Hi,
Total newb here taking my very first step - buying a CRT monitor. I noticed that CRT monitors tend to have 3 types of supported inputs:
RGB/YPbPr
S-Video
Composite
Assuming I want to get one that will support the standard features of LZX and video synth tools, which of these do I need on my CRT?
Thanks in advance!
Any of those will work with LZX, but I prefer component (RGB/YPbPr). However, you may find that the monitor uses BNC connectors, so some RCA to BNC cables or adaptors may be needed.
Got it, thanks. Any reason you prefer component?
Higher quality than composite or s-video. S-video is also higher quality than composite. So when a device gives me a choice, Iāll pick the cables based on the options available. This of course applies to a pair of devices, unless connecting an output to an input on the same device. Sometimes thatās useful, for feedback or even, using a TBC, for a short (single-frame) delay.
Hiā¦ Iām a real newbie tooā¦
I hope everyoneās safe and wellā¦
Today I received a gieskes 3TrinsRGB standalone and learned that lzx helped design it, and so, Iād like to know what am I missing, for keeping the video image steaming on the screen, as it goes in and out whenever I begin using the device (3TrinsRGB).
I have 2 hdmi cords with the Yellow Red White cords at the end. a hdm splitter, also an AV 2 Hdmi scaler, a vga in/out cord a vga-in w/hdmi-in at the end. Nothing is really happening except what I mentioned.
Iām feeling down all day as nothing is working and I donāt know where to turn toā¦ please help!
thanksā¦ 
first:
what type of monitor do you have?
and describe your connection to it. from trins output to TV input.
What exactly do you see on the TV? āin and outā is not so clear.
Do you see the video output? Do all knobs work?
The easiest method is to simplify the problem.
The TrinsRGB is an analog device. If you have a direct connection, it will be easy to check what is going on.
If you have a digital TV with YPbPr inputs. just patch the output of the TrinsRGB directly to the green input with a RCA cable. This should work and you should see the TrinsRGB output. (when the channel color knobs are turned CW)
thanks a lot for replyingā¦
Really need the help/adviceā¦
I can give links to show what I haveā¦
in the end, whatever Iām connecting, itās not staying linked to the monitor, as the screen goes black, and then back to the image, etcā¦
What I want to do is, play a video onto the Samsung monitor from my laptop using the double ended hdmi cable into the hdmi splitter because there is only one hdmi jack in the monitor.
Then, to use the hdmi splitter for the 3trins to create the effects while I record the monitor with those effects happening, on my camcorderā¦ There is a vga connection possible on the monitor, but nothing goes āinā onto the screenā¦ even with a vga/hdmi cable to my laptop (which only has hdmi).
without the splitter, the double ended hdmi cable works fine from my laptop to the monitor, but when I use the splitter to include the 3trins, then the image goes in and out, especially when I use the oscillator on the 3trins, as the screen goes blackā¦
Do I need things like this:
https://www.beharbros.com/product-page/toro
or
https://microware.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/microware-4k-hdmi-splitter-5-1.jpg
I also have a Panosonic Quintrix
front view: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OKgAAOSwGt9baK9t/s-l1600.jpg
back only has scart: https://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-Scart-to-RCA-Triple-3-x-Phono-Adapter-TV-Composite-Audio-Video-Cable/352843997958?hash=item5227242306:m:meYTZuoRGRsYY3xklP5LPqA
thanks againā¦!!
ok so you are mixing 2 sources with the cable. that wonāt work
You need a video mixer for that
That splitter is meant for splitting 1 signal to 2 signals, not the other way around
tests to confirm simple routings and get trinsRGB output to your screens:
test 1: connect the trinsRGB to the Panasonic monitor (RCA plug to the front yellow input)
test 2: connect the trinsRGB to the Scaler and then to the large Samsung monitor.
Those HDMI/RCA and RCA/VGA cables might not work the way you want them too, eitherā¦
HDMI is a digital format and according to the specification none of the pins are for analog video, so in order for that HDMI/RCA cable to work, whatever you plug the HDMI side into needs to be specially made to allow for some sort of analog input outside of the HDMI spec. I donāt speak German, but google translate tells me that thereās a warning on that product page: āIMPORTANT: This cable is not a converter, so please check in advance whether your connected devices support signal conversion from HDMI to RCA or from RCA to HDMI!ā
VGA on the other hand is an analog format, and some VGA cards can generate video at NTSC/PAL timing, but it depends on the VGA card and the VGA/RCA cable needs to be the correct type for the card too, since they can use different pins to generate the signals on since thatās not part of the VGA standard. Additionally, the RGB signals of a VGA connection (if broken out) are not necessarily the same type of RGB signals a TV will accept, and again the VGA signal would need to have to correct desired timing to work right. (I havenāt heard of anything that uses a VGA input to accept NTSC/PAL video, either, in case youāre trying to go that direction, though some might exist, depending on the device. If such devices exist, theyāre surely need a cable specific to that device, again because it would be outside of the VGA specs.)
