Black Box AC311A, AC311AE User Manual

VGA to Video Portable

FEBRUARY 1995

AC311A

AC311AE

VGA OUT

PHASE

ADJ.

S-VHS

OUT

VIDEO

OUT

DC

VGA to Video Portable

IN

VGA IN

NTSC

BRIGHT

PAL

CUSTOMER

SUPPORT

INFORMATION

Order toll-free in the U.S. 24 hours, 7 A.M. Monday to midnight Friday: 877-877-BBOX
FREE technical support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Call 724-746-5500 or fax [phone]
Mail order: Black Box Corporation, 1000 Park Drive, Lawrence, PA 15055-1018
Web site: www.blackbox.com • E-mail: [e-mail]

VGA to Video Portable

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

AND

INDUSTRY CANADA

RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENT

Class B Digital Device. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the
limits for a Class B computing device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy, and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or telephone reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that
to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Caution:

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.

To meet FCC requirements, shielded cables and power cords are required to
connect this device to a personal computer or other Class B certified device.

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emission from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulation of Industry Canada.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe B prescrites dans le Règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique publié par Industrie Canada.

VGA to Video Portable

README

The README file on the VGA to Video Portable Utility diskette contains
information about the latest changes and revisions. To view this file,
insert the utility diskette into drive A or B and type:

A: README [ENTER]
or
B: README [ENTER]

TRADEMARKS

®

IBM

and PS/2®are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation.

MS-DOS

Windows

®

is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

®

is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

VGA to Video Portable

Contents

Chapter Page

1. Specifications....................................................................................................1

2. Introduction .....................................................................................................3

2.1 VGA to Video Portable.............................................................................3

2.2 System Requirements...............................................................................3

2.3 Features.....................................................................................................4

2.4 Package Contents .....................................................................................4

3. Installation........................................................................................................5

3.1 Hardware Installation ..............................................................................5

3.2 Software Installation.................................................................................5

4. Software Operation..........................................................................................8

4.1 Software Description................................................................................8

4.1.1 BBOX.COM...............................................................................8

4.1.2 AUTOSAVE. COM ....................................................................8

4.1.3 SETPATH.COM ........................................................................8

4.1.4 SETNTSC.COM.........................................................................8

4.1.5 SETPAL.COM............................................................................8

4.2 Using the Hotkeys ....................................................................................9

5. Signal Adjustment..........................................................................................10

5.1 Phase Adjustment...................................................................................10

5.2 Brightness Adjustment...........................................................................10

6. Sizing Windows to Fit Your Screen ...............................................................11

7. Troubleshooting ............................................................................................13

7.1 Common Questions ...............................................................................13

7.2 If You Have Problems.............................................................................14

Chapter 1: Specifications

1. Specifications

Resolution — NTSC (North America) supports up to 640 x 480

16/256/32K/64K/16M colors; PAL (Europe)
supports up to 800 x 600 16/256/32K/64K
colors

Memory Requirements — 640K RAM

System Requirements — MS-DOS

®

ver. 3.3 or later; Windows™3.1

optional

Monitor — VGA or S-VGA

Hardware Requirements — IBM

®

PC compatible, 286, 386, 486 with VGA
display card; or CRT port of notebook computer
or IBM PS/2

®

; floppy-disk drive; hard disk

recommended

Video Input Standards — VGA analog input from VGA card or CRT port

of Notebook computer

Video Output Standards — NTSC or PAL (switch-selectable); Composite

Video, and S-Video; VGA signal pass-through

VGA IN Connector — Analog RBG Signal from DB15HD VGA output

port of PC or notebook PC

Pinout for the DB15HD Connector on the Cable.

Pin Number Signal Description

1 Red, 0.7 Vpp, 75 ohms
2 Green, 0.7 Vpp, 75 ohms
3 Blue, 0.7 Vpp, 75 ohms
4 Monitor Id2, TTL level
5 GND
6 GND
7 GND
8 GND
9 No connection
10 GND
11 Monitor ID0, TTL level
12 Monitor ID1, TTL level
13 HSYNC, TTL level
14 VSYNC, TTL level
15 No connection

1

VGA to Video Portable

5

10

15

1

6

11

VGA IN Connector on the Cable.

