Another X68000 newbie thread (Looking to buy and advice)

[mfny]

Hello,

Seems I may have acquired a certain amount of "retro gear lust" for the X68000 So I am now working out the best way of acting on this. 

I have done some homework as it were on what to look for.. i.e find one that has been refurbished PSU wise because the PSU's are very flaky indeed.

I have also checked out things like Noppin in terms of finding one to actually buy. But I am kinda put off by that route, would prefer to buy from the US or ideally europe if possible( I am in the UK)

[efs]

I'll share my two cents on the subject, just in the off chance it might help you in your search.

I think the best place to look is Yahoo! Auctions. There are tons of X68000 models up for grabs on there. I recently bought a power/capacitor-refreshed and cleaned X68000 XVI that is confirmed to be fully working (save for the printer port, which has gone unchecked) from a dude named parity_dot on there. It was a really lucky find. However, new models can pop up every single day, so I'd say that's your best bet if you're willing to get stuff from Japan.

Of course, if you don't live in Japan, you'd naturally think there'd be some complications, but every auction page has a link (you'll see a banner like this) to a pretty reliable middleman site named "Buyee", which is super easy to use; their website serves as a sort of "frontend" to every auction page, and can translate item descriptions and auction details, as well as carry out bids in your favor. Just be sure you're committed to spending money on an item, because Buyee bids for you, and then must receive compensation afterwards.

It's a lot like that Noppin place you described.

Anyway, Buyee's what I used. The fees are a little steep for bigger items but I've heard that they're quite cheap compared to most other middleman websites. I've already ordered a video cable for the X68000 that shipped quite nicely within about a week's time, so it's not shabby in the slightest. Buyee can also add protective packaging for fragile items such as an X68000.

If you're absolutely committed to buying strictly from the West, however, you might have a much tougher time finding a good, pre-refurbished model for sale. I've seen a couple X68000 models pop up on eBay (very sparsely); they were all declared "working", but not refurbished per se. My suggestion would be to just keep a very close eye on any of the big auction sites (ebay and Yahoo! Auctions especially) and see if you get lucky.

I've found some auction links to refurbished models, if you are interested:

http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f124840249
http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g119847259
http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g119072300
http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n122032198

Those first two are ones I'd recommend the most from the bunch, but all of these look good and seem to be in working condition.

Try snooping around the rest of Yahoo! Auctions too, you might find something new, but watch out for items listed as "junk" in the description. Use Google Translate (or Buyee, which uses Google Translate anyway) to check each item you find.

As for the model I'd suggest the most, I've been told you'll have the easiest time setting everything up (plus an extra 16 MHz speed boost) with an X68000 XVI model or XVI Compact (unfortunately, I haven't seen any on Yahoo! Auctions currently). So shoot for those unless you've already got something in mind.

So, yeah, that's just my two cents.

[mfny]

parity_dot seems to crop up a fair bit on these forums as a good seller I see. However he doesn't seem to list systems with keyboard and mouse, they are an asked for extra after winning auction which would leave me wondering if using a place like buyee how would I ask for and pay for extras ?

[efs]

My best guess for something like that is Buyee's "Contact" option, which allows you to send messages to the auctioners by inputting the auction ID and then typing their message. You'd have to have a good grasp on the Japanese language, however, since Google Translate may not get the point across flawlessly or could confuse the auctioner. And as for the payment options at that point, the only viable solution I could think of would be a mutual suggestion to use Paypal. The process is likely not supported by Buyee and would probably not be successful.

There are plenty of other auctions for separate keyboards and joysticks, so if you do desire one of those, then that's my best guess for your plan of action.

[mfny]

Been looking around yahoo for a while, pretty much window shopping to get a feel for what sells for how much. Also been doing more homework to.

X68000 XVI/XVI Compacts go for a fair bit more then the other models from what I have seen, maybe to much for me.

The Compact seems pretty awkward to buy software for what with being 3.5inch drives, its my understanding that software on 3.5in disks is rare, so I cant see that working well for me at all, awkward enough finding/getting an X68000 without adding such complications in the mix.

Have also noticed the seller akiraps22000 has a few X68000's listed as being fully serviced including PSU,FDD and Backup Battery, which sounds great however it also mentions rust in their listings though I am not sure in what context due to google translate fail.

[mfny]

Figured id check back in here and see if anyone in EU/US had a fully refurbished/tested X68000 going spare, as im still interested in getting my hands on one

Edit:

Looked on yahoo auctions again after a long time of not doing so and saw this ?

http://www.noppin.com/portal_ya_details/detail/?auctionUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpage13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp%2Fjp%2Fauction%2Fr103125068

[Corummo]

Hi there.
Catching the tail of this newbie thread to submit a curiosity of mines, regarding monitors and related sync converters.
Have you guys experimented something like this?
http://www.arcadespareparts.com/arcade_parts/video_converter/rgb_jamma_vga_converter_board/13052.html
The above board seems to be fine when handling 15-25KHz resolutions, but what about the typical 31KHz VGA hsync?
Is it pass through in some way?
If so, it could be a worthy choice to replace an expensive and huge RGB multisync monitor.
Have you any suggestion on the matter?
Thanks.

[SuperDeadite]

X68000 is not really VGA output.  31khz yes, but 512x512 and 768x512.  Typical scan converters will not like this.  Stick to Micomsoft products that were designed for the X68.  The XPC-4 is the only one they still make, very expensive, but you'll be glad you did.  Their older products can be had cheap on yahoo, but quality is less.  I have the old XVGA-1v, it works great for youtube captures, but i'm not a fan of playing actually playing in 480i.

[kamiboy]

As is always with the signal from older hardware, they will only look their best when paired with the right analoug display.

For the X68000 the standard monitor it came with does the job like nothing else.

Getting ones hand on one is not such an easy task though. Some NEC multisync displays like the XM29 can prolly handle anything from the X68000 without batting an eye, anything short of that is a compromise in my opinion.

One day I'll get one of those monitors off of Yahoo auctions.

[Corummo]

Thanks for your replies.
I made a quick search over ebay, and noticed the price tag of Micomsoft's XPC-4!! It's absolutely MAD! 
At the moment I'm working far away from my house, and living in temporary a little cave of apartment.
I plan to buy a multisync RGB monitor, for both X68000 and my Amiga 1200, but just when I'll be back to my home city.
Looking for some Microvitec and Nec models.
Over yahoo auctions jp, I've seen a couple of original Sharp monitor for sale, but they're a massive and expensive deal.
I watched several videos over youtube, and I believe a little JAMMA to RGB converter would be a good compromise between price, video quality, and the little space I have.
Again, many thanks for your advices.

[BlueBMW]

If someone wants to mess with it Ive got a chassis for an original sharp monitor.  I think its one of the cheaper models that only did 15/31 but no 24.  Im not sure where one would find a proper tube for it or how one would mount it all up. (Arcade cabinet maybe?) If someone wants it let me know!