My objective is to connect my Amiga computer’s to modern monitors without having to destroy the original Amiga video cables.  Being most Amiga’s video output is set to 15khz only a very few select LCD monitors can handle the 15khz signal.  A solution would clearly require some sort of an upscaler to go in between the Amiga and the monitor.  For me using an upscaler is not a problem as I have grown to love the Extron scalers and I use the Extron DVS 304 scaler for my Atari’s, Commodore’s and now Amiga’s.

Amiga Display VGA Adapter

Amiga Display VGA Adapter

The Extron DVS 304 has both composite and a 15-pin RGB input which is perfect for this project as I will be using the 15-pin RGB input (also known as the VGA input). In addition to using the Extron scaler I would no longer have to worry about using a 15khz monitor.  So, I will make an adapter to connect on to the end of my Amiga display cable’s 6-pin DIN converting it to a 15-pin RGB.

Using my adapter, I can then connect my Amiga’s to the Extron scaler which in turn sends the signal through a VGA output.  This will allow me to connect directly to any monitor with a VGA connection or I convert that VGA output to HDMI for HDMI monitors.  I can even convert the VGA output of the Extron to HDMI to connect to a video capture device.  So, no matter what I want to connect to the Extron will help fulfill my needs.

I decided to make this adapter instead of a whole new cable to go between the Amiga and scaler for a couple of reasons.

Amiga to VGA Pinout

Amiga to VGA Pinout

The first reason is the video connector on the Amiga computers are a very unique 23-pin connector and the fittings for them are as common as a real-life unicorn.  I could convert a 25-pin connector to fit the Amiga 23-pin but I also wanted something simple.

The second reason is that I have a ton of VGA cables laying around and the female 6-pin DIN connector is only a few bucks online for a pack of 5 so that makes this a very economical project.

For the pinout of the Amiga video cable 6-pin DIN I used a pinout guide for the Amiga 1084s monitor that my cable connects to.  The wiring diagram I used is pieced together from a couple of online sources to match connections between the Amiga and VGA.

Well enough talk, the QUICK-BIT video above will quickly go through the build of this Amiga Display VGA Adapter and show if it even works in the end!

 

Share the love