Background
The TRS-80 was originally sold with a 13″ RCA Black and White Television with most of the guts ripped out. However, there can be times that a monitor is not available, and this is about the best you are going to do.
Ian Mavric has created a video which will give the step by step for building a TRS-80 Model I to Composite cable.
Steps
- Remember – you are doing this at your own risk; we take no responsibility for the process.
- Buy a standard male-to-male composite RCA cable (such as an audio patch cable)
- Buy a 5-Pin DIN Connector
- Cut off one end of the composite cable
- Expose the two conductor wires inside – 1 is in in the center and 1 is the shielding around the cable [See the 2:25 minute mark]. The shielding is the ground connector, and the center shielded connector is what will carry the signal
- Tin the two wires so that they are ready for soldering [3:09 mark]
- Trim the tinned wires to 1/2 a centimeter or 0.2 inches long [3:37 mark]
- Stick the cable through the DIN shield (because it will be impossible to get on afterwards)
- Solder the center wire (video signal) to pin 4 (the 1 O’Clock Pin when facing out) [4:15 mark]
- Solder the other wire (ground) to pin 5 (the 11 O’Clock Pin when facing out)
- Verify the connection is strong by gently pulling on the wires
- Locate the Video DIN connector on the back of the TRS-80 Model I, which is the one in the middle
- Test the connector by hooking the cable up
- If it works, seal up the DIN cable