CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:36 am Post subject: OT: WTB tiny VGA CRT monitors 6"

Do any of you guy's know of a place where I can get small VGA monitor's? A friend of mine is making an imitation lugable computer like those from the '80's and need's a small VGA monitor. With or without touchscreen.

outwest · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 212 Location: Honolulu

Wow! Interesting. I am sorry that my answer to your question is no. I don't know where you could buy such a thing.

Your post just made me think back to the first computer that I owned. It was a Compaq portable. It was the size of a small suitcase, 8086, 1 meg of memory (LOADHI) and two 360K floppies. I bought a 10 meg Plus Hardcard for it. The hardcard was a bit over $600. The monitor was CRT. I think it was 5" and it was green monochrome. After several years of regular use, I upgraded to the Compaq Portable II. It was a 286 and I was amazed at how fast it was.

For a time, "lunchbox" format computers were popular. I wonder if some of these are on e-Bay now. I was thinking that some non-working ones might be cannibalized for the monitors. Now that I think about it, I guess that most of the "lunchbox" computers were LCD or plasma. I have seen small color VGA LCD's advertised in electronics magazines.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:13 am Post subject:

Actually he'd rather have a green monochrome screen BUT those were TTL or propriatary interface and all he has is VGA ans S-video out.

ecrabb · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:22 am Post subject:

The Apple dealer I used to work at when I was in high school sold KayPro luggable computers. Looked just like this one:

The ebay seller says it's 1982 vintage, which would have been a touch early for me to have been working at the computer dealer, but it sure looks right. Check out the asking price on this machine, though:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300039229895

SC

outwest · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 212 Location: Honolulu

AR, get some sleep!! Very Happy

It is about 20:30 here. It must be 2:30 where you are.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:49 am Post subject:

Heywood Jablome · Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 1548

Only thing I can think of is the small multi-head broadcast monitors, like eBay 230240292848

Don't know if they'll handle VGA resolution, tho.

jkruger · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 2435 Location: Carlsbad, CA

In just sold my old Seequa Chameleon last month.... "snif" but I still have two Kaypros left in the pile. Andy would be mad if I sold them.

Clarence · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:59 pm Post subject:

dculberson · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Posts: 211 Location: Columbus, OH

Clarence · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:01 pm Post subject:

Here's a 9" monochrome CRT for $25...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110242072939

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

Here's a small 8" LCD monitor. It doesn't say VGA input on the page but my Catalog indicates it does. How small are you looking for?

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/82-12111

perisoft · Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 2920 Location: Ithaca, NY

7-8" LCDs are a dime a dozen; they get sold by the boatload for custom car audio stuff. Maybe 150 to 200 bucks.

It's no CRT, though - but you could always write some software to put some glare on and do a nice gray-brown background wash like the old monitors had. Smile

MAME actually has an incredibly good emulator for crappy RGB monitors that were used in arcade games - it pumps everything through a map of the phosphor pattern (line, dot, etc) used on the actual arcade machine. When you use it on a real CRT monitor (it looks odd on an LCD, because it's too sharp even with the filter) it looks eerily correct. It'd be great to write a little directX wrapper for that and sneak it onto your buddy's CRT projector so it looked like it got replaced with some giant old arcade monitor... Very Happy

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the link's guy's. I did find the model number for a couple produced by KME

5" CRT KME PN# 20C05A32HX
12Vdc/31.5kHz/VGA/P31 phosphor

and the 7" version same spec's
PN# 20C07A32HX

Can't find any yet though.

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

Here's some stuff for you to muddle through if you don't already have it:

http://ie.farnell.com/111727/mechanical-office-workplace/product.us0?sku=KENT-MODULAR-ELECT-20C05A32HX&_requestid=335791

http://www.sumbsc.com/part/showdetails.php?name=20C05A32HX

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

Here's it's LCD counterpart:

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:53 pm Post subject:

Thanks Mac! I know he doesn't want to run LCD and I don't blame him Very Happy

I found a couple of those PDF's on a german site lastnight.

Didn't VDC own/partner with a company that makes small CRT monitor's ( flight instruments maybe? )

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:55 pm Post subject:

Fujifrontier · Joined: 20 Oct 2007 Posts: 354 Location: San Antonio, Texas

i wonder if a small colour viewfinder CRT could be forced to go bright enough to create a 5-6 inch picture Smile

imagine, a miniature projection set

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:22 am Post subject: