TV RGB mod thread

[flamingmarshmallow]

Hi. I have a SAM-14MV CCTV monitor that I'm planning to RGB mod. I've seen several people mention that its possible.

Does anyone have a service manual for it? I have a user manual, but it doesn't contain schematics.

Thanks.

[matt]

Hi. I have a SAM-14MV CCTV monitor that I'm planning to RGB mod. I've seen several people mention that its possible.

Does anyone have a service manual for it? I have a user manual, but it doesn't contain schematics.

Thanks.

Open it up and see what jungle chip it uses. Service manuals for most of these security monitors are difficult to find, but the chipsets used are often well documented.

[BazookaBen]

Is it fairly safe to connect an RGB modded to TV to a PC running CRT Emudriver w/ composite sync enabled. Or can the TTL sync be a problem?

[MarkOZLAD]

Is it fairly safe to connect an RGB modded to TV to a PC running CRT Emudriver w/ composite sync enabled. Or can the TTL sync be a problem?

You need to put a resistor on the sync line. Generally something from a 330 ohm to a 1K ohm. I often use a 620 ohm.

[BazookaBen]

Well that's a bummer. I guess that means you couldn't put the resistor in the TV because it would drop sync too low when you're hooking up consoles? Or is it possible the signal would still be picked up?

[MarkOZLAD]

Well that's a bummer. I guess that means you couldn't put the resistor in the TV because it would drop sync too low when you're hooking up consoles? Or is it possible the signal would still be picked up?

It would be problematic.

Best to try and add the resistor to the cable if possible.

Another option would be to add another sync connection to the TV, one that has the resistor in line and then connects to the existing AV port.

[megafacehead]

Hi guys,

TLDR-I just attempted a so called 'easy' rgb mod on my KV-XF25M30 (using an existing teletext rgb header). Tv now won't turn on, standby light just flashes and a relay from inside the TV just makes a clicking sound. I'm offering $30 US (paypal i guess) for a fix. I am a really sad panda.



I never post i just lurk but today i need help/to vent, appreciate any help at all.



I've had this tele for a while, great set. Cleaned it up, got the geometery 99% of the way there with magnets and convergence strips and everything was great. Then i saw the below video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1zHji1WSy8

and saw this post by none other than MARKOZLAD where he modded an almost identical set and it was super straightforward.

viewtopic.php?t=60130



I would say i'm a novice-intermediate skill level with this sort of thing, i've recapped a lynx/gamegear/saturn, ips modded a few GBC's and installed an n64 advanced rgb mod, and thought this should be within my capabilities.



I read up as much as i could and determined all i needed to do was

-inject blue/green/red (pins 7/11/15) into the unused teletext header on my tv,

-terminate each signal to their repective grounds (pins 5/9/13) via 75ohm resistors in the scart socket,

-bridge those three grounds (5/9/13)

-connect the 5v blanking from the scart cable socket (pin 16) to the blk teletext header(may possibly need to half this down to .5v but will try 5v first as it seems to be the most common)

-connect the common ground (21) from the scart socket to the teletext header

-connect the sync (pin 20) to the luma pin of the s-video socket (found this by testing for continuity between the sync (top right hole) of the s-video port to one of the solder points underneath the tv).



I threw together a quick scart socket (that was for testing) shown below. I connected the 6 wires (blue/green/red/sync/blanking and common ground) to the respective points of the tv.

Connnected to the scart socket my pal gamecube (WITH pal scart cable by RGC, i did not use a ntsc scart cable on a pal gamecube, ive been warned of this) turned the gamecube on and then went to turn the tv on via the front button. The standby light just blinked about once a second, and a relay inside the tv made an audible click alongside the flashing. Ok, not good. Not good at all. It's neevr done this.

I thought best case scenario this works, or worst case i would get a shifted picture or a blank screen, never did i think the tv would not turn on!