Unfortunately, just because a cable has a connector of one type on one end and a connector of another type on the other end does not mean it actually converts between the intended formats when it comes to video. Itās a bit more complicated than audio cables in that sense.
Also, those cheap white AV 2 Hdmi scalers like the one you linked to are notoriously flakey. Some people report them working OK, some people report them working poorly, and some people report them not working at all. (Even when they do work, theyāre nowhere near as good as the more expensive ones.) So if if youāre unable to get a good HDMI signal out of the one you have, you may want to order another (possibly from another seller ā there are lots of different sellers!) and you may have better luck with that one. Or you may want to look into the more expensive and more reliable options (search for āHDMIā here in the LZX forums and youāll find some options). Or you may want to get a monitor/TV that takes analog input like composite/svideo/rgb/ypbpr because then you wonāt need to go through the hassle of converting to HDMI.
I think the 3trinsRGB just has composite output, right? So it might be easiest to set up your whole workflow to be a composite workflow. Itāll be lower quality than an all-HDMI workflow, but itāll likely be far cheaper since youāll be dealing with older gear. Get a monitor/TV that has a composite input, get a video mixer that has composite input and output, and get something to convert your computerās output to composite. (And as a bonus, a composite workflow means you can also easily use other fun gear like old game systems and LZX modules. And you can do various DIY video stuff and circuit bending if you choose ā things that are pretty near impossible with HDMI signals.)
hey Joe!
Thanks so much for the info!
It really makes a lot of senseā¦
I didnāt intentionally āgo cheapā.
I know thereāS high quality cables/wires and then, I thought, there is just cables/wiresā¦ now I know there are cheap ones!
Having a mixer makes sense as wellā¦ so Iām looking into that now!
As a novice, and having made some purchasing mistakes with the cables etc., Iām learning fast and
hope to soon be creating some interesting things with the 3Trins!!
Thanks again!! Take careā¦
have you tried my test cases?
if those donāt work , you can rule out the cables & scaler
some cheap gear can work, donāt just give up on it without testing
iām going to try one that for sure!
would you recommend a mixer from this company located here in Berlin, where I can quickly get it to use before the deadline of my videoā¦
here is a sectionā¦
https://schneidersladen.de/en/search?p=1&q=video%2Bmixer&o=7&n=12&max=265.00
thanks!!!
None of the items in that list are video mixers. If you plan on mixing two signals, youāll want to search for a videomischer locally that has a composite input for your 3Trins. The Roland V4 is very popular and easy to find, but there are a lot options for video mixing.
hey Chadā¦ cool to hear from youā¦
we spoke in February about some lzx items and you recommended buying from Schneidersladen when I return back to berlin to avoid customs holdups etcā¦
Right now, these daysā¦ theyāre closedā¦ would be much easier to speak in person with someone.
nonethelessā¦
thatās a big helpā¦
Looking into the Roland V4 (hard to find in berlin)ā¦
so gonna figure out which other brands are out here in berlinā¦
Thanks againā¦
Yes, it definitely makes the most sense to buy LZX products from a German dealer, if youāre in Germany.
For your current needs, sending 3Trins into your monitor so you can record it with your camcorder, all you need to do is connect the the 3Trins video output to the video input on the front of your Panasonic TV. Make sure the 3Trins and TV are set to the same format (PAL, ideally).
If you want to combine two signals, before sending them to the Panasonic, then youāll want to use a video mixer (like V4 or similar).
the older Pananonic mixers sometimes can be bought for very little money, if you can find them
look at 2nd hand places / websites
(WJ) MX10 / MX20 / AVE5 etc.
Iāve bought them for 5,- to 50 euro.
While not as cool as the V4, they are sill a lot of fun
thanks guysā¦ all of this info is perfect!! greatly appreciate all the inputā¦
gonna now check out the right input device for my 3trinsā¦ 
will share the results soon!!!
stay safe!!
Againā¦ thanks a lot for all the help and adviceā¦ unfortunately i didnāt have the chance to learn my new toys, before the project was dueā¦ but I shall soonā¦ in the meantime, I ended up using lens techniques and using software effects from the editing programā¦ if you have the time, have a lookā¦ thanks in advanceā¦ https://youtu.be/EaBytYCgRXk !!
Here Iām mixing a 3Trins with another Gieskes VGA video synth through a Panasonic WJ-Ave7 mixer: One Day The Nerds Shall Inherit The Earth . . By The Falling Girl - YouTube . The Ave7 has a Time Base Encoder that prevents the LCD screen from spazzing out.
