TV RGB mod thread

[cyborc]

I succesfully completed this mod on a Sharp 27sc260 tv. It already had component and it looked good with the retrotek RGB to component converter but I was curious to see what RGB looked like on the TV. There is a definite difference in color but I imagine I could've done some service menu tweaks to get the component colors looking close or even identical to RGB. Here's a few comparison pics.

Rgb on the top, Component on bottom. It looks like there's some jailbars there but that's just the camera.

Spoiler

[mikejmoffitt]

The NES RGB problem shown in that picture is a result of the image being shifted far left. As a result, the overscan border color (blue, in the case of the Super Mario Bros sky) is being used as the clamping level for black. The TV subtracts the black level sample from the rest of the line, so if your black level has image data there you'll get strange color subtraction effects in the line. You need to use the service menu to shift the image right, or change the clamping delay. If you have other inputs to try like S-video or Component, try using those for sync.

[nakedarthur]

The NES RGB problem shown in that picture is a result of the image being shifted far left. As a result, the overscan border color (blue, in the case of the Super Mario Bros sky) is being used as the clamping level for black. The TV subtracts the black level sample from the rest of the line, so if your black level has image data there you'll get strange color subtraction effects in the line. You need to use the service menu to shift the image right, or change the clamping delay. If you have other inputs to try like S-video or Component, try using those for sync.

Damn, that sucks! I already have HPOS as far as it will go right (0). I guess I will look into using S-video instead of Composite for sync then. It was bothering me anyway to be honest, the picture still seemed about 3/4 inch too far left even after the max adjustment. Thanks a bunch for the info!

[MarkOZLAD]

The NES RGB problem shown in that picture is a result of the image being shifted far left. As a result, the overscan border color (blue, in the case of the Super Mario Bros sky) is being used as the clamping level for black. The TV subtracts the black level sample from the rest of the line, so if your black level has image data there you'll get strange color subtraction effects in the line. You need to use the service menu to shift the image right, or change the clamping delay. If you have other inputs to try like S-video or Component, try using those for sync.

Damn, that sucks! I already have HPOS as far as it will go right (0). I guess I will look into using S-video instead of Composite for sync then. It was bothering me anyway to be honest, the picture still seemed about 3/4 inch too far left even after the max adjustment. Thanks a bunch for the info!

Out of interest, how is the horizontal position for the other consoles?

[nakedarthur]

Out of interest, how is the horizontal position for the other consoles?

It's definitely a little too far left even with it at zero. Looking at the Genesis grid in 240p Test Suite I could see just outside of the overscan area on the right, and it was near the inside edge of the overscan for the left side. It's not too terrible but in Lightening Force for example, if I move my ship as far as it will go to the left side of the screen I could maybe only see like a quarter of it.

[Syntax]

Had a tricky one today.
LG Flatron.

It seemed to have provision for scart but many components missing and jungle RGB input lines and blanking grounded.

Wired the set like normal and blanking was doing nothing.
Checked the service menu and enabled scart and bam rgb.
But it seemed blanking did not need power. If grounded my rgb injection would stop and if left floating "high" the rgb would blank.
Issue is if I leave it floating no other video inputs can be used till scart is turned off in service.

I didn't want a switch for it so I pulled out a 10k pot and wired it like "5v-blank-ground" turned to full resistance then turned on the set and swept the pot till my RGB picture came through over the comp one.

So the aim was to find out how low I had to pull the blanking pin before blanking would stop and increase the pot till it just blanked,( mainly because i could not find data on what the jungle expects so lowest volts is best) read the pots values and remake it with resistors.

The values I ended up with were
ground - 2.5k - blanking - 7.5k - console 5v

Works as it should now. Unplug it and watch tv or use composite, which I will do neither of.. I just like things to work as expected.

