TheNixer Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Hello all! I started listening to the Antic podcast several months ago and doing so encouraged me to get out my Atari 800 and drives again. It's been a long time. Then, by chance, I saw on my local Craigslist that an Amdek Color-I had popped up and it seemed well received here so I bought it. I have no idea what it's worth but I paid $40 for it and it looks great. Goes really well with the Atari 800. On the back it looks like it has an RCA jack and a 1/8 stereo jack. My monitor cable is DN05 to audio/video RCA. So for the back of the monitor I went and got a RCA female to 1/8 stereo jack. But the Amdek won't output sound and I wondered if it was something with my setup and hoped someone here could help me. I appreciate any comments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Hello all! I started listening to the Antic podcast several months ago and doing so encouraged me to get out my Atari 800 and drives again. It's been a long time. Then, by chance, I saw on my local Craigslist that an Amdek Color-I had popped up and it seemed well received here so I bought it. I have no idea what it's worth but I paid $40 for it and it looks great. Goes really well with the Atari 800. On the back it looks like it has an RCA jack and a 1/8 stereo jack. My monitor cable is DN05 to audio/video RCA. So for the back of the monitor I went and got a RCA female to 1/8 stereo jack. But the Amdek won't output sound and I wondered if it was something with my setup and hoped someone here could help me. I appreciate any comments! I don't think this is it, but try an RCA female to 1/8" mono jack. Also, try plugging the 800 into some computer speakers or your stereo to make sure it is sending audio out. I use this exact same set up, but with a mono jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fibrewire Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Ditto with testing audio out from the Atari with a television or speakers first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodLightning Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Bridge the shield grounds on both the audio and video cables. You can do it with a screwdriver or maybe by bending a paperclip around the outer sleeves. I have a Amdek with the same type inputs and for some reason, the audio in jack isn't grounded properly. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fibrewire Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 More importantly - nice pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
re-atari Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 (edited) Ditto with testing audio out from the Atari with a television or speakers first.And to add an obvious hint: don't forget hooking up the Amdek to a known working audio source (CD player, PDA, smartphone), in order to make sure the monitor's audio circuitry is working properly in the first place. re-atari Edited June 28, 2014 by re-atari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNixer Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I went on eBay and ordered a different plug. I used a GameCube playing a game because I knew it would have constant sound for me to test with. I noticed as I plugged it in this time if I keep the plug pushed in about 1/3 of the way I have sound. Plugged in all the way and I get nothing. RodLightning - is this maybe what you mean by not grounded properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fibrewire Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 (edited) If your adapter has two black bands on the 1/8" plug it is the wrong one. Correct one is HERE Edited June 30, 2014 by fibrewire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Back to my comment, you need a RCA to 1/8" mono adapter, not stereo. :-) Radio Shack should have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fibrewire Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Back to my comment, you need a RCA to 1/8" mono adapter, not stereo. :-) Radio Shack should have them. Even RadioShack overlooks "mono" in reference to the left channel. For example this device (the one TheNixer is using) just connects the nonexistent right channel (ring) to the center of the RCA plug instead of the left mono channel (tip) which is why it works when hanging out of the "audio in" jack - http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102690 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodLightning Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I went on eBay and ordered a different plug. I used a GameCube playing a game because I knew it would have constant sound for me to test with. I noticed as I plugged it in this time if I keep the plug pushed in about 1/3 of the way I have sound. Plugged in all the way and I get nothing. RodLightning - is this maybe what you mean by not grounded properly? Hi TheNixer, It's not exactly what I suggested but indeed, as fibrewire has posted in #8, it's the connector you were using. When you push the connector you have in 1/3 of the way, the outer most segments are touching the two contact points inside the jack. When you push it all the way in, one of the necessary contacts moves past where it needs to be. As mentioned, you need a similar adapter with only two segments. It's good to know the your Amdek is fine and just needs an easy fix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Here's the adapter you'd want: http://www.radioshack.com/home/index.jsp?stop_mobi=yes I couldn't find the one I bought from Radio Shack online, but I bought it awhile ago, maybe they don't offer it