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I play around with emulators, but I would love to go back to my roots, with physical ZX81, BBC Micro, Amiga, etc.
Unfortunately, those all require a CRT monitor, or a TV, as output. I suppose that I could buy a cheap one on AliExpress.
I am curious as to which, if any, home or business computer from "the golden age of retro" (the '80s, for me) could be used with an analogue VGA monitor, without the use of modern day upscalers, such as the Framemeister.
A few 'home' computers from the '80s could output a VGA signal, including:-
But for the vast majority that didn't produce a VGA signal you need an upscaler. Computers that only had RF output, such as the ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Tandy Color Computer etc. will need modifications to get composite or RGB output.
Cheap composite to VGA upscalers are available on eBay (eg.AV to VGA HD Converter). Alternatively you could just use a small LCD TV (which often also have VGA input).
For RGB to VGA the cheapest solution is the Gonbes GBS8200. Like most upscalers it has some artifacting and frame lag, but this can be reduced by overriding the onboard controller with a custom programmed MCU.
