TimsterAA Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hi everyone, Ok - I just picked up a DISPLAY MANAGER cart/adapter on eBay. It was manufactured by the Data 20 Corporation in the early '80s. This company made a lot of Commodore expansion devices for the VIC, C64, and +4/264/etc. It allegedly provides 40/80 column functionality to the VIC, along with expanded memory (up to 70K, based on the research I was able to do on-line). I have my VIC hooked up to a monitor via a 5-pin DIN -> RCA A/V cable. With this cart inserted, when I flip the power on I just get a black screen. I noticed the cart itself has a 5-pin DIN out, so I tried plugging my cable into that. Well, this time when I power it on, I get the normal 1-2 seconds of black screen, followed by what I assume is the computer's display. Only problem is the output looks like a still-frame of a staticy tv-screen. I figure this is because the output from this card now exceeds the capabilities of the monitor. The monitor is basically the equivalent of a TV set, with RCA input for video, 1/8" jack for audio (the cable I have) on the back, and an on-off/volume knob, and contrast knob on the front. I think this is the problem, I just don't know how to solve it. I realize this is a long-shot, but if anyone has any advice, it would surely be appreciated! I'm guessing the hi-res output would require an RGB (or is that composite?) monitor - such as a CGA monitor from an early PC. If so - would I need to find a 5-pin DIN -> RGB video cable, and if so does such a beast even exist??? Any ideas anyone? Thanks... --Timster-- Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 As I recall, all those 80 column adapters put out a monochrome signal. Your 5-pin cable may work - but it's possible the signal is being sent to a different RCA plug than before. I've seen reference to the 64 version its own power supply - is there a power plug on yours? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1275735 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimsterAA Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 As I recall, all those 80 column adapters put out a monochrome signal. Your 5-pin cable may work - but it's possible the signal is being sent to a different RCA plug than before. I've seen reference to the 64 version its own power supply - is there a power plug on yours? Hmmm... interesting. No - the only 'connectors' on this cart are the cart connector itself, and the female 5-pin DIN connector. What do you mean by 'different RCA plug'? My cable is a male 5-pin DIN on one end, and a split RCA video and 1/8" audio plug on the other end. --Timster-- PS - Thanks for replying (even if we don't find an answer). I wasn't sure anyone would even know what I was talking about! Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1275746 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Oh you got that did you? (yeah I recall seeing it on eBay) I have something similar here called the "Protecto 80" which I know definitely works as I've hooked it up. All it needs is to plug your usual Vic video cable into the cartridge instead. Maybe yours could be faulty, or the circuit connector needs a clean? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1275850 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 (edited) What do you mean by 'different RCA plug'? My cable is a male 5-pin DIN on one end, and a split RCA video and 1/8" audio plug on the other end. I missed that - the video cable I have is like this one, with 4 RCA plugs. Edited April 12, 2007 by SpiceWare Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1275955 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimsterAA Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 Well... I just scrubbed both sides of the connector twice with alcohol and a swab, and while a bit of black came off - I still get the same result. Maybe it is fried? (Great - a $40 paperweight! ) I just thought it might need a special cable to go to a monitor (computer monitor vs a TV display monitor) like the C-128 does to get 80 cols. I had a sneaking suspicion I shouldn't have tried for this item, but if it was working fine, I felt it would be a great, unique addition to my VIC collection. Oh well... Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1276143 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimsterAA Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 I'm including some pics of the inside of this device. All the chips appear to be seated fine. Here's the front of the board. And here's the back: Here's with the video cable plugged into the VIC: And here's with the cable plugged into the cart: Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1276305 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Did you check out that cable I linked to? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1276313 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimsterAA Posted April 13, 2007 Author Share Posted April 13, 2007 Did you check out that cable I linked to? Yes, thanks. However, I've come across new input from some folks over at the Denial forums (for Vic-20 users) that this is almost definitely a 'shot' cart. It might be salvagable with some replacement chips, but I'm not overly optimistic at this point. One key problem is that if the cart is working correctly, then a cable plugged into the Vic's video-out would still show a cyan border with an empty white screen, as all the screen output is routed to the display adapter's output. When I use this cart, the output from the Vic is a black screen - so that's not good. Also - I was assured that my monitor would be able to display the 80-col output of this cart, so that doesn't explain the garbage I'm seeing either. Oh well... thanks for the input anyway Spice! Maybe someone over there will know how and/or if I can fix it. --Timster-- Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1276325 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 ah - sounds like it's not initializing correctly then. Maybe the ROM got hosed. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/105263-another-vic-20-question/#findComment-1276674 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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