I think it could have been made clearer that this mod can be VERY dangerous if the wrong type of TV is chosen. A lot of older CRT TVs in 110V-120V Countries use a so-called "hot chassis", so the entire board / circuit, metal shielding, and tuner shielding are "floating" at mains potential. (or at a few hundred volts DC, since it's usually all after the bridge rectifier.) This is why a lot of TVs in the US have an insulating block between the tuner and RF input socket. If you modify that type of TV, not only could it be a lethal shock hazard while working on it (especially if using the "licked finger" test), but it will be likely kill any arcade PCB hooked up to it, assuming it doesn't pop the fuse or cause an RCD to trip. Also, because most arcade cabinets use an isolation transformer, using the RGB-modded "hot chassis" TV could actually appear to work fine, but then you'll find that the buttons / joystick / metalwork on the arcade cabinet are now LIVE at 200V+. :o The hot-chassis TV would have bypassed the isolation transformer, but not necessarily pop a fuse. Not all houses even have an RCD / GFCI either, so the first you might know of a problem is when you go to touch the control panel to play a game, and get a (possibly fatal) shock! Also, you really shouldn't be recommending that people lick their finger or even fingernail, and go probing around the mainboard of a live CRT chassis, even on the moddable types that use a switched-mode PSU. You can still get shocked by the return current from the flyback, SMPS, or neckboard etc. For many CRT TVs, you can find the service manual and / or schematics for free online, or at least a similar / same chassis, and that will show whether it's safe to RGB-mod, but also which pins to use for R,G,B,Sync,Blanking etc., without having to guess, nor having people poke around the live board. :o
You also didn't make it clear about safely discharging the CRT itself before working on the board. The larger caps on the main board should be tested with a multimeter for any residual charge, but the main hazard is the CRT, as you can get a nasty shock, even via the main board. I don't think there have been too many reported deaths from a CRT which is powered off (but charged), but people who have survived getting zapped have ended up with life-long heart issues like Arythmia etc. None of this stuff is too big a deal or that difficult to do safely, it just needs the right info.
Totally agree! I've subbed and its a great video - but there must be a better way than wetting your finger! I would suggest connecting up a composite input, displaying a red, green or blue screen, and probe the chip points with oscilloscope - when you think you've found the signal, check the ones nearby and change the colour to prove for certain. Wet fingers and CRTs is just asking for trouble - fine if you know the model and can see clearly that there's no HV stuff around that area, but the inexperienced will kill themselves...
You guys are missing the point. If you are even attempting this in the first place, then you are already past the point of needing to be reminded that "there are voltages in here". Those warnings are all over the back of the TV. if he went over all the safety precautions each time, then each video would have 30 more minutes at the front. The better thing is just to say "Follow all the appropriate safety precautions when doing this yourself, I can't be responsible for your safety".
There are a few videos floating around featuring people hacking RGB support into old TVs like this, for use with a game console. I love 'em, and I think the idea is a great way to extend the life of aTV that would otherwise just get junked. BTW, some late model CRT TVs have a hidden service menu that can be accessed with a specific combination entered into the remote. They allow you to tweak the image size, geometry, etc.
Just because of how cool and easy was to see this video, I just pressed the Subscribed button! I finally learn something with TH-cam! Cheers man! keep going!
Great video Jason, while I knew this was possible I've never seen anyone do it so I'm happy to see someone actually do this! I've accidently washed the Aquadag off a Sanyo 20ez and was told that the tube was trash. I proved them wrong by repainting the Aquadag! Keep up the good work! I'm going to try this on a Commodore 1702 monitor now!
For newer TVs, to adjust vertical size and other adjustments, you need to access the factory service menus. On RCA sets, you hold the volume down key on the TV, while pressing Info on the remote. You will then see the service menus, where you'll find adjustments for R G B color biases, vertical size, vertical lineraty, vertical center, horizontal width, ect. You can adjust these with the arrow keys on the remote.
I have an RCA 32V430T that was made in about 2005 and holding down the volume-down key on the TV while pressing the Info button on the remote doesn't do anything. Do you know of any other methods of accessing the service menu?
love the vid i like to learn everything bout arcades i want to start my on collection soon your knowledge and experience is sadly a dying trade so anything you can teach me is great i would pay you to teach me everything you know please keep up the good work
how about more pcb repair vids or how to bullet proof pcbs or more cap kit installs or cabinet fixes i love them all and i need to learn more about rebuilding pcbs
In Europe most of our TVs of that age have RGB scart sockets in the back, making this a lot easier. However, this video has convinced me to try to turn one of those really late 100/120Hz frame doubling CRTs into a VGA monitor (wide-screen VGA CRT monitors often go for thousands on eBay!)
BTW, quick tips for others who want to do this with your own TV and want to actually keep the result: - Look up the service manual/schematic for your TV, you can usually find them for free on teh Googs. This will avoid having to give your TV a wet willie. - Look for a TV with a Closed Caption or On-Screen-Display or OSD. These usually have what's called a Jungle IC (it will usually be called that on the schematic) that has the RGB inputs. Really old TVs that don't have an on-screen volume or menu will almost certainly not have an easy way to put in RGB except at the neck board. - You can insert sync through composite or svideo, depending on what you have and which ports you want to cannibalize. - You can adjust brightness of the RGB levels using resistors or potentiometers. - Lastly, be aware that, although your TV may have a Jungle IC, not all are RGB input. Some run on YUV color, which will not work with arcade boards. In those cases, you would need to hijack the RGB right at the neck board.
