I just picked up a used Melange controller. I got it for a screaming deal on ebay. The one I learned on 18+ years ago had a DB15 jack for the video output on the monitor. However this one has a DB9 connector for the video. The console beeps when turned on and the submaster buttons light when bumped so I know its working. Has anyone ever used a console that had the DB9 jack? I tried a DB9 to DB15 for VGA but I don't think there was any converting going on so I got no video on my VGAmonitor. Monochrome monitors are running around 100 on ebay which is what I got the dang console for HAHA
You need what is known as a TTL monitor, also known as an MDA monitor. These were indeed monochrome but you could also have a composite video monochrome monitor which will not work in this application.
MDA was before VGA, EGA, and CGA, so back a ways in technology. The prices for these monitors are usually pretty outrageous on Ebay, but sometimes you can come up with one for a good price. One place I have bought a brand new TTL monitor is: http://www.computerreset.com/monitors.html#6. Definitely call to see if they can still get them. I have the Miracle M107T amber on black screen from them and it works great with all the old DB-9 memory consoles like the Melange and GAM Access.
A TTL/MDA to VGA converter box is listed here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/XVGA-box-MD...250695?hash=item27de9858c7:g:oWsAAOxyNepRm8dX
but their DB-9 pinout does not correspond to the pinout I have for TTL/MDA. I am going to order one and see if it will work with my DB-9 consoles as it would be nice to use a flat-panel VGAmonitor rather than the bulky TTL/MDA CRTunit.
You need what is known as a TTL monitor, also known as an MDA monitor. These were indeed monochrome but you could also have a composite video monochrome monitor which will not work in this application.
MDA was before VGA, EGA, and CGA, so back a ways in technology. The prices for these monitors are usually pretty outrageous on Ebay, but sometimes you can come up with one for a good price. One place I have bought a brand new TTL monitor is: http://www.computerreset.com/monitors.html#6. Definitely call to see if they can still get them. I have the Miracle M107T amber on black screen from them and it works great with all the old DB-9 memory consoles like the Melange and GAM Access.
A TTL/MDA to VGA converter box is listed here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/XVGA-box-MD...250695?hash=item27de9858c7:g:oWsAAOxyNepRm8dX
but their DB-9 pinout does not correspond to the pinout I have for TTL/MDA. I am going to order one and see if it will work with my DB-9 consoles as it would be nice to use a flat-panel VGAmonitor rather than the bulky TTL/MDA CRTunit.
Please forgive the lengthly post, but I’m excited to have finally found time to test a GBS-8219 MDA/CGA/RGB to VGA converter box, which in theory would allow the use of a standard VGAmonitor with many of the “old school” memory consoles with 9-pin video displays from the late 1980’s to the mid-1990’s such as the GAM Access, Rosco-ET Eclipse, NSI Melange, and ETCVision and Microvision.
The converter cost $155 plus shipping and was obtained from: http://www.ebay.com/itm/XVGA-box-MDA-RGB-CGA-EGA-to-VGA-industrial-video-Converter-/171238250695
They ship very promptly.
The instruction manual proved to be somewhat cryptic, so experimentation was necessary. Consoles I tested the unit with were GAM Access and NSI Melange which output a MDA signal, and an ETC Microvsion FX which outputs a CGA-type signal.
First up was trying to get a display on the VGAmonitor from an NSI Melange MDA output.
A cable with a molded DB-9 male on one end and bare wire on the other was supplied with the converter. A loose DB-9 male and female were also supplied, but without hoods. If you still have a RadioShack, the hood is stock number 276-1513.
Difficulty getting the MDA to work was encountered with the supplied cable because pins 6 and 7 were tied together inside the molded DB-9 end, which meant that the pin 6 Intensity and pin 7 Video signals were shorted to each other producing an unusable display. Twisting off pin 6 fixed that problem.
The converter itself has an on-screen menu which customizes the unit. Looking at the attached photos, the important choices are RGB (A) format, separate H &V sync, 75 ohmimpedance, and progressive scanning. In theory pin 7 should carry the video signal, but the converter manual indicated that pins 6 and 7 were not hooked up inside the converter. By playing with different combinations of connecting the molded plug’s pin 7 Video wire to pin 3 (Red), pin 4 (Green), and pin 5 (Blue) of the male DB-9 you’re putting on the bare end, you can create the color text you desire on a black background. I tied the pin 7 wire to pin 4 (Green) for the classic “green screen” look. See the MDA cable wiring diagram for details.
The same cable worked fine using a GAM Access console.
The resulting display is sharp and very usable, but not perfect. Some of the text has slight imperfections, and there is a little what I would call “jittering” or slight pulsing of certain graphics lines. You can see some of this in the photos. But hey, for a reasonable price I’ve got a nice lightweight flat panel monitor for my 25-year old memory consoles!
Getting a display on the VGAmonitor from an ETC Microvision FX’s CGA-type output was pretty straight forward and the results were similar. See the CGA cable wiring diagram for the details. Have fun!