I turned it all off, unplugged everything and tried the tv again with nothing attached, still the same, DOA. I unsoldered everything off the tv and checked for bridged solders, nope, my solder work has always been very good. But alas, here i am, the tv will not turn on.



I'm a bit upset (understatement) as this is all i've got and i live out in the sticks with no way of getting this repaired by others. From what i have read online, continuous flashing of the standby light and associated clicks means

Continuous Blink Once A Second, No Pausing As Discussed Above---No reply from the jungle IC301 (data bus is busy, shorted to ground or heldhigh), IK video path is defective.


How, how did i do this??? Did i mess up a ground point? Did i use the wrong pin for blanking?? How did i kill a tv with a so called 'babby's first rgb mod'. I just feel really down, i'd give less a shit about my switch or xbox dying as that is easily replaceable, but as a real crt junkie it breaks my heart to know i may have killed a prime example of an endangered species.

If anyone can tell me the specific reason how i broke it and a specific way of fixing it, i'll gladly pay you for your trouble. Please no generic answers like 'just recap it bro'.

[MarkOZLAD]

First of all, relax. I’ve busted my share of sets. If you’re not busting one or two you’re not having a crack.

It’s possible you didn’t break it. Can be a coincidence.

Inspect your work, look for any unintentional solder bridges.

My be worth making sure you didn’t short 5V to ground.

[KPackratt2k]

I have an opportunity to mod either one of the following sets in trade for the other, here's the list of the sets in question:

- JVC TM-A13SU (TM32 Chassis)
- Panasonic CT-13R41B

Does anyone here know if these TVs can be modded for RGB (or YPbPr)? The guy thinks that the JVC is capable of being modded, but I wanted to make sure if it was before I agree to the offer because I've heard of a certain PVM with a jungle chip with only Digital RGB inputs, I wanted to make sure the JVC wasn't that.

Thanks in advance.

[MarkOZLAD]

I have an opportunity to mod either one of the following sets in trade for the other, here's the list of the sets in question:

- JVC TM-A13SU (TM32 Chassis)
- Panasonic CT-13R41B

Does anyone here know if these TVs can be modded for RGB (or YPbPr)? The guy thinks that the JVC is capable of being modded, but I wanted to make sure if it was before I agree to the offer because I've heard of a certain PVM with a jungle chip with only Digital RGB inputs, I wanted to make sure the JVC wasn't that.

Thanks in advance.

After a quick check I believe both to be RGB moddable. JVC has a TB1226EN jungle. Not sure the chip in the Panasonic but the service manual excerpt I was able to find showed it to be an OSD Mux candidate.

[KPackratt2k]

After a quick check I believe both to be RGB moddable. JVC has a TB1226EN jungle. Not sure the chip in the Panasonic but the service manual excerpt I was able to find showed it to be an OSD Mux candidate.

Awesome. I'll be sure to let him know. I looked up the JVC and its jungle chip has two separate RGB inputs similar to the early-90s Sony sets: A Digital input for the OSD and an Analog input for External RGB (not used on this model). Unlike the Sony sets, there's no way to disable the External RGB line from what I could gather in the TB1226EN datasheet, so it should hopefully be usable. The only catch is it expects a 0.5Vp-p signal, so I'll order the appropriate resistors for that setup and do some testing once I look at it. I couldn't find a service manual for the Panasonic, so I'll open it up to inspect its RGB line when/if I get it.

[matt]

Awesome. I'll be sure to let him know. I looked up the JVC and its jungle chip has two separate RGB inputs similar to the early-90s Sony sets: A Digital input for the OSD and an Analog input for External RGB (not used on this model). Unlike the Sony sets, there's no way to disable the External RGB line from what I could gather in the TB1226EN datasheet, so it should hopefully be usable. The only catch is it expects a 0.5Vp-p signal, so I'll order the appropriate resistors for that setup and do some testing once I look at it. I couldn't find a service manual for the Panasonic, so I'll open it up to inspect its RGB line when/if I get it.