This is soooo cool! Thanks! I have a small collection of Trinitrons of various sizes. I have been planning on figuring out what I need to do, this video nailed it!
I love you man. Simple and to the point. I have some knowledge but was still scared and even you made me not doubt myself. Other videos make it sounf like I'm working with a nuclear reactor.
No explanation of how we eventually found the chip no explanation of the composite and ground soldering no explanation of where the power went to bypass the switch great video
This is a perfect video. Please keep making videos that give power to the people for taking trashed CRTs and making them invaluable tools. Also if you could please make an advanced CRT safety tips video!
Thankful in the uk we have rgb scart sockets already wired and ready on most of the old crt tvs. The only trouble with using a tv is you need to know how to get into the service menu, from there you can adjust nearly everything to do with the picture more so than an arcade monitor its just done electronically, sony and Panasonic have the best service menus the adjustments on those sets are impressive like my main gaming tv a Panasonic 29" dolby prologic tv has electronic convergence rings which again can be adjusted from the service menu.
I have several questions, some pertinent-some not: 1) Why do T.V.'s get weird color inversion when you flip them upside down?? 2) Since you've converted it to RGB, do you get RGB quality video?? -If you don't know, or can't tell(maybe you forgot from watching SVGA and HDMI all these years), maybe you can do a Video/Experiment using an old video game console, or maybe even a newer one so we can learn how to convert the newer RGB/Component cables to an RGB connection. RGB monitors were the best monitors back in the day, cuz they offered the sharpest, crispiest picture, but more importantly the signal was super duper clean and clear, almost no snow and RF interference, and the colors were the most rich, pure, and accurate colors possible for your video games. Most people don't know this, but SNES(Super Nintendo[16BIT]) had a special RGB cable you could buy for it. Some of my friends had an RGB which came with their console. Not sure which model #'s/Series #'s came with the RGB cable, but you could just buy it. The picture quality was the best possible connection you could get for your SNES. I taught all my friends how to hook up their SNES to their Amiga high quality RGB monitors. The Amiga's had amazing RGB quality monitors and graphics. Hooking up your SNES to the Amiga Monitors was pretty much the best image quality you were ever going to get. The Saturation and Sharpness was unmatched. Unfortunately, I was never able to afford one of these Amiga Monitors. I absolutely love and miss CRT. The sharpness, the color saturation, the blacks, and of course, the brightness were always better up until the new 0/Qled's came out which I haven't seen yet, but i hear the blacks are about as solid and dark as you're gonna get. I love CRT so much, when my friend gave me a 36" 400LB CRT I damm near lost it, and dragged it into my room, and hooked it up to my PC using an old Nvidia and ATI graphics card, and connecting them via the RGB Component cables which gave a ridiculous image quality. It was so awesome I can't even explain how crisp and clear the image was, and the monitor did 720x480, so streaming movies and cable television websites to it was a dream. -But the real magic was playing my video games. All my ROMS looked amazing and damm near authentic(except for setups with too much interpolation where you could the graphics had been altered with various types of interpolation and anti-aliasing), and even my more modern PC games looked friggen awesome. How I loved playing Unreal Tournament on that computer setup. Man it was amazing. I feel the world gave up on CRT way too fast. -At any rate switching to flat screens and LED light bulbs didn't cut back the electric bill at all, because the electric companies jacked up their prices to gain back the lost profits of trying to save energy. We might be saving energy, but we didn't save any money. It just made the electric companies richer, by allowing them to pump out less power, at the same price. I saved all my electric bill stubs, changed everything to flat screens, LEDs, and Energy Star Complient devices when the gubment said no more incandescent lights, and my bill didn't go down at all. In fact it went up. -Cuz of both the price hike, and the fact my evil electric company charges us double during the summer. That's their cash cow season. CRT had a lot of evolving todo, and I came out with a lot of schematics for much bigger, lighter, flatter CRT's, but it's too late. The next best thing to CRT were the plasma screens. They looked so much like CRT's you could even see the little RGB "|||" pixels/lights if you looked closely at the screen. So bright-So crispy. I wish i could find me a nice 1080P plasma screen with the classic RGB screen/pixel grid. I've never liked LCD/LED much. When they first came out all they did was bloat up a laptop screen to 24" which just looked aweful. Things didn't look good till we got 1080p LCD's. I got one which is 1440x900, and even that looks all flat tones and washed up. I'm still searching for the elusive and rare/working true 40INCH CRT T.V. If anyone can point me in the right direction, i'd be very greatful. Sorry such a long response. I love CRT, and wish they were still around with advancing technologies and developement. A 1080P CRT would have been nice for video games. Maybe I can atleast find my 40INCH someday. Then I can go crazy playing my arcade games, consoles, and watching movies again. I just miss how bright and vivid the image was-even at lower resolutions.
My friend's father had a 40" standard definition C.R.T., and before he owned a high definition television set, he would play his PS3 via composite, on it. It worked, for what it was. If it could be RGB modded, I bet it would be worth the price of a BVM. I don't know if it can be RGB modded. Even with its plastic shell, it must have weighed 136 kilograms.
hi Jason , are those the rgb outputs to the neckboard ? Is this going to bypass the beam current limit and x-ray protection circuits, which can deregulate the HV? thanks
Thanks so much!!! Great video. I have a TV that I was trying to get working in a vid. The picture is just too wide though. Will check if there is a coil.
