Converting MDA/CGA/EGA Graphics Output to VGA!
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- čas přidán 8. 11. 2018
- When it comes to retro PCs, graphics standards can be all over the place. Monochrome, 4-color, 16-color, composite artifacting, etc. But the MCE2VGA scaler box lets you plug all of them into a single display! Thanks to Serdaco Shop for sending a review unit.
● Here's where to buy them until stock runs out:
www.serdashop.com/MCE2VGA
● MCE2VGA has been superseded by the MCE2HDMI:
www.serdashop.com/MCE2HDMI
● LGR links:
/ lazygamereviews
/ lazygamereviews
/ lazygamereviews
● Music credits go to:
Whiskey on the Rocks 2, Rotations 2
www.epidemicsound.com
● Games shown in order of appearance:
Arkanoid II
Wheel of Fortune
Vette
Zeliard
Kingdom of Kroz
Test Drive II
Planet X3
Paku Paku
Burgertime
Crystal Caves
LHX
#Retro #PC #graphics #Adapter #Converter - Věda a technologie
5:13 Hey, it’s Planet X3! I’m mega amped for that game. :D
Me too! David's been cool enough to send me some early versions to test on various hardware.
Hey there display picture twin! (sorry couldn't resist)
TheiBookGuy and LGR are my favs tbh
This is the 8-bit Guy's game, right?
@@duffman18 Yes
it's amazing how much you make me care about something I don't care about
Kairu Hakubi This has got to be one of the greatest compliments anyone doing instructional/informational videos could possibly hope for!
Haha 100th like
I see that PlanetX2/3! Nice!
Oh man. You have no idea how happy this makes me! I have photosensitive epilepsy, and my old Tandy 1000 monitor outputs at such a low refresh rate that it makes for risky retro play. Using this with an LCD means I can finally use my old Tandy without having to worry!
Before watching your videos I had no interest in old computers of any kind. Two years in I want to make my own Windows 98 PC. Thank you Clint
well after LGR made his own ultimate Windows XP PC, I made my own ultimate Windows XP PC but with old case and CRT monitor. It just feels good 😊😊😍😍
I got lucky and recently picked up an IBM PS/2 model 70 (great for DOS!) on the cheap... too bad it's only got MCA slots...
I do have a number of Win98 PC's i still need to refurbish back into working condition...
@@HappyBeezerStudios For the most part, a quad core cpu running at 3 ghz is enough as a CPU... Phenom II X4's are quite nice. For period-proper graphics cards... go with a Radeon X1900 or nvidia 7900 ultra (the last of the pure DirectX 9 cards) top it off at 4 GBs of RAM (since XP 32-bit only supports up to 4GB anyways).
LGR is the reason i bought a Macintosh SE
Dammit that's my situation as well. And I hate that I love it!
Oh what the hell? I've been looking for something like this for years.. holy crap this is amazing
It's pretty expensive though. Even my whole gaming PC setup is cheaper than the full kit. I'm rocking with my BSEL modded Intel Pentium E2160, vmodded ATI HD4670 and 19'' 1280x1024 monitor. I can play AAA games like The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion/Skyrim, The Witcher 2, Mass Effect 1/2/3, Dragon Age 1/2/3 and Fallout 3/NV/TTW. Too bad I can't play Fallout 4 or The Witcher 3, because my GPU doesn't support DX11 but I can watch ''Let's play'' videos and it's almost like playing the game. I have my studio tour and gaming setup video on my channel.
@@basshead. This is for much older stuff and is pretty cheap for what it is honestly.. A lot of work must have went into this product.
I'm an OG gamer, I've been playing video games since the 90s.
Isn't amazing this processor inside the adapter probably has hundreds more processing power than the retro computers you are adapting into?
Don't get me wrong I love this stuff, but yeah that's one of the things about it that kinda tick me the wrong way
Altera Cyclone IV is not a processor, it is an FPGA (programmable gate array).
@@TzOk Is that bad?
@@TzOk see also: pedantic.
@@RodrigoBadin No it is not bad, but you can't say about the computing power when talking about FPGA. Although you can make a CPU or DSP out of FPGA, the processing power would depend on the IP core you use/create. FPGA can be whatever digital device you want.
