Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    Sure .. works reasonably well with a color video camera. Make sure
    you set the CAMERA menu option to the appropriate selection for
    color cameras. Oh, and remeber, you still need to use the color
    wheel.
    
    By the way, why are you feeding the VCR signal through the camera
    and then to Digi-View. Just connect the video output from the VCR
    directly to the DigiView interface. Make sure you have a steady
    freeze frame though, or you are wasting your time. You should be
    able to get a pseudoreasonable B&W image. Experience tells me that
    only Sony has a reasonable non-digital freeze-frame - jitter free.
    Dunno about the digital VCR's .. they might work even better in
    freeze frame.
    
    DigiView has never claimed to produce color images without the
    color-wheel when using a color camera.

You didn't by any chance feed the modulated (i.e. CH3, CH4) VCR output to
it, did you?


John

I'm revising 1207.3 rather than keep adding replies. I was trying to
feed the camera signal thru my portable VCR, taking the signal from
the "video out" and connecting it via RCA-to-RCA to the little
Digi-View box. (By "driving" I mean mostly providing power, signal
filtration, etc.). Anyway, I tried a simpler setup last night, using
the power supply that came with the camera, and a new coax video cable.
Checked the video signal by feeding it to the VCR's "video in"- the VCR
fed the RF signal to my TV, and all looked well. So I put the video feed
on the Digi-View, and still get requester saying "No Signal Present".

Bummer. Only two things not tested: the gender changer DB25 cable, which
has been carrying the printer signal with no problem, and the Digi-View
itself. I'll probably try substituting it into the video system at the
computer store (Omnitek in Salem), see if it works there.

Thanks for the advice.
John O.

PS: If there's no signal present, the "select camera" portion of the "Camera"
menu doesn't appear, which is why I never noticed it.

    The gender changer is probably the problem.  New-Tek sell their
    own for use with the A500 and A2000.  There might be a difference
    between theirs and the one you have.
    
    Randy
    

    If you have an A500/A2000 you may need to put an adaptor to have
    it work. I posted sometimes ago how it should looks like. I don't
    have the info handy, so please scan the notes I wrote ( dir/auth=ZABOT
    
    Good luck. 

>If you have an A500/A2000 you may need to put an adaptor...

Yeah, of course. I get the Digi-View home and notice the connector's the
wrong gender, so I say, "hey, no problem, I've got a gender changer
already for the printer". Forgetting that I rewired the PRINTER cable
to cope with the pinout change between the 1000 and the 2000. ARRRGGGHH!
(Hope I didn't fry the Digiview)

Thanks very much
(The note you refer to is 855.0)
John O.

    Please Note!!!!  The "Gender Changer" from DigiView contains active
    components, i.e. a chip, couple of caps, resistors, diode, etc....
    
    I built a simple gender changer, but it did not produce the quality
    output to the Amiga parallel port that the one from NewTek does.
    Also, if you have additional memory on your system, run SLOWMEMLAST
    utility.  If you don't do this, you may run into picture quality
    problems.  This wasn't written in the manual when I purchased mine.
    
    Cameras:
    Panasonic  and RCA both make excellent B&W cameras priced in the
    $200 range.  The lens that comes with the camera leaves a bit to
    be desired.  Anyone know of an adaptor to allow use of a 35mm camera
    lens on a video camera?
    
    Sunrize Co. makes a video device to split out the color signals
    from a color camera without having to use a color wheel.  You might
    try giving them a call.  They recommend the use of this with their
    Perfect Vision Digitizer, which I like much better than the DigiView.
    A digitized Image in 1/60th of a second, Multiple frames, etc...
    
    John
    
  

    re: .7  'Gender changer contains active/passive components'
    
    I just bought Digi-View myself from The Software Shop (with gender
    changer) and it has no parts but two IDC connectors and a piece
    of flat cable!  The wires are Mickey Moused to swap some pin numbers
    end to end but it is strictly a cable.   What gives here?  Do we
    have version differences or  a strange ECO?
                                   

    I bought mine from The Memory Location, it had DigiView labels and
    NewTek labels all over it so I assume it is a standard product (hard
    to tell now days!).
    
    I popped it open (HAD to see how it worked) and it contained a pc
    board, two DB25 connectors at each end, along with an 8 pin DIP
    and resistors, etc...  I didnt look up the chip or draw out the
    ckt to see what they were doing.  Definitely not a passive wire
    only gender changer though!
    
    Oh.. it cost $19.00...   seemed reasonable...   
    
    If anyone wants to try it out or look at it in the area, you're
    welcome to borrow it.  I don't use the DigiView since I got 
    PerfectVision.  Radical difference in performance and quality.
    
    John