These monitors can be modded, but both have issues and it's not a walk in the park.

The JVC has a problem where the RGB input is set to minimum brightness by the microcontroller. This has to be overcome by an I2C intercept hack. The mod has been documented here:

https://immerhax.com/?p=185

Panasonic TVs, on the other hand, use jungle chips that require DC coupled RGB with a voltage offset. Running RGB straight into the jungle chip like most mods doesn't work; the signal has to be given a DC offset and may require amplification. Some info can be found here, although your model may require some experimentation to make it work:

https://crtdatabase.com/crts/panasonic/ ... -ct-s1390y

[MarkOZLAD]

Awesome. I'll be sure to let him know. I looked up the JVC and its jungle chip has two separate RGB inputs similar to the early-90s Sony sets: A Digital input for the OSD and an Analog input for External RGB (not used on this model). Unlike the Sony sets, there's no way to disable the External RGB line from what I could gather in the TB1226EN datasheet, so it should hopefully be usable. The only catch is it expects a 0.5Vp-p signal, so I'll order the appropriate resistors for that setup and do some testing once I look at it. I couldn't find a service manual for the Panasonic, so I'll open it up to inspect its RGB line when/if I get it.

These monitors can be modded, but both have issues and it's not a walk in the park.

The JVC has a problem where the RGB input is set to minimum brightness by the microcontroller. This has to be overcome by an I2C intercept hack. The mod has been documented here:

https://immerhax.com/?p=185

Panasonic TVs, on the other hand, use jungle chips that require DC coupled RGB with a voltage offset. Running RGB straight into the jungle chip like most mods doesn't work; the signal has to be given a DC offset and may require amplification. Some info can be found here, although your model may require some experimentation to make it work:

https://crtdatabase.com/crts/panasonic/ ... -ct-s1390y

Yeah I think you’re right about the Panasonic. It’s an AN5165K. I’ve run into this bastard before and figured it needed DC offset.

I’ve been mulling over the design of a mod board for these jungles that require DC offset. I might draw up my ideas and put them up here for review.

I modded a Sanyo last year that required the DC offset. I’ll copy patterns off of it. Thought I might use pots to allow adjustment of the offset.

[MarkOZLAD]

This is how I think the RGB input with DC offset could work. Interested in feedback.

Not quite sure how to Mux it yet. Still thinking about that.

[matt]

How well did that circuit work on your Sanyo? I have a few Panasonics to experiment with and have all the necessary parts, but haven't had time yet.

Andy King was able to get the mux working on his Panasonic mod, although he said it does require diodes on the OSD lines.

[MarkOZLAD]

If Andy is the guy who made the YouTube video about modding the Panasonic security monitor with the amplifier you can see in the YouTube video that the colours are not right. I commented on his YouTube video that I’d be happy to try and help him get it right, so we both could learn, but he never responded.

As for the Sanyo, the addition of the offset circuit was effective.

[matt]

Yes, that's the video. I asked him about it a while ago and he didn't report any problems with the colors, but he did say he had trouble with black levels from some input sources. Generally he's pretty good at color calibration so I imagine he'd sorted it out eventually.

I'll give your circuit a shot next time I'm able to work on a Panasonic and let you know how it fares.

[KPackratt2k]

I've purchased the service manual for the Panasonic and just found out that all of the components on the RGB line are surface mount. Crap, I was going to use Andy's amp for this mod by replacing R066, R067, and R068 with diodes. The problem is I don't have any SMD diodes I can use, only through-hole. Another problem is the injection points for RGB and Blanking (C038, C037, C036, and R015 signal ends) are, of course, surface mount components, so soldering wires to those is going to be difficult, if not impossible to do. If anyone has any feedback on how I can implement this mod, I'd really appreciate it.

https://archive.org/details/panasonic_ct-13R_ct-27g

EDIT: Turns out I might be lucky, I took a closer look at the CAD drawing and found a couple sets of jumpers that lead to the RGB line of the Microcontroller. I guess this mod might be easier than expected (assuming these jumpers really do lead to that line). However, I will still need to buy SMD diodes to replace the inline resistors with (unless I have to resort to the frowned-upon 4PDT method for this set). I'll wait until I get the TV so I can take measurements of the resistors so I know what diodes to buy.

