With the introduction of the Commodore Amiga about 35 years ago, we had a number of options to choose from to connect it to a CRT monitor.
The A520 , an external modulator with Composite video out
the RGB cable with a 6-pin DIN plug.
Later an RGB cable with a 9-pin Sub-D plug was also added.
a frequently used monitor for hobby computers from that time is the rock-solid Philips CM8833, which was equipped with, among other things, a Scart connector for RGB Scartcables.
Old Scartcables VS New Scartcables
At the time, many DIN cables were cut and equipped with scart plugs in order to be able to connect them to the CM8833 as a scart cable.
When I got my Amiga's from the stable 34 years later because I had bought an RGB-2-HDMI box, I didn't get any picture with any of these old cables.
After a lot of trying and searching I finally ended up on a site where the uber Scartcable was described, the Rolls Royce under the Scartcables was explained there as a design.
Long story short, where the CRTs of yesteryear didn't need switching signals, today's TVs and monitors do, switching signal for 16:9 or 4:3, switching signal for activating scart connection are necessary to get a picture on a modern day display.
None of those old scart cables had those signals wired , and the image just remains black on newfangled screens 🙂
I finally made my own Scart cable using the diagram I found.
And although it is a bit clumsy to bend resistors and wires in heat shrink tubing in such a way that they all fit into a Scart plug, I still managed to make a cable that gives a perfect image on my Scart-2-HDMI converter.
I have noticed that there is a chronic shortage of Scart cables and based on the diagram I found I designed a PCB that fits into the Scart plug and presents all connections in an orderly and easily accessible position.
I have submitted a test batch for 10 prints, to see if and how it works this way.
Keep you posted
Thanks to Ian Stedman , whose work has literally changed my view on the Amiga🙂
