~llama Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 i just got a 4-switch woodgrain VCS and i'm hooking it up... and I dont know how to hook the video out into the TV/RF switch! there's just a cord with an RCA-looking plug on the end of it coming out of the Atari and it doesnt fit n the coax places on the TV or the switch... it'll fit in the RCA composite jacks but there's only one plug... help! I really want to play Yar's Revenge i just got the VCS today, with paddles and joysticks, and some games: Yar's Revenge Warlords Frogger Bowling Video Olympics (Picture label) Pac-Man Night driver Donkey Kong (Coleco) Asteroids (picture label) Vanguard Dragonfire barnstorming Dodge 'Em Pitfall! Amidar Word Zapper Combat (text label, no number) So... mostly 2's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 You need either a TV/Game switchbox or a Coaxial (F-Type) to Female RCA Adapter. Here's the best, and cheapest way to do it. http://www.atariage.com/store/product_info...&products_id=42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 It doesn't fit in the RF switch? Does the Switch look like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 1, 2004 Author Share Posted October 1, 2004 No, this isnt the original switchbox, this is one of those newfangled RadioShack deals that has a cable with a male coax plug on it going to the game... Looks like I'll be making a male-RCA to female coax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 1, 2004 Author Share Posted October 1, 2004 connector. sorry, i hit submit randomly on accident, dont ask how. &*(^#% edit-buttonless forums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 1, 2004 Author Share Posted October 1, 2004 there's not any way i could just hack one of these together, is there? say... if I cannibalized some plugs and wire that i have laying around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 No, this isnt the original switchbox, this is one of those newfangled RadioShack deals that has a cable with a male coax plug on it going to the game... Looks like I'll be making a male-RCA to female coax Ah, if it's an automatic switchbox (no switch), then it won't work. Those require a small DC voltage from the console. -Bry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 1, 2004 Author Share Posted October 1, 2004 Will my local Radio Shack have this connector thing or do I need to order it from AA? Dammit, I really wanted to play Atari today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 Radio Shack should have it in stock, at least they would've a couple years ago. I've heard they've changed a lot though in the past few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?cat...11%5F000&Page=2 I think 278-255 is what you want. -Bry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 2, 2004 Author Share Posted October 2, 2004 http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F011%5F003%5F011%5F000&Page=2 I think 278-255 is what you want. -Bry Thanks! I'm gonna run that out to Radio Shack tomorrow sometime and get all my Atari stuff working I'm excited, this is my first VCS and I've wanted once sincei first saw one at a 4th grade friend's birthday party (I'm a senior this year) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 278-255 is a standard F-Connector, to be crimped on bare-wire coax cabling. What he wants (and is not on that page) is an F-to-RCA connector, just like this one available right here. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 2, 2004 Author Share Posted October 2, 2004 278-255 is a standard F-Connector, to be crimped on bare-wire coax cabling. What he wants (and is not on that page) is an F-to-RCA connector, just like this one available right here. :-) So... Radio Shack doesn't carry these at all? Or just that part isn't what I'm looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 278-255 is a standard F-Connector, to be crimped on bare-wire coax cabling. What he wants (and is not on that page) is an F-to-RCA connector, just like this one available right here. :-) Huh. It looks like the right thing to me, but the description isn't clear. Go to Radio Shack and just ask for a female RCA (phono plug) to F-connector. -Bry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 So... Radio Shack doesn't carry these at all? Or just that part isn't what I'm looking for? Radio Shack do carry 'em. I bought a gold plated F-to-RCA for C$10 there. They don't always seem to stock them though. As was said, just ask for a female RCA to Coax adapter. If they don't have them in stock I'm sure they can order them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 If you are really desperate, and handy with wiring, just do this. Get a standard RCA jack, about halfway down the one pin, cut it, that way it can go inside the atari. Open up the atari, replace the cable. On the other end of this new cable, cut that end, and cut a coaxial cable. Wire hot to hot, ground to ground, and hook up to tv. Make sure to wrap with electrical tape so you get good reception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 Sorry not RCA jack, i meant RCA cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 3, 2004 Author Share Posted October 3, 2004 well... I'm out of town at the moment so I won't be able to hit Radio Shack and get the part i need and hook up the Heavy Four-er (don't these things have a nifty name like "heavy Sixer" or "light sixer"?) but I definitely found the part that i was looking for... its RS part number 278-276 and it's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks for the advice, though, Keilbaca... if I ever come across another VCS in the wild I might just do that mod just to see what happens. Anyway... thanks for all the help, guys... and I'm sure that when i get back to Memphis on monday I'll play Yar's Revenge and Pitfall (and the others, probably.... I've never actually played with Atari paddles before so I'll probably play paddle games first) until the wee hours of the morning. Thanks again I'll try to get my hands on a 278-276 while im down here in Mississippi but I'm not sure the Radio Shack here will be open on Sunday because it's a pretty small town. So... is it "Heavy Four-er" like I made up earlier in my post? Or is there actually a cool nickname for these things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 Using a Coaxial (F-Type) to Female RCA Adapter definitely is the way to go, as opposed to using a switchbox. Those metal TV/Games switchboxes are magnets for RF interference, so I try to avoid them whenever possible. Good luck and hope you're able to enjoy those 2600 games soon! ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkeykong1 Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 If you still need the adapter, PM me and I'll hook you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Using a Coaxial (F-Type) to Female RCA Adapter definitely is the way to go, as opposed to using a switchbox. Those metal TV/Games switchboxes are magnets for RF interference, so I try to avoid them whenever possible. Good luck and hope you're able to enjoy those 2600 games soon! ..Al You're 200% right! I bought a bunch of these from the AA store and use them on the VCS, 5200, CV, C64, INTV and Pong. Much better than using the switchbox. One question though I suppose I could just try it when I get home. Will those work for systems that had an automatic switchbox like the SMS or a NES if I changed the RF cable to one without the switch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~llama Posted October 5, 2004 Author Share Posted October 5, 2004 I went to Radio Shack earlier and got an adapter, a gold plated one, for four bucks. I went home and hooked it up to the TV and the picture was terrible on channel 3 because Memphis has a station on channel 3, and on channel 2 the sound didn't work. I took the VCS upstairs to my TV and hooked it into the Automatic switchbox I have going to the NES... I attached the VCS to the jack on the auto switch that says "to antenna" and set the VCS to channel 2... The picture was beautifully clear, and the sound was perfect everything was working wonderfully apparently the difference was the cheap TV downstairs. now all i have to do is search AtariAge for manuals for the games I don't know how to play... I think my Barnstorming cart is dead, because the VCS does absolutely nothing when this cart is in, but works fine for all the rest. Any ideas? has this happened to anyone else? Damn. I think I'm addicted to Dragonfire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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