Japanese MSX2+ in the USA

Expert (90)

08-06-2015, 03:54

I recently purchased a Japanese MSX2+ (Sony HB-F1XDJ), for use in the USA. I'm curious if someone here on this forum has experience using a Japanese MSX2+ in the USA. I'm specifically interested in how it's connected. Do I need a step-down converter to use the 100 volt computer here in the USA where the voltage is 110? Also, how would I best connect it to a modern TV; what kind of TV's and cables are recommended?

By SkyeWelse

Champion (471)

08-06-2015, 04:56

Hi MichelM,

Maggoo and I both used these for our MSX machines.

http://www.powerinverters.org/power-bright-100w-step-up-down...

I'm not so much familiar with the Sony HB-F1XDJ video output, but from what I've read it has composite video out, so you just need to make sure you have a cable to hook up to your television via cinch connectors.

Best of luck getting it to work. Whereabouts in the US are you at? Sometimes Maggoo and I do MSX exhibits at the Vintage Computer Festival Southeast. (www.usamsx.com).

-Thomas

By MichelM

Expert (90)

08-06-2015, 05:31

I'm in the Dallas, Texas area.

I own a 1chipMSX and a Zemmix Neo Lite, and felt it was time for a real MSX.

I still need to receive my MSX2, and that will probably take a while - as it is coming from Japan. :-) It looks like it has RGB, RF and Composite video out. Do you use the composite video out, and if so, what type of TV/monitor are you using? My LG TV seems to have a composite in, so I guess it should work with a simple cable, but I've never used it before, so I won't know until I receive the computer and try the composite video. But even so, my TV is 55 inch, so I'll be needing something smaller for the MSX that fits on a desk, so I'm curious what you guys are using.

As well, just out of curiosity: Can the Japanese MSX computer work without a power converter in the USA, or would that end up frying the computer?

By meits

Scribe (6544)

08-06-2015, 07:24

Try using the RGB cable at any time. I've tried composite on my led TV once and it scared the hell out of me.
Here in Europe there are still some RGB/Scart TVs available. I don't know how rare they are in the States though.
You could pick an ordinary PC screen as well and use a RGB->HDMI converter. I use that on my F1XDJ and it is very acceptable.

By Wierzbowsky

Guardian (3606)

08-06-2015, 14:15

I had troubles using RGB to VGA or to HDMI converters with Japanese machines. The CSync does not work properly for some reason. That's why I had to design the convertor to be mainly used with Japanese machines, for example my Yamaha MSX2 YIS503, YIS805 as well as my MSX2+ F1-XV and A1-WS. I directly connect the converter to TV or my Dell monitor with S-Video cable and the picture seems nice. If you are interested, I can offer you a kit or an assembled converter.

http://www.finnov.net/~wierzbowsky/zefisha/assembled.jpg

If you have SCART on your TV, then you can also make a simple SCART cable for your MSX and it will work just fine.

Alexey

By meits

Scribe (6544)

08-06-2015, 18:18

The left screen is the HB-F1XDJ the mentioned converter on a PC screen.

By SkyeWelse

Champion (471)

08-06-2015, 19:27

Scart connectors are pretty uncommon to find in the States. For most current television and monitor sets we typically have inputs for the following: HDMI / VGA / DVI / Component Video, Composite (RCA - Cinch Connectors) Video, and S-Video. If you are hooking your MSX up using Composite Video, it will indeed look not all that great with some added ghosting effects around certain sprite colors when displaying on an HDTV, but its one of the only options you have unless you made some kind of RGB converter cable that will take the signal and do something with it that a U.S. television will accept, or use a up-scaling device such as an XRGB-3 or Framemeister. I have S-Video out for my Turbo R GT, so that doesn't look too bad, but I usually run it through the XRGB-3 to get the best picture quality.

There is a project in one of the other threads here to build a cartridge that will output the video signal to HDMI, but I'm not sure how far along that is yet.

As for your question about running a 100 volt rated PSU on a US 110/120 outlet. It will work, but you would be putting more strain on the system and it could blow, so I can't really recommend it.

-Thomas

By djh1697

Paragon (1702)

08-06-2015, 22:13

"I own a 1chipMSX and a Zemmix Neo Lite, and felt it was time for a real MSX."
The 1chipMSX is a real MSX, it is a piece of hardware that has the MSX logo on it

By meits

Scribe (6544)

08-06-2015, 22:22

Nah, it has the MSX logo indeed, but it's a bad emulator in a nice box...

By MichelM

Expert (90)

08-06-2015, 22:28

SkyeWelse, hat's interesting what you're saying. I hooked up my 1chipMSX via composite video to my TV, and indeed experienced the ghosting effects that you're talking about. It didn't look at all great. I have another TV and a monitor that accept VGA, and that is much more acceptable, but still slightly a bit off.

Now, the Sony HB-F1XDJ does not have VGA, but only RF, RGB and Composite video. So it looks like Meits' suggestion is very promising. I'm not familiar with the XRGB-3, but that also seems like a very nice solution, albeit a bit expensive and - I think - a bit more complex to figure out how it works.

By MichelM

Expert (90)

08-06-2015, 22:32

Meits, the 1chipMSX is very nice MSX, and it does a great job. I don't think it's a bad emulator at all. I can see with some games that the timing is slightly off, as to what I'm used to seeing on a real MSX. So just for fun, I'd like to get a real MSX going again (and with real MSX, I mean a computer created in the late 80s/early 90s). Nothing like the real thing, huh?! Nice video by the way.