Opalvision and DCTV question

[dovegrace]

I'm in the process of resurrecting my A2000 for a bit of graphic creation/editing fun.  I have the software sussed, but I do have a hardware question I'm hoping someone can answer.

I'm planning to use both my Opalvision card as well as my DCTV box.  This is probably a silly (and poorly worded) question, but will there be any issues/incompatibilities between the two if I plug the DCTV into the 23-pin port of the Opalvision card (rather than the 23-pin port on the A2000 itself)?  

I'd assumed the connector on the DCTV was just a passthrough, but I've been wrong before...

[danbeaver]

Yeah, it is falsely rumored that the A2000 cases where built from the steel of Soviet T-38 tanks, but even with the weight of the Opalvision card and DCTV, I don't think it could crush me.

As to your first question,, since both devices manipulate the RGB signal to add more colors, I would not have them both active at the same time; and then again, Why would you?  If you are using an Amiga monitor with 9-pin input, I'd just leave the DCTV on the Amiga's port and use a 9-pin 2-way switch, get two monitors or just plug in the one you using at the moment.

[amigadave]

I'm in the process of resurrecting my A2000 for a bit of graphic creation/editing fun.  I have the software sussed, but I do have a hardware question I'm hoping someone can answer.

I'm planning to use both my Opalvision card as well as my DCTV box.  This is probably a silly (and poorly worded) question, but will there be any issues/incompatibilities between the two if I plug the DCTV into the 23-pin port of the Opalvision card (rather than the 23-pin port on the A2000 itself)?  

I'd assumed the connector on the DCTV was just a passthrough, but I've been wrong before...

Don't plug the 23pin cable from the DCTV into your OpalVision card's 23pin port.  The DCTV connects to the Amiga Parallel Port, if I remember correctly, and that connection is to enable the slow scan video digitizer so you can scan pictures using a camcorder's composite output connected to the DCTV's composite input (the yellow RCA jack).  The pass-through connector on the DCTV is for the Amiga RGB monitor output.

If I am incorrect about the Parallel connection to the DCTV, it is then a Serial Port connection.  I know it connects to one or the other on the Amiga.  But the only thing that should be connected to the OpalVision card's 23pin connector is the OpalVision expansion break-out box, which very few people ever had a chance to obtain, as the OpalVision was never fully completed by Centaur in Australia.  I am pretty sure that the OpalVision card had a 9 pin or 15pin video output port, not a 23pin port like the Amiga RGB port, but I suppose I could be mistaken about that, as it has been a long time since I have used an OpalVision card.  Maybe I am remembering it backwards, and the OpalVision card's 23pin port is for the video output, and it's 9 or 15 pin port is the one used for the break-out box.  If that is the case, I would guess that putting the DCTV's RGB connector on the OpalVision card's video output connector, might be okay.

I'll check the "Big Book of Amiga Hardware" and see if I can sort it out for you.

Edit:  I take it all back, the OpalVision card does have a 23pin RGB output port, just like the Amiga RGB output, so you can probably use the DCTV pass-through connector on that port, but I would suggest that you don't try to run both DCTV Paint and OpalVision Paint at the same time.  The parallel port connector on the DCTV has 25pins, not 23pins, so there is no way to confuse where it connects to.

Have fun setting it all back up.  Both Opal Paint and DCTV Paint were excellent paint programs on the Amiga.  Two of the best for their time in fact.  Makes me want to get mine out of the closet and play around with it, as those paint programs are so much better than anything I currently have installed on either of my Windows PC's.

[danbeaver]

?

[danbeaver]

Would memantine help?

[dovegrace]

Don't plug the 23pin cable from the DCTV into your OpalVision card's 23pin port.  The DCTV connects to the Amiga Parallel Port, if I remember correctly, and that connection is to enable the slow scan video digitizer so you can scan pictures using a camcorder's composite output connected to the DCTV's composite input (the yellow RCA jack).  The pass-through connector on the DCTV is for the Amiga RGB monitor output.

Edit:  I take it all back, the OpalVision card does have a 23pin RGB output port, just like the Amiga RGB output, so you can probably use the DCTV pass-through connector on that port, but I would suggest that you don't try to run both DCTV Paint and OpalVision Paint at the same time.  The parallel port connector on the DCTV has 25pins, not 23pins, so there is no way to confuse where it connects to.

Thanks, mate.  I used both the DCTV and Opalvision extensively back in the mid-to-late 90s (mostly designing web graphics and capturing SNES & Sega Genesis screens), but haven't touched either in 15 years.  I couldn't remember how I had the RGB passthrough connected - whether through the A2000's RGB port or through the Opalvision's output.  Will try through the Opal first, and if it doesn't work, will try the 2000's RGB port.

Have fun setting it all back up.  Both Opal Paint and DCTV Paint were excellent paint programs on the Amiga.  Two of the best for their time in fact.  Makes me want to get mine out of the closet and play around with it, as those paint programs are so much better than anything I currently have installed on either of my Windows PC's.

I LOVED Opal Paint.  Never really delved into DCTV Paint other than to touch up the odd screen capture - I bought Brilliance and ImageFX soon after I got the DCTV, so in my world DCTV Paint never really got a chance to shine.  I'll have to give it a second look.