+OLD CS1 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Good news first: it works quite well with the TI. I will test with an HDMI video capture later for the fun. Bad news, my Onkyo receiver is finicky about its inputs and often causes problems for HDMI sources. My Intel NUC media computer, for instance, video playback will lock up any time anything changes with the Onlyo (like turning on the second video output, etc.) When the retroTINK is idle it displays a color bar pattern in 480p. Turn on the TI and you get the power-on "honk," then the Onkyo flips out for a few seconds before bringing up the screen. Afterward there is no sound. I tested directly to an HDMI monitor and everything works fine. As well, this does not happen with the NES. Bummer. I might see if this is something which can be fixed in the retroTINK. The Onkyo works fine for composite input on its own, but it does treat the signal as interlaced so the standard tearing applies. Otherwise, for portable purposes this will work for me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 @OLD CS1 You wouldn't possibly also have a C64 you could try...would you? I'm very curious if the TINK works with that as well. It will still be a few weeks until mine arrives... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 @OLD CS1 You wouldn't possibly also have a C64 you could try...would you? I'm very curious if the TINK works with that as well. It will still be a few weeks until mine arrives... I do. Standard 64C, 64Reloaded Mk2, and a 128D ready to try out. Should have time this weekend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Unfortunately I worked 13 hours yesterday and did not have time. I should have time tonight after taking down Christmas lights and blowing leaves off the roof. I also need to come up with a way to measure latency. Several people complain about latency on the TheC64 Mini, but I do not perceive it when playing. Thus, I do not expect to be able to perceive latency on the retroTINK unless it is just off-the-scale horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Well, with the C64... the results are not good. Really bad, actually. Video is dim, whether using straight composite or S-Video output (both custom cable and C64 Reloaded Mk2 output.) Sounds are over-amplified. The retroTINK refuses to sync properly upon computer power-up, showing black-and-white, requiring the video cable be removed and plugged back in. For me, this is turning out to be quite a disappointment. I get no sound when using the TI, and the video quality from my C64s is disappointing. I made some videos but the audio is screwy due to a dirty 6581 pin. If you want, I will extract some frames of the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Okay, to be fair to the retroTINK, the over-amplified audio is actually clipping. The output from the 64 is pretty high. I recorded Stereo SID Player playing "Johnny B. Goode". Turn your volume down before clicking play. In the video you can see the sync problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 8, 2019 Author Share Posted January 8, 2019 Well, with the C64... the results are not good. Really bad, actually. Video is dim, whether using straight composite or S-Video output (both custom cable and C64 Reloaded Mk2 output.) Sounds are over-amplified. The retroTINK refuses to sync properly upon computer power-up, showing black-and-white, requiring the video cable be removed and plugged back in. For me, this is turning out to be quite a disappointment. I get no sound when using the TI, and the video quality from my C64s is disappointing. I made some videos but the audio is screwy due to a dirty 6581 pin. If you want, I will extract some frames of the video. Well, that blows. I was really hoping for it to work with the 64. I've been waiting for over a month for mine to ship (I knew it would be a wait, so that's ok). But the results of your tests are very disappointing. I do have nintendos and stuff to use it with but I use my computers way more than my consoles. It was a gamble, I was aware of that....oh well. Maybe I can sell mine if it turns out to be useless to me. Thanks for sharing the outcome of your tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 9, 2019 Author Share Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) Good news first: it works quite well with the TI. I will test with an HDMI video capture later for the fun. Bad news, my Onkyo receiver is finicky about its inputs and often causes problems for HDMI sources.. I've thought about this topic, and remembered this. Is it possible your monitor/tv is not thrilled about the TINK? Maybe on a $98 Walmart LED tv it might work! Maybe...maybe...please! Lol. I will try it and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. (Grasping at straws..) Edited January 9, 2019 by DavidC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 I've thought about this topic, and remembered this. Is it possible your monitor/tv is not thrilled about the TINK? Maybe on a $98 Walmart LED tv it might work! Maybe...maybe...please! Lol. I will try it and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. (Grasping at straws..) I tried the TI-99/4A on on Onkyo receiver, Optoma projector, and an HDMI monitor. Only the Onkyo presented the audio problem, but since it was my plan to use the rT with my entertainment system, this fact makes it only good for mobile purposes. The problem for the TI was the Onkyo, to be perfectly fair. However, with the Commodore 64, I tried the HDMI monitor, Optoma projector, and my USB3 HDMI capture device. All devices showed the same behavior with the rT. I was not able to try my 128D output for reasons. I am going to pull out another 64C to see if maybe my video output from the test unit is less than optimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmusr Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I'm getting a reasonably good picture with sound from the RetroTINK using my NTSC TI-99/4A console and a rather old flat screen TV. I don't think the picture is better than connecting the composite output directly to the TV, but it's much easier to find a capture device that works with HDMI than composite. