Vine Micros Multigen [original version] of Genlock / Overlay / Synchroniser

Vine Micros – who produced ‘Replay’ for the BBC Micro, and other items, produced a range of Genlocking Computer Scan Converters from about 1984ish.

I have the original version.

Downloading the manual for the later Mk2[v5] implies that the later units did not support CGA/EGA output boards ( but okay for the same resolution from a VGA output …. differing frequencies!

Whilst there are several of the metal-cased Corio version available on Ebay (usually without the remote – and plenty of offers of the remote, separately, too, I only found 1 site and photo of the Mk1 from someone who used it along with home automation.

I now have a new purpose for an old CGA/EGA output.

[Actually: for the problematical EGA color VDU out of an old Sony BVE2000 Edit Controller -I have found LCD tvs which will give a stable display of the ‘mono’ output, but not the EGA]

But at present, I cannot find the unique leads for it, nor the manual – and the ‘essential instructions’ I wrote on the box have faded to illegible after all these years 8-(

Although I have many crates of cables to search through – it would help if I knew what I was looking for: ie length and what was on the other end ! I last used it about 20 years ago as the DSK in a home edit suite (judging by the labels).
[And it may help others find a new use for one they have too]

Vine MIcros Multigen Genlock Adapter:
=========
Front Switches offered by this incredibly useful device were:
[Freeze] [Overscan] [Composite/S-Video video source] then
[Genlock / Overlay / Mix Modes] and [Fade]

The REAR CONNECTORS [Top to Bottom, Left to [Right]
Comp In[phono],Out[phono],S-video In⁴,Out⁴,RGBout⁶
then
Power, Computer In⁸, ComputerOut[VGA15D], MultiturnPot and finally a 6-position DIP Switch – [I have 1+2 down, 3-6 up]

2.1mm 12Vdc 500mA -Centre Positive I believe (it was a time of change – and their later products are centre positive and protected against reversed polarity) [ I read a feint ‘tip positive’ … but a lot of video equipment at this time was centre negative.

ANY GUIDANCE on the 8-pin MiniDin COMPUTER INPUT appreciated
and the 6-pin MiniDin RGB out would be useful too – was it to a SCART plug/socket ??. or the BBC Micro’s 5pin Domino DIN plug? ..and am I seeking a 10cm lead or a 1m+ lead?

The dip switch settings are obviously for TV standard and screen modes ( but my writing has faded too much to read ) – they will be easy to verify once I have a working computer input cable 8-)

Any help wiith this pioneering device appreciated.

[At a similar time, there was the alternative BBC-originated, and sold by Abbey Audio, Internal GENLOCK board as used on the BBC Micro Computer programmes of the period.]

rgds
Phil Spiegel

If you don’t get an answer here, I’d recommend trying the stardot forums next – there are lots of BBC Micro experts & collectors on there: https://stardot.org.uk/forums/index.php

Update on progress: Powered up and verified mostly working so far – beautifully built inside – but I see that I originally had to open out the holes in the plastic end to fully seat S-Video cables – and I have now had to do the same for the 2.1mm Coax Power connector (or find a ‘long’ version) – as it powered up okay without the plastic end fitted 8-). Now just need to get the right pin connections for the Computer 8pin MiniDin input (output loop is std VGA, but its not a passive loop 8-( .

I have also got a later Vine Micros CorioScan Pro S back into standard operation – that used BNCs but the previous owners had added integral conversion to SDI component … which I will use separately.

SUCCESS: Aided by finding I have been walking past the input cable since 2007! (at the back of a cable hanger) – It was actually about 1 metre long, with the 8 pin minidin at one end, and a 9 pin D-type labelled ‘A400’ on the other – with another ‘giveaway’ – our address label from the early 80’s !!

This then allowed me to compare it with the A440 connector wiring in the Manual – and with previous Web search results suggesting the 8pin MiniDin was wired as an XRGB-mini that may have been used with Apple Macs around that timeframe. BOTH apparently using composite Syncs rather than H and V?.
As a result I have been able to remake the 9pin D type to match my Sony BVE-2000 requirement (EGA/CGA) and get a synchronised colour display.

For the benfefit of anyone else finding one to recycle by re-use:

VINE MICROS MULTIGEN COMPUTER INPUT – 8 pin MiniDin XRGB, as Macintosh?*
================
1: Right Audio, 2: Left Audio 3: CSYNC 4:* csync or ground ??
5: nc / ‘Scart Fast Blanking unused from f/w 1.3’
6: BLUE video 7: GREEN video 8: RED video SHIELD: GROUND
Please note that the Web Source I found suggests ⁴ as ground – I am using it in my applications as a 2nd CSYNC … but may try it as ground by separating the (Yellow wire) Sync and (Black Wire) ‘Sync’.
[This may be important if trying to use a VGA 15pin source with H, V.]

The Multigen does not use the Audio Inputs – but a commercially available lead brings these to a Jack Socket.

Archimedes 9Df Output Signals(composite sync only on rearlier versions):
================
1: Red 2: Green 3: Blue 4: Composite Sync (H+V) 5: nc 6-9: 0V

Sony CGA/EGA 9-pin Version 2 s/w and later System board
===========
1-2: 0v 3: Red 4: Green 5: Blue 8: Sync (Composite)@31kHz or 15.7kHz
[The switch labelled Color/B+W controls a ‘divide by 2’ – the colour and monochrome signals are always output on the 9pin and BNC outputs respectively.]

VGA 15D high density
====
1: RED 2: GREEN 3: BLUE 4: [Mon id] 5-8: Grnd 9: Ground? 10: Ground 11,12: [Mon ID]
13: H Sync 14: V Synv 15: [Mon Id]

In later products – using an LCD display, VineMicros offered a choice of Sync options using 13 and or 14.

On the Multigen – which is ‘fully working’, there is a multi-turn potentiometer to control keying/overlay level, and a bank of DIP switches.

Ex-A440? use my left 2 swiches were down.
The RIGHT hand position selects 625/525
and the adjacent may offer PAL/SECAM (but I’m not sure if it really supported SECAM – however my monitor flashed up ‘SECAM’ and displayed ’FM colour decoding characteristics as a result in that (down) position.

The 3rd from the right appeared to change between MATT fill and Computer FILL of the keyed video …. but I cannot recall anything about setting the colour used ! -
it may be a combination of the remaining switches I havn’t spotted yet.

Not surprising considering its age – the Multigen displayed the 31kHz output in only the top half of the screen – and needs the 15.7kHz setting to fill the display correctly. Many other computers around this time only hade ‘near-TV-frequency’ displays like the Amiga snd Atari. I will make up a VGA cable and test more output resolutions at a later date. [As I have their later Scan converters – its for academic interest only] I will try separate H and V onto pins 3 and 4 for that.

Then I may post it as a web page for Archive use.