Connecting a Raspberry Pi to an old TV

[Graham.]

No, that's more like a memory store function. I agree with Andy.

[Tim Streater]

Yes, the TV can sync to 525 lines at 30Hz but needs to have PAL colour. Most recent tape players can produce that. Your alternative was to blink

30 times a second in sync with the picture, when you'd either see it in colour or inverted colour.

[Steve Firth]

I could be wrong, but I think it is the column furthest to the right (column that has the on/off button at the top), fourth button down counting from the top. Of course Sony aren't greatly consistent so it could be the one that you indicate.

[John Rumm]

Or the TV has a YUV / SVGA style input mode and is looking for separate chroma and luma signals. Feeding CVBS into a input expecting luma will yield a B&W picture.

[Andy Burns]

Sounds like your TV's SCART input is set for s-Video (maybe called S-VHS) rather than composite video ...

[Brian Gaff]

You need to be in AV obviously, not going to tune it in as it has no modulator does it?

Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Well assuming the device is putting out composite video, then the single socket on the scart adapto and the switch to input should work if you select the right input.

What is the form of the video out though?

Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Well its a Unix machine innit?

Brian

[John Rumm]

sorry make that SVHS / S-Video not SVGA!

[BartC]

Have you turned on the Pi? (I'm not familiar with it, but I assume that even with no OS, it will give some sort of display.)

Have you got an equally ancient VCR that might have composite input? Or perhaps a DVD recorder. Then the output of that might be RF->RF on the TV, or SCART->SCART.

The SCARTphono adaptors, might be designed for output only (it might say so).

Or you could wire up directly, but will probably need to solder: central core of the yellow plug to pin 20 of SCART, and screen to pin 17 (download SCART pinouts from anywhere).

Using RF tuning on the TV won't help if the input is via SCART or composite, it needs to be AV input. You might be better off with a more recent TV, which you probably have in your living room. (And in that case, doesn't the PI have HDMI output?)

[News]

The saga continues. I found another old TV, a Bush with build in VCR. I know it works, and works in colour. The remote has gone wherever odd socks go, but no matter. I plugged in the Pi, and the TV must have recognised the AV signal, as I could watch the boot sequence, start STARTX, launch the browser and connect, but still only B&W. It must be the SCART adaptor I'm using. Next job is to find another one to try.

Update. Found another SCART adaptor, which is embossed Microsoft. It probably came with an XBox. It works, but still no colour.

What do I need, to connect the Pi to a proper PC monitor that only has a VGA connector?

[News]

In message , BartC writes

I have found four SCART adaptors, three of which are moulded plastic. However, one is screwed together, and the yellow socket is definitely wired to pins 17 and 20. I cannot clearly see whether it is as above, or opposite. Would that effect colour?

[Mark]

It could be the Pi itself. I would be surprised if a cable fault would allow you to get B&W but no colour.

A lot of money ;-) (Adaptors are expensive)

The Pi foundation glibly say "VGA is considered to be an end-of-life technology" although every monitor has a VGA connector. The biggest mistake they made in the design of the Pi IMHO.

I bought a new monitor instead - From what I can tell from the forums most people pick this solution.

[Johann Klammer]

You Pi may have died when you plugged it into the TV. Most TVs seem to have no grounding pin on their power socket, so their connectors may charge up to rather high Voltage. if you plugged the PI in with the TV on line voltage, there may have been a discharge through the Pi's video port frying parts of the DAC.

[Pete Shew]

try typing startx followed by enter to start up the GUI which should come up in colour.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Unless he has a functional flash card with linux, that will be the boot loader I'd guess..

I believe you download a linux image and put it on a flash card and then it will boot that.

[Pete Shew]

He said he had a DOS like prompt - I assumed that he has a Linux image on his flash card already to get that far.

I haven't tried booting without the flash card installed.

[Theo Markettos]

If there's no SD card, nothing happens. The GPU pulls its code off the SD, then the GPU starts the CPU. No SD card, no code, nowt.

Theo

[John Rumm]

Only if the TV is set to be expecting S-Video

[Andy Burns]

But don't try to tell dennis that, he won't believe you ...

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