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by aasarava 2206 days ago
Apple //c from 1984 (with the original receipt!) The composite video output means I can plug it right into my 50" tv without any special hardware and everything looks great.

I removed the disk drive cable from the motherboard and plugged a floppy EMU in, and now my kids play Lemonade Stand, Dig Dug, Oregon Trail, Carmen San Diego, and dozens of other classic games. https://www.bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu/

4 comments

This is only a video quality thing, but you might consider getting an upscaler to get better quality video out of your composite output. I use this one for composite sources: https://www.retrotink.com/product-page/retrotink-2x
The TV by itself might do it just fine! They often have good analog to digital converters built in as shown by Technology Connections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC5Zr3NC2PY
I just got a Floppy EMU for my Macintosh SE, and it’s working great! Have been playing many memorable games from my childhood with the next generation of computer users.
The composite video output means I can plug it right into my 50" tv without any special hardware and everything looks great.

Is this uncommon?

The composite video output on the back of a computer at a time when many televisions didn't have composite inputs was pretty advanced. At the time, we had to use a converter (I believe to UHF) that screwed on to two terminals on the back of our tv set.

The fact that, 36 years later, I can plug the //c straight into the composite input on a modern LCD tv and have everything work just fine is impressive to me.

I miss my //c!

My sister and I played hours of Lemonade Stand, Summer Games, GATO, and Carmen Sandiego.

I wish I had the //E with color, though.

But the //c has color if you plug it into a color display!