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CGA/EGA to VGA Converter Options

SteveG

SteveG

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2020
Messages
151
Location
Millmeece Near Stafford UK
HELP

The last of my 4 IBM XT monitors “bit the dust” this afternoon :(

I am hoping to use one of my many VGA monitors instead.

I was planning to purchase an “XVGA Box” converter to enable me to connect my XT’s to any VGA monitor.

Has anyone tried out one of these or can propose any alternatives.

NB. Because I have many PC’s that need CGA/EGA monitors, replacing the video cards with non-standard 8 bit video adaptors in the PC’s is not a suitable option. Also I am trying to keep my PC’s as original as possible.

Today’s plan was to try and load a copy of Windows 1.03 to try it out.
 
setting it up is a pain in the nuts, but the "best" IMO is to get a gglabs CGA2RGB DAC to convert the TTL RGB to analogue RGB and then run it through either an OSSC or GBS-8200 running the custom gbscontrol fw
 
The supply of NOS critical parts like CRT's and flyback transformers will eventually run dry if it hasn't already. Ditto for the supply of "donor" monitors that can be cannibalized. Choices would be easier to figure out if one only had to deal with converting one old standard to a new one. Or if one had only one converter to choose from. But you don't have to get very deep before you're needing to convert MDA, CGA, and EGA to something newer, not just to keep your collection "correct", but also to test a given video card. So you're left with either a string of optimized "one trick pony" converters hooked together MDA->CGA->EGA->VGA fashion or a jack of all trades unit that does them all but maybe doesn't do any of them very well.

I've learned that if it can be done, someone on this forum has probably done it and is willing to share what went right and what went wrong along the way.

So...... What do you folks think of this particular solution?

https://www.serdashop.com/MCE2VGA

P.S. Then again, now that VGA is also obsolete....... (JK ;-) )
 
SteveG said:
Oh dear.
I assumed I was buying a plug and play device :(
Click to expand...

You are, it's just that the enhancements (if you're willing to do them) can improve the output. CGA -> CGA2RGB -> gbs -> VGA does work, it was one of my first tests. It's not the best output quality, but it is the cheapest.
 
Here's a example of a GBS8200+128 Dac Board with a GBS-Control upgrade. As you can see it's very large.

I put this setup together awhile back, I bought the dac board in 2011. (The dac board converts RGBI to analog compatible signals, but it's still at 15k. The GBS board converts the 15k to 31.5k)

The 3d printed case came later.

8jwwzjJ.jpg

Keep in mind, this is only the 80 Column output, and has nothing to do with 40 column, (which includes anything 64 mode related)
 
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