TRS-80 Tandy Color Computer 2 CoCo RGBtoHDMI HDMI Video Converter Kit

This is the original listing for the Analog version. At the end I will add extra details for the Tandy Color Computer 2 kit.

First, because many vendors just sell a hat and you must obtain the parts yourself, I like to list out all the parts, just to make it clear that this is a complete kit.

What You Get:

• Raspberry Pi Zero v1.3

• SD Card

• 3D Printed Case

• New 5V Power Supply

• Mini-HDMI to HDMI Adapter

• RGBtoHDMI CPLD Board

• RGBtoHDMI Analog Board

• VDG Adapter Board

• RCA Cable

• Ribbon Cable (to hook up the RGBtoHDMI to the VDG Adapter)

Other Computers Supported by this Configuration:

(6-way IDC connection)

• Amstrad CPC

• Spectrum +2 (grey), +2A, +3 and Sinclair QL (Analog RGB)

• Oric 1 / Atmos / Camputers Lynx / Sharp MZ700 (3-bit RGB TTL)

• Tandy Color Computer 3 (Analog RGB)

• 48K Spectrum / Atom / Dragon 32 (Analog YUV)

• PAL Tandy Color Computer 1/MC10 (Analog YUV)

• NTSC Tandy Color Computer 1/2/MC10 (Analog YUV)

• LumaCode / Apple II / ZX80 / ZX81 / UK101 / Nascom / Superboard II (or any other mono computer)

• TRS-80 Model 1 (Mono) / Video Genie

• Commodore 64 (with c0pperdragon's YUV interface)

• Atari 800XL (with c0pperdragon's A-VideoBoard YUV interface)

The CoCo 2 Kit

I have personally tested each board; the result is amazing, like an emulator—it's like a CoCo I never knew existed until now.

The kit is the regular analog version plus VDG adapter. This allows you to get the video solved without any soldering and without any cable creation; just plug it up and it works. For sound, the kit includes an RCA cable. It will have 2 leads: one you solder to ground, the other to a sound pickup on the motherboard. I describe that later in this auction. (*For 100% no-soldering option, see note at the end).

I have sold over 100 RGBtoHDMI units, usually the IBM version; those sell year-round, but suddenly the analog version took off and I'm selling many of them. I don't know how long I will have these; I currently only have 3 adapters because I just finalized the production of the adapter, and frankly, I only had parts for a few. I will get more next year.

Notes on Installation

You can see in the pictures the VDG adapter. I don't include the VDG chip, of course; you pull yours from the socket (if socketed) and place it in the adapter.

Sound Out: I run one wire to a sound pickup on the motherboard, and the other to ground which is anywhere on the outside of the RF modulator. The instructions for finding the location to do this can be found by searching Mark Data Products Universal Video Driver (U.V.D.) manual and download it. All you care about from this manual is it lists the various motherboards for the Color Computer line and it will tell you exactly where to find the sound and ground location on your motherboard.

Video Install: The install for video was way simple. Literally just pull the VDG from the socket (mine was socketed), put it in the adapter with VDG, and—given the adapter is already configured for an NTSC Color Computer 2—it instantly comes up with perfect HDMI video out.

Attributions

• VDG adapter: by qbancoffee, licensed under the AGPL 3.0; you may find the open source hardware design files on GitHub.

• RGBtoHDMI project: licensed under the GPL 3.0; also open source hardware and files can be found on GitHub (username: hoglet67).

100% No-Soldering Option

I can put IC Test hooks on the end of the RCA cable so that you do not even have to solder that—drop me a note when you purchase. I do not at this time plan to make it the default option, but I will let the market decide.