Heavy Sixer RF Output Perfected

[adamchevy]

I would like to know all of the best steps to get the finest rf output a heavy sixer can produce. I think it's fine to mod other consoles, but it seems wrong to mod a heavy sixer that is capable of producing the best rf output of any 2600 produced.

 

Steps I have heard of:

 

1. Replace RF cable. What's the best type of cable to use? Can you use a shielded RCA cable with an adapter on the end? Or does it need to be an actual rf cable?

 

2. Replace the "green chicklet" capacitor on the left hand side of the board right above the power regulator.

(Labeled C241 on board)

 

3. Place ferrite snap on cores somewhere on your rf cable( not sure where?). To take out any extra fuzziness in your signal.

 

4. Possibly use a 10db RF amplifier to boost your signal.

 

These are the most common fixes that I could find on the forums to get the best possible RF output. Is there anything else?

[NinjaWarrior]

Can people answer the guy, He's asking for Advise

 

Did you try it yet, I would like to see the results

[+Stephen Moss]

This is not an easy question to answer as the solution depends on why the signal is bad in the first place.

The problem I have with many so called "fixes" on web forums is that they have been arrived at by amateurs who know nothing about electronics and just tried things at random until they found something that they perceive has made an (probably minor) improvement and then touting that as the ultimate solution to a problem.

Even if their solution did have a significant effect it may not in someone else's situation as they cannot provide quantitative tests that another person could performed to check if that particular solution will work in their case resulting in the unnecessary changing of perfectly fine components and ensuing frustration.

 

In regard to the potential solutions already mentioned...

 

Clip on ferrites can eliminate external RF noise pickup and more importantly reduce internal RF noise radiation and so will only improve things if that is the issue, if you want to try them the best place to put them is at the ends of the cable, if just using one place it as near to the TV input as possible.

 

An RF amplifer will help if the signal level is too small, but other than that I doubt it will have much of an effect. If you want to try and clean up a noisy signal a narrow bandpass filter may be a better option to eliminate any noise at other frequencies - amplifying a poor distorted signal will just get you a bigger poor distorted signal.

 

I have no clue as to whether replaceing C241 will help as I don't know what it does.

 

Replacing the RF cable may help if it is breaking down, if you are going to do so using another RF (Co-Axial) cable would be the best option.

 

At the end of the day if the 2600 is outputting a poor quaility signal there is very little if anything you can really do to improve it externally, I would expect TV repair outfits to be able to monitor the RF output from the VCS for strength, frequency and SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) both directly and through your existing RF lead and tell you how good it is and advise you as to the best external option (if any) for improving it.

 

Internal improvements probably means adding extra capacitors to make the internal power very clean and noise free and replacing or adjusting the RF modulator, consequently unless you want to keep VCS as original the simplest and cheapest option may be to perform an AV mod to get composite video and audio - search the forums, they do not appear to be that difficult to do even for those not used to soldering especially if you purchase a pre-assembled mod board.

[Schizophretard]

I would like to know all of the best steps to get the finest rf output a heavy sixer can produce. I think it's fine to mod other consoles, but it seems wrong to mod a heavy sixer that is capable of producing the best rf output of any 2600 produced.

 

Steps I have heard of:

 

1. Replace RF cable. What's the best type of cable to use? Can you use a shielded RCA cable with an adapter on the end? Or does it need to be an actual rf cable?

 

2. Replace the "green chicklet" capacitor on the left hand side of the board right above the power regulator.

(Labeled C241 on board)

 

3. Place ferrite snap on cores somewhere on your rf cable( not sure where?). To take out any extra fuzziness in your signal.

 

4. Possibly use a 10db RF amplifier to boost your signal.

 

These are the most common fixes that I could find on the forums to get the best possible RF output. Is there anything else?

 

5. Plug it into a VCR with either composite or s-video out to demodulate the signal into composite or s-video without modification to the Heavy Sixer.

[SIO2]

My own experience is that video mods work better on the 7800 than light sixer or 2600A.

 

I am not doing any more video mods at this time because, I found that with a good clean / quality cable, polishing the inside and outside of the connector on the RF modulator, making sure the channel select switch is clean and in good working order and reflowing the solder to the RF modulator and channel select switch will generally produce very good results.

 

These techniques will work for the heavy as well.

 

I have removed many of the green chicklet capacitors and tested them and they have always tested fine for capacitance and ESR. So, I put them back. I have read that the chicklets may cause problems with the video and audio but I would only suspect them if the techniques above were not able to resolve the issue.

Edited September 8, 2016 by SIO2

[adamchevy]

Can people answer the guy, He's asking for Advise

 

Did you try it yet, I would like to see the results

I am currently in the process of trying it. I gave up on the rf idea though. I am going to replace all of the caps and have the console svideo modded by joe at electronic sentimentalities. I really can't stand rf, especially on a Sony trinitron that accepts svideo . I know many purists would not do this to a heavy sixer, but I think it helps extend its life. I really don't like modding a heavy sixer, but there isn't an alternative besides using a demodulator of some kind. Also, it's really just rf signal in the end. Mainly I want a console free of future problems. I would mod my junior but I really don't like using it, I really enjoy the switches on the sixers. Also I don't want to just stick it in a box on the shelf. Edited September 8, 2016 by adamchevy