The Video Game Critic

I was reading on Wikipedia that a company made an attachment for the Atari Jaguar called the CatBox?  Apparently it have all kind of ports and video outputs.  

Has anyone ever seen one?  I'm curious but can't seem to find one - even on Ebay.

I've only heard about it as an object of legend. It would be a very valuable collector's item, but its utility is questionable. The comm ports are probably useless and RGB, S-Video, and Composite are already supported by the Jaguar natively with their respective cables. Still, it is a curiosity! I sure wouldn't mind having a shiny metal box attached to my Jaguar.

I found something on Ebay which looks like a new incarnation of the Catbox:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ATARI-Jaguar-Multi-IO-Board-Deluxe-Model-/181694235400?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a4dd20308

I noticed this has an RGB DB9 connector.  Does that mean I can connect it to the VGA port on my TV?

I doubt it. I've read that VGA has used DB9 but never seen it in person. I have seen the connector used for EGA or CGA on monitors from the early 80s. VGA usually has 15 pins in three rows. So I'm real curious about what the DB9 is for on that.

Even if the connector did fit, the signal from the jag would be analog RGB. A modern TV would be incapable of receiving this signal. You'd need an old Amiga or Atari monitor.

To get this to work on the VGA input of your tv you'll need a converter. A guy on Atariage recommended this one:

http://www.ambery.com/rgbcgatovgac.html

A guy was making RGB/S-Video cables on there a while back. I bought one, so now just need this box.. I'll probably pull the trigger on it soon..

[QUOTE=Allpaul]To get this to work on the VGA input of your tv you'll need a converter. A guy on Atariage recommended this one:

http://www.ambery.com/rgbcgatovgac.html

A guy was making RGB/S-Video cables on there a while back. I bought one, so now just need this box.. I'll probably pull the trigger on it soon..[/QUOTE]

An easier and cheaper way to get Jag RGB on any old TV would be to use a Jaguar Scart cable --> Scart to YUV component converter --> your TV's component inputs. It'll put you out about $50 whereas there's no telling how much a catbox will run you. The only catch is that you'll need a CRT to actually recognize such a low resolution through component video. The bottom threshold for contemporary TVs is 480i/480p