Displays for retro-computing - what do you use?

[BigEd]

(Idea from a nearby thread)

Just wondering, when you are retrocomputing, what display are you using? I could make this a poll, but I think a free-form survey might be more interesting. I expect to see some mixture of:
- a old full size monitor with RGB or composite input
- a modern full size monitor with VGA input or with a scan converter or similar
- a TV connected by SCART, composite, or maybe even UHF
- a small dedicated LCD perhaps driven by VGA
- a small dedicated LCD driven as a digital peripheral
- no screen, using a serial connection
- directly wired teletype
but I'm ready to be surprised! Extra points for a 30kg multisync CRT. (Edit: or even heavier!)

For myself, I use a small monochrome monitor with a composite signal, a tiny monochrome TV with a UHF signal, a serial connection via USB dongle to a Chromebook, and sometimes a full-size LCD monitor driven by HDMI via hoglet's Pi-based converter.

[drogon]

Typed this up and came to the conclusion: "too many" ...

In addition to the relatively modern 28" 1080p and 24" 4:3 monitors I use on my desktop, ...

I have a couple of old small CRTs with composite video input - one green, one amber.

See e.g.:

https://unicorn.drogon.net/doom2.jpg (although that's a Pi, however running an almost retro game), and
https://unicorn.drogon.net/lode.jpg

I also use a small/cheap LED flatscreen TV that has "everything" - composite, (micro) scart, RGB, VGA and HDMI. (and a UHF tuner) It's a 720p screen, about 17" across and quite portable when needed. This is my go-to screen for quick BBC Micro/Apple/ATmega video tests.

Also a Wyse serial terminal and a Raspberry Pi with 4 x USB serial adapters for the collection. (couple of Pi's with their 7" displays - e.g. https://lion.drogon.net/IMG_20180128_095121.jpg

Does this https://unicorn.drogon.net/stuff/mk14-e.jpg count? Lamps & buttons?

Sadly no 50Kg multisync - last one of those I had was about 10 years ago - an old Sun monitor that I could barely lift and we got rid of the 36" flatscreen Sony tube a few years back too - that was a 2-man lift...

I have a MotoAtrix thing that I'd like to get more use out of - hdmi in, 720p display. I've used it with Pi's in the past, but they're a bit shonky.

-Gordon

[BigEd]

Extra points for the MK14! (Slightly more for a KIM-1... or an AIM-65.)

[Martin A]

Hmm, I'm probably in the "too many" category too...
For the homebrews:
A couple of Grant Searle style minimal systems using serial.
A 65C02/6847 home build not unlike an Atom driving a LDC TV via the colour difference input
A z80/V9958 homebuild using RGB Scart to the same TV
A Z80/CPLD based 640x480 80 column board driving an 8" LCD Monitor
A 65C02/CPLD with switchable 640x 480 40/80 column output using a cheapo 19" widescreen LCD

For "real" retro systems:
There's a 14" colour CRT TV for those systems the LCD TV doesn't understand
5" B&W TV for the ZX81
12" Mono composite monitor
Atari ST mono monitor

[DerTrueForce]

When my C64s were still working, I just used the family TV, which at that point was a huge, heavy as hell CRT. Later on, I used a small LCD display with a composite input. If I wanted to do it again now, I'd probably look for a similar LCD so it's easy to transport. Right now, I'd have to use the tv, which is now a flatscreen with interfaces all the way from composite to HDMI.

For Ittiara, the current plan is to integrate a Gameduino 3 as the display. That might be a pain to mount. I'm not sure.

[BitWise]

Most of my retro machines just have a serial interface which I connect to a PC with a PL2303 or FTDI 323RL USB adaptor. My SWTP 6800 emulator will have a PIC32 driven 'dumb terminal' generating SVGA and reading a PS/2 keyboard. My multi-device emulator connects to a shield style dumb terminal that generated composite video and reads a PS/2 keyboard.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Currently, I have a WYSE thin client running in WY325 emulation mode to act as a terminal. Fun fact: the thin client uses a WYSE-customized Linux kernel. I also have an ADDS color terminal. Both it and the thin client connect to POC via TIA-232. The displays are LCD monitors being driven through their VGA ports.

