Some additions to VBS 3.0 Manual, January 22, 1995 - Both the software AND the hardware of Video Backup System Amiga are copyrighted by Lyppens Software Productions. Making pirate copies of software or hardware is illegal and strictly prohibited. Software cannot be bought separately from the hardware interface. Thank you for supporting our Amiga product development by buying a legal copy! - VBS version 3.0 works on AGA systems (Amiga 1200 and Amiga 4000), all ECS and original chipset Amigas (Amiga 500, 600, 1000, 2000, 2500 & 3000), with at least 1MB RAM and with or without accelerator board. The software works on any AmigaOS version 2.x/3.x (or higher). If you have OS version 1.3 or lower, you can use VBS1.5, also on the disk. - If you have trouble running VBS on a PCMCIA memory expansion (A600/A1200), please remove the memory or run NoFastMem before starting VBS. - On an IDE Amiga (A1200/A4000) make sure that the hard disk's MaxTransfer is set right!! If you have problems restoring, you might have to set it to 0x1ffff (128 kilobytes)! - On an AGA machine, try turning off Mode Promotion/VGA Only when experiencing problems. When using a high resolution pointer AND mode promotion, ghost sprites can appear while backing up, which reduce backup quality. Make sure to either use a lo-res pointer in this situation or to turn off Mode Promotion. - On a very small minority of Amiga 2000s, one of the legs of the capacitor inside the computer at the serial port (from the receive pin 3 to Ground) might need to be cut if VBS won't work reliably! If you have problems on an Amiga 2000 (the Video Connection Check fails all the time despite correct connections) first test the VBS on an A500 to make sure it isn't faulty before doing this modification! This mod is easy to reverse and will not affect the operation of computer or serial port at all: the capacitor really is superfluous. The intended capacitor is one of a row of about 10 capacitors, about 2" away from the serial port (near the internal serial port). On the A2000s I have seen the cap was marked 'C313', however as this may vary with motherboard revisions, please double-check using a meter to ensure the capacitor is connected to pin 3 of the serial port. This mod will probably also restore picture quality on the red control monitor output. - Lyppens Software Productions now offers an add-on for A3000 owners that gives a black-and-white composite video signal, as required for VBS. It plugs in the extended video slot, and it adds a composite video RCA jack to your A3000. - The add-on mentioned above does not work on the A4000. However, it is easy to add a b/w composite yourself if you don't want to spend too much money and you don't have a Genlock/DCTV/TV modulator or other means of obtaining composite video. You only need the following: - 23 pin D-shell connector, 1 male and 1 female - 15 cm of shielded cable (similar to the cable that comes with VBS). - Phono contraplug to connect to the lead that comes with VBS. - Four resistors: 1k2, 150, 330 and 330 ohm. - Soldering wire. Solder the 150 ohm to pin 10 (CSync) of the female 23-pin conn. 330 ohm 9 (dig.Red) " 330 ohm 8 (dig.Green) " 1k2 ohm 7 (dig.Blue) ". Solder the other ends of the resistors all together and connect them to the shielded cable. Connect the cable shield to pin 17 (= GND). Now we need to pass through the signals needed for the monitor: Analog RGB, CSync, HSync, VSync and GND. Prepare 7 short wires (4 cm each) and pass through pins 3, 4, 5, 10 , 11, 12 and 17 from the female to the male connector. Pin 10 already has the 150 ohm resistor to it, but it needs to be passed through anyway. When all is well, connect (at your own risk!!) the device to the Amiga, and connect the monitor to the male plug. Connect the VCR to the Phono contraplug, and you're all set! Please check the composite signal on a monitor or TV before recording anything! Dutch users should consult Amiga Magazine (079-610438), issue 25, page 113 for more details. - A version of VBS for IBM compatible PC's is now available! Contact LSP or your local supplier for more details. - Even though VBS 3.0 is so reliable it even works on a cheap tape I would like to stress the importance of using High Grade tapes again, as they are measurably more reliable than standard tapes. I especially recommend the SONY Ultra High Grade tape. They are extremely reliable and not very expensive. Lyppens Software Productions Generaal Coenderslaan 25 5623 LT Eindhoven The Netherlands Tel&Fax: +31-40-461403