[maxtherabbit]

I got a pack of SMD diodes from china for pennies. Took a while to arrive though. They were sized for 1206 pads but I was able to squeeze them onto 0805 pads.

[matt]

I've purchased the service manual for the Panasonic and just found out that all of the components on the RGB line are surface mount. Crap, I was going to use Andy's amp for this mod by replacing R066, R067, and R068 with diodes. The problem is I don't have any SMD diodes I can use, only through-hole. Another problem is the injection points for RGB and Blanking (C038, C037, C036, and R015 signal ends) are, of course, surface mount components, so soldering wires to those is going to be difficult, if not impossible to do. If anyone has any feedback on how I can implement this mod, I'd really appreciate it.

Soldering to SMT components is pretty common with RGB mods. If it's not something you're comfortable with, it's a good idea to practice on some junk PCBs until you get the hang of it. Make sure the wires are secured well so they don't put too much stress on the pads.

You should be able to bodge in some through-hole diodes if you don't have any SMT ones. Make them into a U shape and bend small "feet" at the bottom of the legs.

[megafacehead]

UPDATE- re the Trinitron KV-XF25M30 RGB teletext mod fail


Ok, this is where i'm at.


I left it alone for three days, unplugged.

Plugged in, and this is what i got.

The standby light now blinks twice, and the following is what is on the screen (video below too).



https://youtu.be/2_ZQlw-y5Hw

As you can see, the screen is mostly black, with a scrolling blue horizontal tint that slowly moves down the screen. There is no osd. I hooked up a snes via s-video and you can clearly hear the game playing in the background.

After about 3 mins the tv automatically turned off, tried to turn back on, and then the old relay clicking came back and the tv fails to show any image at all again.

The service manual states the following for a 2 flashing standby light error


I think you must be right Marko, i can't see anything else doing this sort of damage besides somehow shorting the 5v blanking direct to ground, somehow.... I feel like an ass and it's knocked my confidence doing any sort of minor electronic work moving forward.



Now my question is, with all of the above information, does anyone have any reasonable place to narrow down what part(s) may be faulty, knowing

-i have no osd

-sound works fine

-scrolling black blue screen

-2 flashing standby light code and associated potential faulty ic's/etc.



????

[Ryeno]

Hi guys,

-bridge those three grounds (5/9/13)

You need to directly wire these to ground.

-connect the 5v blanking from the scart cable socket (pin 16) to the blk teletext header(may possibly need to half this down to .5v but will try 5v first as it seems to be the most common)

You need to terminate scart blanking to 75 ohm ground as well and wire pin 18 to ground. Video game consoles don't always output 5v, some output 12. Furthermore some TVs have resistors in series with YM to limit the current. Your TV has 100 ohm but that is pretty low. If I have a TV that requires blanking and I don't know the voltage, I start with 1v and increase until blanking occurs.

-connect the sync (pin 20) to the luma pin of the s-video socket (found this by testing for continuity between the sync (top right hole) of the s-video port to one of the solder points underneath the tv).

You need to wire pin 17 to ground as well.

If anyone can tell me the specific reason how i broke it and a specific way of fixing it, i'll gladly pay you for your trouble. Please no generic answers like 'just recap it bro'.

UPDATE- re the Trinitron KV-XF25M30 RGB teletext mod fail
Now my question is, with all of the above information, does anyone have any reasonable place to narrow down what part(s) may be faulty, knowing

It's probably the jungle chip. CXA2159S??