I have a question Jason. It looks like you are pulling composite sync right off the composite input. Can you do this with RGB too if you have component inputs on the tv?
I have a big buck hunter safari missing the crt monitor, it also has a vga connection. I found a 27" flat tv that I can transplant. bit it has coaxial and av jacks, no vga connection. do you think the light guns would work if I install a vga to coaxial adapter or vga to av jack adapter?
Hey man love your videos! i was wondering if you would know where to solder the jamma wires on a Sony Trinatron! i really want to decase one for my Soul Edge PCB. is it easier to solder into the component /RGB
I really want to dig into my little black and white and give it external sync, sync and luminance so I can try and run it in different "modes".... this video is the closest thing I've found to that so far, so thanks.
This video is awesome! I have so many non working arcade chassis that I have been struggling to get working. I have been taking people's 19" & 25" old tv's for the past 1.5 years so I have a ton of them. And most of them work! This just might be the answer to all my problems! I laughed when you said that you were told it's two different technologies because that's exactly what I was told each time I asked why you couldn't somehow use a regular tv as an arcade monitor. Lol. I have a question for you though, you said "standard definition" video games. Is there an option for my games that have medium resolution CRT's in them? They are mainly my driving games with 25" & 27" CRT's.
I once had an old Macintosh Performa 550, back in the 90s. It was one of those all in one models, with a color CRT mounted over the motherboard. The color alignment got knocked off when it had a hard knock, so I opened it up to fix it. Those computers had a ridge along either side, and out of habit, to move the computer, I grabbed for that ridge, not even thinking the cover was off… Grabbed the bottom of the flyback transformer… Ya… The color sure as heck changes… My vision went entirely colorless for half a minute. Literal monochrome vision. I was dazed, pain shot up two of my fingers. I felt entirely drained. My arm muscles burned… When i had the sense to look (and my color returned to my vision), I had what appeared to be two “white-head pimples” on two finger tips. They were not pimples of any kind. They were wounds, with the centers burned to a white ash. I could make powder fall from them… I knew just how close I came to killing myself that moment. Had that gone from one finger to, say a finger on the other arm, I’d be dead. By a miracle, the current flowed from one finger tip to an ADJACENT fingertip… it hurt SO bad, but I was SO relieved to not be dead! I had graduated high school the very day before. I can’t even imagine how awful it would have been for my family if they’d found me in my room, dead, then… I’ve since more than doubled my age, so I must’ve at least learned SOMETHING from the stupidity of youth! With the fact that you never know if there's a floating reference or a virtual ground, or some other quirk in a particular model... You'll never find me so recklessly probing with a finger inside of any CRT device, ever. I once blew a circuit probing with a grounded oscilloscope, cause the circuit I was probing had it's own "ground" sitting at 70 volts over Earth ground, and it's 10 volts sitting at 80 volts over Earth ground. Trying to attach my oscilloscope probe ended up shorting the floating ground to the Earth ground, and blew shit up! I learned to use an isolation transformer with my scope after that! I still deal with CRTs from time to time, but I am FAR more observant, and far more respectful of them now.
Who is your mysterious boss???? We need to meet this man and hear his experiences in the industry. Could be a good interview and source of arcade history for us all. Plus it would be a cool interesting twist in your already awesome arsenal of videos. :)
European TV have RGB inputs, the SCART connector is like "HDMI" but for analog video signals. A French man create this in my country we call this "prise péritel". So it's more easy to connect arcade manchine on french / european TV.
Hi Jason CXA2025AS Sony 27"TV This chip has the RGB inputs and S Ground can you tell me if I hook up the rgb inputs sync ground and chassis ground will this work ?I watching your tips and tricks , because this Sony 27" TV in New in box.
I could have used this video back in the 1980s when I tried using a color TV with an upright Defender, trying to convert the machine's video out into RF. It almost worked.
Other video ideas: how to fix rare or unusual controls you can't just buy anymore, how to get coin mechs working again, tips for arranging wiring to make stuff more reliable, and things to avoid in arcade repair to, for example, not have fires.
Thank you so much for this. In my area it is very hard to find intact arcade monitors. Are you coming to SFGE this year? A video you did when you went to SFGE is actually how I found your channel.
I successfully found my RGB lines and enable line, but then realized the TV I'm working with has no composite in. Ouch! Any tips on how to inject sync into a tv that doesn't have composite? TV is GE 19GT270 with a CTC185B chassis. Still potentially doable or should I punt and find another TV?
Same here.I usually put them in old poker cabs.Easy $400-$500 BUCKS!!!! even though I did use one in a ms pacman but it was what the customer wanted again easy $300 bucks.
That’s a very good idea if you know what are you doing. You can save tons of tvs and PVMs doing so. Much better than using lcds can’t be better than this
I need some help, I've done this and I get all the colors except white. Now I know that white is a culmination of RGB at full strength and the monitor does show white when I adjust the brightness all the way up. However the blacks get washed out and most color is indistinguishable. I have it hooked up to a genesis right now and I have maximum carnage in since theres so many colors . The LJN logo is supposed to have a white backdrop but mine is black. Any help?
hi just wondering is it possible to turn an arcade monitor into a tv with Bnc output? as broadcst monitors are pricey and i can find cheap arcade monitors
I was wondering could you use component cables since they are red green and blue instead of soldering directly to the chip or does this make it harder for ground and sync? Would love to see another video on the topic
component isn't rgb. it's ypbpr. rgb corresponds directly to the red green and blue guns in the tube. ypbpr has to be processed and converted into rgb.
