FYI: Visit to Nieman Display - Cambridge, Ontario, Canada ... Trip report.

[JoeB]

I recently discovered that Rick Nieman (president of Nieman displays, located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada - about 1.5 hour drive from Toronto) organized a meet at his "factory".

More info can be found here:  http://www.cgcc.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17266

About a dozen people shows up (mostly arcade collectors, and MAME'ers such as myself).  Here are some highlights of the visit:

- Rick gave us a tour of his facilities (all top notch!) - he must have over 500 tubes in his factory!
- He gave us a 2 hour tech talk about trouble shooting monitor problems, parts of a monitor, and other hints and tips (my favorite part was him showing us on how to properly break a vacuum seal in an arcade monitor!)
- Showed us in depth on how to fix purity and convergence on a monitor (truly amazing!)
- Had a great BBQ at the end
- best of all .. it was all professional and free - Rick is a really great guy with 25+ years of experience!! (He was production engineer for G07, Director of Engineering for Pentranic, and Chief Technical Officer for Makvision.  He probably knows more about monitors than any one in the business!)

If anyone is ever looking for a monitor replacement for their arcade machine, or building from scratch, you'd be silly not  to purchase a Neiman Video Display monitor.

I had a chance to look at his production line, and he uses only top notch components!  For example, his tri-mode 25" replacements are Samsung tubes all converged, and perfectly tuned!  All you need to do is plug in the AC plug + plug in the VGA cable into the monitor.

Overall, very very impressed with the facilities, the product and the people behind the operation.

Thanks Rick!!

P.S. Next Thursday, Rick will be in Las Vegas giving the same presentation to 65 technicians!  Contact him if you're interested in joining in.

[grantspain]

wish there was a rick nieman in the u.k

[Rickn]

Thanks JoeB and Grant for the feedback, had a great time and hope I helped you guys. I will refine the literature in the next week or so and post it on the website.

As I was showing you guys how to set purity and convergence, heard a few guys saying how you would not touch it with the power on... hope I took some of that fear away.

Yes with an audience, I may have been distracted and the fact that I got a few jolts, sort of added to the entertainment.

I should have been more clear on the Vegas thing... it is closed doors and set up for a comapny who has paid for by costs, sorry.

Thanks again for the support.

PS just in case the spelling of my last name is Nieman... only correcting it in case you do a search on the web.

Rick Nieman
Rick@Niemandisplays.com
www.niemandisplays.com

[Todd H]

Hey Rick. How's progress on the 24.8" digital multisync coming along?

[Rickn]

Hi Todd, thanks for the inquiry, for now the issue is dead. With picture tubes getting harder to find and so many people switching to LCD's we have to consider the economics. In other words how many would we sell vs R&D costs. This is what has prevented us from hiring a progammer to complete the OSD software.

Won't say dead, but 1 foot in the grave.

Thanks again
Rick Nieman
Rick@niemandisplays.com
www.niemandisplays.com

[grantspain]

chungwa have shed loads of tubes

[Rickn]

Thanks Grant, as usual I appreciate your help on the forum and off, Yes Chung wa may have a shed load of tubes, but they must be the right size, right yoke and right price,

But you know what, probably time I check it out.

On the flip side I would have to order a full container, (20 foot about 400 and 800) a lot of cash outlay with out a definite sale.

Having said all that, perhaps we can get that foot out of the grave as far as the possibility of a 24.8" quad?

Rick

[Todd H]

Thanks Grant, as usual I appreciate your help on the forum and off, Yes Chung wa may have a shed load of tubes, but they must be the right size, right yoke and right price,

But you know what, probably time I check it out.

On the flip side I would have to order a full container, (20 foot about 400 and 800) a lot of cash outlay with out a definite sale.

Having said all that, perhaps we can get that foot out of the grave as far as the possibility of a 24.8" quad?

Rick

I promise you, the day you release a 24.8" quad, I'll order one that very day (as long as it's digital of course).

[JoeB]

Hey Rick,

sorry about the spelling mistake with your last name (My uncle's last name is Neiman .. hence the regular typo that I do).

Thanks again for letting us see your production.

Leon
(I'm the guy who was interested in buying one of your monitors).

[Swatwolf]

So a quick question Mr. Nieman, I have been to your website and was wondering where would be a good place to look to buy your monitors, or did I miss the location on your pages.

[gokun]

If memory serves, you can just call him up to order...866-747-4002

(all the contact info is on top area of website)

[ahofle]

Rick, I would be willing to bet that if you released a 24.8" digital multisync, it would become THE SOLUTION for MAME cabinet displays.  Currently, there really isn't a unanimous solution out there and no one really knows what to recommend.  But if you released a digital multisnyc, there would be no question what to recommend when someone asks daily "what is the best monitor for a MAME cabinet".  Currently, there really isn't an answer.  It may be worth putting up a poll if you would like to gauge interest.  I would do it in the main forum where you will get the most views.  I have my fingers crossed that you pull this one out of the grave.

