HP Forum Archive 17

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80 col video interface to PC LCD Monitor Message #1 Posted by PeterP on 16 June 2007, 1:56 a.m. Hi, I recently acquired the 80 col mountainview/HP video interface hoping there will be a way to connect it to a standard PC LCD monitor. I searched in the archives yet the best idea I was able to find was to get a TV-tuner card, most of which have a video composite in plug and use that to display on the PC. Unfortunately I have one of those mini-PC from Shuttle (I live in NYC and my shoebox aka apartment does not allow for those fullsize beige boxes...) and I do not have an extra slot. And my graphics card does not have a composite video in. I also googled a lot and tried to find an adapter yet with no real luck. So I now come to the place where I should have gone maybe first and ask if anyone knows of a good solution to this problem? Thanks a lot in advance! Cheers Peter

Re: 80 col video interface to PC LCD Monitor Message #2 Posted by Egan Ford on 16 June 2007, 3:30 a.m., in response to message #1 by PeterP What is the output? Composite? If so Google for: "composite to vga converter" E.g. http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/video-vga-gvm-2000.html

Re: 80 col video interface to PC LCD Monitor Message #3 Posted by PeterP on 16 June 2007, 12:34 p.m., in response to message #2 by Egan Ford Thanks Egan, that is very helpful. I guess that was part of my problem. From studying the old posts it was not quite clear to me if it is the same as today's composite. It is a yellow cinch out plug which points in that direction. However Diego Diaz mentioned something about the syncronization frequency that might be different (I'm not that familiar with video signals). Would you guess that the composite signal from the 80s is the same as the one today? Thanks so much for your help! Cheers Peter

Re: 80 col video interface to PC LCD Monitor Message #4 Posted by Diego Diaz on 16 June 2007, 3:02 p.m., in response to message #3 by PeterP Hi Peter, How are you doing? Must confess I don't recall when did I wrote about sync signals but it doesn't come to the point whatsoever... :-) So you've got a means to produce video signals (composite) from your HP-80... lucky guy!! Display options: a) your TV (easiest) and b) your PC (not so easy) Let us know if your TV has a composite video input (or which inputs does it have). Also which video inputs (if any) does your PC have. Depending on that you may set your connection up in defferent ways. More likely your new Mountain 80 col. box is supplying composite video signal according to NTCS standards. This will show up on any U.S. TV set (as well as most modern TV's worldwide, even if they're not NTSC... -say PAL-) provided it has a composite video input (usually an RCA -yellow- connector). To send that video signal into your PC will require a more complicated (not much though) work around. Let's know of your progress. Best wishes. Diego

Re: 80 col video interface to PC LCD Monitor Message #5 Posted by PeterP on 17 June 2007, 12:30 a.m., in response to message #4 by Diego Diaz Diego, good to hear from you. Yes I got lucky with that Mountainview 80 col display :-) My TV would not help me, it is hanging on the wall with its connectors rather hidden and difficult to reach. So it will have to be my PC Monitor... My Graphics Card is a NVIDAI 7900 GTX which has two DVI(?) connectors and no composite ones. So I guess it would be hard to go through the PC (getting a e.g. All-In-One Wonder card with TV-tuner was one of the suggestions in the forum archive...) I just want to find a way to connect the mountainview to my LCD monitor. Well, I guess the devil lies in the word 'just' ;-) Thanks for any help you can offer! Cheers Peter

Re: 80 col video interface to PC LCD Monitor Message #6 Posted by Diego Diaz on 19 June 2007, 5:39 p.m., in response to message #5 by PeterP Hi, In order to use your PC monitor as an HP-41 display, I also think that video capture board is the best approach (as stated above). Just make sure you get one with analog composite input (RCA connector) and you'll have it into a window. Syncronism timing shouldn't be a problem. Enjoy your toys!! ;-)) Diego.

Re: 80 col video interface to PC LCD Monitor Found a Solution! Message #7 Posted by PeterP on 19 June 2007, 11:38 p.m., in response to message #6 by Diego Diaz Diego et al, thanks for all your guys help. In the end I got very lucky - on uBid someone sold a car-video solution to show VHS videos on a 5" LCD monitor. And the input was via composite! And the price - 1 USD... Needless to say, that I bought that and now use it as a small and even portable monitor (not that the Mountainview thing is portable...) ONly thing, due to the small size, I can only use 40x25 if I want to be able to read it easily. But it was a cheap and easy solution! Thanks again for all the help Cheers Peter

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