What I've learnt watching LGR:
10 HELLO
20 PRINT "FART"
30 GOTO 10
> "What I've learnt watching LGR"
> "10 HELLO"
well, I got bad news for you ...
SYNTAX ERROR
10 PRINT "YOU HAD TO WATCH LGR TO LEARN BASIC?"
20 GOTO 10
How about some classic Unix shell script?
#!/bin/sh
while true; do
echo FART
done
@@LGR This is syntax error for sure. There was "FARTS".
“Whether you like it raw or unfiltered”
....mmmmmmmmmmm, gonna go with Raw, Clint.
Incredible! The right man at the right time, with the right video!
I searched all day for good EGA to VGA converters and now you come with it and surprised me.
I just found these GBS-8200 and GBS-8220 and wondered how to connect the 9-pin EGA interface to the 5-pin EGA input of the GBS-82x0.
Greetings from Germany.
Can anyone tell me if it is possible and if so, how do I need to connect the 9-pin EGA output of the video card to the GBS-8220 (or GBS-8200) so I get picture with all EGA colors?
The GBS-82x0 board has only 5 input ports for EGA, but the graphics board's EGA output has 9 pins.
Must "secondary Red / Green / Blue (Intensity)" be connected to create an image?
Is there at least a simpler DIY solution to make a monochrome EGA to VGA adapter?
Ave Avis Thing is, the "CGA" and "EGA" boards like those from Gonbes talk about are only the Horizontal Scan rate (15 and 24KHz, in this case). So they only accept a standard RGB signal with raw composite sync. The DE-9 of CGA and EGA cards not only use separated horizontal and vertical sync each on dedicated pins, but the connector also uses another pin for the "intensity" signal. For IBM CGA, this adds a brighter variant of the original 8 colors.
So in that regard, you would need something like the non-RXi series of Extron RGB interfaces (like my 202PLUS), which has 9-pin TTL input along with both the ability to transcode into analog RGB and output only composite sync.
@@aveavis2247 I use a GBS-8200 as a CGA to VGA converter for my PC/XT. To get a picture (albeit with only half the colour palette) you can ignore the intensity pin(s); alternatively you can use a couple of different circuits (analog "cheating" with resistors+diodes works for me) to produce the analog RGB the GBS-8200 is expecting. The more problematic part is that the GBS-8200 cannot do split H and V sync at the horizontal frequencies CGA uses (and EGA at some resolutions/modes), it requires composite sync. You need to combine the H and V sync signals together by XNORing them, then provide that as composite sync.
The GBS-82x0s were not really designed for use with vintage computers; they appear to have been primarily designed for use with arcade machines. The board accepts (all analog) YPbPr, RGBS (starting from 14.5KHz H freq) and RGBHV (starting from 30.5KHz H freq). CGA and EGA as being discussed here are not analog, they are digital TTL of the type RGBIHV (at approx 15KHz H freq minimum), therefore both the sync (too slow to be H/V) and colour (digital with intensity, not analog) portions of the signal are not as the GBS-82x0 expects them, and it will not work without additional electronics.
@@NightSprinter thx. See my answer/question to you and Knucks under Knucks answer.
@@KnuckxCB TheRetroDudeAbides
Thanks for your contribution.
I will think about it.
Building a CGA-to-SCART adapter seems easy. I'll try that for now, because I can switch my graphics card from EGA to CGA.
If I understand correctly, the CGA-to-SCART adapter can be used to build an EGA-to-SCART adapter by combining the Color and Color Intensity with a resistor. Is that correct?
Source: www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htm#nvctlvg -> Look at: "TL to VGA / Analog"
czcams.com/video/ymulGiO4NrI/video.html -> wiring diagram
I also find different resistance values for the Schlatung:
imgur.com/WZb0rdB
or
www.electroschematics.com/377/cga-scart-adapter/
Or are they both right?
Thanks in advance.
I feel like LGRs voice could cure violent criminals
"I'm gonna kill that guy!"
_"No, you won't."_
"...you drive a hard bargain, Clint."
