Understanding RCA Jacks

[TerribleTim68]

So, this may sound like a retarded question, and that's fine with me. We got our Cyclone used, so there was no "Here's how everything works" demo or anything and most of the manuals we got were not necessarily for equipment in our RV. for example, I have about 5 different CD player manuals, none of which actually look like the CD player in the entertainment center. Same for the DVD player.

So here's the question.After attempting to use the TV to watch a DVD I found that the TV was giving me a "No Signal" message no matter what I did. So, I pulled it out to look at the back side and notice a general lack of any cables running to it. Clearly the reason it had no signal is because there is nothing plugged into it, at all. There's a plate on the wall behind the TV that has about 5 different RCA jacks in it, a couple red ones, a couple yellow ones, a white. Don't quote me on those colors, they may be off, but I know there was a couple multiples of the same color. So how do I know which red one should be connected to the TV, and so on for the other colors? Is there a diagram somewhere that outlines which jack comes from the DVD player, or CD player, or how everything should be connected here? The Cyclone has that massive bass system and surround sounds in it, so in the end I want to be able to watch a DVD on the TV and hear it through the surround sound system. But with no cables at all, how do I get everything plugged back in correctly here?

 

[danemayer]

First, the TV and DVD player may or may not be the originals from 2008. A 2008 TV would likely have been replaced - I think back in 2008, TVs had analog receivers that would need a digital tuner adapter box to work with today's digital transmissions. If the DVD player and TV are from different time frames, things could be complicated.

You'll have to check the output connections of the DVD player and the input connections of the TV to figure out the basic connections. Older connections from 2008 include AVI (Yellow for Video, Red/White for Audio), and Component (Red/Green/Blue for Video, separate Red/White for Audio).

Newer devices probably have HDMI for both Video and Audio, and may have Digital Audio Coax or Digital Optical Audio.

Second, any chance the RCA connectors on that plate are Yellow/Red/White and Red/Blue/Green? Thinking back to Audio/Visual in the 2008 time frame, I think you might expect to have both an AVI and a Component Video set of connections.

Third, if the plate behind the TV represents one end of a set of connections, you'll need to locate the plate at the other end where the DVD or other devices would be plugged in.

Fourth, the DVD player, depending on what is there and when it was manufactured, could use either AVI Video and Audio (Y/R/W) or Component Video (R/B/G) plus separate (R/W) for audio. If a newer replacement unit, it might have HDMI. You'll need to determine which output scheme is used by the DVD player. If AVI, you'll use the Yellow/Red/White connectors. If Component, you'll use the R/B/G for video and the separate R/W for audio. If HDMI, you'd use the HDMI connector, which probably isn't represented on the original plate from 2008.

Fifth, you'll need to check the inputs on the back of the TV to see if there's a match to the outputs of the DVD player. A new TV will probably use HDMI and possibly AVI, but likely wouldn't have Component support.

I realize this all probably sounds pretty complicated, but the audio visual world has changed a lot since 2008.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Thanks for the input Dane. All good points. Mine appears to still have the stock TV, the rest is a crap shoot. I can tell you it looks like this image -

I know, that doesn't help much. I really need to snap a few shots of it close up and behind the TV as well. It was also late last night when I was looking at the plate, so colors could be off too. It appeared to be red/yellow/white. But like I said, there appeared to be duplicates of a couple of them. Behind the TV is that wall mounted plate, with 5 jacks on it. I am assuming that the plate represents one end of the cables coming from the DVD unit. Sadly, the DVD unit is nicely mounted and I can't really see behind it without pulling it out. I may have to get a cable and just start trying plugs until one of them works, lol. But i think with your rough road map of what color is for what, I may be able to figure something out. I know from my limited home TV/DVD knowledge it should be as easy as "plug red end into red jack, other red end into red jack on tv" and so forth. If it doesn't work, I could try the other red jack I guess.