I know every TV is different, but is there a way to wire the power button to stay on? If that makes sense lol! I want the TV to power on when plugging it in. That way I can use a smart plug to power it on and off. It's for an arcade project. Any info is much appreciated brother.
Can you help me out Iam trying to hook up my Play Station 2 to a arcade monitor? My monitor has RGB and VGA inputs. I like to hook up a guncon gun as well to this system. Thanks..
That was pretty neat, I always hate when people say perfectly logical ideas won't work, CRT is a CRT. :\ One of my projects has been to take small RV style portable CRTs and expand there AV output options for consoles, most of the ones I got only have a coaxial. Haven't tried it yet but I think I'll have to add a board to get Composite and so forth. I don't think I'd be doing those tiny CRTs any good leaving them with factory input, people got rid of them because they don't have Composite, S-video, or Component. The more uses the better otherwise they will just become trash.
I’ve never soldered anything in my life, but I must learn how to do this. I’ve had a Stargate sitting idle for years. I came here ignorant, but did have the idea of putting a monitor in and attaching my 20 year old Nintendo to it and then thought I could hack the controls to the original Stargate game and use my cd emulator Stargate through the cabinet and with the real controls. I bought the cd in the 90s, but it’s useless without controls.
This is a pretty neat hack to get a game up n running. Especially if actual arcade monitors are not easily found in your area. At the very least it gives you an authentic resolution and scan line look, vs a game bastardized with a flat panel lcd and conversion board. Jason n Kelly FTW!
Hoping to do a similar mod on an old black and white CRT which should be fun, considering all of the schematics for the chips are in Japanese. I’m not gonna poke around anything until I get them translated properly.
I posted on KLOV asking about doing this same thing. I know console guys RGB mod TVs all the time, I don't know why arcade guys don't? It seems too good to be true! This is totally on my to do list - thanks. I have also seen where a guy tapped right into the RGB lines on the neckboard instead of the jungle IC, any thoughts on doing that?
Arcade Jason well the artical from hackaday was on the feed. But I know of a old tekken cabinet in gurnee IL that needs a new monitor and a second player joystick. Maybe I can get a good deal and try to fix it
I think it could have been made clearer that this mod can be VERY dangerous if the wrong type of TV is chosen.
A lot of older CRT TVs in 110V-120V Countries use a so-called "hot chassis", so the entire board / circuit, metal shielding, and tuner shielding are "floating" at mains potential.
(or at a few hundred volts DC, since it's usually all after the bridge rectifier.)
This is why a lot of TVs in the US have an insulating block between the tuner and RF input socket.
If you modify that type of TV, not only could it be a lethal shock hazard while working on it (especially if using the "licked finger" test), but it will be likely kill any arcade PCB hooked up to it, assuming it doesn't pop the fuse or cause an RCD to trip.
Also, because most arcade cabinets use an isolation transformer, using the RGB-modded "hot chassis" TV could actually appear to work fine, but then you'll find that the buttons / joystick / metalwork on the arcade cabinet are now LIVE at 200V+. :o
The hot-chassis TV would have bypassed the isolation transformer, but not necessarily pop a fuse. Not all houses even have an RCD / GFCI either, so the first you might know of a problem is when you go to touch the control panel to play a game, and get a (possibly fatal) shock!
Also, you really shouldn't be recommending that people lick their finger or even fingernail, and go probing around the mainboard of a live CRT chassis, even on the moddable types that use a switched-mode PSU.
You can still get shocked by the return current from the flyback, SMPS, or neckboard etc.
For many CRT TVs, you can find the service manual and / or schematics for free online, or at least a similar / same chassis, and that will show whether it's safe to RGB-mod, but also which pins to use for R,G,B,Sync,Blanking etc., without having to guess, nor having people poke around the live board. :o
You also didn't make it clear about safely discharging the CRT itself before working on the board.
The larger caps on the main board should be tested with a multimeter for any residual charge, but the main hazard is the CRT, as you can get a nasty shock, even via the main board.
I don't think there have been too many reported deaths from a CRT which is powered off (but charged), but people who have survived getting zapped have ended up with life-long heart issues like Arythmia etc.
None of this stuff is too big a deal or that difficult to do safely, it just needs the right info.
Totally agree! I've subbed and its a great video - but there must be a better way than wetting your finger! I would suggest connecting up a composite input, displaying a red, green or blue screen, and probe the chip points with oscilloscope - when you think you've found the signal, check the ones nearby and change the colour to prove for certain. Wet fingers and CRTs is just asking for trouble - fine if you know the model and can see clearly that there's no HV stuff around that area, but the inexperienced will kill themselves...
You guys are missing the point. If you are even attempting this in the first place, then you are already past the point of needing to be reminded that "there are voltages in here". Those warnings are all over the back of the TV. if he went over all the safety precautions each time, then each video would have 30 more minutes at the front. The better thing is just to say "Follow all the appropriate safety precautions when doing this yourself, I can't be responsible for your safety".
@@robmcraf2765 well said
Use a isolation xfrmr and you'll be fine.
I love hacks, especially when someone figures out something that's supposed to be super complicated, and makes it simple. Makes me smile.
Great video.
I must have watched this Video 3 times in the last few years. Love your content! Love the re-purposing, keep it up!
