Re: What is with these silly monitors

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

spierings writes ...
> 
> I got my hands on two Apple IIe Color Composite monitors. I was hoping
> that the RCA jack at the back would take a standard video signal. All is
> fine except that everything is B&W. I have tried from video player and
> AV Mac computer and I get the same result. Did the IIe have some wired
> color signal. I was thinking if I could get the specifications for this
> signal I could program a converter that would change the IIe signal to a
> standard color video signal. Any ideas? Anybody?

     Just checked our Amdek Color-1 monitor manual-- hmmm, haven't sent in the
registration card yet. The signal specs listed are:

NTSC standard composite color video
Video signal: positive
Sync: negative
Input level: 1.0V peak to peak @75 Ohms 


> If anybody can get there video player to display color on a IIe monitor
> please tell me what I am doing wrong. Yes and I have tried the B&W to
> Color button thing.

     One test I tried was hooking up the monitor to an old TV tuner which
outputs composite video. The picture was good; but, color was not strong-- i.e.
even turning up the "Color" control, the color was more like pastel than the
solid color you see from a regular color TV.

     A guess is that the monitors normally attached to the Apple II are fairly
sensitive and that high level video swamps the color. (The II+ has a pot for
adjusting down from 1V p-p; and, I had to add a pot to a TrackStar E board to
keep the video from wiping out the display.)

     It may be that the video level from your VCR is too high. You could
experiment with clips and, say, a 500 Ohm (or so) pot. Connect the pot across
the VCR composite Video Out cable's output. Send the center tap + signal ground
to a cable connected to your monitor. See if adjusting the pot gets you some
color.


> If you can reply to me by e-mail as well as this newsgroup I would
> appreciate it.
 ....

     A copy will be emailed.



Rubywand