Again, thanks for the input. This one may require more digging. Used units are fun! Especially from sellers who don't typically deal in rvs. Hahaha!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, I also haven't figured out what the little thing mounted next to the cigarette lighter is -

 

[TerribleTim68]

Just to follow up on this, here are some photos of my setup. First, the entertainment center -

This is the jack panel behind the TV -

One thing I noticed is that the TV has input jacks for "Red Front", "Red Rear", "White Front" and "White Rear". But there is no input on the TV for the yellow video. So I'm not sure how you get a DVD to play on the TV then.

 

[PondSkum]

A lot of newer TV's aren't using the Yellow/Red/White cables anymore... They are mostly going to HDMI and possibly composite/component setup.. I just learned this the other day when putting a new tv in my son's bedroom. Had to ditch the old dvd player that didn't have either of those connections and upgrade to one with an HDMI port.

Do you happen to have a picture of what ports you have on the back of the TV?

 

[TerribleTim68]

I don't. But I know there is a Midi port and an HDMI, along with rca jacks for the surround sound as mentioned below. And of course a cable in.

 

[danemayer]

The pictures you posted show the wall plates installed in the trailer, not the connections that the TV has. If the TV has an HDMI connector, and no Yellow/Red/White input connectors, you'll have to connect the DVD player using an HDMI cable.

What you called a MIDI port is probably something else, because there's not much reason for a Musical Instrument Digital Interface port on a TV.

Anyway, if the only TV input is HDMI, which is very likely for a newer TV, the RCA connectors built into the trailer will be of no use. You'll need an HDMI cable from DVD player to TV, assuming the DVD Player is new enough to have HDMI output. If the DVD player is old enough to not have HDMI, you may have to replace it in order to make a connection to the TV.

Btw, the wall plate with 5 RCA connectors may not be a factory install. A previous owner may have done that. I think Heartland started adding wall plates like that on much later builds than yours. And if your TV has HDMI, it's also not likely the original TV.

All this adds up to you having to actually inspect the inputs and outputs on the TV and DVD player and make an appropriate connection. Use of the wall plates may not be possible, depending on what you find on the equipment.

 

[dave10a]

Without a picture of the back of your TV and multimedia devices it is impossible to help you. However, from the looks of your wall jack you may have an early TV that has component outputs and not HDMI. The wall jack may have provision for component TV (3 video and 2 audio). It looks like the previous ownner removed the cables (which can be expensive). I would suggest that you get the manuals for the TV and other components downloads from the Internet and they would provide the information for connecting interfaceing the system. Otherwise all we can do is guess and provide conjecture. Get the manufacturer and model number of you TV on other components and Search the Internet for the manuals. They are mostly available for free.

 

[Bogie]

Older DVD players tend to use composite video (yellow connector), so the wall plate your pictured suggests that is what you have. You would have to take out the DVD player to verify it's connected properly but I would at least give the connection at the wall plate a try before doing that.

If your TV doesn't have a yellow composite video jack, look for a component video input. This can be identified by three RCA jack inputs in a row that are Red, Blue and Green. (Check out this LINK about half way down the page) Frequently, one of the jacks on this set of inputs also has the ability to accept composite video (yellow) if you plug it into the correct jack. You may have to go on line and find the manual for your TV model number to find this out (It isn't always printed next to the jacks). If you only have HDMI inputs on your TV, you can buy a composite "video to HDMI converter". They can usually be purchased for under $20. Check Amazon.

Hope that helps.

 

[porthole]

Your wall plates look like standard AV equipment that was installed at the time.
Depending how they wired it (no guarantee it is correct)

the screw on F connectors are for cable/OTA antenna and SAT input.

The RCA connectors:
red white yellow - from the DVD player to the TV
red white - from the TV audio output back to the radio/DVD input for the surround.

The DVD is most likely coming through the combo unit below the TV.

If if you want to save yourself some grief and disappointment ......

What i did with our Cyclone was:
replace the TV’s with modern inexpensive flat screens (Sony & Visio)
add standalone Blu-ray players (Sony’s)
add a soundbar under the living room TV (Yamaha)

all Costco stuff, so it included the connection HDMI and optical cables (soundbar)

i left the Jensen 12 volt radio/CD/DVD and the surround sound stuff alone for basic radio needs.
And it’s not that good anyway.