VGA OUT Connector — DB15HD female connector; pin assignment

is the same as VGA IN connector; connect to
VGA monitor

VIDEO OUT Connector — Composite video out, 1.0 Vpp ±0.2 Vpp,

75 ohms, negative sync

S-VHS OUT Connector — 4-pin mini-DIN connector

Pin Number Signal Description

1 (C) GND
2 (Y) GND
3 Y (Luminance), 0.7 Vpp ±0.2 Vpp, 75 ohms,

negative sync

4 C (Chrominance), 0.3 Vpp ±0.1 Vpp

4

2

Key

3

1

Female S-VHS OUT.

Software — TSR Utility

Power — 115/230 VAC, 60/50 Hz, 12 watts (power

consumption 5 watts, excluding DC
adapter); secondary 9 VDC @ 650/600 mA

Size — 2.4"H x 12.5"W x 8"D (6.1 x 31.8 x 20.3 cm)

Weight — 0.3 lb. (0.1 kg)

2

Chapter 2: Introduction

2. Introduction

2.1 VGA to Video Portable

With the VGA to Video Portable, you can display a VGA signal on a television
set or monitor, or you can record a VGA picture on a VCR. At the same time,
you can still see the display on your original VGA monitor.

The VGA to Video Portable comes with a diskette that contains the utility
software. This software is a TSR (Terminate-Stay-Resident) type program.
After you install the VGA to Video Portable program, you’re ready to use
the VGA to Video Portable.

2.2 System Requirements

• IBM PC/AT®or compatible PC, notebook, or laptop computer,
or IBM PS/2

• Floppy-disk drive (VGA to Video Portable Installation Disk).

• Hard disk (recommended).

• 640 KB RAM.

• MS-DOS Ver. 3.3 or later.

• VGA display card, 640 x 480 resolution.

• VGA monitor (31.5 KHz).

• TV, VCR, or large-screen display system with composite-video input
(RCA jack) or S-Video input

®

.

3

VGA to Video Portable

2.3 Features

- Supports VGA mode:

• Supports standard VGA mode (0-13).

• NTSC system supports up to 640 x 480 in 16, 256, 32,000, 64,000,
or 16 million colors.

• PAL system supports up to 800 x 600 in 16, 25, 32,000, or 64,000
colors.

- Can transfer Microsoft Windows overlay video signal to your video display.

- You can see the same image on the TV and your VGA monitor

simultaneously.

- Compatible with most VGA chips.

- Simultaneous composite video and S-Video output.

- For most applications, you won’t have to change your configuration.

- TSR software and hotkey support screen move.

- Interlace/non-interlace toggle.

- NTSC or PAL, switch-selectable.

2.4 Package Contents

•VGA to Video Portable converter

•3-m (9.8-ft.) S-VHS cable

•3-m (9.8-ft.) Video cable with RCA connectors

•Floppy diskette (VGA to Video Portable TSR Utility and Program)

•1-ft. (30.5-cm) DB15HD male to DB9 female cable

•AC/9VDC power adapter

•This user’s manual

4

Chapter 3: Installation

3. Installation

The VGA to Video Portable (Figure 1) has one input connector and three
output connectors. VGA IN connects with the VGA output of a PC or
notebook computer. VGA OUT connects to a VGA monitor. There are
two video outputs: Video and S-VHS. Both ports can be connected to
independent TV sets.

VGA to Video Portable also has a switch that selects either the NTSC
or the PAL broadcast system.

3.1 Hardware Installation

1. Connect the VGA to Video Portable to the computer’s VGA output
using the supplied DB15HD male to DB9 female cable and the TV’s
video (using the RCA video cable) or S-VHS output (using the
S-Video cable).

2. Make sure the NTSC/PAL switch is set to the correct position,
either NTSC (North America) or PAL (Europe).

3. Plug the power adapter into the VGA to Video Portable unit.
Then plug the adapter into a wall outlet. The LED should be lit.

4. Refer to the connections diagram on page 7.

3.2 Software Installation

1. Insert the “VGA to Video Portable Utility Diskette” into floppy disk
drive A or B.

2. At the DOS prompt, type:

A:\INSTALL/N [ENTER] (for installing NTSC system) or
A:\INSTALL/P [ENTER] (for installing PAL system in Europe),

OR

B:\INSTALL/N [ENTER] (for installing NTSC system) or
B:\INSTALL/P [ENTER] (for installing PAL system in Europe.)

3. Follow the instructions until the installation process is completed. We
recommend that you make a backup copy of the distribution diskette.

5

VGA to Video Portable

VGA OUT

PHASE

ADJ.