There are a few videos floating around featuring people hacking RGB support into old TVs like this, for use with a game console. I love 'em, and I think the idea is a great way to extend the life of aTV that would otherwise just get junked. BTW, some late model CRT TVs have a hidden service menu that can be accessed with a specific combination entered into the remote. They allow you to tweak the image size, geometry, etc.
This is a bit easier than trying to hack the menu.
I need to find me some 19" CRT TVs now.
Just because of how cool and easy was to see this video, I just pressed the Subscribed button! I finally learn something with TH-cam! Cheers man! keep going!
Great video Jason, while I knew this was possible I've never seen anyone do it so I'm happy to see someone actually do this! I've accidently washed the Aquadag off a Sanyo 20ez and was told that the tube was trash. I proved them wrong by repainting the Aquadag! Keep up the good work! I'm going to try this on a Commodore 1702 monitor now!
Here's the link to what I was talking about forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=273536
@@tigheklory thank you for this!
This is exactly what I needed Jason! Thank you man!
lol topcat glad you liked it
Jason! That was the best video ever man! You may have just saved my arcade from LCD death! Thank you, a million times over!
5 years later and I am having a hard time finding tubes. Hoooowever I saw this comming and have a good stash! Happy new year.
For newer TVs, to adjust vertical size and other adjustments, you need to access the factory service menus. On RCA sets, you hold the volume down key on the TV, while pressing Info on the remote. You will then see the service menus, where you'll find adjustments for R G B color biases, vertical size, vertical lineraty, vertical center, horizontal width, ect. You can adjust these with the arrow keys on the remote.
I have an RCA 32V430T that was made in about 2005 and holding down the volume-down key on the TV while pressing the Info button on the remote doesn't do anything. Do you know of any other methods of accessing the service menu?
love the vid i like to learn everything bout arcades i want to start my on collection soon your knowledge and experience is sadly a dying trade so anything you can teach me is great i would pay you to teach me everything you know please keep up the good work
give me some video ideas
how about more pcb repair vids or how to bullet proof pcbs or more cap kit installs or cabinet fixes i love them all and i need to learn more about rebuilding pcbs
will do Ed
Dude, this is amazing! I dont really have a electronics Ed, but i can follow how you did! Thanks!
In Europe most of our TVs of that age have RGB scart sockets in the back, making this a lot easier. However, this video has convinced me to try to turn one of those really late 100/120Hz frame doubling CRTs into a VGA monitor (wide-screen VGA CRT monitors often go for thousands on eBay!)
BTW, quick tips for others who want to do this with your own TV and want to actually keep the result:
- Look up the service manual/schematic for your TV, you can usually find them for free on teh Googs. This will avoid having to give your TV a wet willie.
- Look for a TV with a Closed Caption or On-Screen-Display or OSD. These usually have what's called a Jungle IC (it will usually be called that on the schematic) that has the RGB inputs. Really old TVs that don't have an on-screen volume or menu will almost certainly not have an easy way to put in RGB except at the neck board.
- You can insert sync through composite or svideo, depending on what you have and which ports you want to cannibalize.
- You can adjust brightness of the RGB levels using resistors or potentiometers.
- Lastly, be aware that, although your TV may have a Jungle IC, not all are RGB input. Some run on YUV color, which will not work with arcade boards. In those cases, you would need to hijack the RGB right at the neck board.
Is he actually hacking into the Jungle IC in this vid?
arfink how do I "hijack the neckboard?"
Such an awesome vid! Wanting to try this sometime soon. Looks like fun!!! Thanks!
This is soooo cool! Thanks! I have a small collection of Trinitrons of various sizes. I have been planning on figuring out what I need to do, this video nailed it!
there are several different ways to do this if you run into any trouble find me on the klov or face book or email me at koppjason83@yahoo.com
I love you man. Simple and to the point. I have some knowledge but was still scared and even you made me not doubt myself.
Other videos make it sounf like I'm working with a nuclear reactor.
What a great video. You keep coming up with cool new ideas.
thanks for watching if you have any cool ideas for a video let me know
No explanation of how we eventually found the chip no explanation of the composite and ground soldering no explanation of where the power went to bypass the switch great video
It’s looks like he just soldered everything no switch
Definitely helpful, I have a bunch of TVs I am going to attempt this on
I want more videos like this!!! Thank u!
This is a perfect video. Please keep making videos that give power to the people for taking trashed CRTs and making them invaluable tools. Also if you could please make an advanced CRT safety tips video!
lol will to peacegiant
Very awesome video man explained very simply :-)
Thankful in the uk we have rgb scart sockets already wired and ready on most of the old crt tvs.
The only trouble with using a tv is you need to know how to get into the service menu, from there you can adjust nearly everything to do with the picture more so than an arcade monitor its just done electronically, sony and Panasonic have the best service menus the adjustments on those sets are impressive like my main gaming tv a Panasonic 29" dolby prologic tv has electronic convergence rings which again can be adjusted from the service menu.
Thank you so much for sharing this super valuable info. This is how old games keep going
Dude, awesome! I'm gonna do this to my 27" trinitron.
Watching this I can't help but think "here's a guy who could use a second camera" ;)
I have several questions, some pertinent-some not:
1) Why do T.V.'s get weird color inversion when you flip them upside down??
2) Since you've converted it to RGB, do you get RGB quality video?? -If you don't know, or can't tell(maybe you forgot from watching SVGA and HDMI all these years), maybe you can do a Video/Experiment using an old video game console, or maybe even a newer one so we can learn how to convert the newer RGB/Component cables to an RGB connection.