[Syntax]

Just finished another tricky one
Sony Trinitron
If you cut the blanking and let it float you get RGB blanking but with the menu VIDEO 1 on screen also.
If you apply voltage at around 3v it changes to composite.
But if you ground blanking you get RGB without the OSD always displaying the channel number

EDIT Grounding blanking makes the OSD barely visable but stops the TV from turning on ffs..


Update
Ok so I figured out the bloody thing.
Sony CXA2139S 
Around 3v or more to the ext blanking pin turns on RGB.
Pressing DISPLAY on the remote removes the OSD..
Seriously WTF?
Why would Sony make it so every time you turn on the TV you have to press DISPLAY on the remote to make the OSD piss off?
If you didn't have a remote you'd be screwed.

Funny thing to note, Ive been getting confused between RGB and composite today on a few tvs and I finally figured out why.
I'm using an old SNES to test not my Famicon Jr.

The difference in RGB quality on these 2 consoles is night and day.
To my eye an old SNES looks closer to composite than it does RGB due to the blur

Sweet picture tho

[MarkOZLAD]

Had a tricky one today.
LG Flatron.

It seemed to have provision for scart but many components missing and jungle RGB input lines and blanking grounded.

Wired the set like normal and blanking was doing nothing.
Checked the service menu and enabled scart and bam rgb.
But it seemed blanking did not need power. If grounded my rgb injection would stop and if left floating "high" the rgb would blank.
Issue is if I leave it floating no other video inputs can be used till scart is turned off in service.

I didn't want a switch for it so I pulled out a 10k pot and wired it like "5v-blank-ground" turned to full resistance then turned on the set and swept the pot till my RGB picture came through over the comp one.

So the aim was to find out how low I had to pull the blanking pin before blanking would stop and increase the pot till it just blanked,( mainly because i could not find data on what the jungle expects so lowest volts is best) read the pots values and remake it with resistors.

The values I ended up with were
ground - 2.5k - blanking - 7.5k - console 5v

Works as it should now. Unplug it and watch tv or use composite, which I will do neither of.. I just like things to work as expected.

Was the jungle in this one a VCT49xyl? Chassis MC-049a?

[Syntax]

Nope it was a Philips TDA9361.
The TV is actually brand new, I had to take it out of the box today. Cost a neat $20.
The composite on it is so clean I have to look twice to tell it apart from the new RGB input.

Still having issues with this Sony jungle refusing to remove the OSD from picture.
http://www.datasheetbank.com/datasheet/ ... 2139S.html

EDIT - All sorted

[Syntax]

Finished up today on a cool old Philips set I found at the tip.
It was rusty and full of mud and worms but the speakers sound great and the picture was nice.
Had to OSD hack this one as there was no external RGB input.
Jungle was a Philips TDA8361 http://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-p ... A8361.html

The blanking required sweeping a 10k pot with ground and 5v, wouldn't work with just 5v across a 10k pot.
End result was 2x2.4k resistors as a voltage divider to the blanking. would of been sitting around 3v I never checked.

3 tv's finished in a day I think I should sleep..

[cyborc]

You're doing the lord's work, Syntax!

[mikejmoffitt]

Syntax I'd like to add your sets to the list, but I need model numbers!

[Ikaruga11]

Any modders in Ohio?

[Syntax]

You're doing the lord's work, Syntax!

Cthulhu? :p

I swear you can hear the screens squeak with joy the first time you let them play a game via their RGB inputs


As far as adding sets to a list I'm not sure how well that will work out for other.

I think a list of Jungle ics and how to handle each one is more appropriate. More often than not I find the same jungle in different branded units.

Maybe for brands write a short paragraph for each like.
Sony
display button is a bitch.
Sony tv's with L2Fil can be horizontal tuned.

Lg
Most units have circuit board layout compatible with a scart header. After installing it's usually just a service menu edit.

Philips chips needs divided power not just 5v and a resistor.

Something like that. Already so much info is lost in this thread.

Also is have to open up the sets to accurately show what I did to make each one work, my memory not good enough against to 10 sets I've done.