I love how you find all these gadgets and devices that I wouldn't have any clue where to find if I needed to find any. Even if I'll never use this sort of thing, I find it fascinating to see how they work and that they exist at all. Amazing.
I have all the monitors I need for all my computers, but I still want this. It looks quite nice.
The phrase future proofing on a retro channel amuses me
Just wanna say, props for the 4k filming. It really enhances the videos. More youtubers need to make the transition.
Very interesting product Clint. thanks for giving us the run-through on it.
You're so close to the million subs, man! I've been following you from the mere 10K subs and I feel very happy and proud of your oncoming achievement.
Those are some amazing results. And the box isn't even that much more expensive than the Chinese options. I'm impressed!
Seeing it on an ultrawide with the giant pillarboxes was pretty funny
Thumbs up for correct terminology! Usually people only call them "letterboxes", ignoring pillerboxes and windowboxes (my least favourite type of box, which I often get when people play square content in a video rendered in widescreen on my square monitors).
It's been sold out for a very long time. A few days ago I received an e-mail though, that they were back in stock, and I immediately ordered one. Now I can finally begin to consider, if I should try and source the hardware for re-building my childhood PC or not. Thank you for the Amazing review!
That's super Awesome and Incredible. This devices is really useful for people who doesn't have CGA and EGA Monitors. By The Way CRT Monitors still Rules The retro Computing Gaming .
Wow Crystal Caves, I had totally forgotten about this, I played that game so much as a kid!
Good review and thanks for the memories :)
Feels like years since the last video lol I didn’t realize just how much I enjoy this channel. Clint is the man for sure.
Thanks ! Great review, might have to get one of these !
Always a great pleasure to sit down and watch an Episode of LGR. There is something soothing about his delivery on any subject he chooses, like Bob Ross talking about happy trees. Needless to say I am on the fence if this is a better solution than repairing my EGA 5154 monitor.
Love the *A E S T H E T I C*
This is really neat I love that little box!
This seems nice and versatile. I like the extra little features as well. :D
Sweet RS200 wallpaper! Love the clash between your main computer and the stuff you show here normaly ;)
I'm still debating that orange and black case. It would look great in my atelier next to the power drill and the table saw.
Thank you .. this is what I was looking for! Great review.. they have it on their website too... lol.... hey.. merry xmas and happy new year!
Just ordered one.
Didn't order the enclosure, but I can print one myself or come up wiht something. Thanks for this video, it solves *a lot* of problems.
Someone kill me. Moving house multiple times and having to downsize can cause one to make bad culling decisions. Since throwing out all the 'old' software some years ago, I discovered your wonderful channel and now I want all that stuff back! I actually purchased a copy of Win98 SE recently and am in the process of gathering all the updates etc. Pity I threw out Office 97, oh well. I have built a dedicated Win 98SE tower case with a 4:3 LCD monitor just for fun. I love all the extra stuff that used to come with earlier versions of Windows. Ah, the nostalgia. I am also a big fan of IBM keyboards, there is nothing like them. Keep sniffing all that lovely stuff you unpack and keep up the great, informative channel. I love it.
Wow seeing that Vette! gameplay was a blast from the past. I remember playing it on my family's Apple Quadra way back when I was just a toddler maybe. I'd completely forgotten about it. Hey Clint you should do a video covering it. Great stuff as always!
I grew up with a Turbo XT with an ATI EGA Wonder. EGA holds a special place in my heart. I must say, Serdashop is really creating a nice portfolio of devices that support the retro community. Serge is awesome!
Love that RS200 background!!
I'm really impressed by the composite CGA stuff!
OOOH Planet X3
Good video to watch with my new heat activated pac man cup. An LGR video is always something to look forward to
Good to know such converter exists. BTW. Your videos are nicely done. :) Thanks. Cheers!
Oookay, I have no idea about any of this stuff - but it sure is fun to watch!
Yeah new LGR episode. I'm so happy
An LGR video on a saturday morning, sure is relaxing.
That a really cool little piece of tech!
I barely understand any of the tech talk but I still find it infinitely enjoyable to listen to, especially with the way this guy delivers it.