RGB monitors were the best monitors back in the day, cuz they offered the sharpest, crispiest picture, but more importantly the signal was super duper clean and clear, almost no snow and RF interference, and the colors were the most rich, pure, and accurate colors possible for your video games. Most people don't know this, but SNES(Super Nintendo[16BIT]) had a special RGB cable you could buy for it. Some of my friends had an RGB which came with their console. Not sure which model #'s/Series #'s came with the RGB cable, but you could just buy it. The picture quality was the best possible connection you could get for your SNES.
I taught all my friends how to hook up their SNES to their Amiga high quality RGB monitors. The Amiga's had amazing RGB quality monitors and graphics. Hooking up your SNES to the Amiga Monitors was pretty much the best image quality you were ever going to get. The Saturation and Sharpness was unmatched. Unfortunately, I was never able to afford one of these Amiga Monitors.
I absolutely love and miss CRT. The sharpness, the color saturation, the blacks, and of course, the brightness were always better up until the new 0/Qled's came out which I haven't seen yet, but i hear the blacks are about as solid and dark as you're gonna get. I love CRT so much, when my friend gave me a 36" 400LB CRT I damm near lost it, and dragged it into my room, and hooked it up to my PC using an old Nvidia and ATI graphics card, and connecting them via the RGB Component cables which gave a ridiculous image quality. It was so awesome I can't even explain how crisp and clear the image was, and the monitor did 720x480, so streaming movies and cable television websites to it was a dream. -But the real magic was playing my video games.
All my ROMS looked amazing and damm near authentic(except for setups with too much interpolation where you could the graphics had been altered with various types of interpolation and anti-aliasing), and even my more modern PC games looked friggen awesome. How I loved playing Unreal Tournament on that computer setup. Man it was amazing.
I feel the world gave up on CRT way too fast. -At any rate switching to flat screens and LED light bulbs didn't cut back the electric bill at all, because the electric companies jacked up their prices to gain back the lost profits of trying to save energy. We might be saving energy, but we didn't save any money. It just made the electric companies richer, by allowing them to pump out less power, at the same price. I saved all my electric bill stubs, changed everything to flat screens, LEDs, and Energy Star Complient devices when the gubment said no more incandescent lights, and my bill didn't go down at all. In fact it went up. -Cuz of both the price hike, and the fact my evil electric company charges us double during the summer. That's their cash cow season.
CRT had a lot of evolving todo, and I came out with a lot of schematics for much bigger, lighter, flatter CRT's, but it's too late. The next best thing to CRT were the plasma screens. They looked so much like CRT's you could even see the little RGB "|||" pixels/lights if you looked closely at the screen. So bright-So crispy. I wish i could find me a nice 1080P plasma screen with the classic RGB screen/pixel grid.
I've never liked LCD/LED much. When they first came out all they did was bloat up a laptop screen to 24" which just looked aweful. Things didn't look good till we got 1080p LCD's. I got one which is 1440x900, and even that looks all flat tones and washed up.
I'm still searching for the elusive and rare/working true 40INCH CRT T.V. If anyone can point me in the right direction, i'd be very greatful. Sorry such a long response. I love CRT, and wish they were still around with advancing technologies and developement. A 1080P CRT would have been nice for video games. Maybe I can atleast find my 40INCH someday. Then I can go crazy playing my arcade games, consoles, and watching movies again. I just miss how bright and vivid the image was-even at lower resolutions.
My friend's father had a 40" standard definition C.R.T., and before he owned a high definition television set, he would play his PS3 via composite, on it. It worked, for what it was. If it could be RGB modded, I bet it would be worth the price of a BVM. I don't know if it can be RGB modded. Even with its plastic shell, it must have weighed 136 kilograms.
Another video! Sweet!
hi Jason , are those the rgb outputs to the neckboard ? Is this going to bypass the beam current limit and x-ray protection circuits, which can deregulate the HV? thanks
Awesome man!
I'm confused... why not just use the SCART lead? that already has RGB Sync and Ground so what's the difference?
Thanks so much!!! Great video.
I have a TV that I was trying to get working in a vid. The picture is just too wide though. Will check if there is a coil.
Good thing I saved my old crt! Thanks for the inspiration!
thanks for watching
this is what i looking for, thanks dude
good glad you can use it also be careful
I have a question Jason. It looks like you are pulling composite sync right off the composite input. Can you do this with RGB too if you have component inputs on the tv?
I totally want to try this with my smaller 25 inch Trinitron. i have a nice working soul edge board i think it will look gorgeous.
I have a big buck hunter safari missing the crt monitor, it also has a vga connection. I found a 27" flat tv that I can transplant. bit it has coaxial and av jacks, no vga connection. do you think the light guns would work if I install a vga to coaxial adapter or vga to av jack adapter?
You know, this in theory could be a way to add scart to any crt tv too
Hey man love your videos! i was wondering if you would know where to solder the jamma wires on a Sony Trinatron! i really want to decase one for my Soul Edge PCB. is it easier to solder into the component /RGB
You're awesome! Maybe I'll be able to remove the on screen display of my VCR.
I've been wanting to convert a Mac SE into a vector monitor, I saw your video, but are Vectrex yokes available to buy anywhere.
I really want to dig into my little black and white and give it external sync, sync and luminance so I can try and run it in different "modes".... this video is the closest thing I've found to that so far, so thanks.
