Amiga video connector

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Amiga video connector
Type Analogue video connector
Production history
Designed 1980s
General specifications
Video signal Analogue RGB and Digital Red-Green-Blue-Intensity
Pins 23
Pinout
Male connector seen from the front [1]
Pin 1 XCLK External Clock
Pin 2 XCLKEN External Clock Enable
Pin 3 RED Analog Red
Pin 4 GREEN Analog Green
Pin 5 BLUE Analog Blue
Pin 6 DI Digital Intensity (47 Ohm)
Pin 7 DB Digital Blue (47 Ohm)
Pin 8 DG Digital Green (47 Ohm)
Pin 9 DR Digital Red (47 Ohm)
Pin 10 CSYNC Composite Sync (used for all monitor cables)
Pin 11 HSYNC Horizontal Sync (47 Ohm)
Pin 12 VSYNC Vertical Sync (47 Ohm)
Pin 13 GNDRTN Return for XCLKEN (don't connect to GND)
Pin 14 ZD Zero Detect (47 Ohm)
Pin 15 C1 Clock Out
Pin 16 GND red
Pin 17 GND green
Pin 18 GND blue
Pin 19 GND HVsync
Pin 20 GND video
Pin 21 -12 Volt DC (50 mA) / -5V
Pin 22 +12 Volt DC (100 mA)
Pin 23 +5 Volt DC (100 mA)

The Amiga video connector is a 23-pin male D-subminiature connector fitted to all personal computers in the Amiga range produced by Commodore International from 1985 to 1994, and by Escom from 1995 to 1996. The connector carries signals for analogue and digital RGB, RGB intensity, and genlocking as well as power.

Contents

Default Amiga screen modes are directly compatible with TVs in the region in which the computer was sold, so that the user could connect the computer to a common TV if no monitor was available. In the PAL region, the Amiga could be connected directly to the standardized SCART RGB connector on the TV via an adapter cable sold by Commodore, providing superior image quality.

The Amiga 520 adapter allowed for RF modulated and composite video output, to be connected to a TV Amiga 520 1.jpg
The Amiga 520 adapter allowed for RF modulated and composite video output, to be connected to a TV

Alternatively, Commodore sold an adapter (the A520), that attached to the Amiga video connector and provided composite and RF outputs appropriate to the region in which it was sold. [2]

Commodore also sold a range of monitors, which were compatible with the TV signals of the region in which they were sold, and in the PAL region many even had SCART inputs so that not only Amigas, but also other SCART-compatible equipment (such as VCRs) could be attached to them.

While most first and second generation Amigas (with the original and the enhanced graphics chipsets) only could output TV compatible screen modes (15 kHz horizontal scan rate), the Amiga 3000 also featured a connector for VGA type monitors, providing deinterlaced or scan-doubled 31 kHz scan rate.

The third generation of Amiga computers (with the Advanced Graphics Array chipset) could output a wide range of resolutions and scan rates, and Commodore introduced a line of multisync monitors to accommodate this. These computers could also output directly to the VGA monitors that by then had become commonplace, provided they were configured to output in a VGA compatible resolution and refresh rate. To enable this, Commodore sold an adapter which, like the A520, attached to the video connector to provide a standard VGA connector.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 500</span> Personal computer by Commodore

The Amiga 500, also known as the A500, was the first popular version of the Amiga home computer, "redefining the home computer market and making so-called luxury features such as multitasking and colour a standard long before Microsoft or Apple sold these to the masses." It contains the same Motorola 68000 as the Amiga 1000, as well as the same graphics and sound coprocessors, but is in a smaller case similar to that of the Commodore 128.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga 1000</span> 1985 personal computer

The Amiga 1000, also known as the A1000, is the first personal computer released by Commodore International in the Amiga line. It combines the 16/32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU which was powerful by 1985 standards with one of the most advanced graphics and sound systems in its class. It runs a preemptive multitasking operating system that fits into 256 KB of read-only memory and was shipped with 256 KB of RAM. The primary memory can be expanded internally with a manufacturer-supplied 256 KB module for a total of 512 KB of RAM. Using the external slot the primary memory can be expanded up to 8.5 MB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiga Original Chip Set</span> Chipset used in Amiga personal computer

The Original Chip Set (OCS) is a chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities. It was succeeded by the slightly improved Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) and the greatly improved Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video Graphics Array</span> Computer display standard and resolution

Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a video display controller and accompanying de facto graphics standard, first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, which became ubiquitous in the IBM PC compatible industry within three years. The term can now refer to the computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector, or the 640 × 480 resolution characteristic of the VGA hardware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SCART</span> 21-pin connector for audio-visual equipment

