18 replies to this topic

[dark willow]

Does anyone have an experience with connecting the XEP-80 unit to a modern LCD display? I'd like to give it a try sometime, but I'd rather avoid using a CRT due to space issues. My 800XL works pretty well on my LCD from the on-board monitor/composite port, sop hopefully the XEP-80 could do the same *fingers crossed*

[mimo]

Using software driven 80 columns display you need s-video or chroma/luma
I guess it will be the same with an xep

[Philsan]

Years ago I successfully connected my XEP80 to a Samsung LCD monitor/tv.

[dark willow]

Philsan, on Sun Aug 19, 2012 2:28 PM, said:

Years ago I successfully connected my XEP80 to a Samsung LCD monitor/tv.

That's good to hear - do you know off hand if you need an adapter cable, or is it just a standard RCA jack?

[Stephen]

It is a standard RCA jack, which outputs a composite signal.

[jaybird3rd]

If you have an S-Video input on your LCD TV and wouldn't mind fashioning your own cable, you might get a clearer signal by connecting the XEP-80's output to only the Luminance/Sync pins, leaving the Chroma pins disconnected (the XEP-80 is monochrome, so it doesn't really need the Chroma signal):





I normally use my XEP-80 with a monochrome monitor, but this method worked well for me the last time I tried it with a Commodore color monitor.  This particular monitor had separate RCA plugs for Chroma and Luma, so in my case, it was as easy as moving the XEP-80 cable to the Luma plug.

[Philsan]

Stephen, on Sun Aug 19, 2012 4:38 PM, said:

It is a standard RCA jack, which outputs a composite signal.

Exactly.

[Larry]

On your Monitor/TV, did you get 80 columns and 24 full lines?  IIRC, there is also supposed to be room for a 25th line for system messages, etc.  On most of the displays I've tried (NTSC), I can only get 77 or 78 columns and 23 lines (and maybe part of the 24th line).  That makes using AtariWriter 80 a real problem!

-Larry

Philsan, on Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:37 AM, said:

Years ago I successfully connected my XEP80 to a Samsung LCD monitor/tv.

[Joey Z]

if you do connect it, I would recommend that you use a separate input from your atari, and then in the LCD's menu, find the "color" field under some sort of picture menu. turn it all the way down (until it is B/W). I think the XEP 80 still has artifacting on a color monitor (I think the manual says use on a monochrome monitor only, but I don't have an XEP 80 to check) so if you don't want to make an adapter to plug into svid luma only, this is a quick fix. I use this fix with software 80 columns so the text becomes somewhat readable on my no-svid 400.

[dark willow]

Looking at the Svid cable, looks like a simple job even for me! All seems pretty encouraging - thanks guys

Edited by dark willow, Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:18 PM.

[Rybags]

You could probably use the Y (green) input of component video too.  Heaps easier to make an RCA lead than an S-Video one.

[Philsan]

Larry, on Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:46 AM, said:

On your Monitor/TV, did you get 80 columns and 24 full lines?  IIRC, there is also supposed to be room for a 25th line for system messages, etc.  On most of the displays I've tried (NTSC), I can only get 77 or 78 columns and 23 lines (and maybe part of the 24th line).  That makes using AtariWriter 80 a real problem!

Hi Larry.
Too much time has passed and I don't remember!

[Joey Z]

Larry, on Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:46 AM, said:

On your Monitor/TV, did you get 80 columns and 24 full lines?  IIRC, there is also supposed to be room for a 25th line for system messages, etc.  On most of the displays I've tried (NTSC), I can only get 77 or 78 columns and 23 lines (and maybe part of the 24th line).  That makes using AtariWriter 80 a real problem!

-Larry

Philsan, on Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:37 AM, said:

Years ago I successfully connected my XEP80 to a Samsung LCD monitor/tv.

you could always enter the 'secret' void-your-warranty-service-menu to get h/v size/pos. adjust (not recomended unless you know what you are doing, on second thought, don't do this, even if you do know what you are doing) although I haven't had luck finding such adjustments on an LCD (if that's all you have). found them on a CRT just fine though.

[Fox-1 / mnx]

Joey Z, on Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:58 PM, said:

you could always enter the 'secret' void-your-warranty-service-menu to get h/v size/pos.

Even that won't do in all cases.

Tried this on my old Sony 4:3 Trinitron CRT and changing the H/V size didn't give me the full 25 lines of my XEP80.  It stayed at 24-and-a-half, which sucks as line 25 is the one where the Sparta-Dos command line is most of the time :-)

[Stephen]

Agreed - I have never found a device that will display all 25 lines of the XEP80.  Even my 1084S, with size & position controls.

[orpheuswaking]

Try a Sony PVM

[jaybird3rd]

Stephen, on Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:24 PM, said:

Agreed - I have never found a device that will display all 25 lines of the XEP80.  Even my 1084S, with size & position controls.

I use mine with an Amdek 300A.  It shows all the rows and columns from the XEP-80 perfectly, and in glorious amber-on-black.  To this day, it's still my favorite color for text.

[MEtalGuy66]

Yeah. Theres plenty of monochrome monitors that work fine with it.. I use a magnavox "Computer Monitor 80" green screen..

[Fox-1 / mnx]

Stephen, on Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:24 PM, said:

Agreed - I have never found a device that will display all 25 lines of the XEP80.

In fact, all displays (mono and color CRT's) I ever used in the past (which includes the mentioned Sony PVM and Magnavox/Philips Computer monitor 80) worked fine with the XEP80 after adjusting it's Hpos/Hsize but, except for 1 Philips TV, these were all analog adjustable.  With the Sony I use right now I can adjust Hpos/Hsize just fine but it's just that, screen position and size but no change in amount scan lines.

Too bad.  No space for an extra monitor.