TheCoolDave Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Hi ! I did a search I could only find info on a Model 1. Has anyone did a A/V upgrade to a Fairchild Channel F Model 2, if so, what is involved ? Would love to try this myself.. Yes, for people watching my threads, yes, I found one... waiting for it to come in, kind of being proactive to try to get everything ready, and this is very important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 (edited) Earlier this year a rather straightforward A/V solution for the Channel F was posted, and afterwards it has been found that the same circuit possibly with small adjustments to resistor values work on pretty much any console (different brands & systems). Is the Model 2 that much different that it could not be made to work, or simply you don't know which solder points to use? Edited April 9, 2019 by carlsson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 Earlier this year a rather straightforward A/V solution for the Channel F was posted, and afterwards it has been found that the same circuit possibly with small adjustments to resistor values work on pretty much any console (different brands & systems). Is the Model 2 that much different that it could not be made to work, or simply you don't know which solder points to use? I dont know enough about the hardware to comare the 1 and 2. I know there is some changes but, to what level I dont know. The question is to see if anyone has done one and how can I do one to mine ? Really wanted to see S-video out instead of RF...Yuck ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 Earlier this year a rather straightforward A/V solution for the Channel F was posted, and afterwards it has been found that the same circuit possibly with small adjustments to resistor values work on pretty much any console (different brands & systems). Is the Model 2 that much different that it could not be made to work, or simply you don't know which solder points to use? I wanted to update this but, I cant edit after so long. The Channel F A/V upgrades tha I could find were spotty with low signal after doing a TON of searches on here and on google. What circut are you talking about ? Can you provide a link where it's discussed ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Ok, I found it in a Facebook group back in February. Fredrik Groth wrote about how he was looking to implement a composite video mod on his Philips Videopac G7000 (a.k.a. Odyssey^2) and found a schematic by anonymous (?) that worked well for the purpose. It made him curious to see if it could be used with his Luxor Video Entertainment System (a.k.a. Fairchild Channel F) as well. He found that with the default resistor values (above) it gives too much amplification of the signal on the Channel F, but that it is possible to adjust the resistor pairs R1/R2 and R4/R5. Basically he replaced R4 and R5 with a 500 ohm trim pot, but probably a 1K pot would work as well. It let him adjust the signal until it looks good. This is Fredrik's modified schematic: It has been tested by e.g. e5frog on SABA consoles with good results, though I'm unsure if it has been tested on US Fairchild consoles yet, either model 1 or 2. This is how he connected the board: yellow for video in, red for +5V I presume and black for ground. Note that you don't get S-Video with this mod, only composite video. I don't know if S-Video at all is possible, and probably it would require more work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 (edited) I think e5frog is here, I was reading some of his old mods he was trying on a Model 1, and the results, that is where I came up with that. Thanks, I might ask someone else who could build this.. I am not an expert. I see the Video, line.. How do you pull audio and were can it be grabbed from ? Now I need to find out the differences between the model 1 and 2. If the boards are the same, just a slimmer case (I know most old consoles are 85% air inside them), then the mod should apply. The main reason I went with a 2 was the audio comes out the RF, not the console itself, like on the 1... Do you have the link to the facebook group (or DM me), I would love to read his whole thing and maybe pop him a question if I get stuck... Edited April 11, 2019 by TheCoolDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Tried it on the US version, works fine - although the image is pretty crappy on my TV compared to the PAL version. Kind of smeared and odd colors. I probed through reasonable location and found a good one on a resistor before the RF box. The boards for model 1 and 2 are not the same, there's a model 1.5 as well, that has the new electronics in the old shell. Difference between them is the logic that was a bunch of TTL chips is instead stuffed into one large IC, sound is also a bit different. The Channel F II has a smaller board. I made CAD-drawings of an SMD and a THM version, haven't built either yet... I'll see if I can find good spots to grab the signal on the other versions as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 Tried it on the US version, works fine - although the image is pretty crappy on my TV compared to the PAL version. Kind of smeared and odd colors. I probed through reasonable location and found a good one on a resistor before the RF box. The boards for model 1 and 2 are not the same, there's a model 1.5 as well, that has the new electronics in the old shell. Difference between them is the logic that was a bunch of TTL chips is instead stuffed into one large IC, sound is also a bit different. The Channel F II has a smaller board. I made CAD-drawings of an SMD and a THM version, haven't built either yet... I'll see if I can find good spots to grab the signal on the other versions as well. Thanks ! This guy on youtube is showing the A/V mod he made on a Model 2, I just cant get any info from him how to do it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4BuP5mdV58 looking forward to what you come up with.. Let me know if you need anything from me ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I could DM you a link to the FB group but it is a general video games repair/modding group exclusively in Swedish so probably not awfully useful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 Bump, still looking for where to grab A/V on the Channel F Model 2 ? I cant use RF any more...it's just wrong ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 I probably have some time these next few days to locate a good spot to steal that composite signal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 I probably have some time these next few days to locate a good spot to steal that composite signal. Good luck on your quest...Looking forward to hearing your results... