tandy 1000 sx video connection options

[BloodyCactus]

Picking up a 1000 SX coming in a week or two from a guy at work.. Was wondering about video connection options. I dont want to throw VGA card in by default, half the point is keeping the Tandy video modes.

I have a LCD that I use for Amiga stuff that can sync 15khz.

My best option is my broadcast monitor but its all BNC. Anyone know of a way to go Tandy CGA connector -> BNC? I can do svideo Y/C as BNC or RGB as BNC.. at worst, composite I guess.

Just not sure how or even if I can convert the CGA digital signal to BNC.. hmm I do have a old GBS 8200 somewhere I guess thats an option..

unless I can hook it to my Commodore 1902A... I _think_ that can take CGA...

 

[keenerb]

Picking up a 1000 SX coming in a week or two from a guy at work.. Was wondering about video connection options. I dont want to throw VGA card in by default, half the point is keeping the Tandy video modes.

I have a LCD that I use for Amiga stuff that can sync 15khz.

My best option is my broadcast monitor but its all BNC. Anyone know of a way to go Tandy CGA connector -> BNC? I can do svideo Y/C as BNC or RGB as BNC.. at worst, composite I guess.

Just not sure how or even if I can convert the CGA digital signal to BNC.. hmm I do have a old GBS 8200 somewhere I guess thats an option..

unless I can hook it to my Commodore 1902A... I _think_ that can take CGA...

There are actually a lot of smallish (8, 9-inch) LCD displays with composite video input on Ebay for ~60 bucks. They're actually not much smaller than the CM-11 viewable area.

 

[mojorific]

Your ideal situation is using a Tandy CM-5 or CM-11 if you can find one.

The alternative (if you are a bit electronic savvy) is the CGA2RGB adapter (https://gglabs.us/node/2012) and then figuring out how to go from that to your broadcast monitor. Some kind of VGA to BNC RGB cable should do the trick.

 

[BloodyCactus]

Your ideal situation is using a Tandy CM-5 or CM-11 if you can find one.

The alternative (if you are a bit electronic savvy) is the CGA2RGB adapter (https://gglabs.us/node/2012) and then figuring out how to go from that to your broadcast monitor. Some kind of VGA to BNC RGB cable should do the trick.

aaaactually... I think I have one of the original cga2rgb converters, back when c128.org was a thing. Looks more like this tho.. connects to the GBS... exactly the same as the CGA2RGB from GGLabs...

hmmm.

I think the CBM 1902A monitor should work, it takes the C128 RGBI directly... pinout for it and CGA is the same. I guess its a matter of the 1902A having enough TVLines for the resolutions of Tandy video modes..

 

[Great Hierophant]

The 1902A is a good monitor to use for your SX. It does support 80-column text and 640 horizontal pixel-wide graphics, but all 15KHz monitors do. How well they will display is up to the monitor.

I thought that the 1902A uses DINs for monitor inputs, not D-shell connectors. If it does, you will need to make an adapter that rewires the 9-pin DE-9 CGA connector to the 8-pin DIN that the 1902 uses. Otherwise you will be stuck with composite.

If your LCD can accept 15KHz signals, it will work with the CGA2RGB as well as your Amiga works.

 

[Trixter]

My best option is my broadcast monitor but its all BNC. Anyone know of a way to go Tandy CGA connector -> BNC? I can do svideo Y/C as BNC or RGB as BNC.. at worst, composite I guess.

Tandys are not great for composite since their color hue is rotated 180 degrees from CGA. But if you had to, RCA->BNC is a cheap passive adapter about $2 from monoprice.

The gglabs CGA2RGB unit is the best I've come across and is recommended.

 

[BloodyCactus]

The 1902A is a good monitor to use for your SX. It does support 80-column text and 640 horizontal pixel-wide graphics, but all 15KHz monitors do. How well they will display is up to the monitor.

I thought that the 1902A uses DINs for monitor inputs, not D-shell connectors. If it does, you will need to make an adapter that rewires the 9-pin DE-9 CGA connector to the 8-pin DIN that the 1902 uses. Otherwise you will be stuck with composite.

Yes the 1902A has 2 din inputs. The C128DCR has a 9pin dsub out, so my c128 cable should work in this case.