Got 2 Sony's a rear projection screen and a quintrix to do today. First Quintrix...

Really though once you have the basics under your belt you can mod any set.
I look at jungles now and find 3 similar caps,follow the traces to 3 termination resistors and just know that's RGB input. Data sheets help a tonne though.

It usually just blanking that's a bitch. I may take some pictures and do a short tutorial on the 3/4 different ways jungles accept blanking.

Not sure how much longer I'll be doing this.
The original intention was to find thrown out tv's and mod them till I have a sweet one PER console.
But I've recently lined up about 90× 28 inch RGB crt wall installation sets. All with fk all use but case scratches as they are ex rentals.

Plan is to make a crt wall and put that fake emulator loader movie everyone puts on their front ends to shame.

[MarkOZLAD]

But I've recently lined up about 90× 28 inch RGB crt wall installation sets. All with fk all use but case scratches as they are ex rentals.

Did I read that correctly? 90?

[Syntax]

But I've recently lined up about 90× 28 inch RGB crt wall installation sets. All with fk all use but case scratches as they are ex rentals.

Did I read that correctly? 90?

I know right, I'm only going to grab 9 but even that's too many. PM me if your keen and in NSW.

[nakedarthur]

The NES RGB problem shown in that picture is a result of the image being shifted far left. As a result, the overscan border color (blue, in the case of the Super Mario Bros sky) is being used as the clamping level for black. The TV subtracts the black level sample from the rest of the line, so if your black level has image data there you'll get strange color subtraction effects in the line. You need to use the service menu to shift the image right, or change the clamping delay. If you have other inputs to try like S-video or Component, try using those for sync.

You were right, it was from the overscan area being used as black level. I moved it over to S-video and now the NESRGB is perfect. Thanks!

[Syntax]

I had the most backward jungle IC yesterday, ended up throwing the set out.
CENTREX
Jungle SANYO LA76810A

R - 14
G - 15
B - 16
Blanking - 17 (3v)

PDF schematic has an odd setup for RGB input, wants the signal clamped THEN terminated with a 1k resistor.
The jungle will not accept any clamped signal though, 3 different values and 3 different types of caps used, none will get signal through.
Looks at OSD and its just going through a 4.7k resistor on each color line, no terminations or caps...
Terminated with 75ohm resistors the picture is too dark..
So I put a 1k pot on the tail end of my 75ohm resistors which should of in theory made the picture darker as I increase the termination resistance.
As I increase the resistance it gets BRIGHTER!

I removed the termination resistors and put a triple gang 1k pot in its place. Its effectively a brightness knob now.
Connecting it directly to the jungle results in a black screen that you can turn up to white.
Since when do direct terminations with no signal feed make a white screen??
The Jungles internal channels were blue pink and yellow when you terminate 2 so you can see 1.
Internal color channels... WTF
Its like the whole Peak to Peak reading of the color channels is inverted logic or something.

I threw the set away though because I couldn't get definition in the RGB picture, The black levels were all whack I think.
That and the 4pdt and scart connectors worth more.
Literally the most backwards Jungle ive ever worked on, Centrex must of wired so wrong but I didn't have the time to check it further.
I did get RGB out of it so ill call it a draw.

[buttersoft]

I've got a Sanyo that does something similar - when fed sync, blanking and red only, no G or B, the screen comes up as a pale aqua colour, very washed out. Adding G and B in as well makes a normal, clear, colour-correct picture. Without caps and terminations you pretty much get nothing. No idea what's happening there, but i don't think i've crossed any wires.

Those video wall monitors were the ones from the surf-clothing-shop-looking add on gumtree? The old Barco ones? Let us now how they go, the similar units by Hantarex tend to have the TVL of a consumer set. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[MarkOZLAD]

Syntax, you might be able to help with this one.

Helping another Brazillian chap do a mod.