Damn thats nifty ! I'll be ordering one for sure !
Great Video!!! keep up the good work!
Awesome stuff, because as much as I love my CRT monitors, and TV's, I know they won't last forever sadly, and this seems like a good solution, even if it's a bit expensive.
When do CRT monitors start failing anyway? If they've lasted so long already, I would think they would be able to last longer.
It is so awesome to see people making modern solutions to keeping old machines running. And often at times, running faster than normal thanks to the massive improvements in storage media. This makes me want to find an old IBM machine now.
This thing looks great!
It was nice of you to discretely plug Planet X3 in the clip.
Great Scott! An Actual converter to VGA!
LOVE the Planet X3 bit.
Where as this is a great product, can it do what I need? I want to restomod a IBM 5150 XT. I got orginal case and working monitor. Case guts are gone. Want to install a raspberry pi but run command line linux on the orginal momochrome monitor. Will this device (with another converter box before I suppose) take what the Pi outputs (composite or HDMI) so I can use the orginal monochrome display?
You are asking the wrong person LOL.
Aw yeah, a new LGR video!!
7:11 Love the RS200 wallpaper!
Time for a relaxing evening eating chocolate and watching LGR. :)
That looks really *really* good, kudos to them!
FPGAs are awesome and not all that cheap, very interesting use!
holy shit! I had forgotten about crystal caves! loved that game! 6:14
I really need one of these
Man, I love all your retro stuff showcasing the tech I grew up with as it was released: an advantage of being an old man. Haha!
Regarding video capture, it probably wouldn't be much work for them to modify the FPGA configuration to dump raw video frames. They'd have to add a USB port or something similar, but maybe you should suggest it to them.
Or perhaps they could include a special output mode that is more compatible with capture cards. That wouldn't even require any hardware changes.
It's more a matter of capture devices needing to support 720x400@70hz and the like, which the MCE2VGA is outputting as intended. For example, my AV.io HD captures the MCE2VGA in all its graphics modes just fine, but my Avermedia Game Broadcaster HD does not. So it really depends on what the VGA capture device looks for in terms of video signals, and unfortunately that varies wildly across devices. But still, an alternate output mode for the MCE2VGA would be neat to have!
@@LGR They do offer an add-on programmable development board with USB that might be able to do that.
Maybe the special output mode could be a 4th version of the product.
Calling it the "MCE2VGA/LGR edition" :D
Or a more general name like "Video Capture Edition" is also a possibility if it is worth doing that of course.
Nice! How about a tour of all your vintage hardware (in storage I assume) you have as well? You seem to have quite the collection, would be great to see some of it :)
Just watched an old video from 2011. Your voice has come a LONG way.
That is really cool!
People have been doing some pretty awesome stuff with the FPGA chip... thanks for sharing!
Thanks to you I finally went and got a Model M keyboard. I got it from Clickykeyboards. Fully restored and bolt modded. It's amazing. I had a Flico Majestouch with blue switches and SA Nuclear keycaps from PimpMyKeyboard. That Filco is a dream, but good lord, this thing is just as I remembered from my childhood.
So awesome! I mean, it's a tiny bit expensive. For what it does and how it performs? Seems worth every penny to me. Great vid, I love it!
This surely will help alot of retro gamers and collectors
You take me back to childhood with wheel of fortune
That’s definitely an amezing & cool device!!!
OMG! wheel of fortune, I used to play this when I was 5 or 6, 39 now, in Hartford, CT!! my aunt used to take me to work at the Travelers building with her. I played this so much I learned the right answers. and a robot cart, tracking a black stripe on the floor, delivered mail from time to time... so cool..
What I would love to see is for 4k displays being able to emulate the lower DPI screens. I remember EGA(ish)/Enhanced CGA graphics on my Amstrad CPC 1512 for the few games that supported it, the graphics of 16 color games, combined with the Screens Low DPI actually made these game much better, the low 320x200 resolution with the low DPI had smoothed the pixels so the images were just that much more natural. I remember taking the Amstrad Driver in Kings Quest IV and applying to the other Sierra Games, to give me a wonderful gaming experience, with a PC Speaker with a volume knob.
