Amiga 500+ ECS RGB2HDMI Issue

[Rafael1138]

Hi,

 

I have an Amiga 500+ with a Pistorm (Emu68) and RGB2HDMI. The Amiga has ECS and boot by default in NTSC. Oscilator is NTSC.

 

The issue I can't figure out is, when I boot the Amiga in Pal Mode all looks good, but when I try to play some Pal Games I get the bottom of the game cropped. I'm not sure where to llok, if I need to do somenthing at Amiga OS 3.2 level or if I need to setup anything in the RGB2HDMI in order to make it work in Pal Mode.

 

Will appreciate any help. Thanks!

[eightbit]

The display needs to be readjusted in PAL mode. PAL has 576 lines versus NTSC's 480. On the Commodore monitors this was easy with a dial. See if your HDMI display has an auto fit function.

[Daedalus2097]

Also, are you starting the games from floppy? It could be that the game simply doesn't set a screenmode, so on boot it defaults back to NTSC and that's just what the game uses. The actual screenmode used for Workbench doesn't have any bearing on this, but using the early startup menu (holding down both mouse buttons) lets you select a PAL or NTSC mode for booting. It's worth setting that to PAL and then booting the game to see if it helps.

[Rafael1138]

2 hours ago, eightbit said:

The display needs to be readjusted in PAL mode. PAL has 576 lines versus NTSC's 480. On the Commodore monitors this was easy with a dial. See if your HDMI display has an auto fit function.

I have added the Monitor Pal from Devs to my Monitors, and nothing changes.

[Rafael1138]

2 hours ago, Daedalus2097 said:

Also, are you starting the games from floppy? It could be that the game simply doesn't set a screenmode, so on boot it defaults back to NTSC and that's just what the game uses. The actual screenmode used for Workbench doesn't have any bearing on this, but using the early startup menu (holding down both mouse buttons) lets you select a PAL or NTSC mode for booting. It's worth setting that to PAL and then booting the game to see if it helps.

I have done that and nothing. If I use degrader it works but still, why the game works in Pal Boot from floppy and no in Pal Boot from WB? Maybe the worknbench doesn;t change? Reset by default to NTSC no matter what?

[eightbit]

Maybe its a better idea to permanently make the A500 a PAL machine or add a switch. I've done that to pretty much every A500 I have ever owned

[Rafael1138]

I have the Fat Agnus 2MB 8375 and NTSC Oscilator, how do you convert it to PAL qirh a switch?

 

[+OLD CS1]

Try setting the screen mode in the Early Startup menu before booting from the disk.  All I got, here, as I do not have one of these fancy video gadgets.

 

(DUH, already pointed out here.)

[eightbit]

12 hours ago, Rafael1138 said:

I have the Fat Agnus 2MB 8375 and NTSC Oscilator, how do you convert it to PAL qirh a switch?

 

What revision board is this?

[Rafael1138]

9 hours ago, eightbit said:

What revision board is this?

Rev 8

[eightbit]

I wasn't even aware there was a Rev 8 NTSC board in existence. I only ever saw up to 6A in the US and after that the next gen Amigas. 

 

Maybe I am wrong. Are you absolutely certain this is an NTSC board? Maybe someone else can chime in and confirm there were NTSC models, but again, I have never seen one!

 

On Rev 6A it is pretty easy to install a PAL/NTSC switch, or just make the board PAL (or NTSC). I know this isn't going to help your situation (or maybe it will? I am not sure about the Rev 8 layout) but on the Rev 6A Rock Lobster board you simply cut JP4 next to FAT AGNUS and it will be a PAL machine. Close the jumper and it is NTSC. I never changed the oscillator and I never noticed any issues in PAL mode. 

 

Here is a picture (not mine, nowadays I have a true PAL machine) to illustrate the mod which someone added a wire in order to install a toggle switch on the Rev 6A board:

 

Edited January 11 by eightbit

[+Torrax]

My A500 NTSC has a Rev.8 "Rock Lobster" main board in it (got it stuck in my head from that name).  Got it with along with a GVP A500+ side expansion (internal 40MB SCSI & 2 MB RAM) for $50 at a thrift shop in the early 2000's.  Removed the corroded battery on the internal clock/ram card immediately.  No monitor, so I had to deal with the mono chrome video output.  I put it into storage after 1 1/2 years.  It came with a video cable with a vga connector on it and a parallel cable.  I couldn't find any monitor at the time to work with this --  went through over 10 of them.  Scan doublers were too expensive and still are.  Wrote down some of the chips numbers and names, which is stuffed somewhere in my paper collection.

[eightbit]

On 1/11/2024 at 12:42 AM, Torrax said:

My A500 NTSC has a Rev.8 "Rock Lobster" main board in it (got it stuck in my head from that name).  Got it with along with a GVP A500+ side expansion (internal 40MB SCSI & 2 MB RAM) for $50 at a thrift shop in the early 2000's.  Removed the corroded battery on the internal clock/ram card immediately.  No monitor, so I had to deal with the mono chrome video output.  I put it into storage after 1 1/2 years.  It came with a video cable with a vga connector on it and a parallel cable.  I couldn't find any monitor at the time to work with this --  went through over 10 of them.  Scan doublers were too expensive and still are.  Wrote down some of the chips numbers and names, which is stuffed somewhere in my paper collection.

 

You should dig that sucker out, dust it off and buy this monitor:

 

 

 

While I had posted this in the ST forums I can tell you that this monitor works fantastically with the Amiga. You already have the VGA adapter so you are good to go. That is provided you can source this monitor model in Canada.

 

Edited January 20 by eightbit