[8BIT]

My SBC-2 had an optional AVR-based mono-composite text display (40x25) connected to a VIA port.
SBC-3 generated a 320x200 color composite display with software fonts.
SBC-4 also had the mono-text display.

For the display device, I use a standard TV and had a PSone 5" LCD and a 5" Zenith display for the PS2 for a low cost, light-weigh option.

Here's a photo of the zenith screen. it includes 2 small speakers.

As long as TV's still support composite video, I'll continue to use that format for my retro computers.

Daryl

[floobydust]

I'm still using my original Amdek Color-I, which I bought new in 1982 for the sum of $319. It's still works perfect as when new. I also have a couple smaller monochrome composite displays, one uncased frame from an IBM Portable PC (with amber CRT) and one of the nice green monochrome displays which was part of the PC Convertible lineup.

[commodorejohn]

I've got a few different displays I use:

• Early-2000s VGA CRT, which I use with the DOS box I still need to finish putting together, because I hate, hate, hate LCD upscaling.
• Samsung SyncMaster 173p, a nice little LCD display that doesn't actually do sync-on-green, but can at least separate out the sync signal on my SGIs so they're not tinted all weird.
• NEC MultiSync 2010x, for the small number of systems I have which actually do require sync-on-green.
• An old generic IBM-style CGA monitor for my Tandy.
• Commodore 1081s for my Amiga and C128D.
• Philips CM8833, a very capable little CRT that can do TTL and analog RGB as well as composite. Got it for my MSX, but it gets used for other stuff as well.
• I also have an old generic terminal I can't remember the make of; while a terminal emulator running on a PC is more convenient for a lot of things, sometimes it just feels right to be sitting in front of the real thing...

[Chromatix]

I have two potential displays at present: a Sun Microsystems 22" LCD which has SVGA and DVI-D inputs, and a Raspberry Pi 2B fitted to a PiTFT. The latter is the most likely terminal I'd use, via serial, for initial bring-up.

But the final display for my first project would probably be an e-ink thing. Turns out with a little bit of tweaking, they aren't anywhere near as slow as many videos suggest; definitely sufficient for a calculator or a text console.

[Dr Jefyll]

In the 1980's, I logged a bazillion hours using this little Sony TV as my display. One of my pursuits was developing 8748 microcontroller applications -- real, paid work -- and my entire system, including the computer, assembler and 8748 blaster, was homebrew! (More on that here ). At the time, the development system offered by Intel had a price comparable to a down payment on a house.

This was before I acquired my first 8088 DOS box. (Crap, it seems like I had a lot more FUN back in those days!)

The LCD display is something I hooked up a little later, inspired by the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100's display, which was very sexy at the time. My LCD (which I acquired on the surplus market) was a little tricky to get working, as it required continuous (and non-standard) video, rather than the modern norm of occasional writes fielded by an on-board controller and conveniently buffered in on-board memory.

Despite its glamor, I never really used the thing. Like the Model 100's display, it could only show about a dozen lines, and that just wasn't enough. So I never weaned myself from the little Sony!

-- Jeff

[White Flame]

As a software guy, most of my retrocomputing is emulation-based, so a 4K HDMI monitor for me.

[cbmeeks]

Also too many to list.

I have several small (<19" CRT's) that I mainly use for console or retro systems. A large 32" CRT that weighs a ton and is used for my NES, Genesis and ColecoVision.

17" 4:3 LCD VGA monitor that I use on my TI-99/4A (using F18a).

17" CRT VGA (4:3) monitor I use for DOS gaming (because that giant metal desktop looks silly next to my tiny LCD monitor).

Couple 9" amber monitors from Apple for my IIc and/or IIe's.
Couple Apple CRT monitors (like Monitor ///, Apple RGB for IIgs, etc.).

But, I saved the best for last. If my house was burning, I would run in to save my kids and wife. Then I would save this monitor...

My beloved Commodore 1084S monitor.

But on my back would be my Commodore PET.

[Tor]

I use 4:3 VGA LCD monitors (17"-19") when possible. I don't have room for CRTs in my cave, although I still have a single 17" CRT monitor in storage. For my mini I use a VT100-compatible serial (current loop) terminal. I also have a DEC VT320 (IIRC), but it's been in storage since the power supply (I think) went "poof" when I turned it on after a long wait.