exxos's Atari, Amiga & retro forum

I've had atari computers since 1986. Started with a 530 ST which I upgraded the external SS floppy to a DD and the mods kelp coming. Eventually that machine ended up with 2.5 mb of ram and alas, I sold it in the 1990's when I got a Falcon 030. Somewhere in the 1990's I got a TT030 but didn't keep it long and sold it and the Falcon (regretfully) and got into PC's and Mac's but I've always had the fondest of memories of my Atari computers and still to this day have a couple of friends that I met due to our mutual interest in those machines.

About ten years ago, I reacquired a 1040 STFM (It's mint with the "Warranty will be null and void if this seal is broken or damaged" sticker unmolested) and realized how much I missed simpler times and just having fun with a computer. I got my hands on a Mega STE and decided to make that my project computer. I finally got my Ultrasatan working on it and am in the process of replacing the noisy fan inside the PSU. I'm also working on the best solution for (NTSC systems) getting my machines working clearly with modern monitors which led me here to this forum.

I'm still trying to acquire a Mega ST and a 1040 STE because they've always eluded me!

Indeed hooking up to modern TV's can be problematic if the TV doesn't support 15KHz rates.

Good you are getting into a few machines! I never owned a TT or MSTE, but do have 2 falcons

officer960 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 22, 2018 10:26 pm I'm also working on the best solution for (NTSC systems) getting my machines working clearly with modern monitors which led me here to this forum.

The OSSC will let you connect your Atari to ANY modern monitor. Expensive yes, but you are no longer limited in your choice of monitor.

https://www.videogameperfection.com/pro ... converter/

I was one of the first to use the Ambery AV-1 Component to PC converter in conjunction with a Best Computers VGA cable and frankly it sucks. I've been using my MiST board lately because I just can't stand the blurry artifact filled screen on my real computers.

Is the OSSC comparable to something like the XRGB Freimmeister? I'm seriously at a point where I don't care how much it costs to connect my old computers to a modern screen.

officer960 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 1:07 am I just can't stand the blurry artifact filled screen on my real computers.

I use a cheap Alba TV .. very nice images on those... I just use RGB output from ST to Scart cable .

First off, thanks everybody for all the input and warm welcome.

Second, my responses are a bit delayed as my comments are all reviewed as I'm a new member here.

Third, I just bought an OSSC. SCART's are not common here in the states. At all. I thought about a multisync, but its another monitor sitting around taking up space and usually only of the 19 inch variety or smaller. I have a couple of nice LED displays so I'm just going to embrace that it'll cost some money to get a good image. Also having several "retro" systems other than the aforementioned Atari's makes the OSSC cost more palatable.

For anyone who has the OSSC, what cabling do I need for the Atari systems? What in particular cable do you use? I have the Best Computers ST to VGA which has a switch that toggles between low/med res and high res. I'm hoping that will work (in low res).

officer960 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:53 pm For anyone who has the OSSC, what cabling do I need for the Atari systems? What in particular cable do you use?

Looking at the back of the OSSC it has a scart connection, so a RGB to Scart cable should work I guess.

exxos wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:07 pm

officer960 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:53 pm For anyone who has the OSSC, what cabling do I need for the Atari systems? What in particular cable do you use?

Looking at the back of the OSSC it has a scart connection, so a RGB to Scart cable should work I guess.

Or the UBE monitor adapter in your store should work as well as the OSSC also has a VGA connector as input.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0107

For the Falcon030, the 3-in-1 monitor adapter can be used:
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0146

officer960 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 1:07 am Is the OSSC comparable to something like the XRGB Freimmeister? I'm seriously at a point where I don't care how much it costs to connect my old computers to a modern screen.

The OSSC converts scanline by scanline, there's no frame buffer that needs to be built-up, this means there's no lag and the picture quality is awesome. I'd say the OSSC is the best there is out there, and you can basically throw anything at it. I use it for my Atari ST(e), Atari Falcon, and Amiga 500. I got fed up with looking for monitors that worked with all systems, and even though I own a NEC 1970NXp, which is a multi-sync monitor capable of low frequencies, its response time is not great so fast moving things look pretty bad on it.

The response time of a monitor is defined as the time it takes for a pixel to change between active and inactive. It's a known issue with older (and even newer) flat screen monitors. Leads to smearing of moving objects on the screen. With that said, frequency conversion could be an issue as well in the NEC 1970FXp. Don't know. What I do know is that things look a lot better with a modern monitor and the OSSC.