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 With much less enthusiasm than I had, 2 months ago, I'm still waiting. Maybe it will be fine....haha. Yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I expect to finally have time tomorrow to try out another C64 just to be sure. I will let you know what I find. I am also going to see if I can prevent the lost sound on the TI because, as Rasmus noted with his, the TI video is quite nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I have a buddy at work who brought in his to hook up a vic 20. Had interference on the screen.. Not impressed Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) I will be happy if it works well with my TI, because my f18 modded console does not get along with my cf7+ and I can't use my nanoPEB because my f18 console has 32k expansion built in....so.. If it works with my OEM TI, I will be happy. The C64 would just be a added bonus. I hope that made sense...lol. Edited January 16, 2019 by DavidC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share Posted January 23, 2019 Yes! My RT showed up in the mailbox today! I am excited to try it out. I won't be able to mess around with it until tomorrow after work, but that's ok. I'll let you know if I get the same results as you guys did. Both with the TI and my C64. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 Glad to see it finally arrived. Definitely post up your results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd4foot1 Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 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. In the review I watched, Mike stated that the power supply should be under 500mA... fyi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 I finally had a second to put a real 64C together and try it out. Happy to report the results are MUCH better than with my 64Reloaded Mk2. The display is my little 7" HDMI USB-powered monitor. Both are using an 8562R4 VIC-II, so something in the video circuitry must be causing problems on the Reloaded. Bummer. The blurriness is my camera. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 I must say, I am quite pleased with the results I'm getting with my 64 and Vic 20, they look fantastic and the sound works properly for me. The TI...not so much. The text is MUCH SHARPER than with the composite cable, but I am disappointed in the colors, they are off. And they bleed together. Reds look brown, ect. It could be my tv. I don't have many options to adjust color and stuff on my particular television. I get better results with composite cable for overall enjoyment of my TI. Nothing can compare to the f18 mod. That reigns supreme, for sure. I think I will keep looking for a old CRT flatscreen, The TINK works well, it does, but money would be better spent on a proper monitor or old CRT Television. At least for the TI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Well, I apologize for being a pooper at first. I am finding my 64Reloaded is a problem. Having tried a real 64 has given far better results. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidC Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 Just because I had to try, I "borrowed" my girlfriends tv. The TI looks much better! I guess the RT is a little finicky, or maybe my tv is just a p.o.s. Either way, the TINK works well, and it is a very cool device. It's great. It was worth the wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 Yeah, I am finding the retroTINK works fine, so long as I use it for things other than my original intentions: I cannot use it with my living room system because of some interface problem between it and the Onkyo; I cannot use it with my C64 Reloaded. I have other systems I planned to use with it but given these first two results I have not even tried. It does work fine and very well with my projector, mini-LCD monitor, and with a real C64. Fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papalapa Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 (edited) Let me ask a silly question: Anyone has tested the RetroTINK with the TI-99/4A european version? (This one has components output instead of composite output like the american one). I use a video converter connected to an LCD monitor for all my retrocomputers without problems but colors of the TI-99/4A video output are not properly shown. The F18A MKII chip is not ready yet so, I was wondering if the RetroTINK could be the solution. Edited October 24, 2019 by Papalapa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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