CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[cmjohnson]

Scott, I hope you're reading this!


One thing I'd really like to see made available is the source code for the Marquee CLM,
as well as certain other developmental tools. There are things I'd like to see in the firmware that
simply aren't there and I doubt VDC will invest the time and money to build them.


First, I'd like to see the convergence grid lines dropped to a single pixel in width. Or variable.

Second, I'd like to see internal color bars in the test patterns.

Third, I'd like to see an internal full-screen single X test pattern...there's nothing quite as good
for setting up linearity than a single X from corner to corner. Any linearity variance shows up
as a curved diagonal line. When the lines are straight, your linearity and geometry are perfect.

Fourth...and I don't know if this is even possible given the architecture of the Marquee chassis,
but the convergence step resolution is too coarse to get perfect results at 1080p and other high resolution
signals. I was thinking that this could be adjusted on the CVA board by some modifications, but upon reviewing
the manual, I conclude that it would have to be done on the CLM if at all. And, upon consideration of what's
in the manual regarding the convergence DACs, I'm not sure if it can be done at all as the CVA is driven by
8 bit latching DACs. Messing with the bit-to-voltage values by incorporating resistors on the lowest bit lines
might given a smaller single bit step size, but it might also mess with gross convergence accuracy as well.

What would really be needed here is a more than 8 bit system. That would require a whole new CLM design,
I think. Not practical. Although it would be nice to have a more up-to-date architecture than something
that was designed about 15 years ago if not more.

Still, it may be possible as the I2S bus is a 16 bit system, and the Marquee runs on an I2S bus. The CPU could
handle more than 8 bit convergence (I think ten bits would be enough for anything) but the existing convergence
hardware on the board is all 8 bit. A mod to add bits to it would be very non-trivial.


CJ

[dturco]

Sounds great. While we're talking pipe dreams, how about 16x9 tubes? and an adapter plate to fit them in. No more wasted phosphour.

[cmjohnson]

Just take your tubes to your local professional glassblower and have him heat them up and reshape them for you.



CJ

[Tim in Phoenix]

Guys!


Three years ago I asked VDC to consider an 11 x 7 convergence system as an improvement to 9 x 5 currently in use; they said no, too costly, needed redesign of clm and convergence yokes......

So, unless someone steps up needing 100 new Marquees with various refinements, I do not expect them to spend money on this.


.

[Nashou66]

Tims right the CLM needs more convergence waveform amps, and given that there is no room for an add on board, id say it have to be about half the size of the Astig board , its would be impossible unless they redesign the entire board. or some how make an add on board to fit into the Acon slot and tie into the existing
CLM with a ribbon cable or some other similar interface as the back plane Acon slot would not work alone, it could provide the power and thats all i bet.

Chris the problems I had with convergence was fixed by the convergence timing menu you pointed out.

I think you need to upgrade to an Ultra buddy.

oh and if you can get firmware version 5 and up or is it 6 the convergence in the PC based Marquee loader program available on VDC adds much more fine adjustment control for lots of parameters, on v 5 and lower some functions dont work right but G2 and drive setting work great, more points of adjustment.

Athanasios

[cmjohnson]

I have version 5.4 but it's a bag of chips not yet installed in my CLM. Given that my PJ is backed up against a wall, I'd have to drop the PJ to pull the CLM and rechip it. But 5.4 is Ultra firmware. What happens if you try to run Ultra firmware on a non-Ultra machine?

Anyone got a spare Ultra motherboard they want to give me?

Since I'm gearing up for an all systems upgrade on this PJ SOON, including a set of your new bellows, and HD10F lenses, and, of course,
the first fully optimized set of Advanced FrankenYokes, I'll just be doing it all at once. A lot's going to happen all at once.


I don't see that there would be any need for any additional convergence channel amplifiers. To add zones would increase the amount of bandwidth required by the amps but in any event you only need one vertical and one horizontal convergence
amplifier channel per CRT, or more properly, per coil in the convergence coil assembly. Which is four, but they're connected in pairs and operate differentially for an effective two coil circuit.

Adding more zones of convergence is mostly about adding bandwidth capability. The Marquee convergence system hits 35 zones in every frame. It's easy to figure out the minimum bandwidth required to implement 35 zone convergence
at the highest allowable scan rate. An upgrade to more zones would require proportionally greater bandwidth, and
if that was beyond the efficient operating range of the amps and yokes, yes, they would have to be redesigned for satisfactory operation. In terms of the software side of it, I think it would not be so difficult to implement it if someone
who knows the language of the CLM were to spend a little time on it.

But I'm not concerned about MORE zones of convergence. I'd rather see finer minimum adjustment capability instead.



CJ

[stefuel]

[dvh99]

i dont know how much the clm differs from an ultra board but here are some pics.
notice the wire shortcuts.

[cmjohnson]

Either I'm going blind or your pictures are really out of focus! But I see well enough...I think.


CJ

[dvh99]

if you want the exact positions of the wires let me know.
those pictures do seem to be a bit out of focus must be thomson yokes in that camera.
how is the frankenyoke adventure going.

[dvh99]

well aint i the artist.

[Nashou66]

dvh99, Man you stay up late !! got o bed!!!

Athanasios

[MikeEby]