I have recently bought an A1200 as well, but one thing that surprised me was the unbearable-ness of the refresh rate (50/60Hz ?) of the original monitor. I eventually had to buy a signal converter to connect the machine to some better display unit.

I cannot imagine how I could have spent day-long gaming sessions in front of that display.

Maybe you had a good CRT? I had a Sony Trinitron 14" which I have no idea where it ended up; I suspect somebody not too smart in the family threw it out. I'd still use it if I still had it.

These days I use the OSSC to convert the output, A device that barely introduces a few scanlines of latency and I can't recommend enough.

I bought a massive 28" monitor in an auction when I was a student for my Amiga 500. It was surplus kit from the London Stock Exchange trading floor, used to display tables of stock prices. There was distinct burn-in, but hey, 28" in 1989 for peanuts. Just took a bit if work with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to get the video output working with it IIRC. Great for playing Empire and Carrier Command.

Isn't the 1200 supposed to drive a VGA monitor?

Yes, it can. But, the default video mode it boots up in, and which most games are in, are outside the frequency range that most VGA monitors could cope with. You needed a special VGA monitor that had a slightly extended frequency range (downwards).

I have a small card which fits over one of the chips of my A1200 and provides a VGA signal. Can't remember the name of the card offhand - haven't powered the A1200 up for about 3-4 years since the last time.

Probably an 'Indivison AGA' (Or 'OCS' if you have a 2000/500). Fits over the Lisa chip, and grabs the video output and scan doubles it to work with a standard VGA type monitor either via VGA or DVI. Can support resolutions up to 1280x1024.

That rings a bell, indeed. Especially the phrase "scan doubler".

Thanks!

It's been so long since I really concentrated on the A1200/Amiga stuff in general, I've forgotten most of it :)

From the user manual (http://www.primrosebank.net/computers/amiga/documents/A1200%...):

An RGB monitor gives the highest quality picture, and allows you the widest selection of the Amiga's many display modes. Several types of analog RGB monitors can be used with the A1200, including multiscan, 15 KHz, and VGAlSVGA monitors. A multiscan (multiple horizontal scan rate or "multisync") RGB monitor provides the greatest flexibility. A multiscan monitor is required if you wish to use display modes that have different horizontal scan rates. A 15 KHz analog RGB monitor can display only the Amiga's default display mode and other 15 KHz scan rate modes. A VGA or SVGA type monitor can display the Amiga's de-interlaced and higher resolution modes, but not the standard 15 KHz video modes. Connect a 15 KHz monitor with a 23-pin female connector, such as the Commodore 1084 or 10848, directly to the A1200 VIDEO port. For a monitor such as a multiscan, VGA, or 8VGA model that has a small 15-pin VGA-style connector, connect the 23-pin to 15-pin adapter included with the A1200 to the VIDEO port, then connect the monitor cable to the adapter. With the proper adapter cable, a television with a SCART input can be used as a 15 KHz RGB monitor. See the "SCART Televisions" section below for more information.

I think that if you use the RGB output, you can get 640x480 at 60 or 70Hz.

Mine (bothold one and the one I had bought now) has composite output. Maybe there were variants?

I think all 1200's (all Amigas, in fact) have a 23-pin RGB output.

Haha, this is an easy one.

I am thankful that I can walk. I walk slowly and with a limp, but I walk a moderate amount of distance without pain to walk errands.

It is a leg injury that left me in constant pain and even in more pain on weight bearing. It took two surgeries to get me back on feet and I lost two years to the suffering.