Victor/Jvc hc-95

Resident (36)

13-11-2012, 23:18

Hi,
I'm new here so first of all hi to everyone! I'm Luca from italy and I'm an old retrogamer.
Recently I've buyed from yahoo jappan (via Noppin) the victor hc-95.
I've got some questions for you expert:

1)Since it was the first time i buyed from Yahoo Japan (this is the auction: http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k153956030) and i've payed 30500, do you think that have I payed too much? Maybe overpriced? I've seen the bid history and I think it was quite strange the name of the other bidder (http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/show/bid_hist?aID=k1539...). Do you think that Noppin can raise the bid to make their customer pay much more?

2)One of my friend can sell me for 30 euro a philips nms 8280. As you can see from the auction the Hc-95 is sold without keyboard, do you think that i can connect the philps keyboard to the victo Hc-95r? I've seen that the pinout is different: here's the philips pinout: http://gomsx.net/hansotten/msxdocs/philipsnms8280ug.pdf and here's the Victor: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26934921@N03/7008419937/in/phot... ...can i buy a converter maybe?
I know there is a padial cartidge keyboard connector.... but maybe is too expensive ;)

3)The hc 95 i bought was (from the wiki section of your site) "HC-95(T): Video and Audio output, 256kB RAM, different keyboard connector, MSX2+ Video processor V9958" a msx2+ right? lacking only of fm music... what do you think is the best audio setup for this msx? (i will buy a padial slot expander.

4)I've seen the video-audio output and it seems the same of my commodore cdtv (one rgb with separate two audio jack), do you think i can connect to my commodore 1084s monitor?

Thanks in advance an sorry for my poor english!

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By jltursan

Prophet (2619)

13-11-2012, 23:33

Welcome aboard!

IMHO the price is outrageus, as I've been searching for a HC-95 in Yahoo auctions I can remember this auction and how amazed I was about how high it ended. Remember that for a price tag of about 20000JPY-25000JPY you can get a working FS-A1GT, 30000JPY is reserved only for PC-6601SRs or JR-100s!.

The lack of keyboard is a severe drawback. Recently another user was able to connect a Philips keyboard to a NTT Captain, maybe you can build an adapter like that. You'll find the HC-95 keyboard pinout info in this thread: Compatibility of external MSX keyboards thread .
The fastest solution is to get a PC keyboard cart and sacrifice a slot to use the keyboard.

By RetroTechie

Paragon (1563)

13-11-2012, 23:50

Welcome, bateman82!

V9958 doesn't make it an MSX2+, it could be just the videochip and not the ROMs. When you boot to BASIC, version will report as: "MSX-BASIC version 3.0". Any lower version indicates you've only got the newer VDP. Which is still nice to have btw.

As for the keyboard: the thing that matters is whether the keyboard matrix matches with a replacement. If so, it would be a re-wiring / replace connector job at worst. Chances are this is the case if you use another MSX keyboard, since such low-level details are often the same between MSX machines. If key matrixes are different, you'd have to re-wire individual keys. In which case some sort interface card might be easier solution.

By sd_snatcher

Prophet (3675)

14-11-2012, 05:49

bateman82

1) Can you please check if the pin-26 of the VDP is connected anywhere? If it is, can you please dump the ROMs of this machine, preferably using a EPROM burner?

2) The HC-95 is an MSX2 with the V9958 videochip. It probably is very easy to upgrade it to MSX2+ by just replacing the ROMs with a new version, patched to ignore the reset-status register.

By bateman82

Resident (36)

14-11-2012, 15:13

Thanks to everyone!!!
It's a pleasure to talk with such msx hardcore users!
@jitursan: for the "outrageous price" i was shocked too (it was the first time i bid for a console, completly forgetting its real value), I was such an idiot! Since I've seen that you're an expert of Yahoo auctions, don't you find the name of the other bidder(it was translated with google translator from japanese: Automatic bid win ***** [22 hours 46 minutes 11 November]. 30,000) strange? Can you check the bidlist (http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/show/bid_hist?aID=k1539...) and tell me what do you think about it? Do you think it was a "conspiration"made by Noppin to make their customer pay more? What is an automic bid?
@retrotechie: I've posted the different pinouts of the two keyboards (here's the hc-95 http://www.geocities.jp/dcc13579/msx1-8.html and here's the philips http://gomsx.net/hansotten/msxdocs/philipsnms8280ug.pdf): the Hc-95 has a 20 din female connector (input) the philips has a 48 (50?) female pin connector (output). Do you think that a converter like those http://www.google.it/search?hl=it&client=safari&rls=en&q=20+... can work? Because i don't have any experience with rewiring or soldering... and i don't even know if padial slot expader and keyboard connector are still avaible!
@sd_snatcher:Sorry man, i don't have all this technical abilities, but if you teach me how to do it, i will surely do it! Somewhere on the net I've found that the hc-95 has the same scrolling abilities of msx2+ computers so... is it like a msx2+ without fm music or not?
Nobody can answer to this two questions:
1) "what do you think is the best audio setup for this msx? (i will buy a padial slot expander.)" fm music, fm audio, both or moonsoud? sorry I'm a newbie!
2)I've seen the video-audio output and it seems the same of my commodore cdtv (one rgb with separate two audio jack), do you think i can connect to my commodore 1084s monitor?
Best regards,
Luca

