A few questions about the AES and a Commodore moniitor...

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anyone can suggest anywhere to obtain a Commodore 1084 RGB monitor (aside from eBay) for a good price?

Secondly... Is it true that, since I have an AES system in the 25,xxx serial number range, I should get a high quality picture using the RGB straight out of the plug without having to worry about getting an RGB mod done? I've also had the component/s-video mod done by Jeff Kurtz, but that shouldn't affect my RGB output, right?

Finally, is there anyone who can provide or make the proper RGB cable I would need to run from the AES to the Commodore 1084?

Sorry for so many questions, but I want to make sure I have all of my facts straight before I incur the wrath of my wife by buying another monitor for which we have no room in the apartment.


Thanks,

Im just looking into connecting my AES to a monitor myself. Ive noticed thrift stores have monitors-o-plenty cheap and working.
Im getting all the info i can with the search function before i hit the thrift shops this weekend. Seems the AES is very picky about what monitor it uses

No, the AES just uses a 15 khz horizontal scan frequency RGB signal. A normal pc monitor uses a 31khz horizontal scan frequency RGB signal. If you're looking for something to use the Neo/MVS on, try looking for a monitor that will sync a 15khz signal. Personally, I'm on the lookout for older 640x480 projectors that sync 15khz signals. Hope this helps!

A Commodore 1084 or 1084 S (stereo) always is a good choice, it may be small but will give you a razor sharp image with RGB, and not only for your Neo I might add, I use a Philips CM-series multisync 15" monitor for all my consoles/systems (RGB-only of course) and I never had a single prob with it.

Another good monitor would be a Nec MultiSync, it's slightly better than the Commodore monitor and there even was a 17"-series (the 1080/84/84S and most other multiscan/sync monitors have 14" or 15").

Try searching classified ads for Commodore C=64 or Amiga sales or check out classic computer stores, many people used these monitors for micro computers or early PCs. It shouldn't be a problem if the monitor is older than, say, 10 or 15 years, my various 1084s's and the Philips CM are almost 20 years old but still work perfectly.

Make sure to check them out for burn-ins and "whiting" before buying, the latter can be caused by excessive brightness/contrast levels due to a weak input signal. Leave them on for a while during your tests, the whiting may not be visible as long as the unit is not warm enough.

About RGB cables for homecart systems, just buy a regular one, for ex. from Lik Sang, the standard ones with builtin RCA jacks for sound output cost less than $15, guess you couldn't build them on your own for that price.

Finally, IMO, the RGB mods are not worth the money, a friend of mine has one of those homecart sys with "bad" RGB but it looks just as good on my Philips CM as my low-serial-# homecart.

Regular from Lik Sang?

Could you clarify which cables count as 'regular', please?

Many of the cables I have seen @ Lik Sang are SCART spec; with some monitors taking JPN 21 Pin RGB, and some 15-pin D-sub, the choice isn't always clear.

Thanks.


/Quote Tak About RGB cables for homecart systems, just buy a regular one, for ex. from Lik Sang, the standard ones with builtin RCA jacks for sound output cost less than $15, guessyou couldn't build them on your own for that price.

wataru330 said:

Could you clarify which cables count as 'regular', please?

Many of the cables I have seen @ Lik Sang are SCART spec; with some monitors taking JPN 21 Pin RGB, and some 15-pin D-sub, the choice isn't always clear.

Thanks.


/Quote Tak About RGB cables for homecart systems, just buy a regular one, for ex. from Lik Sang, the standard ones with builtin RCA jacks for sound output cost less than $15, guessyou couldn't build them on your own for that price.

Click to expand...

I'm referring to a standard RGB cable with all pins fully connected... just checked Lik Sang and they seem to be out of stock, but for a start, this is the RGB cable I'm using since years and I'm very happy with it:

Wolfsoft RGB cable

It's a bit more expensive than a standard one but it comes with a builtin mini plug for stereo sound, and it's very sturdy. Woflsoft ship world-wide but make sure to ask them for a shipping cost quote.

FYI, here is a link to gamesx with a Neo RGB pinout:

NEOGEO ROM/CD A/V

I switched to a commodore setup for my neo about six months ago and I couldn't be happier. Aside from hooking your neo up to an arcade monitor, you are not going to get a better picture.

The great thing about the commodore monitor is that not only does it put out a bright rgb picture, but it is low res so it doesn't show the 'jaggies' of the neo sprites as much as when you play the neo via an X-RGB2 (yeah, yeah, I know about scan lines but that makes it too dark IMO)

Could you clarify which cables count as 'regular', please?

Click to expand...

Cables to connect your neo to the commodore do not exist commercially as far as I know at least not for US commodore monitors. The Euro ones take a 21 pin scart connector I believe.

I had to get MKL to custom make a cable to connect my neo to the 6 pin rgb in on the back on the commodore. He shipped it all the way from italy but his prices are very reasonable.

As far as getting monitors like that yes thift stores are good, but my best luck has been at farmers markets where I got mine for 30$ a pop. Be advised however that these monitors are OLD and I just had one blow out after 6 months of use and the replacement I bought for that went in about 5 mintues.

It cost me 200 dollars total to have the entire flyback replaced on one monitor and the power switch and capacitors replaced on another.

Takumaji said:

Finally, IMO, the RGB mods are not worth the money, a friend of mine has one of those homecart sys with "bad" RGB but it looks just as good on my Philips CM as my low-serial-# homecart.

Click to expand...

It all depends....

Some AES systems don't output composite sync. Some only output Composite video (Or so I'm told)... So the pinout of the RGB cable must match the system type.

Some monitors will flip out if you feed them Cvideo instead of Csync. Some will strip it properly.

RGB mod is really cheap and the only way to make sure that it will work 110%.

Yes, the home system can have two A/V port pinouts (with and without sync):

http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=av:neogeoav

Doing the RGB mod and restoring sync on the A/V port (important for full compatibility with RGB monitors) on these systems is very easy and if it's done as in the pic below you can keep the composite video output as well. You just have to remove 3 capacitors on the RGB lines and 1 ferrite (where composite video splits in two), and solder 4 wires:

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/8875/rgbsyncmodrs6.jpg

norton9478 said:

It all depends....

Some AES systems don't output composite sync. Some only output Composite video (Or so I'm told)... So the pinout of the RGB cable must match the system type.

Some monitors will flip out if you feed them Cvideo instead of Csync. Some will strip it properly.

RGB mod is really cheap and the only way to make sure that it will work 110%.

Click to expand...

ooo,i didnt see that in my searches about the sync missing in some units.
I opened my AES as soon as i read this and relived to find it NEO-AES3-4 board,serial 081393 so i think im good to go.
Gods i hate that taco bell commercial.

jetblue said:

ooo,i didnt see that in my searches about the sync missing in some units.
I opened my AES as soon as i read this and relived to find it NEO-AES3-4 board,serial 081393 so i think im good to go.
Gods i hate that taco bell commercial.

Click to expand...

Where is the PCB revision # printed? Is it on the bottom of the board?

I think I found it...

I didn't realize that it would just say NEO - AES, but then I took another look at the link MKL provided.

So it seems I have the 1st PCB board, NEO - AES, serial # 25786, so I should be OK.

Now, I just need the cable... Oh, yeah... and the monitor...

I always use my commodore monitor when I want to watch something casually on my tv and play some games. I just wheel it in from my closet hook it up from my tv center and sit on my chair. I picked mine up at a classic gaming event some maybe if there are any in your area or you can make it to one in Philly here you may have some luck getting one.