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Amiga 1200 PAL<->NTSC Stuff

Raven

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Just bought an A1200 PAL from eBay from the UK - it was like $215 shipped! :D I ordered a step-up/step-down (yeah it does both) unit from Amazon, too (yes I know you can use a brick from the US, but it's cheaper to buy one of those than an Amiga power supply).

It came with games, power supply, etc., and with pictures of it working, and guarantees, etc. The only problem is the power LED is broken, but he's including a new one. The machine is *sealed* (warranty sticker) so he didn't want to open it up. That won't stop me, mind you... >_>

I'm not 100% sure what I'll be up against with video, whether my CBM 1701 can do it, or what (I imagine it can do PAL composite at the very least?).. I guess I'll get a scan-doubler and use my Sony GDM-FW900 if I must, but I really would rather not spend the money on one of those. xD I do know that the PAL machines are supposed to be able to boot in NTSC mode, but I'm not sure if that has any limitations.

Can an Amiga output RGB over 5xBNC if adapted? My FW900 will take that directly, if so - that'd be convenient. :p

Supposedly the PAL versions of Amiga things are better, and/or there's more software for them, so probably just as well that I ended up getting one of those. If not, then it's still more versatile, being able to output either.

The step-up/down unit I found is here, in case anybody wants one - it's only $17 + shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/Goldsource-ST...UTF8&qid=1354060077&sr=1-6&keywords=240v+115v
 
5xBNC is fine, but the monitor needs to scan down to 15khz, very few modern CRTs do. If anything, the 1701 will give you a black and white picture if the machine is switched to NTSC mode. Another option is to use a video capture card in a computer, as they can usually do PAL without a problem.

I would be leery of using that step-up converter. Going by the reviews, it seems to be a steaming (literally!) pile of crap. I wouldn't hook up a hard to replace vintage computer to one of those.
 
It can - it's a Sony GDM-FW900, the most versitile and powerful CRT ever made! :D

Anybody ever make a DB23 to non-standard "PAL VGA"? Could of course use the NTSC as well, most likely.

As for the step-up, I will be sure to test it with my voltmeter for specs and stability, thanks for telling me (was a bit excited, didn't look >_>).

The 1701 can do 15Khz, so we will see how that works. I do also own a nice TV tuner with live response time options, so that can hold me over 'til I get a better solution.

Thanks for the info. :3
 
I ended up getting an Indivision AGA Mk2, to handle everything nicely and leave the 23DB alone, too. Smooth sailing from here. :D
 
That probably was a good choice. The Amiga 1200 indeed came with a special display device driver for VGA mode, but it'd only be useful in Workbench and CLI windows, not for playing games or other applications that open their own screens. You could also get a cheap RGB to VGA adapter for $35-40 incl. shipping, dunno if that is what you were considering when you mentioned scan doubler.

As for power, the Amiga is powered by +5VDC, +12VDC and -12VDC. That means you could get any old AT power supply, or even an ATX power supply with some hack to trigger it to run and then hack off the connector from an original Amiga power supply. As everything is DC, there are no frequencies or phases to worry about whether the main power comes from 115VAC or 230VAC. You might even find sellers with just the power connector on a piece of cable. I have a bunch of those as well, if you can't find one closer/cheaper and want to hack around a bit.
 
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