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[spillage]

[spillage]

Kind words for which I am grateful. A tut is on the way. As soon as I have fixed my confounded vga issue I will post it.

I am currently consideringal converting my box to be a top loader. It's a long story, but the short of it is this.

I tried to be the worlds first box owner with a slot drive that played originals. Not saying how yet cause I may be buying a couple of slots this coming weekend to try again. If I go for the top loader it would be a lot like a NAIM CDS cd player, in that is has a door that you lift up and place the disc on the transport, then put a puck on top, then shut the door. Disc spins and plays. I think a slot loader would be cool but the top loader is growing onme. Anybody else tried this? No mention when I searched.

[gerzand]

[spillage]

Cheers Gerzand, I may be forced to track down a US HD pack to check it properly.

Cheers

[loki]

[spillage]

[TB_88]

!

Great work btw spillage and by helping me with the parts.

[spillage]

I am writing the tut at the moment, it will be quite large so bear with me. I am also loathed to release it yet until I have rectified my vga issue. You may be aware from previous postings that I seem to be the only one that cannot get my vga to work correctly. I have made some head way to day however. I have noticed that the distortion I am seeing is present when connected to one of my laptops. The distortion is exactly the same as when plugged into the xbox. The controls on my monitor are crap and don't allow much adjustment. I am going to try another monitor tomorrow. I will post my findings. My main issue Tor is that I cannot enable Hi Def in the M$ dash. I get good colours when used although it is often green.

Does anyone know what enabling HD in the M$ dash actually does?

[spillage]

I don’t know much about the workings of monitors with respect to them being used with drivers etc. I have just removed my Eizo F340I-W and replaced it with a much older Philips 3CM9809. The geometry is perfect with the exception of a little border round the sides. I think this monitor is only 800x600 whereas the Eizo is 1024x768. Now here’s the weird part! Whilst changing the dip switches to select VGA out from the decoder, I set them wrong and found to my amazement that with 11 to gnd and 13 to gnd,  I got a B&W image on the TV, however the VDU came on. In the M$ menu was HD support. I selected 480p and 720p leaving 1080I off cause I can’t support it anyway.

The Eizo monitor produced brilliant brightness and colours but the geometry was poor on the edges.
The Philips monitor produced a mostly green image but the geometry is perfect.

Anyone with monitor experience got any ideas as to why the colours are crap on the Philips but good on the Eizo, assuming the Philips is not faulty? I know for a fact that my dips are wired right and that I definitely select 9 to gnd and 13 to gnd to get VGA support. As I said above I also get the VDU powering up with 11 to gnd and 13 to gnd.

I have third 1024x768 monitor to try tomorrow.

[TB_88]

Never mind.

[spillage]

There are diffinately plenty of differences between the three monitors I have here.  They all do completely different things. One has perfect geometry but the colour is bad, one the colours are great but the geometry is bad, the other has perfect geometry and different colours to the first. It would appear to me that monitors need to be given some info other than the image to get things sorted. I would wager that products like the X2VGA do this and work faultlessly with all Monitors.

Does anyone know if all games that do NOT support HD are in 480 or 576i? If they are then I am better off breaking down an X2VGA and putting inside my box, that way EVERYTHING comes out 480p -->

[spillage]

Right, I have decided that I will buy, strip and install an X2VGA inside my box using the vga port already on the back panel. I am not yet sure whether to try my slot drive mod again or go for top loading system will dark tinted acrylic lid. Anyone got a though on this?

[loki]

[twistedsymphony]

 though some games dont support HD so those that dont come out in 480i (I think   ) and arn't the greatest...

but over all it is the best VGA solution for the Xbox.

I can't wait to see your tutorial, I've been considering adding locking terminals for RGB myself (w00t BARCO CRT represent ).

also there is a thread currently going on in the hardware modding forum about a lid load DVD drive for some guy who messed something up so it wont eject.

however I think a slot loader that plays originals would be very nice... very slick and I would definltly perform that mod if a tutorial were available...

if you need help with the slot loading thing I suggest starting a thread in the hardware modding forum there are a few of us there who are extremely proficient electricly and mechanically and could probably help you out if you need it  

again good work, looking forward to seeing more

[spillage]

Thanks Twisted for the pointers. I have already tried the slot mod but failed as the timing issues for the slot loading mech driven by the Samsung 605 MB is not right. Unfortunately I had to commit the drive and the slot loader fully. Because I failed the slot was scrap and the 605 just a shell of it's former self. It's currently gaffer taped to original lower portion of the 605 case and after ripping the disc puck from the lid of the 605, it operates fine, but of course the lid of my box has to be off. Will do a post as you suggest on hardware. The tut for the outputs is coming as is my retail look xecuter installtion with back panel for 25 pin and switches.

All those who have kindly asked me for help, let me asure you I am working as fast as I can to get the tuts written.