A4000 to VGA - Confused!!! HELP!!!

[Tension]

Is there any way I can connect my trusty A4k to a normal VGA flatscreen monitor? A few years back I was told it can be done by simply creating an adaptor.  However, I have since heard that some resistors should be used in the process, or the A4k might mistake the monitor for a Genlock.  I could make it easy enough, but don`t have access to the appropriate resistors.  Can it be done without them?? Has anyone got a schematic handy?

My loyal 21 year old 1084S is still going strong, but in my whole life, I have NEVER seen an Amiga with a really good hi-res screen (I`ve been using Amigas since 1991), and I really want to see what it can do. What screenmodes can I use, Will I get flicker? Will it lag?  I can`t even seem to source a GFX card, I`m pulling my hair out... HELP!!

Can anyone help at all??

PS. Anyone know where I can get a Picasso IV, II, II+, or even a CV64 or CV643D from? I would like to hear, could you PM me please.

Thanks again folks,
Karl

[QuikSanz]

Welcome to AO,

If you have never seen tru color on an Amiga then take a look at the screen shots. Not the same as the real thing but IT is AWSOME. You can get some cards that are newly released (Cybervision) comes to mind and maybe an older Spectrum card "not bad for only 2 Mg"

Chris

[amigadave]

If you set your monitor driver in Devs/Monitors to VGA only, your A4000 will output the 31kHz horizontal frequency needed by modern monitors.

You would be better off finding a graphics card though.

[Tension]

I was always under the impression that a Picasso IV was the best ever Zorro based GFX card.  I don`t like the thought of getting a Mediator - I had a really nasty experience with an A1200 an a Z-IV daughterboard some years ago.  IMO Zorro does quite enough for me.  I mean that whole PCI thing just sounds like a real HACK to me (or maybe a KLUDGE i suppose), but it just doesn`t seem right.  I mean, does it really just work fine, no random crashes or strange buggy things??

Would any of you agree with me, or am I wrong here??

[QuikSanz]

Hi again,

Thinking about that a bit and you can just use a "doubler" but I don't think you'll be impressed. You get the same screenmodes and CPU load so.... what's so good about that?

Chris

[QuikSanz]

Picasso IV is a great card but for some reason my A2000 did not like them. The first one died all together and the second lost the scan doubler/flicker fixer and they are now very hard to find.

What are you mainly running on your A3k that will use it?

Chris

[actung_bab]

hi dude well u used to be able to get 1942 commodore montiors and commorodre 1960 (thats not the year they where made)

l heard 1960 where the best as both can do game modes quite handy also high res .

l also got these silver boxs adaptors that u used for conecting to pc montiors not sure what these do.

but really u can use pc montiors l have just have to add vga to you devs: montiors drawer not very hard ttp do think might had to added suoer 72 as well ur just have to try.

only trouble if u go with a monitor that doesint go down to 15mz is that it can be pain alot the time , esp if u go to play game or even just running wb if device is not found it go to screen mode u can see. aghhh.

 :-)

[motorollin]

Lots of suggestions here, but nobody has mentioned the important point. If you build/buy the VGA adapter you will have to use DBLPal/DBLNTSC screenmodes, and these will NOT work in software which open on a standard PAL/NTSC screenmode. Basically, that means games. They will open on a 15KHz screen, and this will not work on a VGA screen with the VGA adapter you are talking about.

If you do want to get that adapter, then here is a link to where you can buy it:

Link

It's not that expensive, and will save you scrabbling around for the parts. In fact, you would be lucky to find the required 23 pin connector for the Amiga end. But as I said this will only be any good for software which allows you to select which screenmode to run it on - so as I said, not much good for games.

The alternative is to get a scandoubler. These are expensive and rare, but will allow you to display any Amiga screenmode, including 15KHz ones (including games) on any VGA monitor.

If you want to replicate some of the configurations you have seen in the gallery (i.e. higher resolutions and more colours on screen) then you will need a graphics card. Same problem for games which won't let you select the screenmode - they won't display on the graphics card, so will still be displaying at 15KHz. So in this case you would either need two monitors (a VGA one on the graphics card and an Amiga one on the 15KHz RGB output), or a combination of graphics card and scandoubler, with some way to switch between the VGA output from the GFX card and the scandoubled VGA output from the scandoubler.

Alternatives to expensive and rare scandoublers are those VGA boxes advertised for games consoles, which take a 15KHz input and output 31KHz VGA.

--
moto

[wurzel]

motorollin wrote:

If you want to replicate some of the configurations you have seen in the gallery (i.e. higher resolutions and more colours on screen) then you will need a graphics card. Same problem for games which won't let you select the screenmode - they won't display on the graphics card, so will still be displaying at 15KHz. So in this case you would either need two monitors (a VGA one on the graphics card and an Amiga one on the 15KHz RGB output), or a combination of graphics card and scandoubler, with some way to switch between the VGA output from the GFX card and the scandoubled VGA output from the scandoubler.

--
moto

There is another choice - I use an LCD TV with a PC monitor input. The graphics card is connected to the PC input and another cable connects the TV to he composite output from the miggy. Only 1 screen needed that way

[wurzel]

Tension wrote:
I was always under the impression that a Picasso IV was the best ever Zorro based GFX card.  I don`t like the thought of getting a Mediator - I had a really nasty experience with an A1200 an a Z-IV daughterboard some years ago.  IMO Zorro does quite enough for me.  I mean that whole PCI thing just sounds like a real HACK to me (or maybe a KLUDGE i suppose), but it just doesn`t seem right.  I mean, does it really just work fine, no random crashes or strange buggy things??

Would any of you agree with me, or am I wrong here??

I've had my Mediator & graphics card for just over a year. It may be a hack or kludge, I'm not techie enough to know. But it does work fine, very stable and to see full colour images from the miggy is just amazing OK, it's just what a PC does but it just seems somehow, brilliant, on the miggy
 :-D

[motorollin]

wurzel wrote:
There is another choice - I use an LCD TV with a PC monitor input. The graphics card is connected to the PC input and another cable connects the TV to he composite output from the miggy. Only 1 screen needed that way

Ahh yes of course. How could I forget - I did this myself for a while :-) Have a look in my photo gallery if you want to see how well it works.

--
moto

[Tension]

I use the CD32 for the gaming side of things (i.e. Cannon Fodder!!), so that`s not a problem.  I mostly use the A4k for OctaMED Soundstudio, with a MIDI setup including a A3000XL Sampler, MPC, Keyboard and a Mac which controls the S3000XL through SCSI. I also use an old A2000 for some 8-bit noises. OctaMED sequences everything, but will it run ok with a GFX card?

BTW, How much can you get a Mediator for these days??  I have a A4000D in a Mikronik Tower.  Which type of Mediator PCI daughterboard should I use?? Does it work out cheaper than a Picasso IV for instance?

Thanks again.
Karl

[hamtronix]

I use the NoFlickerScnDbl monitor drive on my A1200 that goes to a NEC Multisync BUT I also have an LCD plugged into the composite out so when the screen mode changes my monitor shuts off and my LCD kicks in... works like a charm.