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Television Standards Converters, Modulators etc Standards converters, modulators anything else for providing signals to vintage televisions.

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Old 15th Aug 2008, 10:20 pm   #21
evingar
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Default Re: Latest converter project

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Originally Posted by BGmidsUK View Post
$800-$900 is not vastly different from the Domino/Dinosaur converters I believe? These were around £400. And this is so much more flexible, giving just about every standard you can think of! I will be saving for one of these.


Cheers
BG
Yes, that was about the price. I currently have a Pineapple and one of Darryl's converters - The Pineapple is mothballed and the smaller converter is built into a 1st generation PACE OnDigital box.

Darryl has effectively set a new lower price for basic converters by using contemporary technology and a lot of ingenuity. I don't currently have any use for a more advanced model, but for what it does it is superb value for money at that price !
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 3:27 pm   #22
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Default Re: Latest converter project

Thanks for the feedback guys. I was concerned that I had taken this in the wrong direction now that it was finished and I was getting quotes back. It will probably be another week for everything to get solidified, and then a few weeks after that to get some units built.

Darryl
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 4:43 pm   #23
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Default Re: Latest converter project

Might need to start a piggy bank......

Lots of possibilities for collecting with one of these!

Cheers
Sean
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 6:22 pm   #24
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Default Re: Latest converter project

Me too,

Will there still be a market for the original Auroras 2nd hand now or will everyone want one of these.

Dom
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 6:50 pm   #25
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Default Re: Latest converter project

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Me too,

Will there still be a market for the original Auroras 2nd hand now or will everyone want one of these.

Dom
I can't see demand for the original model drying up. It does what most people want such a standards converter to do (enable them to run commonly available 405 Line (etc) TVs.

IMHO, the price differential between it and the new model will mean demand will still be high - People have, and will probably continue to buy more than one !
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 7:18 pm   #26
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Default Re: Latest converter project

I would think so, as some of us want more than one converter anyway .. that way we can use our old TVs as originally intended in my case, having BBC-1, ITV and a feed from a satellite receiver .. the latest converter will allow experimentation with various standards and will be able to provide 405-line signals from PAL and NTSC sources.



BG


>EDIT<
Forgot to refresh before posting!
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Old 17th Aug 2008, 6:01 am   #27
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Default Re: Latest converter project

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Me too,

Will there still be a market for the original Auroras 2nd hand now or will everyone want one of these.

Dom
I think evingar and BG are correct. I don't anticipate the new converter displacing the existing low cost unit. The low cost unit is still all many people require. The new unit is good for people with different types of sets, experimenters who like to tinker, or those who need to source video from different standards (NTSC, PAL and SECAM) just to name a few things. My intention is still to provide the low cost units as long as there is interest in them.

Darryl
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Old 17th Aug 2008, 9:39 pm   #28
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Default Re: Latest converter project

Hi Darryl,

if things work out, I will get an old Sovjet KVN-49 tv set for the Sovjet television standard. Would this converter also provide an antenna signal for this tv set?

Kind regards,
Eckhard
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Old 17th Aug 2008, 9:58 pm   #29
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Hi Eckhard,
My books show Russia using System D on VHF and System K on UHF. If this is correct, the unit does have these systems coded in. The complete list of systems currently coded are:

A, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, C, E, F, G1, G2, H, I, K, L, M1, M2, N, and seven pre-war experimental systems. All defined channels for each of these systems is coded for a total of over 500 channels.

If my information is wrong about the RF System Russia used, please let me know.

Take care,
Darryl
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Old 21st Aug 2008, 1:12 am   #30
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I've posted a first draft manual for the new converter at:
http://converter.home.comcast.net/~c...Manual_1.0.pdf
Please have a look and let me know if it is detailed enough, or not detailed enough, or whatever other comments you might have.

Thanks,
Darryl
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Old 21st Aug 2008, 9:55 pm   #31
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Hi Darryl,

Put me down for one when they are available!
Would there be any chance you could add a few channels for the Ham TV bands -70 cm and maybe even FM on the 23cm band, also usable for 'vintage analogue satellite receivers, (don't forget Europe's band is quite a bit narrower than the USA) Would VSB be feasiible using I and Q synthesis?