By hbarcellos

Hero (649)

14-11-2012, 18:26

Mr. Patrick Bateman, born in 82, it means that, if you code in ASM, you can use the scrolling abilities of a MSX2+.

By Pac

Scribe (7104)

14-11-2012, 19:14

bateman82 wrote:

1) "what do you think is the best audio setup for this msx? (i will buy a padial slot expander.)" fm music, fm audio, both or moonsoud? sorry I'm a newbie!

For the moment I wouldn't buy an slot expander yet. First of all decide what you want and then you will buy it if you need more hardware like SD interface, etc. About music expansion go directly to an FM-PAC cartridge. Most of the Japanese games use PSG (by default in all MSX's) and MSX-MUSIC(FM-PAC).

bateman82 wrote:

2)I've seen the video-audio output and it seems the same of my commodore cdtv (one rgb with separate two audio jack), do you think i can connect to my commodore 1084s monitor?

Looking pictures I see RGB connector is a DB25. Your monitor has an SCART, right?. Then I'm sure you will be able to connect it but I don't know what is the pinout of that RGB connector.

By jltursan

Prophet (2619)

14-11-2012, 19:34

Quote:

Can you check the bidlist (http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/show/bid_hist?aID=k1539...) and tell me what do you think about it? Do you think it was a "conspiration"made by Noppin to make their customer pay more? What is an automic bid?

Nope, I'm not an expert at all; but honestly I think that you faced and automatic bidding service with another high bidder behind. You initially raised too high your max amount and your opponent pushed until 30000JPY, it was bidding in steps of 500JPY until exhaustion of its max bid.
I'm user of Rinkya service without auto-bidding, I don't really need it :) . I remember manually beat an automatic bidder in about an hour, it was really frustrating to be outbidded every time by only 5JPY!.

Quote:

1) "what do you think is the best audio setup for this msx? (i will buy a padial slot expander.)" fm music, fm audio, both or moonsoud? sorry I'm a newbie!

Agreed with PAC, go for a basic FM-PAC.

Quote:

2)I've seen the video-audio output and it seems the same of my commodore cdtv (one rgb with separate two audio jack), do you think i can connect to my commodore 1084s monitor?

You can connect it by means of the composite video RCA. The RGB connector seems pretty uncommon, looks like the pre-MSX Sony machines (SMC-70 and SMC-777). Anyway it can be plugged for sure using this output and the analog RGB connector of your 1084 (DB9 or DIN6, doesn't matter).
If you know how to use a multimeter, you can try to test some pins looking for matching voltages or GND. Look at the SMC-777 pinout:

1 RGB/COMP (negative)
2 NC
3 625/525 (negative)
4 RED
5 GREEN
6 BLUE
7 COMPOSITE SYNC
8 H.SYNC (negative)
9 V.SYNC (negative)
10 AUDIO OUT
11 +5V(100Opullup)
12 +5
13 -12
14-23 GND 
24 XPT (negative) 
25 +12V

By msxholder

Champion (399)

14-11-2012, 21:59

It's a msx2 no other audio as psg
it has the 9958
but far more rare an second cpu like the Z180 at 6mhz
but please (remove) replace backup battery before leaking damage its 25 years old ! ! ! !

By Pac

Scribe (7104)

15-11-2012, 19:04

bateman82 wrote:

@jitursan: for the "outrageous price" i was shocked too (it was the first time i bid for a console, completly forgetting its real value), I was such an idiot!

Not everything is bad, in my opinion you have one of the best MSX2 ever made, I really like it!. I don't know if you read this before. Now we have to find a keyboard... ;)

By Jipe

Paragon (1625)

15-11-2012, 19:22

look this
http://usbsecretbase.michikusa.jp/hc-95/index.html