How to setup Commodore 64

[Kreiseljustus]

Hey! Just bought a Commodore 64 for 40€ from my school and i was wondering how i connect it to the Commodore TV?

 

Image 1 is the TV as well as Image 4 (the vga cable/adapter connected to input on tv)

Image 2 is the RF of the Commodore 64 and Image 3 is the output of the commodore 64.

 

I dont know if this is the right category, but thanks in advance!

 

[8tg]

scrap my entire post, i gotta figure out what that is where you have an RF connector there and not an RCA to RF port

was this modded in any way you know of?

[Kreiseljustus]

4 minutes ago, 8tg said:

scrap my entire post, i gotta figure out what that is where you have an RF connector there and not an RCA to RF port

was this modded in any way you know of?

I dont know.

The White cable plugged into the RF is from me i just searched for a cable that fitted.

[8tg]

1 minute ago, Kreiseljustus said:

I dont know.

The White cable plugged into the RF is from me i just searched for a cable that fitted.

 

This may be different on european models, i have a C64c and not an earlier breadbin like that. That port would be RF out, analog audio/video that would be plugged into an older TV, not a commodore monitor. 

If you have an old TV around with an antenna input thats the way to connect that.

Otherwise to connect to a din input commodore monitor youd need the 8 pin to 6 pin din AV cable:

Commodore 64/128/16/+4 8-Pin DIN to Commodore 1902A AV Cable | 8-Bit Classics (8bitclassics.com)

And then the other cable you have with the DB9 connector i think is a DIY C128 video cable which wont do anything with a C64

 

You can also get 8 pin din to RCA connectors if youre trying to connect to other displays

 

Im not as acquainted with the older model variants and i was positive this was a C128 at first with that DB9 connector being present

[Kreiseljustus]

3 minutes ago, 8tg said:

This may be different on european models, i have a C64c and not an earlier breadbin like that. That port would be RF out, analog audio/video that would be plugged into an older TV, not a commodore monitor. 

If you have an old TV around with an antenna input thats the way to connect that.

Otherwise to connect to a din input commodore monitor youd need the 8 pin to 6 pin din AV cable:

Commodore 64/128/16/+4 8-Pin DIN to Commodore 1902A AV Cable | 8-Bit Classics (8bitclassics.com)

And then the other cable you have with the DB9 connector i think is a DIY C128 video cable which wont do anything with a C64

 

You can also get 8 pin din to RCA connectors if youre trying to connect to other displays

 

Im not as acquainted with the older model variants and i was positive this was a C128 at first with that DB9 connector being present

Could i get the gray VGA cable thats plugged into the TV without the vga but the female part into the commodore if you know what i mean (in Video)

[8tg]

2 minutes ago, Kreiseljustus said:

Could i get the gray VGA cable thats plugged into the TV without the vga but the female part into the commodore if you know what i mean (in Video)

Is that DB9 connector (the one that looks like VGA) built into the monitor?

[Kreiseljustus]

2 minutes ago, 8tg said:

Is that DB9 connector (the one that looks like VGA) built into the monitor?

Nah its just a cable i can plug out or what do you mean?

[8tg]

Just now, Kreiseljustus said:

Nah its just a cable i can plug out or what do you mean?

There are a billion different commodore monitors, a C64 would predate that connector which was used for the C128 and some earlier Amiga models:

Commodore monitors (mactar.hu)

I dont think you can directly adapt a C64's video output either DIN or the RF connector to the DB9 cable. You can maybe DIY it but i dont think anyone makes an off the shelf adapter for that. Youd be best off using the C64's din video cable or din to RCA if the monitor has RCA input, which some do. 

[Kilrah]

Pics don't show much context or the whole monitor IO, but the outputs from the C64 are either RF or DIN, and your monitor seems to have no RF but only DIN, so you'd need a DIN cable. Doesn't seem to have a DB9 either so no idea what the connector shown is about.

