RF issue with white Famicom

[Bob-Bob]

Well, I finally got me a (reather weathered) white Famicom (HVC-001) thanks to our own Senseiman. 

And I can confirm it definitely works. It powers on and I get a picture on channel 96 when using an NES RF switch.

However, with all 8 of the RF switches I own, I got a really obvious issue each time - The sound is distorted. There's a prominent hum in the background and the music and sound effects are slightly off. Since the same thing happend with all the RF switches, I'm assuming it can't be that. Is it the TV or is it the Famicom itself? Whichever it is, do you guys know of any ways to fix this issue or am I just screwed on the 1983 Famicom front? 

[80sFREAK]

There is a coil in RF unit, you can try to adjust core by nonmetal screwdriver. Be careful, it's fragile.

[Bob-Bob]

When you say "there is a coil in RF unit" do you mean the RF switch itself or inside the Famicom? Because all of the RF switches I tried out are from an American NES. I don't own the white Famicom RF switch.

[fredJ]

The hum can be from the console, or the 2-player microphone, or because the TV can't handle the Japanese RF. (my guess is, it is the microphone).

Sound effects are off? I don't really understand that.

[P]

I think he means that sound is in the wrong pitch.

The coil is in the RF-modulator itself I believe. So you'll have to open up the Famicom.

[Bob-Bob]

When I said the sound effects were off, I meant they were distorted. I used Mario 3 to test it out and all the sound effects' pitches were definitely screwy.

Initially I had the Famicom set to Ch. 2 (so the picture would come up on Channel 96). After changing it to Ch. 1 (so I'd get it on Channel 95), the sound effects were fine, but the hum was still there.

So based on you guys' diagnosis, it's one of three possibilities.

1. The hums is coming from Controller 2's microphone (although I'm not sure how, since I can hear it coming out of the TV. Is that how the microphone works?)
2. The coil inside the Famicom needs to be tightened.
3. My TV can't handle Japanese RF. (I dunno about this. The TV was made in Japan. It's a Toshiba. It's also a little bit newer than most tubes as it features a (now busted) DVD player.)

I've never really dealt with adjusting a game system internally before. If I wanted to fix either of those first two problems, how would I got about doing them?  
Post Merge: July 04, 2014, 07:14:38 am
Okay, here's a brief update:

I tried playing with the microphone's volume knob while I had the game powered on.

When the knob is at the lowest setting, there a low hum. When it's at the highest setting, there's a loud hum and the sound is all messed up.

Moving the knob back and forth causes all kinds of static sound to come out of the TV. When the knob is stopped on certain volume levels, the hum goes away completely and the sound is normal.

Is this a common problem? Can anyone fill me in on why the volume knob causes these strange sound mess-ups? Most importantly, is there a way to fix it?

[P]

1. The hums is coming from Controller 2's microphone (although I'm not sure how, since I can hear it coming out of the TV).

Yes of course the sound isn't coming out of the microphone. It's a microphone not a speaker. The sound that enters the microphone is mixed with the sound from the game and is outputted to the TV speakers. The easiest way to test if the microphone is at fault is to disconnect Controller II from the main board (you need to open the Famicom). Humming microphones are common problems and you can fix it by sanding on the mic volume slider metal part.

3. My TV can't handle Japanese RF. (I dunno about this. The TV was made in Japan. It's a Toshiba. It's also a little bit newer than most tubes as it features a (now busted) DVD player.)

In what region are you at? Most European TVs and some American TVs can't handle Japanese NTSC RF. This includes newer TVs.

[Bob-Bob]

If you read my latest update you'd see the problem is most likely the microphone. After fiddling with the volume knob a little more I discovered sometimes it's hard to make the hum go away.

At point, the hum came back just by picking up Controller 2. Other times it came back by pressing on the microphone a little bit or by touching the cord a little bit.

What do you mean by "sanding on the mic volume slider metal part"? Is there a mechanism inside the controller that needs to be sanded? Are there any photographic guides to the proper procedure so I don't break the controller? Come to think of it, are there any other fixes I should know about just in case?

[iStreet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S_iHHZKIec&feature=youtu.be

This might do the trick for you


But the humm is almost always there. Tested it with 3 different famicoms. also the AV mini famicom. Also on 2 different TV's.. And with different power adapters.

[Bob-Bob]

So all I have to do is open Controller 2 and clean off the microphone plate and volume switch? If so, then major thanks for that. It sounds hella easy. 

[P]

Yes in the video you can see the metal part of the volume slider I was talking about. Use fine sandpaper or a sand eraser on it, clean the board with 99% isopropyl alcohol and finally let it dry before turning power on. It should make the microphone work better in games too.

[Bob-Bob]

Sanding it sounds a little rough, don't you think? I've read that a high-grade white eraser does the trick.

[P]

Yeah whatever works. You need to get rid of the oxidation besides dirt.

[thepandaofnom]

I may be completely off base here but it seams like it may be relevant. I always am getting systems without power supply. i got a genesis once and i hooked it up and it worked fine other than a humming in the audio. I didn't figure it out till my dad took a look. when i made the new power supply I thought i got a dc power supply witch is what the genesis and famicom use but i had a ac power supply. I quickly swapped it out for a dc one and no more humming. So just make sure your power supply is dc for your famicom.

[Bob-Bob]

Er, I'm using the power supply that came with it. An HVC-002. I also already concluded that the buzzing was coming from the microphone, so that bump was completely unnecessary. -.-;