Date   : Tue, 09 Mar 2004 12:04:43 +0000
From   : Richard Gellman <splodge@...>
Subject: Re: Aerial cables?

Jules Richardson wrote:

>On Tue, 2004-03-09 at 01:16, Jason Thain wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Does anybody know if computer to TV aerial cables are the same for all
>>the old 8-bit machines (BBC/Spectrum/Archimedes/C64 etc).
>>    
>>
>
>All the ones I've seen, which use a stock TV modulator unit within the
>machine, yes. 
>  
>
The cable in question is just a bog standard aerial cable, with one end 
embracing a phono plug instead of a normal UHF one. You can make a 
reasonable one by taking a stock aerial lead, lopping one end off, and 
attaching a cheapie phono plug from maplins.

>> And if so, does anybody know where I can get one?
>>    
>>
>
>Where are you located?
>
>  
>
>>P.S. Any devices around that convert to VGA to allow you to use old
>>computers on your PC monitor?
>>    
>>
>
>They do exist, but tend to be expensive - modern PC monitors won't
>handle the lower frequencies of the old machines, so a device is needed
>to buffer each line from the old computer, essentially stretch it in
>hardware and spit it out to the monitor at the higher frequency that the
>monitor needs. That gets a little pricey.
>
>Some very old PC VGA monitors from the early days when 8 bit machines
>were still common might be able to run at the lower frequencies, but of
>course an old PC monitor won't handle anything like the resolution
>expected by modern PC applications.
>
>If you're stuck with using a TV for display and have a video recorder
>with composite sync input then that can be an option given a clearer
>picture than going from the TV output of the computer - lots of 8 bit
>machines had composite output on them.
>  
>
An interesting point to note, is that a lot of modern TV's can deal with 
the RGB output from yon BBC Micro. Again, its going to be a home-build 
job, but you can make an RGB-to-SCART cable that allows you to plug a 
BBC Micro's RGB output into the SCART socket on the TV.

Because the BBC Micro expects a monitor, you don't get the luxury of 
auto-switching (although the RGB socket does facilitate a 5V supply, and 
you could probably wangle a *cough*hack*cough* 12V supply off the 
mainboard), but most TVs allow you to switch to RGB mode from the remote 
control.

The basic wiring is R-to-R, G-to-G, B-to-B, Sync-to-Composite/Sync. Then 
tie all the grounds together (Rg,Gg,Bg, and Vg) and tie them to the 
SCART ground line, and the RGB 0v line. Instant TV-cum-Monitor :)

-- Richard