S-VHS

OUT

VIDEO

OUT

VGA to Video Portable

DC
IN

VGA to Video Portable

VGA IN

Figure 1. The VGA to Video Portable.

NTSC

BRIGHT

PAL

6

Chapter 3: Installation

VCR

TV

Composite
Video OUT

S-Video

VGA to Video

VGA

Monitor

Portable

Laptop

VGA
OUT

VGA IN

286, 386, 486

Figure 2. VGA to Video Portable System Connections.

7

VGA to Video Portable

4. Software Operation

4.1 Software Description

To show your VGA image on the TV screen, all you have to do is type “BBOX”
from DOS. That activates the VGA to Video Portable driver, BBOX.COM.
There are also other programs for specific functions.

4.1.1 BBOX.COM

•“BBOX” installs the VGA to Video Portable driver. It also transfers the VGA
picture to the TV screen.

•“BBOX/U” releases the VGA to Video Portable driver from the computer’s
main memory.

•“BBOX?” lists all operational information of the VGA to Video Portable
software.

4.1.2 AUTOSAVE.COM

The Autosave function saves the position of the screen to the BBOX.COM file
when you adjust the position of screen.

•“AUTOSAVE/E” enables the Autosave function.

•“AUTOSAVE/D” disables the Autosave function.

4.1.3 SETPATH.COM

If you move the VGA to Video Portable driver to another directory,
run this program to reorganize your directories and files.

4.1.4 SETNTSC.COM

Set the VGA to Video Portable driver to NTSC system.

4.1.5 SETPAL.COM

Set the VGA to Video Portable driver to PAL system.

8

Chapter 4: Software Operation

4.2 Using the Hotkeys

After you’ve typed “BBOX” to activate the driver, a pop-up message appears.

HOTKEY FUNCTION:

Alt—Shift—UP-Arrow ==> Scroll the Screen UP

Alt—Shift—DOWN-Arrow ==> Scroll the Screen DOWN

Alt—Shift—LEFT-Arrow ==> Scroll the Screen LEFT

Alt—Shift—RIGHT-Arrow==> Scroll the Screen RIGHT

Alt—Shift—Page-Up ==> Scroll the Screen to the TOP

Alt—Shift—Page-Down ==> Scroll the Screen to the BOTTOM

Alt—Shift—F ==> Toggle Text Font (for text mode)

Alt—Shift—R ==> Reset Screen Position

• You can use the [Alt] + [Shift] + [Arrow] keys to adjust the position of the
image on the screen.

• You can use the [Alt] + [Shift] + [F] keys to toggle the size of the text font
(only used for text mode).

• You can use the [Alt] + [Shift] + [R] keys to reset the position of the
image on the TV screen.

9

VGA to Video Portable

5. Signal Adjustment

5.1 Phase Adjustment

When there’s no color or a rainbow pattern on the TV, use the screwdriver
(included) to adjust the burst signal’s phase. The “PHASE ADJ” control is
next to the VGA OUT connector (See Figure 1 on page 6).

5.2 Brightness Adjustment

Brightness is factory-preset. If you need to adjust the brightness or correct
horizontal or vertical striping, use the screwdriver to adjust the “BRIGHT”
control (next to the “NTSC/PAL” switch—see Figure 1 on page 6).

10

Chapter 6: Sizing Windows to Fit Your Screen

6. Sizing Windows to Fit Your Screen

To make Microsoft Windows software easier to see on the TV, you might have
to change the sizes of the windows. If you’re not familiar with Windows, the
following information will help you adjust the window size so that it fits
properly in the television screen.

The Sizing Buttons are found in the upper right corner of the window in
Restored Mode. The button on the left will minimize the window, so that
it appears as an icon at the bottom of the screen. The button on the right
is for maximizing window size, so that the window fills the whole screen.

▲

▼

Instead of aiming for the maximize button, you can also maximize a window
by double-clicking its title bar. Similarly, you can restore a maximized
application by double-clicking its title bar.

The Buttons in Maximized Mode look like the ones pictured below. The
double-headed arrow on the right is the restore button, which restores the
window to the size it was before you maximized it. The arrow on the left
minimizes the window to an icon.

▲

▼

▼

NOTE

Sizing must be done while the window is in Restored Mode. It isn’t
possible to adjust the window’s size in Maximized Mode. If you need to
adjust the window size and you’re in Maximized Mode, you must click the
double-headed arrow to return to Restored Mode.

