Expert: Octane - 3/30/2009

Question
hello again:

first i want to thank you for your help with the phillips cdi system, after some reserch you were right....

i have a commodore monitor model 1802 and both a vic 20 and a 64, i purchased 2 sets of commodore monitor wires on ebay each having the white and yellow at one end and the computer connection at the other end when i hook up the commodore 64 its black and white when i hook up the vic 20 i get no signal at all, the monitor has been tested with a nintendo 64 and the color is perfect.
any help would be appreated...
thanks and regards: Aaron...

Answer
Gday Again Aaron,

Now while the C64 and Vic 20 share similar plugs the output from these plugs is very different.  You can't hook up them up to the monitor the same way.

http://pinouts.ru/Video/Vic20Video_pinout.shtml

http://pinouts.ru/Multimedia/AudioVideoC64_pinout.shtml

I am assuming you have a 5 pin cable (Cable that connects into the Vic 20 or C64).  What I do not know is how many ends does the other end of the cable have?  If it is only 2 Yellow and White then that is confusing.  Should usually be 3 or maybe 4 should have a red cable as well and maybe a black.  And these will need to be hooked up differently according to the system you have it hooked up (What color goes where on the monitor) they are definitely not the same.  Although being only 2 plugs it could be.  It might not even be the right cable.  (I really need a picture)

Here is a manual that will definitely help you alittle on the monitor.

http://www.devili.iki.fi/pub/Commodore/docs/Project64/hw/1802v10.txt

With only 2 sockets (Yellow and White) I would assume the monitor on the front would have to be set to composite (Video mode) and you would probably plug both into the top plugs.  Yellow in Video and White in Audio.  (Might work for both your Vic 20 and C64 at a guess by the pinouts.  You would have to really test out what pin goes to where to really know.)

If your cable has 3 colors.  For Vic 20 you should set the Video mode for Composite and plug in only the yellow to Video and white to either of the Audio don't plug in the Red at all.  For C64 you would change the Video mode to Separated and plug the yellow in Luma the Red in Chroma and the White in either Audio.

Hope this helps again.

Octane