Batboard

Has ANYONE had luck feeding the VGA output of a R2670 to a VGA monitor, etc? I tried plugging my 2670 into my 32in LCD HD VGA input...no go (it DOES like my laptop)....SO is there a screen I am missing to set the output properties or is it preset or???? I would like to display the screen onto a larger screen during a demo this next week. (either the 32in LCD or my DLP projector...either way)..

Thanks for any help!!

The 2670B [with the color LCD screen] has a VGA output on the left side of the instrument. I have successfully used an external monitor with one of these instruments. The display is 640 X 480 standard VGA resolution.

The 2670A [with the green CRT display] has a CGA output on the right side of the machine above the serial port. I have used a 2670A with an external CGA monitor. It works fine and displays in color [although the colors aren't exactly the same as the 2670B uses]

Since CGA monitors are getting hard to find and thinking I might want to connect the 2670A to a VGA display, I went looking for a CGA to VGA converter. There is one board available that is intended for arcade video game use.

I bought one of those boards and I was able to get it to work with the 2670A. The display isn't perfect but it would be good enough for most uses.

If you have a 2670B, try another display to see what happens. If your VGA port is foobar and you don't have time to send the instrument in for service, you could use the R2600 Toolkit software on a PC to capture and display the instrument screens as you do your presentation. The Toolkit software is available free from General Dynamics. The PC connects to the 2670 serial port.

If you have a 2670A, the Toolkit screen capture might also work for you if the instrument firmware is new enough, although it will be slower since the 'A' serial port only goes to 9600 whereas the 'B' serial port goes to 115K.

Its a 2670B with the P25 option and the 15 pin VGA jack on the left side. Manual says nothing about the resolution or any settings. Evidently my LCD TV cant handle the 640x480 screen (though it should..it handles 480i and 480p with no problem)...I'll try one of my PC monitors on it... I need to talk to my Mother M rep about getting the battery pack and a few other options on it (why the company got P25 option when we are all Astro Spectras I'll never know....I wish they would have gotten the Astro option instead...all the other "digital" users in my area are Astro as well...hmmm wonder what the Astro option would cost my company credit card?

Thanks for the info!

Chris

Yes, definitely try a PC monitor. That should work fine.

As to the Astro option - the digital users in your area are still VSELP? That's pretty much a dead horse.

In Motorola terms and the way the 2670 works:

Astro = 9600 BPS C4FM digital voice using the VSELP VOCODER.
Astro25 = 9600 BPS C4FM digital voice meeting the P25 standard and using the IMBE VOCODER. [P25 conventional]
Astro25 trunking uses the 9600 BPS control channel format whereas Motorola trunking uses 3600 BPS.

You can retrofit the Astro option [and most other options] to the 2670. The Depot will even upgrade the earlier models of instruments. This upgrade capability plus repair and calibration support for older instruments is a standout feature and one reason to buy a G.D. instrument.

The retrofit for VSELP [CR712] will cost you a tad over 2 grand. The last quote I saw it was $1450.00 for the option plus $600.00 for the Depot to install it. The upgrade is sort of like a radio "Flash" upgrade. The depot aslo calibrates the instrument for the same price. You pay shipping both ways.

If you don't have the instrument on contract for yearly calibration, just order the upgrade the next time you are due for a cal. You would have been out the $600 and the shipping anyway, that way your upgrade cost is the net $1450.