SCART is a French-originated standard and associated 21-pin connector for connecting audio-visual (AV) equipment. The name SCART comes from Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs, "Radio and Television Receiver Manufacturers' Association", the French organisation that created the connector in the mid-1970s. The related European standard EN 50049 has then been refined and published in 1978 by CENELEC, calling it péritelevision, but it is commonly called by the abbreviation péritel in French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S-Video</span> Signal format for standard-definition video

S-Video is an analog video signal format that carries standard-definition video, typically at 525 lines or 625 lines. It encodes video luma and chrominance on two separate channels, achieving higher image quality than composite video which encodes all video information on one channel. It also eliminates several types of visual defects such as dot crawl which commonly occur with composite video. Although it is improved over composite video, S-Video has lower color resolution than component video, which is encoded over three channels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enhanced Graphics Adapter</span> IBM PC graphic adapter and display standard

The Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) is an IBM PC graphics adapter and de facto computer display standard from 1984 that superseded the CGA standard introduced with the original IBM PC, and was itself superseded by the VGA standard in 1987. In addition to the original EGA card manufactured by IBM, many compatible third-party cards were manufactured, and EGA graphics modes continued to be supported by VGA and later standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Component video</span> Video signal that has been split into component channels

Component video is an analog video signal that has been split into two or more component channels. In popular use, it refers to a type of component analog video (CAV) information that is transmitted or stored as three separate signals. Component video can be contrasted with composite video in which all the video information is combined into a single signal that is used in analog television. Like composite, component cables do not carry audio and are often paired with audio cables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VGA connector</span> 15-pin video connector

The Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector is a standard connector used for computer video output. Originating with the 1987 IBM PS/2 and its VGA graphics system, the 15-pin connector went on to become ubiquitous on PCs, as well as many monitors, projectors and HD television sets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomson MO5</span> 1984 French computer model

The ThomsonMO5 is a home computer introduced in France in June 1984 to compete against systems such as the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. It had a release price of 2390 FF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flicker fixer</span> Video de-interlacer

A flicker fixer or scan doubler is a piece of computer hardware that de-interlaces an output video signal. The flicker fixer accomplishes this by adjusting the timing of the natively interlaced video signal to suit the needs of a progressive display Ex: CRT computer monitor. Flicker fixers in essence create a progressive frame of video from two interlaced fields of video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Composite monitor</span>

A composite monitor or composite video monitor is any analog video display that receives input in the form of an analog composite video signal to a defined specification. A composite video signal encodes all information on a single conductor; a composite cable has a single live conductor plus earth. Other equipment with display functionality includes monitors with more advanced interfaces and connectors giving a better picture, including analog VGA, and digital DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort; and television (TV) receivers which are self-contained, receiving and displaying video RF broadcasts received with an internal tuner. Video monitors are used for displaying computer output, closed-circuit television and other applications requiring a two-dimensional monochrome or colour image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minimig</span> Open source re-implementation of an Amiga 500

Minimig is an open source re-implementation of an Amiga 500 using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amstrad Mega PC</span> Hybrid personal computer / game console

The Mega PC is a computer manufactured and released by Amstrad in 1993 under license from Sega. It was similar but unrelated to the Sega TeraDrive. It is a standard Amstrad PC with Sega Mega Drive hardware bundled inside; the system was wired to share the dual-sync monitor and speakers with the Mega Drive on a separate circuit board.

A multiple-sync (multisync) monitor, also known as a multiscan or multimode monitor, is a raster-scan analog video monitor that can properly synchronise with multiple horizontal and vertical scan rates. In contrast, fixed frequency monitors can only synchronise with a specific set of scan rates. They are generally used for computer displays, but sometimes for television, and the terminology is mostly applied to CRT displays although the concept applies to other technologies.

GameCube accessories include first-party releases from Nintendo, and third-party devices, since the GameCube's launch in 2001.

In addition to the Amiga chipsets, various specially designed chips have been used in Commodore Amiga computers that do not belong to the 'Amiga chipset' in a tight sense.

Various accessories for the PlayStation 2 video game console have been produced by Sony, as well as third parties. These include controllers, audio and video input devices such as microphones and video cameras, and cables for better sound and picture quality.

References

  1. "Amiga Auckland Technical DB23 Video". Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. 080809 titan.co.nz (originally Amiga 3000T manual)
  2. "A520". Big Book of Amiga Hardware. 2013. Retrieved 2023-05-16.