SHOW ME THE VIDEO!

(All your work is for naught if you can’t see it.)

The first thing I decided that to go any farther, I needed to ensure that I’d be able to see the fruits of my labor. I found 2 monitors in storage, but it was very easy to recognize mine. It was in bubble wrap, so it really easy to clean. A damp rag and I was able to wipe it all down in a minute. I set it on the table and thought about how I could test it.

Testing the screen

I google for the schematics and found this. There were a bunch of notes on what the power requirements were, what resistor rating were, etc. It would mean opening the case, laying it out, getting my meter, and going to town. I was aware, though, that Ian Mavric showed you can build a composite cable and the TRS-80 Model I could output to any monitor that supported composite. I really wanted to try to keep the system as stock as possible, and between having a second screen and an acceptable alternative solution I felt it worth taking a chance. The screen actually doesn’t come into play in running the BBS so I felt it was worth a try.

ready,Set,GO

I sat it on the desk and gingerly plugged it into power. (And crossed my fingers)

Ok, no comments about the sticker please. I also had an Apple ][. It didn’t interface with the monitor in any way, but I was just put it on anyway. I tried the contrast and brightness knobs. They seemed to work fine. I let it run for a few hours, and everything seemed fine. I guess I lucked out!

Why does composite work

The screen uses a 5-PIN Din connector. Staring at the front of it, having the pins oriented as an upside down smile, from left to right, the pins are numbered 1,4,2,5,3. Turns out that 4 is the composite video and 5 the ground. That makes sense why the composite one works.

          2              1 - 5V dc (30ma max)
     5   o   4           4 - Composite video
      o     o            5 - Computer ground
   3 o       o 1

Two down, one to go, another town, and many more shows

Looks like I’m on a roll. Two items down with no issues. I guess that means I’m in for fun (If you’re idea of fun is walking on broken glass while chewing rocks). 😉