[Kreiseljustus]

1 hour ago, 8tg said:

There are a billion different commodore monitors, a C64 would predate that connector which was used for the C128 and some earlier Amiga models:

Commodore monitors (mactar.hu)

I dont think you can directly adapt a C64's video output either DIN or the RF connector to the DB9 cable. You can maybe DIY it but i dont think anyone makes an off the shelf adapter for that. Youd be best off using the C64's din video cable or din to RCA if the monitor has RCA input, which some do. 

Does this help?

[8tg]

11 minutes ago, Kreiseljustus said:

Does this help?

It’s a monochrome green display that only has the din video input. The DB9 is unrelated.

You’ll need the din video cable to connect to it, in that link I posted above, they’re fairly inexpensive.

I would also look at getting a din to rca connector for the c64 so you can plug it into other displays when you want color.

 

[Kreiseljustus]

2 minutes ago, 8tg said:

It’s a monochrome green display that only has the din video input. The DB9 is unrelated.

You’ll need the din video cable to connect to it, in that link I posted above, they’re fairly inexpensive.

I would also look at getting a din to rca connector for the c64 so you can plug it into other displays when you want color.

 

Commodore 64/128/16/+4 8-Pin DIN to Commodore 1902A AV Cable | 8-Bit Classics (8bitclassics.com)

This one right? Just want to make sure

[Kreiseljustus]

Just now, Kreiseljustus said:

Commodore 64/128/16/+4 8-Pin DIN to Commodore 1902A AV Cable | 8-Bit Classics (8bitclassics.com)

This one right? Just want to make sure

Also is there some site that has lower shipping costs to Europe (Germany)? I would pay 17$ just for shipping

[8tg]

Just now, Kreiseljustus said:

Commodore 64/128/16/+4 8-Pin DIN to Commodore 1902A AV Cable | 8-Bit Classics (8bitclassics.com)

This one right? Just want to make sure

Yes, that will let you use the din video output on the c64 to connect to that monitor.

This was before a lot of that stuff was standardized so it’s a bit difficult to pin down but almost every 6 pin din c64 monitor uses the same pinout so the cable is generally the same.

[8tg]

12 minutes ago, Kreiseljustus said:

Also is there some site that has lower shipping costs to Europe (Germany)? I would pay 17$ just for shipping

Check what offerings are in UK oriented retro computer stores, it’s a bit difficult to google that from the US and know what’s good.

It’s not the most common solution, even in the us, most people opt for some other video connector because the more basic commodore compatible monitors aren’t the greatest. So there’s not as many offerings out there for that type of video cable. The 5/6/8 pin din video cables are also not all super compatible with eachother in that some 5 pin models can’t use 6 pin cables but they do the same thing, 8 pin models can use 6 pin cables, but not the other way around, etc

[8tg]

I would see if this is cheaper to ship to the UK:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394603010641?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=SwaERCeSSk-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=jZLfeVRPRUa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
 

Which is 8 pin din (c64 end) to 5 pin din (most monitor ends).

I say most, because not all. Some require the 6 pin. Though I’m gonna guess an early monochrome display will be fine with the 5.

Though double check what exactly is on the back of the monitor, it’s hard to tell from that image. You’d want something that looks like the video output connector on the C64 but with 5 or 6 pin holes instead of 8.

[Kreiseljustus]

4 minutes ago, 8tg said:

I would see if this is cheaper to ship to the UK:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394603010641?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=SwaERCeSSk-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=jZLfeVRPRUa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
 

Which is 8 pin din (c64 end) to 5 pin din (most monitor ends).

I say most, because not all. Some require the 6 pin. Though I’m gonna guess an early monochrome display will be fine with the 5.

Though double check what exactly is on the back of the monitor, it’s hard to tell from that image. You’d want something that looks like the video output connector on the C64 but with 5 or 6 pin holes instead of 8.

Just noticed i had this cable lying around. It fits into the Monitor but only into the Serial Port on the Commodore not in the Video

[Kreiseljustus]

Just now, Kreiseljustus said:

Just noticed i had this cable lying around. It fits into the Monitor but only into the Serial Port on the Commodore not in the Video

 

[8tg]

1 minute ago, Kreiseljustus said:

 

That is the serial connection, the other din connector meant for things like the floppy drive. It’s a different 6 pin layout.