Spare a VFO for an old ex-leper? - Printable Version
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Spare a VFO for an old ex-leper? - defaultrouteuk - 10-26-2020
Hello Legends,
TL;DR, I'm going up the wall with VGA connections, analog sucks and I need help getting clarity using HDMI converter/scalers.
I've used VGA2HDMI adaptors (3 or so already) all with varying levels of success from "oh no more for me, I've had enough to drink I think, hiccup!" to "Did Mr Magoo steal my glasses again!". The best results I've seen were using a scaler from Kramer but that fails to correctly address the scan rates so I get vertical bands of smudge and clarity. I've also tried the INOGENI-VGA and other adaptors chained together like...well it's a mess. I have a couple of SOG active adaptors and they work great but of course that's only half the story. And yes, I have a small SoG capable LCD screen that works fine without any of this conversion nonsense but I'd like to have one screen to rule them all and my main screen is HDMI or DP...that's the lot.
So this thread is a reach out to see if anyone has guides for creating a custom vof specifically (and let me be super clear) where the device you are connecting to has no EDID. For instance the scaler nor INOGENI give me that information so I'm blind. If I connect the LCD to a PC I get the EDID and I can edit the vfc and use the scripts to get the vfo. But for these 'in path' active components there is no clear option.
Anyone out there using an O2 or Octane2 (V12) with custom vfo/vfs packages they would share with me? I have a number of stock and custom files from old nekochan, preterhuman and a bunch of other random links but nothing gives me the clarity I'd be looking for to use as a daily driver and that is what I really want :-)
Cheers
Rich
RE: Spare a VFO for an old ex-leper? - weblacky - 10-27-2020
Yo,
I’m not fully understanding what you’re trying to do. Different SGI machines have different resolution limitations and some have different PROM video modes than the graphics mode in X. Are you targeting a specific machine?
If so, what about trying something like 1280x720? The VGA2HDMI stuff generally does like this resolution from the document I could find.
Not that I have the funds for this, but I always thought the solution this problem was not going to be HDMI converters but IP-based KVMs. Many older system supported vga and dvi dongles and also used PS/2. I know most claimed to work on SUN stations. I’m thinking Raritan KVMs. You just use a web-based or native console to switch between the machines and you can even do Picture in Picture kind of stuff with the web interface.
Large companies have been getting rid of these for years so they are doable. Also some of the newer systems support the older vga with PS/2 dongles. That way it’s all translated into some kind of picture format before redisplay. No direct cabling or common video modes.
Anyway food for thought.
RE: Spare a VFO for an old ex-leper? - weblacky - 10-27-2020
Also, in case you’re not aware. Jan-Japp used to talk about the Extron RGB 112 xi: https://media.extron.com/public/download/files/userman/RGB_109xi_112xi_RevD.pdf
As a great way of correcting SGI output to separate BNC and then back to VGA with digital signal processing. The product was basically designed to allow you to hook SGI’s up to CRT projectors and LCD displays that were not directly supported. You could get one of these for each of your SGI‘s to correct them to a VGA standard that your adapters then might like. There’s only one on eBay right now but they do appear from time to time and they’re not erroneously expensive. They tend to be about $55-$80.