A FAMI-liar issue (hyuck-hyuck)

Started by VenomMacbeth, April 16, 2012, 07:21:17 pm

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VenomMacbeth

I have been lucky enough recently to acquire my very first famicom. :)  As happy as I am with it, the RF signal is not the greatest (there are faint lines through the screen.)  Obviously this is a prevalent issue with famicoms, as people more often than not will AV mod their consoles.  I'm well aware of the availability of AV modding.

HOWEVER...

What I want to do is fix the already-present RF connection.  Why?  Because I don't have a place for another AV connection & I don't feel like constantly swapping the cables whenever I want to play my famicom.  I've tested other RF cables (I'm using ones from the NES) and all have the same result.  Any suggestions for improving the RF signal & clearing up the screen? 

VenomMacbeth

So does that mean there's nothing I can do but the AV mod?

Frank_fjs

RF is what it is, a poor video signal with mono audio crammed in. Not much you can do to improve it really, other than to use a good quality RF cable. The shorter the cable the better, and the more insulated it is the less interference you will see. A good quality power supply can also reduce screen noise to a slight extent.

The Famicom is known for having a poor quality RF signal too, which doesn't really help things. I have a Japanese PC Engine with RF output and this console outputs a beautiful image when compared to the Famicom.

The AV mod for the Famicom also doesn't produce the greatest picture, but it will be better than RF and more convenient. It's not hard or expensive to grab an AV splitter and run multiple consoles from a single AV port on your TV.

In my mind, from a pure gaming standpoint, the original Famicom isn't the best option. I feel that the AV Famicom or Sharp Twin Famicom is a better choice, given that they have decent AV output as standard. The Twin Fami's actually have great AV output, even better that the AV Fami's.

jpx72

Well you can try cleaning the RF conector of your Famicom, to ensure best possible connection with your TV. Maybe playing with (or exchanging)  some trimmers that are inside the RF box to clear the signal. The age itself can be very bad factor for RF circuitry...

jpx72

Quote from: 80sFREAK on April 19, 2012, 01:49:56 am
2 jpx72 sorry, dude, there is no trimmers, but coils. And don't touch them.

...I wrote that because of this photo - https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/z4vL61dRkDa9Zozk1AnFgZ9Wzb3so6z4oKzpGtBODho?feat=directlink  (I thought I can see a trimmer there...)

Frank_fjs

Quote from: 80sFREAK on April 19, 2012, 01:49:56 am
I don't know, what did you smoked, but i want to try it.


Sorry, what?

You disagree with my statement that the RF signal is of poor quality and that an AV mod will yield better results and be more convenient? Even though you go on to say the same thing..?

I think I need some of what you're smoking!  ;D

Frank_fjs

Ah okay.

Well my twin fami does indeed output a clearer picture than an AV fami, and I've spoken to other people who have noticed the same thing. I find it strange and never bothered to put any research into it, but I noticed it straight away.

VenomMacbeth

So...I cleaned off the RF connector on the back of the famicom, but it wasn't all that dirty so the results were nothing to remark upon, if there was any change at all.  What are these tweaks to which you guys are referring?

jpx72

I'm afraid there is not much more you can do about the RF output. I know, I would love to have the original RF working like new too, but you can do it even worse by trying to repair it.
I had a talk with my father, who is an expert on old TV sets, and he recommended only one thing - toying with the coils with some plastic stick (while power ON). Squeezing them, bending them, expanding and constricting them,.... You can kill it completely or you can make it better. That's old technology about.
Maybe you can buy some new famiclone and use the RF part from it if you don't care about exchanging this part of your Famicom.

Post Merge: April 24, 2012, 05:27:32 am

Quote from: VenomMacbeth on April 19, 2012, 07:13:13 pm
What are these tweaks to which you guys are referring?

All those tweaks are concerning composite output, not RF related...

133MHz

Once upon a time I fixed a mis-tuned Famicom RF modulator by using a PCI TV capture card and some software that allowed me to set the channel frequencies manually, so I could 'follow' the signal and see if my coil tweaking was rising or lowering the broadcast frequency - I did manage to get it spot-on that way, doing it 'blindly' could be very well become a nightmare unless the frequency deviation was very small to begin with. Even getting your hand near the coils is enough to alter their electrical characteristics.