Need help with C64 display cable

Avanze · 24 August 2008, 12:34

I have just bought a nice Commodore 64 from ebay, in excellent condition, and am wondering how to connect it to my HDTV for a colour display. I bought a two wire connector yellow/white, but this just gives me a b/w picture unfortunately. So it seems the best thing for this is an S-Video connector?

http://radagast.bglug.ca/C64_svideo/C64_Svideo.html

Please can you guys offer any help where to get such a cable, as ebay seems pretty sparse at the moment, and I don't want to waste money on a dud cable again.

OddbOd · 24 August 2008, 17:40

Joe Forster or Vesalia can definitely supply the right cable.

Without knowing what pins are connected to where on the cable you have currently it's tricky to say whether you were dudded or not, it could be a Y/C monitor cable in which case there's nothing wrong with it you're just using it incorrectly.

Avanze · 24 August 2008, 18:30

Thanks for the reply. The cable I am using now is practically identical to this one;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEGA-MEGA-DRIV...QcmdZViewItem?

I tried my cable on a normal none hi-def TV, and it was still black and white. Bizarrely, the video is coming from the white jack.

OddbOd · 24 August 2008, 18:49

OK you have been dudded, it's nothing to do with your telly or your computer. The composite video signal is on a different pin on the C64 the reason it works at all is because by coincidence the white RCA is wired to the 64's Luminance pin.

Avanze · 24 August 2008, 19:07

Ah, okay, thanks for the info Oddbod. I will update when I get a new cable.

Avanze · 29 August 2008, 17:15

I had a SCART cable made and the HDTV still displays b/w. I am starting to think this LG TV just cannot accept the Commodore 64 signal.

Is there anything I can do to get a colour display?

Overdoc · 30 August 2008, 02:24

Seems like the video rca plug is cnnected to the luminance pin on the C64 video connector.
But, it has to be connected to the composite pin !!
Tghe luminance pin is only a b/w signal and is used together with the chrominance pin (colour information), but then you need a cable with 3 rca plugs (luminance, chrominance, audio) and also the correespondng inputs on the TV. This is the best picture quality solution. If your TV accepts s-video then you can also do a cable to a s-video connector or to scart, but the TV has to be able to accepts s-video on the scart input ! Not al can do this as some can only accept composite-video on their scart connector.

Avanze · 31 August 2008, 13:12

S-video cable it is. I just hope this works.

Avanze · 03 September 2008, 20:18

I have tested a new S-Video cable that was made for me, and now the display, although black and white has colour outlines, as though the colour is not being mixed in the signal somehow. Any idea?

24 August 2008, 12:34	#1
Avanze Amiga User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Age: 47 Posts: 563	Need help with C64 display cable I have just bought a nice Commodore 64 from ebay, in excellent condition, and am wondering how to connect it to my HDTV for a colour display. I bought a two wire connector yellow/white, but this just gives me a b/w picture unfortunately. So it seems the best thing for this is an S-Video connector? http://radagast.bglug.ca/C64_svideo/C64_Svideo.html Please can you guys offer any help where to get such a cable, as ebay seems pretty sparse at the moment, and I don't want to waste money on a dud cable again. Last edited by Avanze; 24 August 2008 at 16:41.

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24 August 2008, 17:40	#2
OddbOd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Australia Age: 46 Posts: 666	Joe Forster or Vesalia can definitely supply the right cable. Without knowing what pins are connected to where on the cable you have currently it's tricky to say whether you were dudded or not, it could be a Y/C monitor cable in which case there's nothing wrong with it you're just using it incorrectly.

24 August 2008, 18:30	#3
Avanze Amiga User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Age: 47 Posts: 563	Thanks for the reply. The cable I am using now is practically identical to this one; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEGA-MEGA-DRIV...QcmdZViewItem? I tried my cable on a normal none hi-def TV, and it was still black and white. Bizarrely, the video is coming from the white jack.

24 August 2008, 18:49	#4
OddbOd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Australia Age: 46 Posts: 666	OK you have been dudded, it's nothing to do with your telly or your computer. The composite video signal is on a different pin on the C64 the reason it works at all is because by coincidence the white RCA is wired to the 64's Luminance pin.

24 August 2008, 19:07	#5
Avanze Amiga User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Age: 47 Posts: 563	Ah, okay, thanks for the info Oddbod. I will update when I get a new cable.

29 August 2008, 17:15	#6
Avanze Amiga User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Age: 47 Posts: 563	I had a SCART cable made and the HDTV still displays b/w. I am starting to think this LG TV just cannot accept the Commodore 64 signal. Is there anything I can do to get a colour display?

30 August 2008, 02:24	#7
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	Seems like the video rca plug is cnnected to the luminance pin on the C64 video connector. But, it has to be connected to the composite pin !! Tghe luminance pin is only a b/w signal and is used together with the chrominance pin (colour information), but then you need a cable with 3 rca plugs (luminance, chrominance, audio) and also the correespondng inputs on the TV. This is the best picture quality solution. If your TV accepts s-video then you can also do a cable to a s-video connector or to scart, but the TV has to be able to accepts s-video on the scart input ! Not al can do this as some can only accept composite-video on their scart connector.

31 August 2008, 13:12	#8
Avanze Amiga User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Age: 47 Posts: 563	S-video cable it is. I just hope this works.

03 September 2008, 20:18	#9
Avanze Amiga User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Age: 47 Posts: 563	I have tested a new S-Video cable that was made for me, and now the display, although black and white has colour outlines, as though the colour is not being mixed in the signal somehow. Any idea?

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