Software Support > GroovyMAME
New ATOM-15 - now supports R9 380 and R9 380X cards
tonyt76:
This is amazing news!
Which frequency is best to patch to? 15, 24 or 31?
buttersoft:
--- Quote from: tonyt76 on December 16, 2021, 09:19:11 pm ---This is amazing news!
Which frequency is best to patch to? 15, 24 or 31?
--- End quote ---
Depends what your monitor takes. Old SD CRT TVs, PVM's or arcade monitors (connecting to which is why most of us are using crt_emudriver) are 15kHz only, for the most part. Some later models might take higher. Windows itself will be happiest with 31kHz, if your monitor supports that.
Edgecrusher:
--- Quote from: buttersoft on December 11, 2021, 04:36:31 am ---
--- Quote from: Edgecrusher on December 10, 2021, 08:50:02 pm ---Atom makes sure your tube gets the right signal 100% of the time right? I thought it had become outdated so I hadn't looked into it...
--- End quote ---
Yes, mostly. It's a GPU BIOS mod. When your PC boots, the mobo hands over display control to the GPU (if you have a monitor plugged into the GPU, and not to your mobo). This BIOS mod ensures the GPU BIOS will only deliver 15kHz modes (or higher if you set it for that).
Once Windows loads, the GPU hands control of the displays over to the Windows drivers. Things can still go wrong on the Windows end, because with the way Windows works no driver can be perfect. Crt_emudriver comes as close possible though, rest assured. You're vanishingly unlikely to hurt a TV from the 90's or later by feeding it incorrect sync a few times, but booting it out of range every day is not going to do it any good.
--- End quote ---
Thank you for taking time to explain. Just to clarify; this will ensure the GPU delivers 15kHz ALWAYS? or just while booting?
When you commented on GPU handing it off to Windows drivers I got a little confused.
Does windows drivers equate to CRT EmuDriver if I have it installed? Or could windows decide to use something else or is there some other opportunity to damage my CRT?
I spent a lot of time on my CRT and if I have to, I'll wait for everything to boot completely before powering it up - if that means it lasts longer.
Does Atom cause any problems if I run a LCD type occasionally for setup purposes? Sometimes it's quicker to use an LCD just for maintenance type actions or setup of a front end.
BTW thank you again for sharing what you know with us uninitiated, Buttersoft.
EDIT: Just read the download page like I should have before. Looks pretty self-explanitory. Sorry for the clutter.
buttersoft:
As your mobo boots, if it finds a GPU it hands over control of the display(s). If you use Atom15 and mod the BIOS to 15kHz, the display will normally be happy all the time. Some displays might roll vertically during boot, but that's still fine on a TV or PVM, you won't hurt anything that way. Some mobos use a UEFI BIOS that will only display in a higher res. No harm there, but you can't see it, so it's worth thinking about any changes you might want down the line, otherwise you have to uninstall or remove the GPU to get to the BIOS
As windows loads in turn, the GPU hands everything over to windows, which will then hand over to the display driver (crt_emudriver, here). crt_emudriver is about as perfect as it can be, but windows doesn't hand over complete control. Or rather, there are things programs can do by reaching into windows itself rather than consulting or waiting for the display driver. Hence the advice you will find elsewhere to stop and disable the service called AMD External Events Utility. This stops 95% of these problems, which largely arise when programs grab modes they used to use from the registry settings, rather than looking at what modelines should currently be available. This sometimes happens when you set up on an LCD and then switch to a CRT. There are one or two programs i think must panic sometimes and grab the safe mode setting (480p) which is harder to stop.
Zebidee:
An easy way to bypass the not-15khz blues during startup is to use one of @buttersoft's VGA 15khz dongles.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,164416.msg1732182.html#msg1732182
I have a couple, and they are a neat way to block video signals > 15khz when Atom-15 won't work. They also combine H+V sync into proper composite sync. They work in series with other cables (eg. VGA-SCART cable) and transcoders (e.g GreenAntz).
Not sure if Butters ever wants to sell them, but you can always make your own if motivated enough.
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