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Re: Apple II 80 column Mode on Composite Monitor

Mr Nukem wrote:

On Sep 4, 8:34 am, schmidtd <schmi...@my-deja.com> wrote:


On Sep 4, 11:11 am, Mr Nukem <mrnu...@gmail.com> wrote:> I have an Apple IIe hooked up to a composite monitor and 80 column


mode is really not usable. Is there any kind of software I can run to
clear up the text (it's blurry in 80 column mode), even if it's a
program that makes the display monochrome if it would clear up the
text that would be excellent.


A monochrome monitor from the era is a good way to go.  A color
monitor will be too blurry to read, as you have found out.  Some LCD
TV monitors are pretty good  to use in this situation, but the
fidelity (or lack thereof) of the Apple's NTSC output can cause
trouble with finicky contemporary LCDs.



If there is no software solution to the issue is there an add in
graphics card that gives a better composite signal I can watch for on
e-bay or get from one of the few Apple II hardware vendors around
still?


There is no software solution.  One way to go might be to get an RGB
card and associated monitor, but that's getting pretty expensive.
Especially since you could probably go to an electronics superstore
and pick up a cheap LCD TV and try it out...



I know the RGB card has a 9 Pin video connector. Would an old PC CGA-
EGA 9 PIN Monitor work with any of the Apple II RGB cards? Or will I
run into refresh rate issues? If it did work would it be an
improvement over what I have now?


CGA is a 15kHz line rate, so there should be no sync problems.

However, the RGBI plus sync output of the Apple II RGB cards is
not fully compatible with the IBM standard, so a little adapter
will be required in most cases.  Search the web for more info.

-michael

NadaPong: Network game demo for Apple II computers!
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

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