Masterpiece Monitor

[TonyMitchell]

Does anyone know if you have to buy Pulsar's own monitor to use with the Masterpiece Screen Driver, or can you connect a TFT flat panel monitor?

 

If the latter, what is required to do this?

 

Many thanks in anticipation

[henny]

a quick google found the following

 

Outputs RGB (PAL colour TV) via 8-pin DIN and SCART, CGA via 9-pin-D, Composite monochrome video via BNC

 

The easyest thing would be to use a TFT with Composite in or just a cheep portable tv.

 

ian

[Tomo]

Almost every TV currently made has a SCART socket - that will give you slightly better picture quality than the BNC composite.

 

That said, I doubt it particularly matters either way.

 

Get a cheap telly (or TFT telly) and that should be great.

[Simon E]

To use a monitor you need one with a nine pin socket (CGA / EGA) and these are REALLY hard to get hold of now (even with E-Bay!), VGA monitors (ie all the computer monitors available now!) will not work. Your cheapest option is to use the scart on a cheep TV (its in colour that way, if you use the composite its in mono!), you need a TV with RGB input on the scart cable (not all have this!) That said we currently use a £60 TV from Sainsburys and it works fine (quite useful for dull rehearsals too!)

 

Hope that helps!

[Jamtastic3]

oooooo I have 2 MP's - one slaving so this all sounds interesting. So what exactly is the set-up?

 

You need 1 x 8 pin din cable from the MP to the driver to get power to the driver, have a connection through PMX from the MP to send the information to the driver and back and then a scart to scart connection from driver to TV/TFT TV?

[mumbles]

oooooo I have 2 MP's - one slaving so this all sounds interesting. So what exactly is the set-up?

 

You need 1 x 8 pin din cable from the MP to the driver to get power to the driver, have a connection through PMX from the MP to send the information to the driver and back and then a scart to scart connection from driver to TV/TFT TV?

Yes, sums it up. 8 pin din goes to remote control socket, and the 3 pin XLR takes PMX from the desk output to the driver. The screen driver manual's here if it helps.

[ianl]

also be aware, if you do use a CGA monitor it quite likely will have a diferent pin out. we made up a litle adapter lead to swap the wires over

[greenalien]

also be aware, if you do use a CGA monitor it quite likely will have a diferent pin out. we made up a litle adapter lead to swap the wires over

 

Details please - I use a MP screen driver with a portable TV via a scart lead with no problem, but couldn't get it to work with a CGA monitor plugged into the 9-pin socket.

 

Incidentally, if you have ever tried to use a Masterpiece without a screen driver and monitor, you'll be aware how many sheets of paper you need to fill in to keep track of what you've been doing - getting a screen driver eliminates all that and makes the MP desk much more user-friendly. ;)

[Simon E]

Incidentally, if you have ever tried to use a Masterpiece without a screen driver and monitor, you'll be aware how many sheets of paper you need to fill in to keep track of what you've been doing - getting a screen driver eliminates all that and makes the MP desk much more user-friendly. :P

 

more user friendly yes, but only if you take the time to program it ;)

[Jamtastic3]

Mmm I was speaking to my boss and he said that the driver he has doesn't have a scart sockert on it. Is their different versions of the driver (made at different times)?

[mumbles]

Mmm I was speaking to my boss and he said that the driver he has doesn't have a scart sockert on it. Is their different versions of the driver (made at different times)?

Interestingly, I had been thinking that about the driver we have at university, but haven't been down there in the last few days to check it out. We have always ended up using the BNC connector and using a monochrome screen.

 

So would be good to know if there are different versions of it, even if just to satisfy myself that I'm not going mad.

[greenalien]

more user friendly yes, but only if you take the time to program it :D

Well, the manual sheets don't fill themselves in, do they... :)

 

As long as you type in what each scene/chase etc does at the same time as you program it into the desk, it doesn't take much extra work - and it really pays back the effort when it comes to using the desk - it just makes it much easier, particularly when you are building an effect up from multiple scenes.

The clever bit is the way it automatically switches screens as you change modes on the desk, so it always shows the info you need.

 

Of course, it's not roses all the way - the key layout for typing in text is a bit ideosyncratic and the amount of text you can enter is very limited but that just reflects the dated design - still worth the £140 I paid for mine - yes, another Ebay bargain!