36 replies to this topic

[ten-four]

Hi all your gamers...

I have in many years try to convert my PAL ColecoVision without a satisfired result.

But my latest attempt is from Peter Zevenhoven (Dutch) and it has no colors at all.

I have the picture from TMS 9929 ANL (B-Y-35 Y-36 R-Y-38).
Sound from SN 76489 AN (7-8 ).

My Picture are Black and White, -but the sound is superb.

Peter Zevenhoven describe it for the Scart: 2-6-Audio 4-17-Gnd 16-17 Sync 7-Blue 11-Green and 15-Red.

What is it i do wrong.

[ten-four]

YES !...

I found a new chip: LMH 1251.

It will decode the luminance and the color difference into primary RGB.

Now i just have to find that chip, i can't find it here in Denmark.

Maybe you know where...

Edited by ten-four, Wed Jul 25, 2007 3:25 PM.

[doubledown]

I don't think that IC will work. The TMS9929A outputs Color Difference (YUV or YCbCr, whichever you choose to call it) not YPbPr.

[ten-four]

Hi...

My "Radioman" told me that, it would be very difficult to work with the chip, because the legs from the ic
is small like a head of a pin.

It is something around a way to heat it up, i can not use a normal iron for soldering.
They said i have to heat it up a whole side at ones with a kind of warm heat.

TMS 9929 has the Y-Yb-Yr out on 35-36 and 38.
That is what i can understand from their PDF.

On the picture above -you see my previous converter from Peter Z and Hans Otten.
That's from a MSX but with the same Graphic chip.

But the problem is the colordifference, sound works fine, but the pic. has only the Black & White.

I can see on the Internet tha i can get a box there will convert from Component to analog RGB.

Can it indicate a difference between my PAL in Denmark and yours NTSC ?.

[joyrex]

Quote

My Picture are Black and White, -but the sound is superb.

Peter Zevenhoven describe it for the Scart: 2-6-Audio 4-17-Gnd 16-17 Sync 7-Blue 11-Green and 15-Red.

What I find interesting too is you mention that you connected the sync signal from the rgb converter to the scart pins 16 and 17. When I read the document, it states they should be connected to pin 16 and pin 20.

If fixing this still gives problem, a reason for the picture being black and white could be that the blanking signal gnd has not been connected at all (this is not mentioned in the article also). I think pin 18 should be connected to gnd too. This is the blanking signal gnd pin. The blanking signal pin indicates a rgb signal should be used, rather than composite.

Your picture being black and white and being stable indicates the tv thinks composite is used rather the rgb (y from the tms, which includes the composite sync and is indeed black and white).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCART

Hope this makes sense, and hopefully this works. I hope to fix my cvbs circuit; but if this works, it is a good alternative for my bugged modification.


(edit) Maybe the ground pins for rgb should be connected to gnd also; pin 5, 9 and 13.

Edited by joyrex, Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:22 PM.

[ten-four]

Hi joyrex.

I'm now in the right direction, ...i think.



The screen is Blue, but the text is Red.

Text should be white.

I'll work on it again, i have to find a solution.

[joyrex]

Good news! This was the result after connecting the additional gnd pins?

I think the letters are pink (R+B), which means there is a problem with the G. To validate this even more you could try a game that has some obvious green in it; the greens will probably show up as black/white, while other colors work (at least the red and blue portion of them).

Maybe it's just a loose connection? Otherwise it maybe a broken part in the G section of the encoder.

[joyrex]

Hi ten-four, any updates? Can you share your experiences?

[ten-four]

joyrex, on Mon Apr 7, 2008 9:20 PM, said:

Hi ten-four, any updates? Can you share your experiences?

Hi joyrex.

No i'm not coming any longer.

I put it away again, it will not work for me.

I think i'll buy an US ColecoVision, and work on that instead.

I'll use my 50 Hz. Power Unit to see whether i can get a picture on my multiformat tv.

If you guys with an NTSC version can Mod a ColecoVision with only one RCA plug (Yellow).

Then i will test it, to see if it works here as well.

Would this work

[joyrex]

ten-four, on Tue Apr 8, 2008 12:14 PM, said:

If you guys with an NTSC version can Mod a ColecoVision with only one RCA plug (Yellow).

Then i will test it, to see if it works here as well.

Would this work

This should work if your tv is capable of displaying ntsc pictures. I think most tv's are able to do that, but maybe not on all connectors (eg. maybe only on av-1). If your tv doesn't support ntsc via composite, it will give you a b/w picture.

Edited by joyrex, Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:13 PM.

[ten-four]

Thank you.

I'll try to see if i can change the Tv AV out to NTSC format.

