a solution for win users with arcade montiors!!

[Howard_Casto]

I knew I had a piece of software sitting around somewhere that allowed you to run win at almost ANY frequency, horiz and vert.  

I figure there some skeptics so heres a screenshot.....



In case your wondering theres a setting to lock the rates so yor windows progs can't mess with it.  

The program is called PowerStrip and it's from a company called Entech. (No I don't have a url, sorry)  The evaluation version is free and it doesn't seem to have any expiration.

It doesn't work with every video card, but it seems to work with any geforce or ati card I can throw at it so who cares.  They're all you need right.  

I don't have an arcade monitor to test this, but it should work.  Someone needs to test this out and post thier results.  No need for that crappy old blade 3d card anymore.

[BobA]

Great info Howard!

Here is the URL of the website that I found on Google to save others from looking.  This is an older shareware version there is a newer version on the site as well.

Bob
http://64.113.35.210/ps2.htm

[me]

hey all

is this program gonna let me use windows on 15KHz monitor???
this question might sound very stupid but is it POSSIBLE???
it would be so helpfull if someone actually tried it...i know someone who is selling a 33" showcase cabinet with arcade monitor for only $500 in new york city..i have been trying to buy but i wont cause..i need no use windows...many problem with other...so please someone....if any info or update...please post...thanks to anyone who tries...also is it possible to connect DREAMCAST to an arcade monitor...you just like you connect arcade monitor to arcadeos...might be possible...anybody tried please post or let me know..thanks

arcadeking25@yahoo.com

thanks agin

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah, it should let you.... the section in the picture that says "scan rate" would be changed to 15 khz.  If your vid card supports it (which most ati/geforces do) then it will run at 15khz.  But this is all in theory as I dont' have anything to test it with. I did try it on my comp monitor and it dispayed a message (built in monitor warnings, not windows gui)  that said scan rate to low, which means that it does adjust the scan rate as advertised.  

[me]

yo...
how exactly did you do it...pleaese post how...

also does it start automaticly.....wow...

again thanks

[JustMichael]

I would suggest you read the manual (or docs) that comes with the program.

[Justin Waugh]

I think this idea was suggested a long time ago... but it doesn't really work for arcade monitors.  I've tried it with a bunch of different monitors and cards.  In order to put windows at 640x480 (Which is the minimum windows will allow) at 15khz, the output must be interlaced.  Reason being that to drop the horizontal scan to 15 also results in a drop of the vertical to 30 or so.. much below the tolerances of most monitors.  Interlacing fixes that problem by allowing a 15/60 h/v combo.  Unfortunately, even though powerstrip can cause a video card to output an interlaced mode, I haven't ever been able to get it to produce a working video mode on a standard res monitor.  On the other hand, it is very likely to be able to make most video cards work with a medium res monitor, as lowering the h refresh to 25 only results in about a v refresh of 50 which is within tolerances for most monitors.

If you plan on using windows on a standard res, it still seems that the g400 with the g400 interlace program is the best "native" solution (though it is a bit flickery at times due to the interlacing) or a professionalish scan converter such as the scan do 1024 or scan do pro which can sometimes be found on ebay.

I've monkeyed around with this problem a lot and have never found any better solutions.  However if somebody gets powerstrip to work for a standard res monitor, please let me know, as that would be a great thing.

Justin Waugh

[Howard_Casto]

How long ago did you try it?  The reason I ask is the last version or two of this program have alot more modes available.  Also a new feature is the ability to force the res down far below 640*480, whether windows likes it or not.  As I stated before I can't test this as I don't have an arcade monitor, but when I put in the proposed scan rate of 15khz it changed the refresh down to 60(not 30), which should work.  Interlaced mode wasn't turned on btw.  I looked over the documentation last night and it seems that in order to use the program to it's fullest extent you need a radeon series card on the ati side of things or a late model geforce 2 or higher on the invidia side of things.  

Again my knowledge of rates for arcade monitors is limited, but this program had changed alot since the last time I looked at it.  Please someone with an arcade monitor and a safety limiter (like the jpac) give this a try.  

 

[Justin Waugh]

It has been about 3 months since I last tried it I believe.  I see that the newest version came out ~2 weeks ago.  I will check out the new version when I get a chance.

Here's hoping

Justin

[WB]

Ok, I've given it a shot. Here's my report!:

I used 640x480, checked interlaced mode, set the horizontal scan rate to 15.75 and the vertical refresh to 30 hz. It wouldn't let me use any other refresh rate with that horizontal scan rate, so it seems as if these to fields are joined together, that is, if you change one the other value follows suit. However, 30 hz interlaced, shouldn't that equal a 60 hz mode?

Now, I actually did get a stable picture on my arcade monitor ( ). BUT, there where several problems. For one, none of the sync lights on my JPAC would lit up, which kinda tells me something is wrong (I have the JPAC jumpers set to 15 and 31 dual mode). The picture was strangely drawn out and the mouse cursor was way off, but somehow got less off the closer to the top portion of the screen I put it. Also the colors where very washed out (I think someone technical would describe it as "white-out").

I somehow suspect that I didn't get a proper 15 khz mode, but was seeing a distorted version of the JPAC's dual 15/31 mode.

I should mention that I haven't gotten my geforce3 to work with advancemame. Until I recently got my new computer I used an ATI rage pro, which worked flawlessly under dos.

So there are several possibilites:

1) My graphics card is unable to produce a proper 15 khz picture.
2) I have to tweak the other timing options available in Powerstrip (most of the values I haven't got a clue as how to set them)
3) Powerstrip is unable to produce the required 640x480 / 60hz / 15 khz / interlaced mode.
4) Probably lots of other reasons...

My setup is a geforce3 500 ti, Neotec 2515 (15 khz arcade monitor) and a JPAC.

So what do you reckon? I'm trying it again next week when my Trident Blade3d arrives.

Any word of someone trying to port SAKAs (vsyncmame) driver to windows xp??? That would probably be the next best thing for us users who wants to keep up with the emulation software development...

/ Peter

[Howard_Casto]

hmm it's wierd i got the refresh rates i stated but i didn't save it and now i can't get it to work again.    I must have done something goofy to get it to work.  I see what you mean about the two being locked together...
i think there might be a way around it though....

theres an .ini file in your powerstrip file....

get to teh section that looks something like this:

[Custom Resolutions]
640x480=640,32,64,96,480,1,3,21,13445,15

the entry just after the "640" is the refresh rate (32 in this case)  and the last number is the scan rate (15)  edit this then load up powerstrip, go to advanced timing options and custom resolutions and load this profile... if your driver doesn't pitch a fit then your golden.