atari 2600 hook up help

[Lostdwarf]

call me a noob call me whatever but for some ungodly reason i cannot hook up my atari 2600 unless i have it running directly to the tv. i tried a splitter and that won't work. anyone have any ideas?

mike

[Lostdwarf]

i was using a Y splitter 1 cable in 2 out (1 to tv 1 to atari)

[squirrelnut]

Ah yes atari 2600 hookups, my how rf switches have evolved.

Back in the days of yore, you would have an attenna with 2 flat prongs that would attach to the back of the switcher. The switcher was designed to be mounted on a wall. With the switch in one position it would select tv, in the other way "computer". Now most modern tv's have given up the attenna in favor for either coaxial cable or component hookups.

One of the ways to hook up your atari to the tv would be to get a coaxial to uhf (i believe thats what it was called) adapter. It's the one with the 2 flat U prongs. You will still need the manual Atari swticher though.

I believe radio shack has an updated version of the switcher though thats compatable with newer tv's.

[Superman]

I'm not sure why you are using a splitter for the game system. I thought the point of using a splitter was to take one line (cable tv for example) and make it two lines. That way you would now have two inputs for two different tvs, picture-in-picture, etc.

If you are trying to run the game system back through the Y splitter to the tv, I don't think that will work.

You should have the game system hooked up between the cable and the tv (the way you had it before).

[Lostdwarf]

the switches i have are this

1) coaxil on one side 2 U shaped prongs coming out the other end

2) a switch box that is square on the top side says computer the side has the 2 U shaped prongs (connect to vhf) the bottom has 2 screws where the 2 U shaped prongs would fit (connect to antenna), also there is a switch in the middle that says Computer / TV

---
Here is what is hooked to this tv currently

1. Original NES (rf adapter)
2. Top Loader NES (rf adapter)
3. SNES via composite cables
4. PS2 via component cables
5. Wii via component cables

there is 1 coaxil port on the back of the television with the cable and 2 rf switches is hooked up.

mike

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

This stuff is complicated because the technologies have changed so much over the years. Rather than trying to explain how to use the adapters and switchboxes you have (you'd need to buy at least one more adapter anyway form the sounds of it). I'd recommend ditching this type of switchbox altogether and getting some of these babies:

http://atariace.com/images/atariace.com/atari/images/rca-coax-rf-adapter.jpg

That's a simple, direct adapter that accepts the RCA type plug from a game system like the 2600 or NES and adapts it to coaxial like your TV accepts. They're all over eBay or at Radio Shack or another electronic supply store.

If you want to be able to switch between multiple RF sources without changing the cables, get a single switchbox that takes multiple coaxial inputs and plug all your system into it with the adapters pictured above. Either that or plug your systems directly into an RCA type switchbox and then use one of the above pictured adapters to adapt the output from that to coaxial. Trying to daisychain computer/TV switchboxes is just silly, especially if you have to add additional adpaters into the mix to convert to or from the old two-prong style to coaxial.


...word is bondage...

[Soviet Conscript]

I'm not sure why you are using a splitter for the game system. I thought the point of using a splitter was to take one line (cable tv for example) and make it two lines. That way you would now have two inputs for two different tvs, picture-in-picture, etc.

If you are trying to run the game system back through the Y splitter to the tv, I don't think that will work.

You should have the game system hooked up between the cable and the tv (the way you had it before).

this is off topic but, what ever happened with "picture in picture". for awhile it seemed like it was going to be a common feature but i almost never see it as an option anymore on TV's. even higher end ones.

just a fad? noone cared about it?