He has a Phillips 21PT534A/78R. It has a TDA 8841 Jungle. It's another one of those that completely blanks the RGB lines at 4V, same as for Marcos.

Seeing really weird behaviour. Have connected the blanking pin to a 5V source (in fact we've tried two, the 5V regulator and the Fac Serv line for Serial Port) via a 10K pot. We can get blanking to happen but it only lasts for a short while and then the blanking stops again. TV Returns to showing only sync. As my Brazillian friend put it, it is like the blanking pin is hungry! Repeated turns of the potentiometer result in the same thing, blanking and then blanking stops after a short while.

I am a complete novice when it comes to the blanking. I've been lucky that the TVs I've modded have been dead simple to get blanking, just 5V or 5V with a pot/resistor. this one has me confounded. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

[MarkOZLAD]

The NES RGB problem shown in that picture is a result of the image being shifted far left. As a result, the overscan border color (blue, in the case of the Super Mario Bros sky) is being used as the clamping level for black. The TV subtracts the black level sample from the rest of the line, so if your black level has image data there you'll get strange color subtraction effects in the line. You need to use the service menu to shift the image right, or change the clamping delay. If you have other inputs to try like S-video or Component, try using those for sync.

You were right, it was from the overscan area being used as black level. I moved it over to S-video and now the NESRGB is perfect. Thanks!

Glad you got it sorted, looks like a very successful mod.

Did you create an adaptor chord to send the sync into the S-Video port or did you wire the sync line internally to a Y pin?

[Syntax]

Syntax, you might be able to help with this one.

Helping another Brazillian chap do a mod.

He has a Phillips 21PT534A/78R. It has a TDA 8841 Jungle. It's another one of those that completely blanks the RGB lines at 4V, same as for Marcos.

Seeing really weird behaviour. Have connected the blanking pin to a 5V source (in fact we've tried two, the 5V regulator and the Fac Serv line for Serial Port) via a 10K pot. We can get blanking to happen but it only lasts for a short while and then the blanking stops again. TV Returns to showing only sync. As my Brazillian friend put it, it is like the blanking pin is hungry! Repeated turns of the potentiometer result in the same thing, blanking and then blanking stops after a short while.

I am a complete novice when it comes to the blanking. I've been lucky that the TVs I've modded have been dead simple to get blanking, just 5V or 5V with a pot/resistor. this one has me confounded. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

Page 15

By means of the IE1 bit the insertion blanking can be switched on or off. Via the IN1 bit it can be read whether the insertion pin has a high level or not.

FAST BLANKING, PIN 26 (38 AND 44 FOR TDA 885X)
S.3.1 input voltage no data insertion −−0.4 V S.3.2 data insertion 0.9 0.6 − V


Did you try wire a 10k pot with 5v one side and ground the other side with blanking pin in the middle?

When in doubt get out the multimeter and trace out the OSD blanking path, make note of the components and if it has a termination resistor there is a good chane you will need to wire the pot like that.

[MarkOZLAD]

Syntax, you might be able to help with this one.

Helping another Brazillian chap do a mod.

He has a Phillips 21PT534A/78R. It has a TDA 8841 Jungle. It's another one of those that completely blanks the RGB lines at 4V, same as for Marcos.

Seeing really weird behaviour. Have connected the blanking pin to a 5V source (in fact we've tried two, the 5V regulator and the Fac Serv line for Serial Port) via a 10K pot. We can get blanking to happen but it only lasts for a short while and then the blanking stops again. TV Returns to showing only sync. As my Brazillian friend put it, it is like the blanking pin is hungry! Repeated turns of the potentiometer result in the same thing, blanking and then blanking stops after a short while.

I am a complete novice when it comes to the blanking. I've been lucky that the TVs I've modded have been dead simple to get blanking, just 5V or 5V with a pot/resistor. this one has me confounded. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

Page 15

By means of the IE1 bit the insertion blanking can be switched on or off. Via the IN1 bit it can be read whether the insertion pin has a high level or not.