This video is awesome! I have so many non working arcade chassis that I have been struggling to get working. I have been taking people's 19" & 25" old tv's for the past 1.5 years so I have a ton of them. And most of them work! This just might be the answer to all my problems! I laughed when you said that you were told it's two different technologies because that's exactly what I was told each time I asked why you couldn't somehow use a regular tv as an arcade monitor. Lol. I have a question for you though, you said "standard definition" video games. Is there an option for my games that have medium resolution CRT's in them? They are mainly my driving games with 25" & 27" CRT's.
I once had an old Macintosh Performa 550, back in the 90s. It was one of those all in one models, with a color CRT mounted over the motherboard. The color alignment got knocked off when it had a hard knock, so I opened it up to fix it. Those computers had a ridge along either side, and out of habit, to move the computer, I grabbed for that ridge, not even thinking the cover was off… Grabbed the bottom of the flyback transformer…
Ya… The color sure as heck changes… My vision went entirely colorless for half a minute. Literal monochrome vision. I was dazed, pain shot up two of my fingers. I felt entirely drained. My arm muscles burned… When i had the sense to look (and my color returned to my vision), I had what appeared to be two “white-head pimples” on two finger tips. They were not pimples of any kind. They were wounds, with the centers burned to a white ash. I could make powder fall from them…
I knew just how close I came to killing myself that moment. Had that gone from one finger to, say a finger on the other arm, I’d be dead. By a miracle, the current flowed from one finger tip to an ADJACENT fingertip… it hurt SO bad, but I was SO relieved to not be dead! I had graduated high school the very day before. I can’t even imagine how awful it would have been for my family if they’d found me in my room, dead, then… I’ve since more than doubled my age, so I must’ve at least learned SOMETHING from the stupidity of youth!
With the fact that you never know if there's a floating reference or a virtual ground, or some other quirk in a particular model... You'll never find me so recklessly probing with a finger inside of any CRT device, ever. I once blew a circuit probing with a grounded oscilloscope, cause the circuit I was probing had it's own "ground" sitting at 70 volts over Earth ground, and it's 10 volts sitting at 80 volts over Earth ground. Trying to attach my oscilloscope probe ended up shorting the floating ground to the Earth ground, and blew shit up! I learned to use an isolation transformer with my scope after that!
I still deal with CRTs from time to time, but I am FAR more observant, and far more respectful of them now.
Awesome!!! What 25” crt 📺 do you suggest to hack and place in a Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet?
Thanks!
Use a converter 25$
Who is your mysterious boss???? We need to meet this man and hear his experiences in the industry. Could be a good interview and source of arcade history for us all. Plus it would be a cool interesting twist in your already awesome arsenal of videos. :)
European TV have RGB inputs, the SCART connector is like "HDMI" but for analog video signals. A French man create this in my country we call this "prise péritel". So it's more easy to connect arcade manchine on french / european TV.
Arcade Jason!!! It's time for the "Berzerk Off"
if you keep berzerkin off youll go blind Jeff lol
As Sir Todd would say "I banged him over the head"! ha ha ha ha ha
Hi Jason CXA2025AS Sony 27"TV This chip has the RGB inputs and S Ground can you tell me if I hook up the rgb inputs sync ground and chassis ground will this work ?I watching your tips and tricks , because this Sony 27" TV in New in box.
Im 2 years late , this is great information , professional monitors are expensive right now so this will be the poor man's pvm 😎
May be a dumb question but if the tv has component input, would that work for your RGB connectors?
Do you think this would work for or arcade 1up. Please let me know
thank you Jason !
thank you for watching
I'm going to do this probably once I have the time and money to build a custom cabinet.
I could have used this video back in the 1980s when I tried using a color TV with an upright Defender, trying to convert the machine's video out into RF. It almost worked.
Where are some good places you would recommend purchasing PCB's from
So you connect directly to the JAMMA harness with this method?
Other video ideas: how to fix rare or unusual controls you can't just buy anymore, how to get coin mechs working again, tips for arranging wiring to make stuff more reliable, and things to avoid in arcade repair to, for example, not have fires.
That is so cool I'm working on Arcade Terminator 2 see if you can make a video on that one probably need help the tv is out
I would love to see a video about the differences between monitors, like CGA, EGA, etc.
cga ega vga and svga are ALL basically the same except for the the scan frequency cga is 15k ega is 25k vga is 31k svga is 31+k
Thank you so much for this. In my area it is very hard to find intact arcade monitors. Are you coming to SFGE this year? A video you did when you went to SFGE is actually how I found your channel.
goog question i still don't know yet
Well, if you do, I hope I get to say hi.
So I found a 19" crt TV. Does not have composites in. You said i don't need them but how do I go about getting my video sync without the composite in?
I successfully found my RGB lines and enable line, but then realized the TV I'm working with has no composite in. Ouch! Any tips on how to inject sync into a tv that doesn't have composite? TV is GE 19GT270 with a CTC185B chassis. Still potentially doable or should I punt and find another TV?
I have a Sony trinitron 27 inch can I do same all your doing it soldering the wires for video to the red green and blue spots on board right
How did you wire it to your machine
Hey I'll take that crappy 19 in 1 if you don't want it lol .Great video answered a theory I had since high school.
i don't care when people use them in junk cabs my beef is when people can't fix the board so they throw a 60 in 1 in
Same here.I usually put them in old poker cabs.Easy $400-$500 BUCKS!!!! even though I did use one in a ms pacman but it was what the customer wanted again easy $300 bucks.
