How to: "Convert" RF Modulator cable to composite cable

[RobertLM78]

To begin with: this is a how-to for American RF modulator cables, for European models, refer to http://nouspikel.group.shef.ac.uk/ti99/pinouts.htm, or just simply open the RF box to see what wire goes where . In addition, I'm not going into how to strip and prepare the wires, as how to do that is a simple internet search away.

 

What you need:

1. an American RF box and cable (the old "prongs" to connect to the TV need not even be there ).

2. a dual composite cable or two single composite cables

 

Steps:

1. Cut off the plugs at one end if the dual composite cable and cut off the 3-pin din cable from the RF modulator box about an inch below the box

2. Now that you've got two nicely cleaned wire ends, strip about an inch and a quarter of the primary housing off the 5-pin din cable. Do the same for the composite cable(s).

3. You'll notice that the 5-pin din cable has 5 wires inside: red, yellow, black, and clear (which actually is two wires in itself, an "outer" (ground) and an "inner" (much like the composite cables)).

4. Cut the red wire - you no longer need that as it powered the RF box.

5. Now strip and prepare housing on both the 5-pin din cable and the composite cable.

6. Take the color wire that you've dedicated from the dual composite to be sound. You'll notice that like the clear wire, there are two wires per plug. The "outer" is the ground wire. Splice the yellow wire from the RF cable to the "inner" wire you've dedicated from the composite cable.

7. Next take the "outer" (ground) wire from the previous step and splice that to the black wire from the RF cable.

8. Take the other wire that's left over from the composite cable and splice the "inner" wire there to the "inner" wire of the clear wire from the 5-pin din cable. Then splice the two grounds ("outers").

9. That's it- you're done! You can now hook your TI up to any television with composite plugs .

 

 

About the wires from the RF cable:

Black: system ground

Yellow: audio

Clear: video and video ground

Red: B+ (power to RF)

[unhuman]

Yep. When I make the cables, I will buy the 3 RCA ended cables (video, left, right - yellow, red, white) so that audio is sent to both channels. Many TVs, however, detect audio sent to only one channel and will send it to both speakers if that's not the case.

Edited May 17, 2013 by unhuman