Jump to content
IGNORED

Help Needed: Troubleshooting 800XL monitor output


Ganesha303

Recommended Posts

Hi guys!

 

I dug out my 800XL from my mom's house this past week and hooked it up to my Plasma TV using one of these Atari to Composite cables:

 

https://www.8bitclassics.com/Atari-800-XL-XE-5-Pin-DIN-S-Video-Cable.html?search=AXL-SVIDEO

 

However I cannot get it to work. The 800XL power light comes on but the TV just says no signal. I tried with both composite (Yellow, Red, White) and S-Video connections on the cables, and also tried composite on another LCDTV in the house. I also have two of the same cable converters linked above and both had same results. Same thing for all tests, "no signal" on TV.

 

I am not sure what to do next. Is it likely that there is an issue with the monitor out on the 800XL? Or is it just that my TV's cannot recognize the signal? Maybe I need a different converter? What steps should I take next?

 

I appreciate your help 8-biters!

 

Gabriel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

800XL by default didn't include the chroma output (can be added with some wire, resistor and bit of soldering) so unless you've got the mod will have to suffer with the composite output.

 

Do you get audio (keyclick should go through the TV too) although some TVs won't do the audio if the video signal isn't present.

Often you can check if there's a valid video signal coming out by plugging the cable into the audio input - a high pitched buzz means there's a signal being sent.

 

Maybe before digging too deeply you could just check the RF output - the channel will vary depending on origin of the machine, probably UHF for UK/EU or Channel 1 or 2 for US/AU.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I purchased this version and although you would assume the red or white to be audio out. Neither were. The black RCA is actually mono audio out. Used an RCA y-adapter to get sound from both speakers.

 

You might have a similar issue with video out (yellow). Just a thought.

 

s-l1600.jpg

Edited by NISMOPC
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I purchased this version and although you would assume the red or white to be audio out. Neither were. The black RCA is actually mono audio out. Used an RCA y-adapter to get sound from both speakers.

 

You might have a similar issue with video out (yellow). Just a thought.

 

s-l1600.jpg

I have that cable too. Got no idea why they went so non-standard with the colors. Anyway, regarding audio, most TVs are designed to take mono audio from one input and fees it to both speakers in the event the two separate audio inputs are not used. Usually that’s the white input on American TVs. So plugging a single channel input there will give you sound from both speakers, while plugging in two cables (white and red) will allow the TV output stereo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

800XL by default didn't include the chroma output (can be added with some wire, resistor and bit of soldering) so unless you've got the mod will have to suffer with the composite output.

 

Do you get audio (keyclick should go through the TV too) although some TVs won't do the audio if the video signal isn't present.

Often you can check if there's a valid video signal coming out by plugging the cable into the audio input - a high pitched buzz means there's a signal being sent.

 

Maybe before digging too deeply you could just check the RF output - the channel will vary depending on origin of the machine, probably UHF for UK/EU or Channel 1 or 2 for US/AU.

 

Thanks for the quick response!

 

RF output is how it would connect to a tv with the little switch box, right? How would I hook that up now? Is there a special adapter I need to buy??

 

Also, FYI I did not get audio at all. I will try the video in the audio in though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Thanks for the quick response!

 

RF output is how it would connect to a tv with the little switch box, right? How would I hook that up now? Is there a special adapter I need to buy??

 

Also, FYI I did not get audio at all. I will try the video in the audio in though.

 

If your TV has a coax jack, you can either use an old-fashioned mechanical switchbox (not one of the later NES-type automatic switches), or a female RCA-to-male F-type coax adapter. Basically, you plug an RF cable from the output of the Atari into the female RCA end, then screw the coax adapter end to the coax jack on the TV. Tune the TV to whatever the Atari is set to output and you're good to go. These little adapters are super cheap, available online all over the place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

 

If your TV has a coax jack, you can either use an old-fashioned mechanical switchbox (not one of the later NES-type automatic switches), or a female RCA-to-male F-type coax adapter. Basically, you plug an RF cable from the output of the Atari into the female RCA end, then screw the coax adapter end to the coax jack on the TV. Tune the TV to whatever the Atari is set to output and you're good to go. These little adapters are super cheap, available online all over the place.

 

Hey there, I ordered what I thought was the right adaptor from amazon, turns out the Coax side was too small for me TV. I didn't know there were different sizes. Can anyone drop a link to purchase one the would be appropriate for the purpose of hooking an 800XL up to a modern TV? I'd hate to pick out another one, wait for it to be shipped, only to discover there was some other nuance I did not understand...

Edited by Ganesha303
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Hey there, I ordered what I thought was the right adaptor from amazon, turns out the Coax side was too small for me TV. I didn't know there were different sizes. Can anyone drop a link to purchase one the would be appropriate for the purpose of hooking an 800XL up to a modern TV? I'd hate to pick out another one, wait for it to be shipped, only to discover there was some other nuance I did not understand...

 

Okay, go back and read my previous post: You need an RCA-type coax cable to get from the Atari to the TV, but at that end you also need an RCA Female-to-F-type Coax Male:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Coleco-Atari-Video-System-Connector/dp/B00IYXDGGK/ref=pd_cp_63_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TAHBHTEE53J7725142BT

 

The RCA plug on one end of your cable goes to the Atari, the RCA plug on the other end plugs into this little adapter, and the adapter screws onto the coax cable/antenna jack on the TV. The TV will need to be set to channel 2 or 3 depending on the switch setting on the back of the Atari.

​Now having said all that, I looked at the monitor cable you linked to in the first post. I'm pretty sure it's the same exact cable I have for one of my machines. If so, the Red RCA plug is Composite Video, for some reason I don't quite fathom. But if you can't even get RF out to appear on the TV, the machine may have issues that will require it to be taken apart and repaired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The DIN5 connector was used by some european audio equipment back in the 70's, it was normally used for the tape recorder connection(L/R signals in and out).


DIN5 to 4-RCA cables were used when only one of the devices had the DIN5 jack, the color coding probably dates back to that application.


There have also been different devices that use DIN5 for audio/video and all of them don't necessarily have the same pin-out, what would be correct color coding for one may not be for another.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...