Hahaha! Nice showing Planet X3 - I am sure Dave is flattered!
The day when vintage CRT's are completely gone from the market (or from existence entirely) will be a SAD day...I'm glad you're around still keeping the dream alive. You're a miracle worker, sir and I pray you stick around the Tube for a long LONG time. :)
That's a pretty capable device. It deserves appreciation.
Really neat. Himm CGA goodness.
Look at Clint just casually showing off that alpha copy of Planet-X3. Can't wait to get my kickstarter copy!
That is some great outro music
Is that a Ford RS200 wallpaper?! Got to love the craziness that was Group B.
And now an RS200 for your background. You have good taste in cars LGR.
good to see Planet X3 here, from the 8bitguy - you turned me on to his channel in the first place :D
"Admirably"? That EGA looks BEAUTIFUL!
Been using this converter quite for a while. It is no doubt the best option for playing with old PC's that output TTL video.
Best results are achieved using a VGA CRT, if you have to use a LCD make sure you use a proper 4:3 aspect ratio monitor. But CRT is unbeatable.
I need to add that composite emulation is still not yet perfect, it is close but not there yet. Comparing this converter with a real TV/Composite monitor side by side will show the differences.
Carlos Teixeira So it can't output to SVGA (800x600) or WVGA? And it can't do refresh rate conversion to typical VGA or SVGA speeds? As I commented on a community post about this, it wouldn't be that hard to hook a VRAM chip to the FPGA and actually do scan rate conversion using different FPGA programs for each mode with a microcontroller loading from a serial EEPROM/Flash as needed. There may even be capacity left for on on screen display.
Correct, no SVGA. Though it outputs at refresh rates of either 60 or 70hz depending on the graphics mode being converted. All native to VGA!
@@johnfrancisdoe1563 I didn't design the thing, so can't speculate on how what could be done. Every graphics mode is displayed to the closest most compatible VGA output. MDA and Hercules will be displayed in 720x400 @70Hz, 15KHz TTL CGA and low res EGA will be displayed in 720x480 @60Hz and EGA high res at 640x350 @70Hz.
I would love it if you did an episode on the Hewlett Packard HP 200LX palmtops that run DOS 5.0 I can send you one to do a review on if you like!! Very much appreciated and wonderful video!
Thanks
The lack of the logo at the intro was unexpected.
Agsma, Just Agsma Yes you want!
Oh this thing makes my heart rejoice!
Green monochrome! WooHOO!
Gives me a lot of hope for game preservation to see a market being created for this sort of "bridgeware" to help things work with modern hardware.
Gosh I've had so much of that old hardware back in 1990
Hey Clint, thanks for the great video. A friend of mine hooked me up with the V2 version of this board and I am looking forward to seeing it work with my Tandy 1000EX. Also, do you know if this will work with the 80-column output of the Commodore 128?
Yay! I see one of the cards I donated at 2:02. :) It's the brown one that says 843 on the bottom.
Yes indeed, and thanks again :)
It's proved useful!
This could really help those let's players that like doing old games!
For damn sure!
Ahh a new LGR thang
Tucker Orton people yes yes video
attempting to find stock to send to AU :-) this is awesome!
I saw Planet X2 and Planet X3. Nice!
Oh. Muh. Gerd. I found an LGR I hadn't watched yet!
Looking good :) BTW It would be easy to change the FPGA code to generate SVGA 800x600@60Hz but then you would get not optimal aspect ratio or even small centered image.
Great to see you mention Belgium
I'm also a proud belgian
iDevastate 👍🏼🙂
I wonder if this will work on a Commodore 128 RGB 80 column Display Port?
RGBI*
Crystal Caves is my favourite EGA dos game. I particulary enjoy to see 320×200 resolution with real scanlines.
I saw you sneak that Planet X3 in there!
An Escort Cosworth on snow for background??
I have an F-150 on ice! :P loving forza horizon 4!
Also great video! This will come in handy for you to show us those good ol' retro games we love
Love classic Fords!
i.imgur.com/PHJRZik.jpg