retroTINK?

[DavidC]

Has anyone tried this with their TI99 or with a C64? It's a video converter, works with older video game consoles.

 

http://www.retrotink.com/

Edited November 25, 2018 by DavidC

[+OLD CS1]

Looks good. Having an HDMI converter which sees the input signal as non-interlaced is a big deal.

[DavidC]

Looks good. Having an HDMI converter which sees the input signal as non-interlaced is a big deal.

 

Would it be worth the money it costs to use with a TI and/or a C64?

 

It could be a alternative to the vga mod that causes problems with nanoPEBs and CF7s...

[DavidC]

So being the impulsive person I am...I ordered one. I will let you know if it works with the TI. I can't see why it wouldn't, I will test it. See what happens.

[unhuman]

Wish forums had follow to get notifications. I'll keep my eyes open for a status update.

[+Lee Stewart]

Wish forums had follow to get notifications. I'll keep my eyes open for a status update.

 

Look at the upper right corner of this page.

 

...lee

[digdugnate]

i'm interested to see how this turns out, as well.

[DavidC]

Expected shipment date is 12/07 so it will be a few weeks until it shows up. I'll let you guys know if it works.

[DavidC]

According to the Castlemania web site (where I ordered my retroTINK). shipments will begin on 12/15. I sure hope it works as intended. I don't mind waiting, something to look forward too. But using my TI without the VGA mod on my LED tv hurts my eyes. I guess I got spoiled by the f18...

 

I will update when it arrives.

[+OLD CS1]

Waiting for mine, as well.

[+pixelpedant]

Reviews have all been quite positive. This is definitely a good solution for a collection of use cases. Namely (for cases involving as many as possible of the following)

 

1) When upscaling systems which exclusively output 15KHz video

2) When upscaling systems whose highest quality available signal output is Composite or S-Video.

3) When upscaling systems which *switch between 240p and 480i on the fly*.

4) When outputting to HDTV (given only 480p output is supported).

 

I don’t suppose I’ll get one, since there’s nothing it does better than some given combination of the OSSC, Framemeister and various Extron devices I already have (and there’s a very great deal it doesn’t do). And regardless, my TI 99 is F18A modded.

But this definitely looks like a great option for TI 99s outputting Composite, if you specifically want digital display (which I don’t usually, myself, but that’s really just a matter of taste).

[DavidC]

New blog post on Castlemania says shipments will start on 12/20....

 

That's cool, as the late great Tom Petty once said..." The waiting is the hardest part". Lol.

 

I hope it's worth it.

[+OLD CS1]

Mine shipped today!!

[DavidC]

Still no word if mine shipped yet. I just checked the Castlemania site, no update there either..

[DavidC]

Mine shipped today!!

Looks like mid-January shipments for mine.

 

Did yours show up yet? Does it work?

[+OLD CS1]

As of yesterday it is on its way from Denver. No estimated time for delivery.

[DavidC]

As of yesterday it is on its way from Denver. No estimated time for delivery.

I would assume (lol) you should have it within the week. I don't know why mine is delayed...it's cool. I can wait. For a little while longer. Maybe demand overwhelmed the supply..

[+OLD CS1]

I would assume (lol) you should have it within the week. I don't know why mine is delayed...it's cool. I can wait. For a little while longer. Maybe demand overwhelmed the supply..

 

Any other time of the year I would be miffed. USPS is experiencing delays due to the holiday, and I simply lack the time right now to play, anyway.

 

As for the supply/demand issue, I can imagine that is the case. This is something which has been sought after for quite some time, and it looks like he got it just right.

[DavidC]

Any other time of the year I would be miffed. USPS is experiencing delays due to the holiday, and I simply lack the time right now to play, anyway.

 

As for the supply/demand issue, I can imagine that is the case. This is something which has been sought after for quite some time, and it looks like he got it just right.

I certainly hope so. I do hope it works as intended. If it does, they are going to sell like hotcakes. I am sort of miffed that my particular order got delayed for another couple weeks, but it's cool. Maybe I missed the window of wave 2 shipments by a minute or two. I thought my order was in on time...November 25th. Oh well. Edited December 27, 2018 by DavidC

[WishItWas1984]

I stumbled on this thread and thought I'd share my experience. I got one in the mail last week. I have a new 4K TV with only RF and HDMI and wanted to hook up my 2600 and TI-99/4A.

 

Turns out that the TV is VERY strict on the in-spec signal it gets and if the hertz or resolution (not sure what's the issue) is off, the TV just throws up a "Mode Not Supported" and you're done.

 

I'm actually trying to contact Mike (the inventor/seller) to do a full refund for mine.

 

So I wish you all luck that if you're using it on a modern TV, that your TV isn't a giant PITA that mine is. LOL

 

Oh, and my TV is the Samsung Q8

[DavidC]

I stumbled on this thread and thought I'd share my experience. I got one in the mail last week. I have a new 4K TV with only RF and HDMI and wanted to hook up my 2600 and TI-99/4A.

 

Turns out that the TV is VERY strict on the in-spec signal it gets and if the hertz or resolution (not sure what's the issue) is off, the TV just throws up a "Mode Not Supported" and you're done.

 

I'm actually trying to contact Mike (the inventor/seller) to do a full refund for mine.

 

So I wish you all luck that if you're using it on a modern TV, that your TV isn't a giant PITA that mine is. LOL

 

Oh, and my TV is the Samsung Q8

Ouch! Sorry to hear that.. The tv I use for my stuff is a older RCA led tv. A couple years old anyway. Not 4K. I think it's 720p. Or something like that. 23 inch screen. I hope you get things sorted out. That sucks.

[WishItWas1984]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that.. The tv I use for my stuff is a older RCA led tv. A couple years old anyway. Not 4K. I think it's 720p. Or something like that. 23 inch screen. I hope you get things sorted out. That sucks.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I actually partially sorted it. After looking around for a solution, there seems to have been none with that being the prevailing reason. So I grabbed a Retron77 and used the Community Build here to solve my 2600 problems. Now I'm just trying to return the TINK to the guy who makes them for a refund. Oh well.

[DavidC]

Thanks. Yeah, I actually partially sorted it. After looking around for a solution, there seems to have been none with that being the prevailing reason. So I grabbed a Retron77 and used the Community Build here to solve my 2600 problems. Now I'm just trying to return the TINK to the guy who makes them for a refund. Oh well.

This is probably a stupid question, but did you use a power supply, like a cell phone charger to power the retroTink? It requires a power supply.

[WishItWas1984]

This is probably a stupid question, but did you use a power supply, like a cell phone charger to power the retroTink? It requires a power supply.

 

Not a stupid question at all. Sometimes the easiest stuff is overlooked.

 

At first I tried a USB cable to the 5V/1A USB port of my TV, as from what I read online, the RetroTINK only needs 1A. It powered on, but just to be safe I grabbed a 5V/3A AC adapter and used that too. Same deal.

[+OLD CS1]

Mine arrived today. Hopefully will have time to try out tonight. It looks pretty slick, although I am annoyed at the mini-HDMI connection.