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Record Your Games
Though many of the games in the Phosphor Dot Fossils arcade
section are represented by MAME screenshots, I'm making a concerted effort with
most of my console games to use real live video-grabbed screen shots. This
technique can also be used to record your games with a normal everyday VCR.
Here's how it works.
What You'll Need
Radio
Shack TV/Game Switch |
75-ohm
to 300-ohm matching
transformer | (For multi-game setups,
you'll need one of each per console.)
The procedure is exceedingly simple: loosen the screw terminals on the
matching transformer, insert the fork leads from the TV/game switch, and tighten
the screw terminals down on top of them. You should wind up with a contraption
that looks like this:
The open connector on the matching transformer is a coax, or F-type,
connector which will fit into the cable in jack on the back of a VCR. (I use a
VCR whose tape mechanism is broken, but whose tuner still works; I use the video
and audio out leads to send the signal to my A/V amp, where I can use another
working VCR to record the output.) Simply tune the VCR in to channel 3 or 4,
whichever is applicable given the console and its settings, and you're in
business. (I don't recommend trying to plug an actual cable line into the
TV/game switch and leaving it there permanently - I have yet to not get
interference with such a setup.)
Your games can now be recorded or, if your VCR has an RCA video out jack,
plugged into a Snappy or other model PC video input device to grab stills or
video.
 For those with multiple systems, I
recommend tracking down a now-out-of-production "video selector box"
which was originally sold by Radio Shack. Though they still sell an A/B switch
with only two inputs (which can also be handy for switching between one game and
cable), larger collections will require one of these. Simply assemble one of
the above gadgets for each game, leave them hooked up to this box permanently,
and use the buttons to switch them. (Make sure you find one with coax cable or
F-type connectors on the back; RCA jacks will not work for this.)
Earl's Cool Stuff
See my game room
See my collection
Drop me a
line
Add a Phosphor Dot Fossils link to your web site
I'm also active on the Digital
Press Retrogaming Roundtable message board as
Phosphor Dot Fossils.
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