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A Herculean Sunday! – Samsung MA2565 and ...

A Herculean Sunday! – Samsung MA2565 and MA2561

Apr 26, 2021

Finally back with a new post about retro-computing! I´m not forgetting that Unisys 5753, but that ended being pushed in the backburner and a recent development made me changes plans about what next retro-computer tackle next.

And that was… I was able to get the first computer that I used back in the day when I was a child! An 80286 clone based machine that I will detail in another post!

Getting this machine give me the tools to test out a few other things that I have in storage, so the first thing I wanted to tackle after testing out the system was the monitor that came with it and another one I have since a very long time but never tested until today.

There they are!

Both are Samsung monochrome monitors (capable of MDA and Hercules), the Model MA2565 is amber, manufactured in August 1990 (so it soon will be 31 years old!), while the MA2561 is black and white and manufactured in February 1992. I will be using them in Hercules mode.

Both shows some screen burn-in, but hard to say which one is worse given the huge difference between amber and black and white when they are on. Leaving the shadow of my hand to make the burn-in easier to see.

I will say that the amber one makes the burn-in quite visible in some occasions. I cannot say what is burned in the MA2561 (for the moment), but in the case of the MA2565 what is burned there is the editing screen from WordStar that was used A LOT in the prime time of that computer.

Here a few shots of each in action to compare!

Regarding the construction they are quite similar, but not identical, aside the logo changing, there also some differences in the back, mainly I see that the MA2561 is easy to service in the future compared with the MA2565 since screws are just there.

Aside that they share similar characteristics, both being 12" monitors, working at 120v, 0.35A, 60Hz with a DB9 type connectors using 5 pins. I will probably keep using the MA2561, black and white, since it’s easier on my eyes to keep working in this a similar machines.

Enjoy a quick test of Grand Prix Circuit in the amber MA2565 and see you all in the next one!

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