Composite Video Cable

Project: Cable for video output to monitor.
Target : C64, C128, SX64
Time   : 20 min.
Cost   : <10 US$
Use    : Connect computer monitor to C-64 instead of TV, which
         usually gives you a picture much better than a TV set.
	 If your monitor also has a chrominance and a luminance
	 input, you should rather build a chroma/luma cable
	 which improves the display quality even more.

Summary

Cable which connects to the C-64's audio/video jack and to the composite video jack of your monitor. Additionally, it offers a SID output and a SID input plug.

Details

Most monitors have a jack for a composite signal. This signal comprises the color information, the brightness information and the synchronization signal. Since it is unmodulated (as is necessary for operation on a TV with antenna jack), the display quality is better than the quality of a picture which is first modulated and sent to the TV where it gets demodulated again, which implies information losses and distortions.

Ingredients

~1.5-2 m coax three-core cable, each core shielded
1 5-pin DIN connector (male)
2 cinch plugs (male)
1 cinch plug (female)

Instructions

Disassemble the DIN connector and the cinch plugs.
Strip the wires at one end of the cable and solder one wire to each of the pins 3, 4 and 5 of the DIN connector (See step 4 for pin connection). Solder the shield of each cable to pin 2 (read: solder the shield of one cable to pin 2, then solder the shield of the other wires to the shield connected to pin 2)
Put the DIN connector's sleeve on the other end of the cable and move it to the plug so that it is ready for assembly. Do the same with the cinch plugs' sleeves.
Now strip the wires at the other end of the cable and solder each core/shield pair to a cinch plug (female plug to the AUDIO IN cable). Mark the wires attached to the cinch plugs with VIDEO OUT, AUDIO OUT, and AUDIO IN according to the following scheme:
(Click here for ASCII version)
Connect the cable to your monitor and to the C-64's AV jack. Be VERY careful with the plug named 'AUDIO IN', the SID's audio input is very susceptible to overvoltage (>1V), which includes static electricity.
Adjust your monitor's input select switch(es) to composite video input, if necessary; on the 1084 this mode is called CVBS.
Switch your monitor and your C-64 on and see if it works correctly. If it does, try the AUDIO OUT by connecting it to your amplifier and running a program with music (game, demo). If you can, try AUDIO IN, too.
If your equipment has survived step 7, switch it off and pull off the cable. Assemble the DIN and the cinch plugs.

Possible failures

Monitor is in the wrong input mode, e.g. Chroma/Luma
Mixed up cinch plugs
Soldered wires to wrong pins on one or more of the connectors. The figure above depicts the plugs from the SOLDER side.

Updated: September 23rd, 1997
Created: February 10th, 1997
Status : Verified