+- 99er Forums (http://www.99er.net/99erbbs)
+-- Forum: TI-99/4A & Related Computers (http://www.99er.net/99erbbs/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Hardware (http://www.99er.net/99erbbs/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Thread: Probably a bad purchase? (/showthread.php?tid=137)
Probably a bad purchase? - Primpwatcher - 09-08-2017
I purchased a brand new 99/4A a few months ago, the beige one. It has a Target price tag for $59.95, so it was sold during the price wars with Commodore. Anyway, it was brand new, manuals, inserts and everything in between. I have tried 5 different video connectors and cannot get it to show anything on the screen, even the ones that claim to work with a 99. All cables are 5-pin. I have included a screen shot to show what I see on the screen and a not-so-good pic of the video connector. It would suck if it's a bad chip since this is brand new. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
RE: Probably a bad purchase? - ollopa - 09-20-2017
(09-08-2017, 12:51 PM)Primpwatcher Wrote: It might help if you post information on the adapters you're trying to use. It looks like you're trying to connect the TI to a high resolution DVI/VGA monitor. The TI puts out a composite signal at a low resolution -- the likely explanation is that your upscaler/adapter box doesn't support the low resolution of the TI or that you're hooking up hardware that is totally incompatible. In any case I doubt that your TI is broken.
If you can find an old TV then your TI should have come with an RF modulator you can use. The best thing to do is to buy or build a composite cable and plug it into a cheap NTSC LCD monitor from China.
Something like this would work: http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-3-TFT-LCD-Foldable-Car-Reverse-Rear-View-Monitor-for-Backup-Camera-PAL-NTSC-/302350374833?hash=item46657c97b1:g:LLkAAOSwceNZQjtM
If you need something larger, just beware that a lot of the analog to digital converter boxes don't support the funky timing of old home computer systems.
Make your own composite cable... http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-TI-994a-Composite-Video-Cable/
It will usually work with LCD TVs with composite input but I wouldn't put much faith in random HDMI converters etc.
RE: Probably a bad purchase? - Primpwatcher - 09-21-2017
Thanks for the reply. Two of the composite cables came from 8-Bit Classics and both are supposed to work with the 99/4a. One had red/white/yellow and an S-video connector. The other one was red/white only. The converter box I am using is a Blackweb composite/s-video to HDMI converter. The C64, Sega Genesis, Atari 800, and even the Apple IIC work on it. I assumed the 99/4a would as well. I made my own cable from the same website you linked to before I bought other cables. That gave me the same screen as the one I posted. I have even bought one of the cheap vga boxes on ebay. That is why I was thinking maybe it was the 99 that was the problem. But, when I hook it up to my Commodore 1702 monitor, the screen has all kinds of colors but looks like it's having a seizure. I'll get an older tv and see what happens. Any more input would be appreciated. Thanks.
RE: Probably a bad purchase? - sjt99 - 10-02-2017
(09-21-2017, 09:24 AM)Primpwatcher Wrote: Thanks for the reply. Two of the composite cables came from 8-Bit Classics and both are supposed to work with the 99/4a. One had red/white/yellow and an S-video connector. The other one was red/white only. The converter box I am using is a Blackweb composite/s-video to HDMI converter. The C64, Sega Genesis, Atari 800, and even the Apple IIC work on it. I assumed the 99/4a would as well. I made my own cable from the same website you linked to before I bought other cables. That gave me the same screen as the one I posted. I have even bought one of the cheap vga boxes on ebay. That is why I was thinking maybe it was the 99 that was the problem. But, when I hook it up to my Commodore 1702 monitor, the screen has all kinds of colors but looks like it's having a seizure. I'll get an older tv and see what happens. Any more input would be appreciated. Thanks.
See my earlier post about a TI monitor solution.
You can use a computer monitor with a VGA input using a video convertor.
The convertors were very inexpensive.
RE: Probably a bad purchase? - Primpwatcher - 10-12-2017
(10-02-2017, 08:51 AM)sjt99 Wrote:(09-21-2017, 09:24 AM)Primpwatcher Wrote: Thanks for the reply. Two of the composite cables came from 8-Bit Classics and both are supposed to work with the 99/4a. One had red/white/yellow and an S-video connector. The other one was red/white only. The converter box I am using is a Blackweb composite/s-video to HDMI converter. The C64, Sega Genesis, Atari 800, and even the Apple IIC work on it. I assumed the 99/4a would as well. I made my own cable from the same website you linked to before I bought other cables. That gave me the same screen as the one I posted. I have even bought one of the cheap vga boxes on ebay. That is why I was thinking maybe it was the 99 that was the problem. But, when I hook it up to my Commodore 1702 monitor, the screen has all kinds of colors but looks like it's having a seizure. I'll get an older tv and see what happens. Any more input would be appreciated. Thanks.
See my earlier post about a TI monitor solution.
You can use a computer monitor with a VGA input using a video convertor.
The convertors were very inexpensive.
The last thing I tried was a cheap rf modulator. It didn't work. So, I just got another 99/4a and it works like a charm. Even came with Munch Man and the cool leather cover. You would think that a brand new computer would work out of the box, but not so in my case. Must have been stored in the wrong temperature environment. Or, it wasn't brand new to begin with. But, I have all the manuals, advertisements, and some cool nostalgia. Not too bad of an ending.