[Todd H]

I agree wholeheartedly. If I knew how to program (only programming I ever did was BASIC and Modula 2 in high school) I'd offer my services for free. A digital multisync from Nieman would be the holy grail monitor of the MAME community.

I put up a poll. If anybody's interested, please vote.

[RayB]

I should have been more clear on the Vegas thing... it is closed doors and set up for a comapny who has paid for by costs, sorry.

Hey Rick, I heard you mention that you couldn't conveniently get monitors to Vegas to show the techs, but surely there must be an arcade distributor there that could "rent" out a couple monitors for your seminar, and have it paid for by your host.

[Rickn]

Yes Ray, after Saturday I think a monitor is a must. The host has 3 stores in Vegas and I am going to try to get them to bring a monitor.

I would prefer it be one of mine. but as you know the session was setup as a generic monitor trouble shooting guide.

Thanks for the input.

I feel real good about the seminar and all you guys have provided me with great feedback.

Rick Nieman
President - Nieman Video Displays
www.Niemandisplays.com

[Level42]

Please,tell me PLEASE that someone videoed the purity and convergence instruction !!!!!! PLEASE !!!

Rick rocks. Wish I could buy his stuff overhere.

[bent98]

Wondering if Rick has plans for a Quad display like the old Bil Labs unit? Also can you clarify if the tri mode digital multi sync can display all modes without changing a jumper? I know we I spoke to him last year you couldnt access 800x640 without physically changing a jumper.

[Arm123]

Please,tell me PLEASE that someone videoed the purity and convergence instruction !!!!!! PLEASE !!!

Rick rocks. Wish I could buy his stuff overhere.

Lol...  I was thinking the same thing right after i watched him do it.  But i think i got the jist of it.

I wont beable to do it as fast as he did it...  (about 30 seconds to do purity including yoke adjustments) but i think i can do it better now    thanks to him.


Thanks RickN,  Im sure everything will go great next Thurday in Vegas !

[JoeB]

Please,tell me PLEASE that someone videoed the purity and convergence instruction !!!!!! PLEASE !!!

Rick rocks. Wish I could buy his stuff overhere.

No!!!  we didn't.   

We were just is awe at how fast he did it!  He had a monitor's purity and convergence fixed in less than a minute!!!  (2 if you include the time to hot glue the rings in place!)

[grantspain]

getting convergence/purity correct is a real pig of a job-to do in a few minutes is amazing

[Todd H]

The poll for a Nieman multisync in the main forum is up to 20 Rick. 

[Level42]

Was it on a new(er) monitor or old(er) ? Not sure but I think the new one's might be a bit easier ?

If it only takes a couple of minutes, there's no reason not to make a video now   Rick, you would really help out a LOT of people in the hobby

A good video would require two camera's I guess: one on the screen the other on what is being done on the yoke/focus rings.

[RayB]

getting convergence/purity correct is a real pig of a job-to do in a few minutes is amazing

Rick made it look easier than setting a clock.

[Ummon]

I've actually messed with this before. It seemed that a simple, but perhaps unobvious, method was available, and (though of course his experience is a factor) I bet this is what Rick had in advantage.

[Level42]

Found this:

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/converge.txt

Although text only, this has been about the best walk-through I've seen yet.

[Todd H]

We're up to 29 people so far:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=85998.0

Hopefully we can persuade Rick to make a digital multisync (or quadsync).

[JoeB]

Just because 29 people voted, doesn't mean it'll be 29 sales.  We actually talked to Rick about this during the seminar.

According to him, the cost of getting a developer to write the code, and getting the board designed, and put together would make the monitor so expensive, that it would not be profitable for him.

Hence, as far as he can see, it won't happen.  Sorry to burst your bubble.

He still makes great monitors for the army and gaming community.

[ahofle]

According to him, the cost of getting a developer to write the code, and getting the board designed, and put together would make the monitor so expensive, that it would not be profitable for him.

Does he really sell that many more of his VGA-XGA model?  Because that has a digital OSD, so he must have hired a programmer for that one too.

[Rickn]

Hi guys, keep in mind the 27" model was done a long time ago, It does VGA  and up. But to do a new model now 15k (Standard res) and up requires visibilty on a few thousand pcs in sales.

Meanwhile I have had an offer from a forum member to do the programming and the coffin is not yet shut.

Rick
Rick@Niemandisplays.com
www.niemandisplays.com

[Todd H]

Meanwhile I have had an offer from a forum member to do the programming and the coffin is not yet shut.

Keeping my fingers crossed.... 

[Ummon]

I was gonna suggest there might be somebody here who could/would.