Famicom World

Family Computer => Technical & Repair Assistance => Topic started by: dave4shmups on July 29, 2013, 03:08:06 pm

Title: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: dave4shmups on July 29, 2013, 03:08:06 pm
I've heard people say that, because it's Japanese, the original Famicom is really hard to hook up to a TV, using RF out.   "Really hard", meaning that it's hard to get the picture to show up and on the right channel.

So, how do you do it?? :question:
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: Phosphora on July 29, 2013, 06:31:53 pm
First get any nice fat shielded RCA Cable + an RCA to Coax adapter. (Do not use the Famicom RF switchbox)
Second, make sure the switch on the back of the Famicom is set to channel-1 and your TV is on channel 95.

Power on the console & Enjoy! :)


(If you're a shmup fan, you NEED to get a copy of Recca)  ;D
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: dave4shmups on July 30, 2013, 10:28:39 am
Excellent!  Thanks for the information; I'll have to print that out!

Off-topic, I'm quite surprised that Recca hasn't made it onto the Virtual Console-it would certainly sell really well!
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: Phosphora on July 30, 2013, 01:05:43 pm
Quote from: dave4shmups on July 30, 2013, 10:28:39 am
Excellent!  Thanks for the information; I'll have to print that out!

Off-topic, I'm quite surprised that Recca hasn't made it onto the Virtual Console-it would certainly sell really well!


It IS on the Virtual Console, but only if you have a Japanese region 3DS.   :'(

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/eshop/vc/tavj/index.html (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/eshop/vc/tavj/index.html)

(http://www.maxconsole.com/maxconsole/contents/RKLS00000017914/icon_xl.jpg)

Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: dave4shmups on July 31, 2013, 02:11:39 pm
Quote from: Phosphora on July 29, 2013, 06:31:53 pm
First get any nice fat shielded RCA Cable + an RCA to Coax adapter. (Do not use the Famicom RF switchbox)
Second, make sure the switch on the back of the Famicom is set to channel-1 and your TV is on channel 95.

Power on the console & Enjoy! :)


(If you're a shmup fan, you NEED to get a copy of Recca)  ;D


OK, my CRT TV only goes up to channel 69.  It's not hooked up to a digital cable box, or anything else; I just use it for gaming.  So I'm not sure what to do. :help:
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: Phosphora on July 31, 2013, 02:37:56 pm
Quote from: dave4shmups on July 31, 2013, 02:11:39 pm
Quote from: Phosphora on July 29, 2013, 06:31:53 pm
First get any nice fat shielded RCA Cable + an RCA to Coax adapter. (Do not use the Famicom RF switchbox)
Second, make sure the switch on the back of the Famicom is set to channel-1 and your TV is on channel 95.

Power on the console & Enjoy! :)


(If you're a shmup fan, you NEED to get a copy of Recca)  ;D


OK, my CRT TV only goes up to channel 69.  It's not hooked up to a digital cable box, or anything else; I just use it for gaming.  So I'm not sure what to do. :help:


Check and see if you can manually add channel 95 through the TV antenna setup options. If not you'll need to pick up a VCR at a garage sale/thrift shop, and use that to tune to channel 95.

CRT TVs are really cheap these days, why not see if you can find a nice modern one with a flat screen that has component inputs on it (so you can use scart to component for your other vintage consoles). Most newer CRTs can tune to higher channels.
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: security16 on July 31, 2013, 06:01:25 pm
Would this work with a PAL tv with ntsc compatability?
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: MasterDisk on August 01, 2013, 08:05:34 am
Depends if your TV takes NTSC on the antenna (modt of the time they don't)
In the case you use a PAL VCR, it gotta handle NTSC through antenna and SCART/RCA output.

Best choice would be an american or japanese VCR.
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: famiac on August 01, 2013, 11:00:06 am
I'm buying a japanese VCR. Best option for RF if you get interference on channel 95. Expensive as hell
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: Phosphora on August 01, 2013, 12:03:21 pm
Quote from: famiac on August 01, 2013, 11:00:06 am
I'm buying a japanese VCR. Best option for RF if you get interference on channel 95. Expensive as hell


Why not just use an AV Famicom or Toaster NES? Seems much more affordable in the big picture, and you don't have to deal with RF anymore.
Or...you could sell a kidney and buy a Titler!  ;D  (It's worth it, you won't miss your kidney that much)  :-[
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: ericj on August 01, 2013, 12:06:09 pm
Why a Japanese VCR?
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: UglyJoe on August 01, 2013, 12:06:21 pm
Quote from: famiac on August 01, 2013, 11:00:06 am
I'm buying a japanese VCR. Best option for RF if you get interference on channel 95. Expensive as hell


