ColecoVision: No sound

[bigjt_2]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm new to the forum and have been looking through this section. While I've seen problems similar to my own, I haven't been able to find the exact problem. So if you read this and this exact question has already been asked, then by all means re-direct me to that thread because I may very well have missed it.

 

I got a used ColecoVision and it came with a long RCA cable and a really ancient-looking Coaxial switch with two coax inputs and an old output that looks like it goes to those antenna screws TVs used to have. I am hooking my ColecoVision up to a tube (CRT) TV that I bought in 2005, so it is fairly new and doesn't have those antenna screws. The TV does, of course, have a coax input. So I went to Radio Shack and bought a RCA female/Coax male converter and I then hooked the cable into the TV using that.

 

I am getting video just fine, although the colors look more muted than they do on the NES that I also have hooked up to the TV's coax input. But I am getting absolutely no sound. I'm not even getting the faint sound that other people are describing in their sound problem posts. It's just all TV static. I tried hooking up the RCA cable w/coax converter to both the TV's coax input directly and also tried going through the NES's RF adapter. Same deal: perfect picture/no sound. Is there something wrong I'm doing with the way I'm connecting the console to the TV, or does it sound like there's something wrong with the console itself that I might need to fix?

[Yurkie]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm new to the forum and have been looking through this section. While I've seen problems similar to my own, I haven't been able to find the exact problem. So if you read this and this exact question has already been asked, then by all means re-direct me to that thread because I may very well have missed it.

 

I got a used ColecoVision and it came with a long RCA cable and a really ancient-looking Coaxial switch with two coax inputs and an old output that looks like it goes to those antenna screws TVs used to have. I am hooking my ColecoVision up to a tube (CRT) TV that I bought in 2005, so it is fairly new and doesn't have those antenna screws. The TV does, of course, have a coax input. So I went to Radio Shack and bought a RCA female/Coax male converter and I then hooked the cable into the TV using that.

 

I am getting video just fine, although the colors look more muted than they do on the NES that I also have hooked up to the TV's coax input. But I am getting absolutely no sound. I'm not even getting the faint sound that other people are describing in their sound problem posts. It's just all TV static. I tried hooking up the RCA cable w/coax converter to both the TV's coax input directly and also tried going through the NES's RF adapter. Same deal: perfect picture/no sound. Is there something wrong I'm doing with the way I'm connecting the console to the TV, or does it sound like there's something wrong with the console itself that I might need to fix?

 

I am guessing you mean your connecting the CV with the original RF cable not an RCA cable.

 

If your not getting any sound you most likely have a bad sound chip. The IC is SN76489AN

 

I don't know if these are available or not. Replacing ICs require good soldering and desoldering skills. It is pretty easy to damage traces on the PCB if your not skilled.

 

If you are interested in having me repair it, you can send me an IM.

[bigjt_2]

Figured it out! This is kind of odd, but it seems I have to turn on the TV to the channel at which the ColecoVision is set, change channel, and then change back to the ColecoVision's channel. When I first turn the console on I see muted colors and hear the TV static, but as soon as I change channels and change back, the colors are fine and the sound works fine. Odd. I completely stumbled upon this by accident, of course, but at least it's working.

[SlowCoder]

I'd bet that's a TV problem and not a problem with the CV. What happens if you try it on another TV?