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Re: Alternatives to an applecolor RGB?



MdntTrain wrote:
On Oct 5, 2:41 am, "Michael J. Mahon" <mjma...@aol.com> wrote:

Michael Black wrote:

On Tue, 4 Oct 2011, Michael J. Mahon wrote:

IUnknown <stevement...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Oct 4, 3:03 pm, Steven Hirsch <snhir...@gmail.com> wrote:

On 10/04/2011 09:06 AM, Leandro M Polimeno wrote:

Some possibilites are :

* Using a simple COMPOSITE -> VGA box, not so good image.

* The same converter but with the "help" of:

http://www.amigamaniac.com/RGB_to_PAL_NTSC_adapter.html

Using it with the S-VIDEO port, maybe the easier and cheap method
if you dont
need/looking for an awesome image.

Problem is, most converters have serious problems reproducing the
Apple IIGS
video signal.  It's been discussed to death in this group over the
years.

I brought up the Highway/CYP unit because I _know_ from my
experience and
others here that it works quite well.

Steve

The only downside to the highway/cyp unit appears to be the cost.....
on average around $180 USD.

Ouch.

Which is why trying to find an AppleColor RGB locally (Craig's list,
Freecycle, Goodwill, etc.) is a good thing to try first.

Anyone old enough to know how to fix an analog color TV can fix an
AppleColor RGB.

Replacement parts for certain unique parts (CRT, flyback transformer,
etc.)
can be an issue, which is why a couple of non-working "donor" monitors
are
handy.

Fifty years from now, when even VGA monitors
are all dust, another solution will be a necessity, as opposed to a
preference.

I fear a lot of those NTSC monitors have disappeared by now.
Occasionally I see something tossed that might be color (I say maybe
because it's not a recongizable brand so it might be a monochrome monitor
for security cameras), but the days when I found obvious color monitors
lying on the sidewalk or at garage sales has passed.  It makes sense,
since the days of the computers that went with them have passed into
history.

I'm seeing a lot of tv sets being junked these days, presumably for LCD
tv sets, and maybe because Canada finally went to DTV at the end of
August. If I'd been in need of a monitor, I would have been watching
those closely, to find one with video input.

On the other hand, I've used a Commodore monitor since about 1997 as a
"tv set", fed from a VCR.  It's held up well.  Oddly, I was using one
before this one, and the on/off switch broke, and it just sits there.  I
have another one that I found with a broken on/off switch.

So especially if someone is using a monitor in limited fashion with an
old computer, I suspect the life span can be quite long, assuming it
wasn't worn out before you get it.

Exactly.

Occasional use is much better for old electronics than years of disuse
followed by a sudden power on.  That's tough on power supply caps.

If it's been years since a device was used, try wiring a 100W
incandescent bulb in series with it and then turning it on for an hour
or so.  Oh, wait--100W bulbs are going away, too!  ;-)

More seriously, essentially every equipment failure is the result of a
single common part failing, which, when found and replaced, restores
correct operation.  If you like to use your vintage gear, learn enough
electronics to repair it--or lose it to the first failure.

-michael

NadaNet 3.1 for Apple II parallel computing!
Home page:  http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Would you use a lightbulb on a switching power supply under its normal
load?   I'm reluctant to do this as lowering the voltage to a switcher
only causes current through some of its stages to rise.    Seems
better to put the light bulb on the B+ after the switcher for a
monitor, at least.

You are correct that lowering the input voltage to a switching
power supply will cause switcher current to rise in an effort
to maintain regulation.  This could be problematic for some
supplies.

Since the capacitors most likely to be stressed are the ones in
the line-side supply, prior to the switcher, putting the 100W bulb
after that point would not help them.

I'd rather modify my recommendation to those devices without
switching supplies.  In my experience, most CRT monitors did not
have switching supplies.

-michael

NadaNet 3.1 for Apple II parallel computing!
Home page:  http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."