It might encourage a bit more vintage TV over the ether!
Andy EI3HG
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Old 21st Aug 2008, 10:45 pm   #32
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Hi Andy,
Since I have a microcontroller on this design, I took a different approach and completely split the system control out of the fpga. This makes the fpga just a data processing engine. All variables describing the standards and RF channels reside in the microcontroller. The intent was to make the design flexible enough that adding standards or RF channels would be very easy, and possibly done by the user.
The downside for a user adding a standard definition is there are over 200 registers in the fpga that need to be calculated, many with nasty stuff like filter coefficients. On the RF side things are much more straight forward, and it should be a simply matter to allow users to create their own RF System. Call it a system "U". I'll need to come up with a clean way for the user to enter the data, but all the pieces are there.

I briefly considered a side band filter for this design, but it would have been complicated and costly. I think once we are forced to move on from these Freescale modulators, as they have gone end-of-life, it would make sense to rethink the modulator from the ground up, and anything might be possible.

Take care,
Darryl
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Old 24th Aug 2008, 10:59 am   #33
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Default Re: Latest converter project

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All defined channels for each of these systems is coded for a total of over 500 channels.
I'm not a vintage TV person but pop in when things look interesting
I notice you don't have NZ channels 10 and 11 - I know they're not really vintage but if its not difficult you may as well include them for completeness. Channel 10 must have come into use sometime mid-late 70's (a 1973 B&W set I have doesn't have it, but a 1982 colour does). Not sure on channel 11, but TV4 used it at launch over much of the country in 1997.
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Old 24th Aug 2008, 1:37 pm   #34
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Hi arjoll,
Thanks for the correction. I looked through all my references and could not find the carriers for channels 10 and 11, but doing a quick internet search found them. I also found that at some point the frequencies from channel 6 up were move lower, presumably to make room for 10 or 11.
I have the table updated now.

Thanks,
Darryl
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Old 24th Aug 2008, 6:58 pm   #35
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Default Re: Latest converter project

I had a look at the manual and think you've done an excellent job.
I would like to suggest that the table of supported RF Systems include the line system, whether positive/negative modulation and audio carrier/system - would make a great cross-reference for us!



Many thanks
Brian
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Old 25th Aug 2008, 4:24 am   #36
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I did a major update of the code and manual over the weekend. I added the video and audio modulation types to the table at the back of the manual as Brian suggested. I didn't add the line system as there is nothing precluding the user from sending any output standard out any RF System. I default to the correct one, but the user can always change it.

I also added a custom User RF System that can hold up to 31 unique channels. You can select the video/audio modulation (pos/neg, am/fm), video/audio carrier spacing, and video/audio frequency (30.00MHz to 879.95MHz).

I think I need to stop changing the code now

Darryl
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Old 25th Aug 2008, 11:36 am   #37
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Thumbs up Re: Latest converter project

Quote:
Originally Posted by tubesrule View Post
I've posted a first draft manual for the new converter at:
http://converter.home.comcast.net/~c...Manual_1.0.pdf
Please have a look and let me know if it is detailed enough, or not detailed enough, or whatever other comments you might have.

Thanks,
Darryl
Whow! I am impressed (again).

Don't forget SSTV, this makes it interesting for radio amateurs as well.

Kind regards,
Darius
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Old 25th Aug 2008, 1:14 pm   #38
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Hi Darius,
Nice to hear from you. I'm not very familiar with SSTV, but it sounds like an interesting idea to add. I don't see why the FM audio signal could not be generated. I'll need to read up on the different SSTV standards.

Take care,
Darryl
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Old 26th Aug 2008, 11:30 am   #39
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Hi Darryl,
there is a lot of information on the web about SSTV.
For me the attached 120 line standard is important.
I am using a "7BP7" SSTV Monitor. It is very impressive to see the picture appearing on the orange radar screen. You can see how the lines are written on the screen.

Kind regards,
Darius
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Old 26th Aug 2008, 10:16 pm   #40
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Hi Darius,
This all looks straight forward, so I think it would be possible to implement. It will just be a matter of resources and time.

Take care,
Darryl
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