DEC Rainbow 100+ Plus

[Ethan Dicks]

On 8/10/07, Rod Smallwood <RodSmallwood at mail.ediconsulting.co.uk> wrote:
> Hi
>     I am now the owner of a DEC Rainbow 100 Plus....
> The bad news is the tube in the VR201 monitor is shot.
>
> So...
>    I need:
>
>         a) A  replacement tube.
>
>         or
>
>         b) a Digital VR201-A , -B or -C
>
>         or
>
>         d) A colour graphics card for a DEC Rainbow. 100+
>
>
> Anybody knowing the whereabouts any of the above please contact me.

You have another option... the video input to a VR201 is NTSC
"composite video", also called RS-170.  I see you are in the UK, so an
NTSC monitor might not be as easy to find as a VR201, but will work if
you have one handy.

I made a DA15-RCA cable years ago to hook a VR201 to an Amiga 2000
that I used as a hardware test platform (so I didn't care about a lack
of color).  I have to admit that I haven't "gone the other way" and
used a non-DEC monitor on a Rainbow, but there's no reason to expect
it won't work.

I recently saw my Amiga cable, but the VR201, unfortunately, fell off
the workbench some years ago, and the tube bit the dust.  I pitched
the plastic housing and saved the analog board, IIRC.

-ethan