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                Composite Video Output for the Atari Falcon 030

        If you ever wanted to connect your Falcon to a TV card or 
        grabbing a video or simply using it with the AV connector of 
        your TV, you will have noticed that the Falcon doesn't offer a 
        composite video signal by default. However this signal is 
        available from the large nonstandard monitor connector the 
        Falcon offers at his backside. 

        This article shows you a simple way to build yourself an 
        adaptor which will allow you to use those yellow standard cinch 
        cabling to hookup your Falcon to any device that takes composite 
        video like a beamer, modern TV sets or most TV cards.

        You will need the following:

        - a DB25 connector (female, the one with holes in)
          of course a DB19 one will do too if you manage to find one :> 
        - a small metal saw
        - a cinch connector (female)
        - 10cm of wire
        - soldering iron

        If you look at the Falcon's video port you can identify 19 pins. 
        Take a look from the outside and you will see the following

        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10
        ______________________________
        \o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o/
         \ o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o/
          --------------------------
           11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

        The pin layout is organized like follows:

        Red                1 
        Green              2 
        Blue               3 
        Ground             5 
        Red Ground         6 
        Green Ground       7 
        Blue Ground        8 
        Ground            10 
        Ground            11 
        Composite Sync    12 (That's the one we are looking for.)
        Hsync             13 
        Vsync             14 

        The main problem is the monitor connector. DB19 ones as used by 
        the Falcon are hard to find these days and if you are lucky to 
        get one, you can skip the following step.

        (cxt: You might find those db19 connectors at partsdata.de)

        First you will have to make the DB19 compatible plug. So put your
        DB25 standard plug into a vice and use the saw to cutoff 6
        connectors on the left. Make sure to cut them cleanly or the
        remains of the pins will interfere with your Falcon's case and
        you won't be able to plug it into the socket.

        Now take a file and smoothen the cut. Try and correct until your 
        DIY DB19 slides easily into the socket. Use the soldering iron 
        to ensure the shielding stays intact on your customized plug.

        Let's turn to the main task now and warm up the soldering iron
        to get ready to solder the needed wires to the connector.
        Solder a wire to PIN 10 (I did choose a black one to identify it
        as GND) and another to PIN 12 which will have the composite
        video signal. It is advisable to choose a meaningful color
        scheme or you will get lost easily.

        Now take the cinch plug apart and solder your composite wire from 
        PIN 12 to the center piece. Afterwards solder the ground-wire to 
        the shielding of the cinch plug. Reassemble the cinch plug and 
        fix the soldering points with some plastic glue.

        Now you are finished. To test your cable, simply put your new
        adaptor into the Falcon's video port, and connect it to your TV
        with a cinch cable.

        Now it's time to enjoy RGB demos and video capturing :)

                                Simon Sunnyboy / Paradize for Alive, 2007-02-22