You can buy one from utsource or eBay.

https://www.utsource.net/itm/p/1867407.html

Also check D003.

[Ryeno]

This is how I think the RGB input with DC offset could work. Interested in feedback.

Not quite sure how to Mux it yet. Still thinking about that.

I tried it. It doesn't work. I used R2=800k and R1=2.2m, 1m, 560k, 470k. Increasing bias did help improve the cutoff but not enough. I think the amp is a must.


AN5693K


AN5394FB


http://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/datashe ... N5307K.pdf

https://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet ... 5302K.html

[jona/pls/help]

hi guys i want to rgb mod my magnavox 20MT1336 tv I found the service manual and identified what I think is the Jungle chip as a TDA9377. It appears that the OSD is handled inside the chip itself. And pins 46 47 48 carry the rgb signal but thats all i know and don t know what to do or where to continue to mod my tv resistors value and none of thats stuff i really understand

[QuazyPat]

Hi everyone! Just joined, first time posting. I had some questions that hopefully you can help me out with. First, some context.

I recently picked up a new in box Sharp 13L-M100B (August 1999). Not the fanciest TV by any means, but it was local, unopened and free! I hadn't played games on a CRT in many years and thought this would be a good place to start (also it fits on my desk). After doing a quick check for any bulging or leaky capacitors, I turned it on and everything seemed to work as expected.

First question, is it worth replacing the capacitors in this TV? It sat around unopened for 23 years so I'm sure they've experienced some wear just due to age, but everything seems to work. Is it worth it from the perspective of preventative maintenance?

I connected my PS2 and an original Raspberry Pi model B via composite. After some calibrations in the service menu, I got the PS2 looking pretty solid. For some reason, though, the Raspberry Pi looks rough in the RetroPie menus (way too dark, smeary text), but running a game like 240P Test Suite or Super Mario World looks fine. I'm not sure if this is due to some configs within RetroPie, the specific cable I was using or something else.

Anyway, the limitations of composite got me thinking that it could be fun to mod this TV for RGB. I did some reading and searching and found a user on here that performed an RGB mod on this same model three years ago (goldendark007, relevant posts found here: search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&author=goldendark007). So it definitely seems like it's achievable. I'm not sure how it turned out in the end for them, if they're still active here or even where they fit the SCART connector because it doesn't seem like there's much space for it on the back panel, so I wanted to ask here if it's worth the effort.

I'm in the US so I don't have any SCART devices or cables. So if I perform this mod I would need to either purchase cables for each system I intend to use on this TV, or pick up a component to SCART transcoder (I already have component cables for some systems). But a good one, like from Mike Chi/RetroTINK, is in the neighborhood of $60-$80. At that point would it instead be better to just keep looking for a TV that already has component inputs? There are a few late Sony and Toshiba models in the 13"-14" range that are popular for that reason. Also, I already have a RetroTINK 2X that I've used to connect my PS2 to my 4K TV (TCL 65R615). And honestly, I think it looks pretty dang good.

So yeah, that's where I'm at. Browsing this forum a bit, I have no doubt that everyone here would be more than willing to help if I do decide to perform the mod (and I'm sure I will need plenty as an electrical engineer I am not). But is it worth the cost, time and effort? I know that's a bit of a personal question, but that's why other experiences and opinions are helpful to hear.

Thanks!

[matt]

hi guys i want to rgb mod my magnavox 20MT1336 tv I found the service manual and identified what I think is the Jungle chip as a TDA9377. It appears that the OSD is handled inside the chip itself. And pins 46 47 48 carry the rgb signal but thats all i know and don t know what to do or where to continue to mod my tv resistors value and none of thats stuff i really understand

This TV can't be modded for RGB. However, there's a chance that you could add component and/or s-video.

The procedure for the mod has been documented earlier in this thread. I made a writeup of it here as well:

https://crtdatabase.com/crts/magnavox/m ... 4ms2331-17

The first step is to go into the service menu and see if you can enable the S Video and CVI inputs via the option bits. If so, the mod is pretty easy. If not, you're SOL.

