16.020 I connected my IIe to a color TV using a Radio Shack "TV/Game Switch" but it doesn't work. How come?
Description
This article is from the Apple II Csa2 FAQ, by Jeff Hurlburt with numerous contributions by others.
16.020 I connected my IIe to a color TV using a Radio Shack "TV/Game Switch" but it doesn't work. How come?
A "TV/Game" switch is, usually, intended to switch RF (radio frequency)
signals. For example, in the "TV" position it connects the TV's VHF antenna
input to the VHF antenna (e.g. the long "rabbit ears"). This way, you can
watch TV.
In the "Game" position it connects the TV's VHF antenna input to a game
machine's or computer's CH 3 or CH 4 output. To see the computer's display, you
need to set the TV Channel selector to the channel being output by the
computer.
The reason your setup does not work is that the IIe does not output an RF
signal. (In fact, no Apple II has built-in circuitry for outputting an RF
signal.) The IIe outputs composite video. Composite video is pure video
information like the kind output by a VCR through the standard 'Yellow' cable.
It produces a better, sharper image than video which is converted to RF and fed
into a TV's antenna input.
The usual way to connect an Apple II to a display is described in Q&A 018.
Getting an "RF Converter" ("TV Converter", etc.) module is another way to
go. For about $30 Radio Shack sells a box which will convert an Apple II's
video signal to RF on CH3 or CH4.
One thing to consider when looking for ways to connect to a color TV
without a standard "Video" input is that you could end up wasting time and
money better spent on just getting a standard composite color monitor (like the
Amdek Color-1) at a local Apple II swap meet.
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