Expert: Gregory Donner - 10/28/2007

Question
QUESTION: I was sorting out my attic when i found my old Commodore Amigo A1200. I have hundreds of games and programs and could not wait to start playing on them to bring make all the memories. The trouble is i forgot how to connect it to a monitor. Can it go on a normal television or does it need a computer monitor? and also what kind of cable do i need to connect it and where can i buy them from.

Thank you!

ANSWER: Hi Laura,

It's possible to connect an older TV to your Amiga 1200 with an Amiga A520 RF Modulator:

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=725

However (and ideally), an original Commodore monitor such as the 1950 or 1960 models will work best with your Amiga 1200 (supporting the special modes that the A1200 is capable of). What's important are the supported vertical and horizontal refresh rates of the monitor you choose to buy: 15Khz - 35Khz horizontal and 50Hz - 80Hz vertical. Some of the newer TVs/LCD monitors may not support these refresh rates.

If I remember right, for the 1950, you would need a 23 pin female to 9 pin female "D" video cable:

http://www.oldsoftware.com/softimg6/23pin9.jpg

Below are two websites that detail more information (and cables) you need (cables, then monitors specifically):

http://www.oldsoftware.com/cables.html

http://www.monitorworld.com/Monitors/commodore/1950aoccm314.html

Two additional websites with Amiga monitors and cables are Software Hut (www.softhut.com) and AmigaKit (www.amigakit.com).

I hope this helps!

Greg

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Would it connect through a Scart to 3 phono cable?

Answer
Hi Laura,

Not having any electrical background, I have no idea whether the signals/pins from a SCART connector would work when transferred through to a 3-plug phono cable, but there's certainly no harm in asking. I'm not familiar with how/what French Amiga users have used, but there might be adapters from the 9-pin and/or 23-pin Amiga monitor cables.

One company that could help you (although they're U.S.-based) is Redmond Cable (www.redmondcable.com). They specialize in custom-made cables, and of anyone, could tell you if it would work, and could also custom-make the cable for you.

I hope this helps!

Greg