[joyrex]

ten-four, on Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:18 PM, said:

Thank you.

I'll try to see if i can change the Tv AV out to NTSC format.

It's probably not manually switchable. Usualy the tv notices the signal is 60hz instead of 50hz and switches automatically. On modern consoles (eg. playstation 2), there are games where you can select the output to be 60hz. That's basicly the same as connecting a ntsc console to the tv. If the tv doesn't support it, the image will turn out to be b/w (no settings to be manually changed).

[ten-four]

joyrex, on Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:04 PM, said:

ten-four, on Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:18 PM, said:

Thank you.

I'll try to see if i can change the Tv AV out to NTSC format.

It's probably not manually switchable. Usualy the tv notices the signal is 60hz instead of 50hz and switches automatically. On modern consoles (eg. playstation 2), there are games where you can select the output to be 60hz. That's basicly the same as connecting a ntsc console to the tv. If the tv doesn't support it, the image will turn out to be b/w (no settings to be manually changed).

I can see my GRUNDIG Tv supports NTSC 3.6 and NTSC 4.4, PAL and SECAM.

[mimo]

Is it not easier to buy a PAL/SECAM Colecovision from France, the output RGB via a Scart connection

[ten-four]

mimo, on Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:07 PM, said:

Is it not easier to buy a PAL/SECAM Colecovision from France, the output RGB via a Scart connection

Hi mimo.

I have a PAL CBS ColecoVision, it's not the problem.
The problem is that a U.S. ColecoVision is not built like an EU Colecovision inside.
We have in our one HF modulator to transform the television signal.



But technically is it the same machine.
If it should be easy, was it already done for a long time ago.

I wrote to Telegames UK some time ago, about whether they could help me with the old drawings.
They could not immediately, but he "would return" if he found out something.

Immediately, it does not appear that we can use the Mod from 8bitdomain.
For as i see it in the guide, we do not have quite the same output for the concerned components.

If there are any out there who have a modified CBS Colecovision in PAL, which would like to share its knowledge with other PAL users, please feel free.

[mimo]

I understand that the video circuit is different in the PAL and NTSC systems, which is why I did not buy a PAL system until now. I knew that the PAL systems could not be easily A/V moded, so I was going to import yet another console!
Then I remembered reading that there was a third type of CV made only for the French market. This already has RGB output via SCART/PERITEL connection, so video output should be equal or better than s-video. As this is factory built then it is much easier than trying to mod a normal PAL system or cheaper than importing an NTSC one.
Fyi, the French Atari 7800s also have RGB video output


I'll post some pictures when mine arrives from France

[ten-four]

Hello mimo.

Yes it is good enough, there is a 3. version, in fact, there are several in various versions.
But as you can look at this picture, here is the french TV-out connection.



It is not managed to me to find out the connections, and I have not found anything over the "web" ... yet.

I would be happy to look forward to see your pictures.

Let me know if you can make it work directly through TV-out connection, without your television detect your ColecoVision,
and even switching to secam.
I hope it works without the television and only through AV-out directly).

All informations received with joy.

[mimo]

hey ten-four, my French CV arrived today
It came with a standard scart connector, so I was able to connect directly to my tv.
I don't have any games to test with at the moment, but I can confirm that the picture quality looks good (better than my s-video moded 7800) there are some black lines on the screen which are more pronounced on LCD much nicer image on CRT (this seems to be the case with all my vintage consoles) Hope to get some games soon and then I will get some pictures up

[ten-four]

Hi mimo.

Do you have any pictures of your French CBS ColecoVision.
I would love to see the back jacks.

You have PAL and it runs SECAM, but when it comes to AV connection, there is probably no difference anyway...

[mimo]

no problem, but I am using my Wii for web browsing at the moment, tomorrow I should get some pictures for you. I can also scan the manual if you require

[ten-four]

Thank you.

You may like to scan the page, which connect the console, so I can see if there is no difference from the manual I have.

I look forward...

[ten-four]

Hi mimo, what's up !

Can you show any pics. from your French Scart CV.

[mimo]

sorry on vacation at the moment.
I have a few problems with the graphics at the moment, hopefully a cleaning up of the on/off switch will fix it.
Cheers
mimo

[Jess Ragan]

Hey, what's all this I've been hearing about a ColecoVision with component jacks? How the heck would you even build one of those, anyway? Is there a schematic online or something?

[doubledown]

Jess Ragan, on Sat Aug 9, 2008 7:06 AM, said:

Hey, what's all this I've been hearing about a ColecoVision with component jacks? How the heck would you even build one of those, anyway? Is there a schematic online or something?

I would do it like this:



or like this: