Commodore Vic20 Video

5-pin DIN 180° video port on the Commodore VIC-20, carrying composite audio/video and +6 V for an external RF modulator.

5 PIN DIN 180° (DIN41524) FEMALE 5 PIN DIN 180° (DIN41524) FEMALE at the Computer.

5 PIN DIN 180° (DIN41524) MALE 5 PIN DIN 180° (DIN41524) MALE at the Cable.

The Commodore VIC-20 (introduced 1980) outputs combined audio and video through a 5-pin DIN 180° (DIN 41524) female socket on the rear of the computer. Unlike the later C64 and C128 8-pin DIN ports, this connector carries no separate chroma signal; video is composite only, split across two pins labelled Video Low and Video High in Commodore’s own documentation. Pin 1 supplies +6 V regulated (10 mA maximum) to power an external RF modulator accessory. The same physical DIN-5 form factor appears on the early Commodore 64, but the signal assignments differ: the VIC-20 dedicates pin 1 to the +6 V supply, whereas the early C64 uses that pin for Luminance.

PinNameDirDescription
1+6VOUT+6 VDC (10 mA max)
2GND-Ground
3AUDIOOUTAudio
4VLOWOUTVideo Low (Unconnected ?)
5VHIGHOUTVideo High

Notes

  • Direction is Computer relative Monitor.
  • The connector is a standard 5-pin DIN 180° (DIN 41524) female on the computer; monitor cables use a male DIN-5 plug at the computer end, typically terminating in RCA jacks (composite video and audio) at the monitor end.
  • Pin 1 (+6 V) is intended to power an external RF modulator unit, not a monitor directly; it should not be shorted or overloaded beyond 10 mA.
  • The Commodore 1702 monitor (1983) accommodated this connector via a 2-RCA cable (composite video and audio), selected with the rear-panel FRONT/REAR input switch.

Signals

  • +6V — +6 V regulated supply output, maximum 10 mA; used to power an external RF modulator accessory
  • GND — Signal and power ground reference
  • AUDIO — Composite audio output
  • VLOW — Video Low; carries composite sync and luminance output (labelled “Video Low” in Commodore documentation)
  • VHIGH — Video High; carries the composite video signal (labelled “Video High” in Commodore documentation); no separate chroma output is provided

References

Category:Computer Multimedia Connectors