11

VGA to Video Portable

To change the size of a window with the mouse, simply position the pointer on the
border you want to adjust. The mouse pointer changes from a single-headed
arrow to a double-headed one. Press and hold the left button, move the
border as you please, and then release the button.

You can also move two adjacent borders at once by positioning the mouse
pointer in the corner between those borders.

To change a window’s size with the keyboard, start by pressing [Alt] +
[Spacebar] + [S]. A four-headed pointer will appear in the center of the
window. Use one of the direction keys to move that pointer to the border
whose position you want to adjust. Then use direction keys to adjust the
border. When you have the border where you want it, press [Enter].

To cancel a sizing operation, press [Esc] before releasing the mouse button or
pressing [Enter].

12

Chapter 7: Troubleshooting

7. Troubleshooting

7.1 Common Questions

Q: My TV doesn’t have an RCA jack (composite video connector). How can I
connect the PC to the converter?

A: Connect through your VCR as follows:

1. Connect the VGA to Video Portable according to the connection
diagram shown on page 7; however, connect the composite video
cable to the Video In RCA jack on the VCR.

2. Power on the VCR and TV. Switch the TV to the channel that
takes VCR input. Play a tape for a moment on the VCR to make sure
you can see the program on the TV screen; then remove the tape
from the VCR.

3. Set the VCR to Video Mode (a VCR generally has three input
sources: Video, TV, and Tape).

4. On your computer, type “BBOX” to invoke the VGA to Video
Portable driver and switch to TV display. If you can’t get a stable
display, adjust the screen synchronization with the hotkeys as

described in Section 4.2.
Another option is the RF modulator method. An RF modulator can
convert a composite video signal to an RF signal which can be used as
antenna input (VHF/UHF) on the TV. You can get an RF modulator
at any electronics store.

Q: Why does the TV screen only show a gray image?
A: The chrominance of your VGA to Video Portable has run out of range.

This can be fixed by adjusting the signal. See Section 5.1. It’s possible,
however, that your TV’s video system and the PC to TV Converter are not
compatible (a NTSC TV with a PAL PC to TV Converter, for example).
Equipment must be compatible for the proper results to occur.

Q: Why aren’t text and images displayed at the top of the screen?

A: Overscan may be occurring in an NTSC system. This happens because
the VGA has more display lines than the TV can display. In general, a TV has
only 420 lines, whereas VGA has 480 lines in 640 x 480 mode. Images may be
out of range or truncated. Use the hotkeys (see Section 4.2) to adjust the
screen position.

Q: Why does the display shrink in a PAL system?
A: PAL systems have 625 scan lines. If your VGA card is set for a 640 x 480

display, there’s no problem. If the display is 200 lines (320 x 200), however,
the image will shrink.

13

VGA to Video Portable

Q: How can I enhance the display quality?
A: You can adjust the TV’s “Contrast” and “Sharpness” controls. For the

best results, lower the “Brightness” control to minimize flicker effect.

Q: Why does the TV have some noise lines, and how can I eliminate them?
A: Adjust the Brightness control on the VGA to Video Portable.

Q: My notebook PC supports simu-scan function. Why don’t the hotkeys

work?

A: Most notebook PC LCD VGA controllers lock the CRT parameter to
60 Hz, so the BBOX utility can’t adjust positions. Set the notebook to CRT
output only; then the BBOX utility should work normally.

7.2 If You Have Problems

Sometimes a minor adjustment is all it takes to eliminate problems you’re
having with the VGA to Video Portable. Refer to the chart below for possible
solutions. If you are still having problems, contact your dealer.

Symptom Did You Check... Solution

No picture on the ...that the power adapter Plug in the adapter.

TV or VGA monitor. is plugged in?

..that the VGA pass-through Connect the cable.

cable is connected?

Rainbow pattern Use a screwdriver to

on TV. ________________ adjust the Phase Adjust

knob.

No picture on the ...if the video cable or Make a secure

TV, but there is one S-Video cable is connection.

on the VGA monitor. connected properly to

the TV?

...the TV input source? Select the proper input.

The TV’s picture is ...the NTSC/PAL switch? Make sure the switch is

abnormal (unread- set properly to your TV

able or no picture). system.

...the Field Scan Rate Set the switch to the

switch? right position (50 or 60).

14

© Copyright 1995. Black Box Corporation. All rights reserved.

1000 Park Drive • Lawrence, PA 15055-1018 • 724-746-5500 • Fax [phone]