[Darrin]

SCART saves the day

[Darrin]

That's strange.  I have been using WinUAE with the most intensive productivity applications (and the occasional game) for the past four years and have never noticed any of the above symptoms.  I have really put UAE through its paces with super-hi-res graphics editing and also MIDI music work (where timing is absolutely critical).  Most of the Amiga software I use in WinUAE requires a 68020 or even a 68040 CPU, etc. at it works extremely well.

This is all on a 2.8GHz single core PC.  Trying to emulate a "simple" 68000 A500 is, in comparison, even easier on my system. If you are having problems, you should try WinUAE, I hear it's the most mature of the UAE versions.  Also, often the problems you mention can be easily and permanently fixed by simple tweaks in the UAE settings.

I love real hardware Amigas, but I would have to say that WinUAE is frikkin' awesome!  I can render a ray-traced picture in seconds that would take minutes or hours on my 68040 Amiga.  Other than that, I'm not sure I would be able to tell if I was using a real Amiga or WinUAE if it was put to a blind test.

The real test is when you try and connect that 9 pin joystick.  

I've used WinUAE from the start and I have 4 FPGA based "Amigas".  The FPGA machines feal "real", with UAE I'm always aware of the fact it is an emulator sat ontop of another OS, especially when I boot for the first time:

PC:  Power on, BIOS, blank screen, Windows, more Windows, more Windows, blank screen, Windows but still loading, looks like it has finsihed loading but hasn't, click WinUAE, wait, config screen, select config, wait, wait, Workbench!  (and I still can't plug in my joystick as my new PC doesn't have a PCI slot and even if it did the drivers wouldn't work).

Minimig:  Power on, text appears but vanishes before you can read it, black screen, Workbench!  Oh, and my joysticks fit!  

Quite why I need to run something that requires a 400w PSU to play Lemmings is beyond me.

I use WinUAE mainly to backup and configure my SD Cards for the FPGA machines.

At the end of the day, it is down to personal choice.  If you have the spare cash then the FPGA machines are a great option.

[Darrin]

Oh, and on those REALLY bad days...

PC: Power on, BIOS, blank screen, Windows, more Windows, more Windows, blank screen, Windows but still loading, looks like it has finished loading but hasn't, popup:  "Windows has finsihed updating and needs to restart your computer", reset, BIOS, blank screen, Windows, more Windows, more Windows, blank screen, Windows but still loading, looks like it has finished loading but hasn't, popup: "Java update available, click to download", popup:  "Flash update available, click to download", click WinUAE, wait, nothing happens because you notive your virus checker is updating and dragging the whole machine down, make a cup of tea, config screen, select config, wait, wait, Workbench! (and I still can't plug in my joystick as my new PC doesn't have a PCI slot and even if it did the drivers wouldn't work).

[Darrin]

I have 9pin joystick ports in my pc via catweasel. Even the 3,5 drive clicks as in the real machine.

I had that once.  Now try using it on a PC with no PCI slots running Windows 7.  

The Catweasel is going in my X1000.