FAST BLANKING, PIN 26 (38 AND 44 FOR TDA 885X)
S.3.1 input voltage no data insertion −−0.4 V S.3.2 data insertion 0.9 0.6 − V


Did you try wire a 10k pot with 5v one side and ground the other side with blanking pin in the middle?

No we haven't. We will try that next.

Thanks for the reply.

[MarkOZLAD]

When in doubt get out the multimeter and trace out the OSD blanking path, make note of the components and if it has a termination resistor there is a good chance you will need to wire the pot like that.

Now that is interesting. The schematic shows the OSD blanking being terminated to a 4.7KOhm resistor. Will follow up that lead.

Thanks again as always.

[nakedarthur]

The NES RGB problem shown in that picture is a result of the image being shifted far left. As a result, the overscan border color (blue, in the case of the Super Mario Bros sky) is being used as the clamping level for black. The TV subtracts the black level sample from the rest of the line, so if your black level has image data there you'll get strange color subtraction effects in the line. You need to use the service menu to shift the image right, or change the clamping delay. If you have other inputs to try like S-video or Component, try using those for sync.

You were right, it was from the overscan area being used as black level. I moved it over to S-video and now the NESRGB is perfect. Thanks!

Glad you got it sorted, looks like a very successful mod.

Did you create an adaptor chord to send the sync into the S-Video port or did you wire the sync line internally to a Y pin?

I used BNC jacks for this one, so what I ended up doing is removing the 4th jack for sync and modded my Monoprice VGA to BNC cable so the sync line ends with an S-video connector. Easy enough

[mikejmoffitt]

Can you check what type of tube is in your KV-27S42? I'm on the hunt for an M68KUZ10X and I have reason to believe it may have one.

[nakedarthur]

Can you check what type of tube is in your KV-27S42? I'm on the hunt for an M68KUZ10X and I have reason to believe it may have one.

That's the one in the PVM-2950Q right? I have one with a bad tube, and tried looking for one also haha The Service Manual lists the KV-27S42 as using a "CRT 29NX" or Sony Part number 8-733-873-05.

[FinalBaton]

I succesfully completed this mod on a Sharp 27sc260 tv. It already had component and it looked good with the retrotek RGB to component converter but I was curious to see what RGB looked like on the TV. There is a definite difference in color but I imagine I could've done some service menu tweaks to get the component colors looking close or even identical to RGB. Here's a few comparison pics.

Rgb on the top, Component on bottom. It looks like there's some jailbars there but that's just the camera.

Spoiler

cyborc, the picture is friggin stunning on your newly-modded Sharp set

Look at that luminance accuracy...
Look at those rich but super well-balanced colors...

Great job!

[cyborc]

cyborc, the picture is friggin stunning on your newly-modded Sharp set

Look at that luminance accuracy...
Look at those rich but super well-balanced colors...

Great job!

Thanks! I was pretty impressed by how it turned out too.
I feel like Sharp CRTs tend to get lost in the crowd when people talk about consumer CRTs. They are the real deal!

[mikejmoffitt]

Can you check what type of tube is in your KV-27S42? I'm on the hunt for an M68KUZ10X and I have reason to believe it may have one.

That's the one in the PVM-2950Q right? I have one with a bad tube, and tried looking for one also haha The Service Manual lists the KV-27S42 as using a "CRT 29NX" or Sony Part number 8-733-873-05.

Yep, I've got a PVM-2950Q that looks like it's been dropped. After repairing the cracked A-board I powered it on and found that it works, except the purity is screwy in the corners. It's possible that the deguass coil just isn't firing since I have no evidence that it is.

It looks like you can take a tube from the KV-27XBR35 but that's all I can find. I got a KV-27V42 to harvest the tube but it has an A68****** tube in it. The socket is incompatible, otherwise I would have tried to make it work!