Ditto! That pisses me off to no end, especially when it's done to rare games!
yup just give it to someone who cares instead of taking the easy way out
So much easier than hacking the menu to display the RGB signal.
That’s a very good idea if you know what are you doing. You can save tons of tvs and PVMs doing so. Much better than using lcds can’t be better than this
great video, would be cool if there is some sort of mod to have knobs to tweak H-POS, V-POS, etc...
Do they have problems with odd sync like Mortal Kombat's 53hz?
I need some help, I've done this and I get all the colors except white. Now I know that white is a culmination of RGB at full strength and the monitor does show white when I adjust the brightness all the way up. However the blacks get washed out and most color is indistinguishable. I have it hooked up to a genesis right now and I have maximum carnage in since theres so many colors . The LJN logo is supposed to have a white backdrop but mine is black. Any help?
hi just wondering is it possible to turn an arcade monitor into a tv with Bnc output? as broadcst monitors are pricey and i can find cheap arcade monitors
hi I have a neotec nt 2702 full family do you know what the G 1 is to be 50 v or 70 v . I can find the info anywhere
I was wondering could you use component cables since they are red green and blue instead of soldering directly to the chip or does this make it harder for ground and sync? Would love to see another video on the topic
component isn't rgb. it's ypbpr. rgb corresponds directly to the red green and blue guns in the tube. ypbpr has to be processed and converted into rgb.
hello, can that same process be done to a jamma connector? Greetings and thanks for the video, sorry for mi english
I know every TV is different, but is there a way to wire the power button to stay on? If that makes sense lol! I want the TV to power on when plugging it in. That way I can use a smart plug to power it on and off. It's for an arcade project. Any info is much appreciated brother.
Can you help me out Iam trying to hook up my Play Station 2 to a arcade monitor? My monitor has RGB and VGA inputs. I like to hook up a guncon gun as well to this system. Thanks..
That was pretty neat, I always hate when people say perfectly logical ideas won't work, CRT is a CRT. :\ One of my projects has been to take small RV style portable CRTs and expand there AV output options for consoles, most of the ones I got only have a coaxial. Haven't tried it yet but I think I'll have to add a board to get Composite and so forth.
I don't think I'd be doing those tiny CRTs any good leaving them with factory input, people got rid of them because they don't have Composite, S-video, or Component. The more uses the better otherwise they will just become trash.
thanks for watching man! good news you can do this exact hack on those crts too
Sweet, I'll get going on that then. :)
What's your opinion on those adapter boards you see on Ebay that allow you to use different types of monitors for arcade games?
they are finicky at times but also the ONLY cheap option available that i know of by the way don't use the rgb to composite adapter very fuzzy pic
In Europe, almost all CRT TVs from the mid to late 80s have RGB inputs, so to convert those to arcade monitors you don't even need to open them.
Can you show us how to do this on a tv without composite RCA inputs? I appreciate.
I’ve never soldered anything in my life, but I must learn how to do this. I’ve had a Stargate sitting idle for years. I came here ignorant, but did have the idea of putting a monitor in and attaching my 20 year old Nintendo to it and then thought I could hack the controls to the original Stargate game and use my cd emulator Stargate through the cabinet and with the real controls. I bought the cd in the 90s, but it’s useless without controls.
This is a pretty neat hack to get a game up n running. Especially if actual arcade monitors are not easily found in your area. At the very least it gives you an authentic resolution and scan line look, vs a game bastardized with a flat panel lcd and conversion board. Jason n Kelly FTW!
Lol
You can also get tv with remote control from the service manual get in to service mode and change the vertical and horizontal position
very cool! :) BTW how to add AV on TV with only RF tuner ?
Hoping to do a similar mod on an old black and white CRT which should be fun, considering all of the schematics for the chips are in Japanese. I’m not gonna poke around anything until I get them translated properly.
What does it look like for a screen to lose composite sync?
Should warning about the danger of high voltage discharge !
Will you do this on a 5 inch crt ?
Just a wacked out suggestion, can you do a video where you give a CRT Tv a VGA input?
I'm going to have to carve out some time to try this out.
EGA is the tough one. Take an LCD and tweak the Crystals frequency lower till it thinks 25K is actually 32K
Mixed results still experimenting.
So cool brother
I posted on KLOV asking about doing this same thing. I know console guys RGB mod TVs all the time, I don't know why arcade guys don't? It seems too good to be true! This is totally on my to do list - thanks. I have also seen where a guy tapped right into the RGB lines on the neckboard instead of the jungle IC, any thoughts on doing that?
you can do that no prob but if you do you will lose the menu adjustments and have build your own
Good point - thanks. I love your videos with all these crazy projects. You're the arcade mad scientist I wish I was. Keep 'em coming!
So does this essentially mean you can use old guns that only work on old tv and not lcd with this build?
How can I change color and sharpness settings on RGB input? I had 2 TVs that could do it but now my Sony Trinitron KV29B5E can't do it. :(
Caught this video on google news. I'm surprised that expo is so close to me about 40 minutes, I'll consider going.
google news wow thanks for watching man
Arcade Jason well the artical from hackaday was on the feed. But I know of a old tekken cabinet in gurnee IL that needs a new monitor and a second player joystick. Maybe I can get a good deal and try to fix it
U da mann sir 💯💯
Thank-you.