Were all MP1 / MP2 terrible picture quality?

[loco]

I had an MP1 a while back which was really, really awful quality, even on an analog TV. Jittery, rippling fuzzy picture, washed out colours, which no fine tuning ever fixed.


I just picked up a nice condition MP1 which gives exactly the same image. I mean, god - my old ZX Spectrum, C64, Atari ST, and just about anything else is much clearer than this.


Were they really that bad to start with, or are certain components known to go bad?


I intended to convert this into composite, but the composite given on my old MP1 had some kind of (grounding?) issue - rippling diagonal 45deg stripes running down the screen, so I am wondering whether it's worth bothering.


Can I just convert the MP1 directly to RGB SCART and bypass any of the bad stuff?

[scooby1970]

I remember my MP1 used to give a really good picture for about 2 minutes before jittering and going fuzzy. So I guess it was just normal for them to do that. Used to be more problems than it was worth!

Mark

[Bryce]

They were always that bad, even back in the 80's they were absolute shite. You can tap off the Composite signal inside, which will give you a slightly better picture, less ripple but still pretty blurred. If you want to go SCART RGB you don't need to use the MP1 at all (other than for its Power-supply), the RGB to SCART connection can be made directly from the CPC to the TV.

The more info on the MP1 Composite conversion here:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/LCD_And_Plasma_TV_Solution

And you can find the SCART connections here:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/TV_SCART_cable#Alternative_RGB_Wiring

I'd suggest you use the "Alternative Wiring" version, it will work better with modern LCD TVs and doesn't need any batteries.
Edit: Add the "optional" capacitor from the start, it can't hurt and it makes the connection much more compatible.

Bryce.

[loco]

Thanks Bryce. Very handy info, I'll dig out the iron. I may still use the DIN connector from the MP-1 so it served at least some use!


I wouldn't dream of selling this piece of trash to someone else, and I don't hate anyone enough to leave it on their doorstep