How is a Japanese VCR any better at blocking interference than a US VCR?  My US VCR was probably made in Japan! :D
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: security16 on August 01, 2013, 04:51:32 pm
Quote from: Phosphora on August 01, 2013, 12:03:21 pm
Why not just use an AV Famicom or Toaster NES? Seems much more affordable in the big picture, and you don't have to deal with RF anymore.
Or...you could sell a kidney and buy a Titler!  ;D  (It's worth it, you won't miss your kidney that much)  :-[


I can't play famicom games on my toaster they are PAL too !!! I don't have the cash to drop on new systems and I also have a thing about keeping the purity of the original system :P Though I am picking up an av modded famicom guts from a member here come payday . I know that my famicom works on one of the TV's i have but that teev got damaged by my ex  but I would really like it to work on my big screen! Also my kidneys are fucked and i wouldn't even be able to buy an famicom cart with the money i'd get for mine :P 
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: famicomdiskkun on August 15, 2013, 06:48:56 am
i would also like to hook up my famicom to my tv using rf but i dont
know how to hook it up to my pal crt :-\
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: famiac on August 15, 2013, 07:13:04 am
To ericj, uglyjoe, and phosphora:
I already have an AV famicom that i am currently rgb modding, but i need the RF connection for my sharp X1 computer and my nintendo color tv game 6
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: ericj on August 15, 2013, 09:16:45 am
Famiac, not sure exactly what you're asking, but I think you're saying that you want to add RF (which the AV FC doesn't come with) to the AV Famicom that you're RGB modding. If so, I think you should be able to look at the RF circuit schematics and either build the circuit yourself or steal the RF board from an NES and connect it using the schematic. Is there something in particular you're asking/confused about?
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: UglyJoe on August 15, 2013, 09:19:20 am
I think what he is saying is that he doesn't need the VCR for his Famicom, but will need it for his X1 and Color TV Game.
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: ericj on August 15, 2013, 09:25:22 am
Ha, guess I should have read the earlier posts...
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: famiac on August 15, 2013, 09:29:06 am
Haha. I don't know why i would want RF on an AV fami.

Anyway. The only tv in my house that goes to 95-96 is not in my room. Even when i plug a famicom into it, i barely get an image on 95.
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: zaneiken on August 15, 2013, 11:11:23 pm
If you live in a PAL country, AV modding the Famicom is a must.  It's near impossible to tune it in via RF.
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: security16 on August 15, 2013, 11:17:41 pm
Quote from: zaneiken on August 15, 2013, 11:11:23 pm
If you live in a PAL country, AV modding the Famicom is a must.  It's near impossible to tune it in via RF.

This is not true I did at one stage have a famicom working but alas I moved house, changed tv's and forgot how on earth I did it :P I'm just wondering if the introduction of digital tv has an effect on being able to tune the famicom in
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: sconley666 on August 18, 2013, 09:52:59 am
Quote from: Phosphora on July 29, 2013, 06:31:53 pm
First get any nice fat shielded RCA Cable + an RCA to Coax adapter. (Do not use the Famicom RF switchbox)
Second, make sure the switch on the back of the Famicom is set to channel-1 and your TV is on channel 95.

Power on the console & Enjoy! :)


(If you're a shmup fan, you NEED to get a copy of Recca)  ;D


Do these RCA to coax really work well? I guess I don't understand how they can work without the box. Unless the box is some sort of elaborate pass through that only really converts the RCA style jack to coax anyway.  I don't disbelieve this works because I've heard of others doing it but it seems crazy.
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: ebinsugewa on September 14, 2013, 12:07:39 pm
Quote from: sconley666 on August 18, 2013, 09:52:59 am
Do these RCA to coax really work well? I guess I don't understand how they can work without the box. Unless the box is some sort of elaborate pass through that only really converts the RCA style jack to coax anyway.  I don't disbelieve this works because I've heard of others doing it but it seems crazy.


They're fine, it's what I use for my Famicom and Atari 7800. The old style switchboxes had components for switching between game<->antenna and sometimes also had 300 ohm/75 ohm connections depending, so these made the box larger. We just need to convert the connector, so the bulk is unnecessary.
Title: Re: How do you hook up an original Famicom to your TV, using RF?...
Post by: 2A03 on October 01, 2013, 01:41:43 pm
Quote from: famiac on August 15, 2013, 09:29:06 am
Haha. I don't know why i would want RF on an AV fami.

If one really wanted RF on the AV Fami, one of those N64 RF modulators would work perfectly fine.