Atari 800XL RF cable (and I/O cable availability?)

[Jules Richardson]

On 01/22/2015 11:47 PM, tony duell wrote:
>
>> 1) When hooking this up to a TV via the RF input - is there any "magic"
>> involved, or will a suitable braided co-ax TV cable with a phono connector
>> added at the Atari end do?  I know it "works" because I lashed one up
>
> Maybe... The modulator output is nominally 75 ohm, and should be linked to
> such a piece of coax. European TVs have a 75 ohm aerial input, often on what
> we call a 'Belling-Lee coax socket', so it's just a cable. US TVs, I am told, may have
> either a 75 ohm coax input, often on an F connector, or a 300 ohm balanced input
> (for parallel twin feeder cable) on a pair of screw terminals. For the former, just
> connect it up. For the latter you may need a matching transformer...

Aha, thanks. I think that whatever equipment I might ever want to connect 
the machine to will be using an F connector, so straight-through will do 
the job. I did find a lead at a shop yesterday though with DIN connectors 
at the end (original purpose unknown), so I can butcher that and make 
myself up a composite lead.

Oddly, I never saw a TV switch box in the UK back in the day - everyone I 
knew with any kind of machine that used a TV for a display simply unplugged 
the regular antenna and plugged the computer in when they wanted to use it.

> (BALanced to UNbalanced converter). I am pretty sure you can buy these, but
> it must be possible to wind one if you can get a suitable core

I do see ones for old video game consoles every once in a while, I've just 
never picked one up as I have monitors (CBM, Apple etc.) that will work 
with the other machines I have over here. Maybe I'll grab one at some 
point, just in case I ever need it for some reason.

cheers

Jules