Just completed checking the features behind the 3 switches:

left switch: 7 Mhz on/off
middle switch: MSXDOS2 on/off
right switch: S-video on/off

Checked the cpu speed with benchmark/clock program made by A.M.C. de Kinderen (Rijnmond Computer Club).

@HansO: is it normal that if you are using S-video input and you flip the switch to the composite side the image goes to black and white in stead of color ?
(is also the other way around : when you're using composite input and you flip the switch to s-video, the image stays on the screen but changes to black and white instead of color)

Quote:

@HansO: is it normal that if you are using S-video input and you flip the switch to the composite side the image goes to black and white in stead of color ? (is also the other way around : when you're using composite input and you flip the switch to s-video, the image stays on the screen but changes to black and white instead of color)

It is. With S-video the color is separate from the signal. The parts remaining are sync + intensity, which delivers a black and white (actuially greyscale) picture.
Everything stays in color btw if you use a rgb monitor. Your monitor is now attached to composite video output?

Monitor is attached to computer with normal scart cable.

Quote:

Monitor is attached to computer with normal scart cable.

Scart cables come in two kinds: fully wired (thick, 21 wires, all rgb+ sync+composite+audio signals) or partly wired (thinner, only composite video and audio). I guess you have the partly wired type or a monitor with only composite input.

Tried another scartcable and works fine now
Again, thanks for your quick reply !

P.S. With the help of msxfemale I've got me a second 8280, also with some modifications. Will post some pictures soon.

The new 8280 I've bought, has two switches and a potmeter



The right switch is used to boost up the drive loading speed.
When turned on, loading is almost two times faster.
Maybe this switch triggers a 'fast diskrom', have seen this mentioned in almost all e-bay sales of Repairbas.

The left switch turns the potmeter on or off.
When turned on, you can modify the sound : turning clockwise increases the sound, anticlockwise reduces it.
The former owner told me this was neccessary for using his FM-PAC. Seems like sometimes the sound created by the FM-PAC is to high in volume compared to the sound from the MSX soundchip.
However I don't have this problem with my other 8280, so I don't exactly know what is the sense of this modification.
As you can see, the switch&potmeter are connected to C383 (witch has been cut) an to the cartridge port.

Quote:

When turned on, you can modify the sound : turning clockwise increases the sound, anticlockwise reduces it. The former owner told me this was neccessary for using his FM-PAC. Seems like sometimes the sound created by the FM-PAC is to high in volume compared to the sound from the MSX soundchip.

That's probably the case with all 8280's. I know that the volume sound sources in the cartridge was relatively loud compared to the PSG. Or rather, it was likely the PSG that was too weak. It never really bothered me with the FM-PAC though. It's not frequently used to create music together with the PSG, so mostly the sound effects were a bit softer than they should have been. It was quite annoying with SCC though, because it drowned out the PSG channels which *were* used in the music. I modded an SCC cart for that instead of my 8280 though.

I've just tried my F1-spirit cartridge, and indeed you can also use the potmeter to adjust the SCC sound level.
Don't hear much difference though.

I also checked the F1-spirit on a 8250 but to me it sounds the same as the 8280.

Is there a game you know with SCC support where the 8280 does sounds horrible ?
Just want to try it.