MONITOR WANTED

Hope it’s OK to post a classified (couldn’t find a dedicated area here). Please inform if there is one here or on other RISCOS forums as I’ve been out of the loop for a while. Thanks.

A5000 monitor wanted. My A5000 monitor died about 15 years ago, but I long to get it running again as I used to use a program called AMF-Tracker (a music sampler) daily to create instrumental tunes. I’ve tried PC versions of similar trackers but don’t really like any of them, but maybe you can recommend one?

I’m in Preston Lancashire and have no transport to collect so I’d pre-pay for you to send it by courior unless you’re very close to me and I could collect in a taxi or something. Thanks for reading.

davidparr@outlook.com

DAVE

Hi Dave,
I have several suitable monitors, but I would not trust any of the couriers to deliver them in one piece.

I am just outside of Doncaster if someone else could help with the transport.

If anyone out there can assist I’d be willing to pay a reasonable delivery fee. Thanks.

davidparr@outlook.com

DAVE

Hello,

Sorry that this post isn’t entirely on-topic, I’m interested in AMF-Tracker. Was it written by Andrew Flintham? He wrote quite a bit of software for RISC OS in the early 90s and often signed his work with ‘AMF’.

Have you tried OpenMPT? It’s a good free/open source tracker for Windows (but it works on Linux too via Wine) that gets regular updates.

Patrick

A5000 monitor wanted.

Perhaps somebody with a working A5000 could confirm that the A5000 has a 9-pin VGA connector and will work with many older 15 pin SVGA monitors (with the aid of a suitable cable).

It is many, many years since I had an A5000, so I can not check.

“Appendix B: Monitor Connections” of the A5000 Welcome Guide gives a list of all the monitors that will work with an A5000 and the VGA connectors/settings required. AFAIK the socket on the computer is 15 pin, as it is for my A4000, and that worked with both a ProView monitor and an Acorn AFK 14 with no problems. The guide download link is:

http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/Manuals/Acorn_A5000WG.pdf

Using another VGA or Multiscan SVGA monitor may require a reset holding down the “full stop” key on the numerical keyboard to change the mode, sync and monitor type to “Auto” and then pressing f12 to get to the command line to type:

*Configure Monitortype 4 (press Enter key)
*Configure Sync 0 (Enter)
*Configue Mode 40 (Enter)

I haven’t tried this with an A5000 so I may be incorrect. I think it should be possible to try the A5000 with another VGA/SVGA monitor first before trying to get an older compatible monitor.

The A5000 has a fifteen pin VGA socket.

I think Acorn might have learned the lesson since multisync and higher resolution monitors were becoming more commonplace (the PC world was leaving CGA/EGA behind). It’s only the A3xx/A3xx/A3000 machines that have a nine pin socket.

Power on + Del resets CMOS RAM so has a fair amount of collateral damage.

Power on + numeric keypad 4 (hold it for a good few seconds either side of switching on).
Then press Ctrl-Break to reset.

If you don’t see anything, try going to the command line and *Configure Mode 27, and hit Ctrl-Break again.

Still not working? Power off, hold down T and then power on while holding T. Keep holding it. That switches the sync behaviour.

Hopefully then you’ll see something on the screen.

Alternatively, to save the switching on and off, if your typing is good, just switch on and press F12.

Press Ctrl-G to listen for a beep (make sure you’re really in the command line).

Typing blindly, enter the following three commands (as Peter says, press Enter after each):

*Configure MonitorType 4
*Configure Sync 0
*Configure Mode 27

Then hit Ctrl-Break to reset.

BTW, I specify mode 27 as that’s standard resolution VGA in 16 colours (640×480). Mode 40, as specified above, is not compatible with VGA/SVGA monitors. It may work, depending on the capability of the monitor in question, but better to start with something standard (re: https://www.riscosopen.org/wiki/documentation/show/Screen%20Modes)

Mode 40, as specified above, is not compatible with VGA/SVGA monitors. It may work, depending on the capability of the monitor in question, but better to start with something standard

In this case the kernel’s smart enough to know that mode 40 isn’t supported with monitor type 4 (see the table). But I’m not sure exactly what the behaviour will be, especially when a bad mode has been *Configured (probably either fall back to the default mode for the monitor type, or mode 0).

If you configure monitortype 4, you’ll also have access to mode 31 which gives 800×600 (also 16 colours). I have found this to work quite well with older VGA monitors. That said, I’m afraid our last A5000 went to a business about 5 years ago to run their custom business software. Quite fascinating, really, but only useful in their industry.

you’ll also have access to mode 31 which gives 800×600 (also 16 colours).

That’s the best mode, the one my A5000 used most of the time. But we can recommend MODE 31 once we know MODE 27 works. ;-)

Hi again Dave,
I could probably deliver, but my transport is not what you would call particularly economic at about 28 mpg. The monitors are Microvitec, and I think multisync.

Hi Dave Lawton, So how much would it cost for delivery of the A5000 monitor in your uneconomic car? :-/

The monitors are Microvitec

I designed the PCBs in them, if they’re the square box model schools used to have in general, and possibly if they’re a different model, depending which one. (Only the PCBs, not the circuits – that was Stephen.)

Dave,
According to AA route planner, it’s a 180 mile round trip, which works out about 40GBP. Don’t know if that’s acceptable.
If it is, I’ll get some out of the loft, and test them.

Clive,
Not sure what the square box model is. They certainly came out of schools.

Not sure what the square box model is.

Metal box, cuboid. Biggest selling Microvitec box in the 1980s.

Metal box, cuboid. Biggest selling Microvitec box in the 1980s.

Known as the Microvitec Cub 452!

The 1431 said Cub 452 on the front
Model numbers on the back:
1431 (most common and lowest spec), 1451 (finer and darker shadow mask) and 1441 (finest shadow mask) 1431DS2 was the most common. DS2 meant metal case and beige? colour.

I remember those – usually with A3000, A330, & A440.

Mine are not those though.
Would been partnered with A4000, A5000, and RiscPC.