anymore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNixer Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 That is an easy fix, wow, thanks for all the help! My local Radio Shack only had the one stereo jack so I eBayed the correct one. I appreciate the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dafivehole Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 (edited) I just picked up the same monitor and I'm having the same issue with audio. Since Radio Shack is no longer and the links above don't work anymore, can someone point me in the right direction for the cable that I need? Thank you Edited August 24, 2020 by dafivehole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickJock Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 (edited) This looks like the right one to convert your stereo plug to a mono plug. https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-107128-Stereo-Adaptor-Plated/dp/B002N1XMPO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2L6HVEBI2776Z Edited August 24, 2020 by StickJock Added pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_x Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 I don’t recall the ad - but there was one back in the day that showed an Amdek Color with an Atari 8 (and now that I think about it - it might have been that ad for the Amdek 3.0” disk for the atari!) and I lusted over that monitor (and that drive) endlessly but in all of my years have not seen a single one of those Amdek monitors... Great score! Looks nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banquo Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) I just got this monitor for my 800 and I'm also getting no sound at all, just a loud buzzing sound when the volume is up. I wonder if this is due to the grounding problem that someone mentioned. Unfortunately I don't have a mono adapter to test it with at the moment but I'm hoping it's as simple as getting one to fix it. I tried pushing the stereo plug I have in only part way and still got nothing but buzzing so I'm a bit worried. I wonder why they didn't just use a normal RCA jack for the audio. Edit: I took the back off and connected my audio directly to the wires, nothing. All I get is the buzz sound, so I don't know what to do now. Edited January 14, 2022 by Banquo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickJock Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) Make sure that your cable is wired correctly, and that the sound is on the pin/connector that you think it is. You can test this by connecting your earbuds or something similar to the cable. Just wrap some wire around the plugs to connect them, it doesn't have to be perfect. If you don't get sound, or you get the same buzzing, it is likely the cable. Like, maybe you are connecting one of the video signals to the speaker. You can also try beeping out your cable to make sure that the sound pin on the DIN5 is going to the output plug that you think it is. If the cable is constructed properly, then maybe there is a problem in the A8. It's probably a cable thing, though. btw: this is the pinout as it appears on the A8, not at the end of the cable Edited January 14, 2022 by StickJock Added pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banquo Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) Thanks, I am using the cable I was previously using on a different TV with the 800 so it's good, and I also tested the Amdek monitor with another audio source but got nothing, not even a crackle. From the loud buzzing I'm afraid some component has gone bad. I also tested plugging in some headphones to the front jack but all they do is buzz too. I have an old pair of yellowed PC speakers that I guess I'll just have to use with it but it's really disappointing. Edited January 14, 2022 by Banquo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banquo Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 I just discovered that the audio input on the monitor is completely shorted, zero ohms. That can't be right can it? I'm glad I didn't fry my Atari's audio circuit by connecting it up to it. I desoldered the audio jack to make sure the problem wasn't in it but it was still shorted. That probably explains the buzzing. I wonder where the problem is, bad capacitor maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillC Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 3 hours ago, Banquo said: I just discovered that the audio input on the monitor is completely shorted, zero ohms. That can't be right can it? I'm glad I didn't fry my Atari's audio circuit by connecting it up to it. I desoldered the audio jack to make sure the problem wasn't in it but it was still shorted. That probably explains the buzzing. I wonder where the problem is, bad capacitor maybe? It could be a failed capacitor that is shorting the input to ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banquo Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 (edited) On 1/15/2022 at 12:31 AM, BillC said: It could be a failed capacitor that is shorting the input to ground. That's what I was thinking but I got a chance to sit down and mess with it today, unplugged the audio input jack from the board and checked and it was still shorted, turns out it is the jack itself so I was wrong the other day. I tried connecting an audio source straight to the board bypassing the jack and still got nothing. I'm thinking the shorted jack must have burned out something in the audio circuit. I don't know enough about it to go any farther so I'll just let it be and use external speakers. Edited January 16, 2022 by Banquo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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