FYI: This is a work-in-progress and is considered to be a “living document”. I will update this post as I work with new systems and/or other system configurations are made known to me. Please drop a comment below if you’d like me to add a configuration to share with others.
My Hobby
One of my primary hobbies is collecting, and sometimes fixing, vintage computers. In general, I consider “vintage” to be any computer system over 20 years old. However, for the most part, I like to collect computers from the 1980’s and 1990’s. One of the (many) challenges that comes along with this hobby is connecting these vintage computers to a supported TV or monitor.
As with other aspects of computers, video technology has changed a lot over the years. Early on, it was not uncommon to connect computers to your TV set using an RF modulator (either built-in or external) and viewing your computer’s display on channel 2, 3, or 4. Not long after that, we started seeing movement to Composite video. Eventually, a number of other video standards emerged such as CGA/TGA, EGA, VGA, SVGA, XGA, DisplayPort, HDMI, etc.. Using these later technologies implied you needed a separate computer monitor designed to support whatever video standard you were using at the time. Fast forward to today, and most monitors and TVs support similar video technologies such as HDMI and/or DisplayPort.
For my situation, I generally make use of a 24″ LCD Samsung monitor with an HDMI input – or – I utilize a 5″ Panasonic black & white portable TV set from 1982 because it adds that extra touch from the era of many of my vintage computers.
Keeping Everything Straight
Keeping everything straight on how I connect any given computer to either HDMI or RF (i.e., channel 2, 3, or 4 on a vintage/analog TV) can be a bit cumbersome. If I were doing it everyday, it likely wouldn’t be a big deal. However, I am not using my vintage computers on a daily basis so it might take me a moment to remember exactly which cables or converters I need for a specific computer and monitor/TV. Given this, I decided to document the various options I’ve utilized when connecting various types of computers to either a vintage TV set or an HDMI-enabled monitor.
I’ve split the tables below into two categories:
- Connecting a vintage computer to an analog TV
- Connecting a vintage computer to an HDMI-enabled monitor
Each of these sections contain tables with the following columns:
- Computer Port – the type of video port that is present on the vintage computer (some computers have multiple video ports)
- TV/Monitor Connection – the type of connection to be utilized on the TV or monitor
- Compatible Systems – a reference to some examples of compatible systems for the Computer Port and TV/Monitor Connection
- Comments – a short description of how to connect the two together
While this list is not exhaustive (I’m initially creating it based on the systems that I own or have strong familiarity with), I will be happy to add new configurations/ideas to the list. Just leave a comment below and I’ll get it updated!
Connecting to an analog TV on channel 2, 3, or 4
If you are connecting to an analog TV on channel 2, 3, or 4, then follow one of the configurations outlined in the table below.
| Computer Port | TV Connection | Compatible Systems | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-pin DIN on Commodore VIC-20 or 64 | 300 ohm or 75 ohm antenna/coax connection | VIC-20 RF Modulator | Commodore VIC-20 RF Modulator (p/n: 321453-00) or a universal Modulator/Demodulator such as this one |
| 5-pin DIN on TI-99/4A | 300 ohm or 75 ohm antenna/coax connection | TI-99/4A RF Modulator | TI-99/4A RF Modulator (p/n: UM 1381-1) or a universal Modulator/Demodulator such as this one |
| 8-pin DIN on Commodore 64 | 300 ohm or 75 ohm antenna/coax connection | 8-pin DIN Composite | Use a universal Modulator/Demodulator such as this one to convert composite video into RF signal. |
| RCA – RF for Ch. 2, 3, or 4 | 1/8″ (3.5mm) mono antenna jack (typically found on portable TVs) | RCA | Use 1/8″ (3.5mm) mono male plug to RCA male jack to connect computer to TV |
| RCA – RF for Ch. 2, 3, or 4 | 300 ohm or 75 ohm antenna/coax connection | RCA | Use the Commodore VIC-20 RF Modulator (p/n: 321453-00) or equivalent |
| HDMI – e.g., newer systems | 300 ohm or 75 ohm antenna/coax connection | HDMI | Use a universal Modulator/Demodulator such as this one to convert HDMI into RF signal. |
Connecting to a TV or Monitor via HDMI
If you are connecting to a TV or monitor that has an HDMI input, then follow one of the configurations outlined in the table below.
| Computer Port | Monitor Connection | Compatible Systems | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCA/RF (for Ch. 2, 3, or 4) | HDMI | RCA | Use RF Demodulator such as this one or equivalent |
| 5-pin DIN Composite | HDMI | 5-pin DIN Composite (Important: See NOTE below) | Connect your computer to HDMI using an appropriate composite cable connected to an RCA Composite to HDMI adapter or equivalent. |
| 8-pin DIN on Commodore 64 | HDMI | 8-pin DIN Composite | Connect your computer to HDMI using an appropriate composite cable connected to an RCA Composite to HDMI adapter or equivalent. |
| DE-9 Connector (CGA/EGA/TGA) | HDMI | CGA/EGA/TGA | Use an RGBitoHDMI adapter such as this one or build your own based on the open source plans. |
| DE-15 Connector (VGA) | HDMI | VGA | Use a VGA to HDMI adapter such as this one. |
Pro Tip: Use Cable Labels, such as these, to mark your various video (and other) cables to make it easy to identify what system(s) they go to. Some systems, such as the TI-99/4A, use cables similar to other systems but are not compatible. Having your cables labeled can not only save you time but might even save your computer!
Compatible Systems
The following is a list of compatible systems for various solutions listed above. This is not an exhaustive list, so it’s possible the computer you’re looking for might not be listed. If you’d like me to add one or more systems below to specific solutions, please let me know in the comments.
VIC-20 RF Modulator
- Commodore 64
- Commodore VIC-20
TI-99/4A RF Modulator
- TI-99/4A
RCA
- Commodore 64
- Timex Sinclair 1000
- Tandy 1000 EX
- TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo) 2
5-pin DIN Composite
NOTE: The pinout for the 5-pin DIN connector on the TI-99/4A is different than the pinout for the same connector on the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. DO NOT use a Commodore video cable for a TI-99/4A computer. You need to either purchase a video cable made specifically for the TI-99/4A or make your own following a video tutorial such as this one.
- Commodore 64
- Commodore VIC-20
- TI-99/4A
8-pin DIN Composite
- Commodore 64
CGA/EGA/TGA
- IBM 5150
- Tandy 1000 EX
VGA
- Compaq Deskpro 2000
HDMI
- Most newer laptops and desktops that have HDMI ports or USB-C ports that support video out (via USB-C to HDMI cable such as this one)