[KPackratt2k]

Does anyone know if the RCA E13209 (TX826 chassis) TV can be modded for Composite and RGB (and most importantly, has an isolated power supply design)?

I found a 13" RCA CRT TV on FB Marketplace and I placed the order in hopes that it was another E133xx model which I know is moddable since I've modded an E13309 (TX808A) last year with some trial and error work. However, upon closer inspection of the pictures, it turned out to be an E1320x model (likely E13209) since it advertises "XL100 Commercial Skip" on the top-left corner of the front bezel, this is an older model (1996-99 time period) and therefore is an older chassis than the one I have.

Upon doing a quick search, I could only find a paid service manual for it from Sam's Photofacts and one other site (I forgot what it was). I was hoping someone had better luck than me at finding a free service manual (or had one of these sets to work with) to determine if it could be modded or not.

[matt]

First question, is it worth replacing the capacitors in this TV? It sat around unopened for 23 years so I'm sure they've experienced some wear just due to age, but everything seems to work. Is it worth it from the perspective of preventative maintenance?

Not unless they have problems. If the TV is new in the box, chances of having bad caps are pretty low. Capacitors usually fail from exposure to ripple current and/or heat, which won't be a problem with your TV.

Anyway, the limitations of composite got me thinking that it could be fun to mod this TV for RGB. I did some reading and searching and found a user on here that performed an RGB mod on this same model three years ago (goldendark007, relevant posts found here: search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&author=goldendark007). So it definitely seems like it's achievable. I'm not sure how it turned out in the end for them, if they're still active here or even where they fit the SCART connector because it doesn't seem like there's much space for it on the back panel, so I wanted to ask here if it's worth the effort.

I recently wrote a guide for RGB modding the Sharp 13K-M100, which should be similar to yours. It's not hard and the results are good:

https://crtdatabase.com/crts/sharp/sharp-13k-m100b

I'm in the US so I don't have any SCART devices or cables. So if I perform this mod I would need to either purchase cables for each system I intend to use on this TV, or pick up a component to SCART transcoder (I already have component cables for some systems). But a good one, like from Mike Chi/RetroTINK, is in the neighborhood of $60-$80. At that point would it instead be better to just keep looking for a TV that already has component inputs? There are a few late Sony and Toshiba models in the 13"-14" range that are popular for that reason. Also, I already have a RetroTINK 2X that I've used to connect my PS2 to my 4K TV (TCL 65R615). And honestly, I think it looks pretty dang good.

If you're able to mod a TV, you'll be able to make your own RGB cables. It's easy and cheap.

[QuazyPat]

I recently wrote a guide for RGB modding the Sharp 13K-M100, which should be similar to yours. It's not hard and the results are good:

https://crtdatabase.com/crts/sharp/sharp-13k-m100b

Wow, you weren't kidding, looks like you posted that yesterday. Seems like it was meant to be, then. I'll read your guide and make sure I understand everything. Thank you!

[Akuji]

Hey everyone! I've been thinking about a TV mod that isn't technically an RGB mod, but bare with me.

I own a PVM-14N6U and I was wondering if there was a way that I could modify the REMOTE connector phono jack (which is pretty much useless to me) to instead be an RGB "external sync out" phono jack for use with lightguns like the GunCon 2. Ideally it'd be nice if the sync corresponded to whatever input is currently being displayed on the TV, but that's complicated and in reality I'd only really need it to be for the RGB input, since Line A already has video out.

How would I go about doing this correctly? This is a very pointless mod considering you can just use rca splitter adapters to connect the lightgun instead, but I figured that it would be a cleaner and faster way to connect my lightgun seamlessly and to make use of a plug that otherwise goes unused. I'm also assuming that it shouldn't be that difficult, but I don't really know that.