Scenemaster 60 video help

cleagl

New Member
Hi Folks,

I am the proud owner of a vintage Scenemaster 60 Console. We saved this from the landfill along with it's dimmers and they have been in use in a local not-for-profit house. The not-for-profit has an ETC Ion and no need for the Scenemaster console anymore. I am trying to resurrect this with some analog dimmers to give to another up and coming youth group that has no $. Before I buy a D to A converter, I need to make sure the console is still alive. It has video out, but from what I know and can tell the output is a 9-pin EGA signal (Horiz freq at 21.8 Khz, vert at 60 Hz, 640 x 350, I think !). I purchased an inexpensive CGA/EGA/VGA to HDMI converter and hooked it to a recent monitor. Signal, but no image. A good friend helped trying a few things w/ an o-scope, so we're sure there is signal there but not sure if we have a converter that will work. The converter is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078HH526F/?tag=controlbooth-20
Anyone have any experience with getting an old video signal to work? I remember this is a good basic board to learn and use, it would be a shame to get rid of it just due to the lack of ability to see the video signal.
Any and all help is appreciated !
-cleagl
 
I don't know if this helps or hurts, but pretty sure the SM60 came with only a green or amber display--no color in those days.
 
You don’t need video it’s just nice to have. Honestly I think what you have isn’t going to work even though it’s more expensive.



But here is a link for how to kinda setup yours.

https://www.mikesarcade.com/estore/datasheets/GBS-8200-booklet.pdf

Product
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W3460UU/?tag=controlbooth-20

You could go one step up and get pro gear.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074K81MYB/?tag=controlbooth-20


Good luck.
Unfortunately, he does need video, as there are no LED or LCD readouts on the SM60!
 
I don't know if this helps or hurts, but pretty sure the SM60 came with only a green or amber display--no color in those days.

Correct...my 1986 Lee Colortran product guide points this out. The Prestige 1000 is also monochrome only; the Prestige 2000 and 3000 consoles use color monitors. So that makes the 9-pin output of the SM60 usable only with an "MDA" monitor or a MDA to VGA converter such as the GBS 8219 referenced above. CGA or EGA will not work.
 
The Prestige 1000 is also monochrome only; the Prestige 2000 and 3000 consoles use color monitors.
Since you likely have the literature in front of you, could you double check that? Back in the eighties, I'm pretty sure I used two different Prestige 2000s with monochrome monitor(s). Could P2000 do either/or?

I admit to being somewhat clewless about all this, as I just used whatever monitor come with whatever console I was using.

@cleagl (I hope you're not referencing Kliegl Bros.), see this link https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htm#nvctlvg . TTL was the term I couldn't think of.
 
Since you likely have the literature in front of you, could you double check that? Back in the eighties, I'm pretty sure I used two different Prestige 2000s with monochrome monitor(s). Could P2000 do either/or?

I admit to being somewhat clewless about all this, as I just used whatever monitor come with whatever console I was using.

@cleagl (I hope you're not referencing Kliegl Bros.), see this link https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htm#nvctlvg . TTL was the term I couldn't think of.

I found individual brochures on the SM60 and Prestige 2000 consoles which shed some light on the issue. There was the SM60XL (monochrome monitor) and SM60XLC (color monitor), the Prestige 2000 (monochrome) and Prestige 2000C (color). So different versions of the consoles used different types of monitors.
 
I found individual brochures on the SM60 and Prestige 2000 consoles which shed some light on the issue. There was the SM60XL (monochrome monitor) and SM60XLC (color monitor), the Prestige 2000 (monochrome) and Prestige 2000C (color). So different versions of the consoles used different types of monitors.


All,
Thanks to everyone for the posts.

I remember using this board with what I believe to be an EGA monitor. Monochrome, but the "mono" was amber. We are getting signal on all the RGB leads, with one or two being a stronger signal.
The monitor is long gone so I don't know what it was. Seems like if we can get the correct Horiz frequency converter it should work. If anyone has a scan/pdf of the SM60 console info that would be much appreciated. Never heard of MDA, but this seems plausable knowing that many of the newer products back then had goofy proprietary technology.

Thanks again all.

-cleagl
 
Since you likely have the literature in front of you, could you double check that? Back in the eighties, I'm pretty sure I used two different Prestige 2000s with monochrome monitor(s). Could P2000 do either/or?

I admit to being somewhat clewless about all this, as I just used whatever monitor come with whatever console I was using.

@cleagl (I hope you're not referencing Kliegl Bros.), see this link https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htm#nvctlvg . TTL was the term I couldn't think of.


Hello derekleffew,
Since the very first lights I laid my hands on were kliegl, I got that nickname in high school. it just happens to be the letters of my first, mi, and part of my last name.....
 
All,
Thanks to everyone for the posts.

I remember using this board with what I believe to be an EGA monitor. Monochrome, but the "mono" was amber. We are getting signal on all the RGB leads, with one or two being a stronger signal.
The monitor is long gone so I don't know what it was. Seems like if we can get the correct Horiz frequency converter it should work. If anyone has a scan/pdf of the SM60 console info that would be much appreciated. Never heard of MDA, but this seems plausable knowing that many of the newer products back then had goofy proprietary technology.

Thanks again all.

-cleagl

Found the manual right here on ControlBooth:
https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/lee-colortran-scenemaster-60-manual.4441/
Unfortunately it says nothing about specs or type of video monitor.
 
Since you likely have the literature in front of you, could you double check that? Back in the eighties, I'm pretty sure I used two different Prestige 2000s with monochrome monitor(s). Could P2000 do either/or?

I admit to being somewhat clewless about all this, as I just used whatever monitor come with whatever console I was using.

@cleagl (I hope you're not referencing Kliegl Bros.), see this link https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htm#nvctlvg . TTL was the term I couldn't think of.

Here are the MDA/Hercules/TTL (basically the same thing) and CGA monitor pinouts:
MDA & CGA pinouts.jpg
 

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