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 (edited) Found a good spot, instructions in my VESwiki: http://channelf.se/veswiki/index.php?title=ModdingI made a PCB for this (20x20mm - that's less than an inch), I'm considering making a few finished modules to install - if anyone is interested. It can be used for other machines as well, the potentiometer is very helpful getting a good signal from various sources. Edited April 24, 2019 by e5frog 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KylJoy Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 I'd take two or three finished modules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 Cool, interested too... Cant use this system in my setup unless it has A/V out... SO interested.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 Any update on this ? Almost done with one console and need to find out where I will be moving next... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 I posted the information on the link above. Haven't had any PCB:s made yet, it could be made on experiment board pretty easily. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 I posted the information on the link above. Haven't had any PCB:s made yet, it could be made on experiment board pretty easily. I see where the video is pulled(by the red clamp) but, I don't see where the audio is pulled from. Am I missing something ? I did a A/V mod to Odyssey 2, just tying into the ports on the board, the result over RF is 100% better, with out any ad on. So is this kit going to make a major difference in quality from just pulling from the ports on the board ? On the schematic you list the it as for the fairchild but, not the Model II. does it work the same ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Actually didn't hookup the audio, should be simple if checking the schematic. It's often quite trivial with at most a resistor. In the first generation it can be grabbed by the speaker with something like a150kOhm resistor. Probably before the amplifier as well but it might change the sound. Will have a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 Actually didn't hookup the audio, should be simple if checking the schematic. It's often quite trivial with at most a resistor. In the first generation it can be grabbed by the speaker with something like a150kOhm resistor. Probably before the amplifier as well but it might change the sound. Will have a look. The Model II does not have a speaker, it's outputted to the RF cable.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 I know, hence the wording of my message. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen's Retro Show Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 I am super interested in this for my Fairchild v2 unit Respectfully Glen's Retro Show on YouTube 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoolDave Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 Actually didn't hookup the audio, should be simple if checking the schematic. It's often quite trivial with at most a resistor. In the first generation it can be grabbed by the speaker with something like a150kOhm resistor. Probably before the amplifier as well but it might change the sound. Will have a look. Did you have a chance to map out where to pull the Audio from on the Model 2...I am not a schematic expert. Thinking about ATTEMPTING to get one of your boards built but, if you already had some built, I would be interested in one or 2... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I haven't built any boards yet, will try to get it done in the next month, I've got some System Fairchild Multi-Cart builds to get through as well. I cut the audio-part out from the SABA VideoPlay 2 schematic, it differs mostly in image RF-part AFAIK so it should be the same or similar at least. The audio comes from pin 39 on the 9102 chip. Follow it to a resistor (R35 4,7k in schematic image) Continue from the other side of that resistor, where it goes into the amplifier (NPN transistor)One pin of the transistor goes to GND and the one left over is where you get the amplified audio. This output of the transistor is connected to C23, R28 (+12V), L2, another capacitor as well as *C28*. So five components in the same node - should be a reasonable chance to locate that spot. I would try and grab the audio after C28 - between C28 and R32. Hopefully the signal is strong enough or you'll need to add one more amplifier. Component designation may not be the same in the Channel F II, the schematic ought to be same or similar. Some people just poke around likely places and listen if they get any sound... which works, if you're confident you won't break anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Too hot for Multi-Cart making today, decided to check out the sound on the Channel F II. There's two obvious transistors on the board, the one for audio was the one furthest from the chip... well well. Audio comes from the buffer/audio chip 9102 pin 39, it goes directly to a 1k resistor on the Channel F II and then it hooks to a row of components as well as the transistor middle pin. I recommend grabbing audio from there, as such: Which gives us the complete A/V mod of the Channel F II like so:5V and GND wires from the capacitor could be twisted together to reduce the risk of picking up interference and also to keep things tidy. Same goes for audio and video output, twist with gnd cable is an easy and effective way if not using coaxial cable. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.