Atari ST Component Video Adapter - FINISHED!

[Android8675]

You might be better off with getting the Best electronics VGA cable http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/cables.htm

 

Don't think that cable will work on my Samsung HDTV in color. I guess I could demo Monochrome stuff, but I'd rather get color working. I also just want to see if someone out there can help me troubleshoot the adapter so I can get it working.

 

Thanks for the suggestion...

[Malichite]

Bumping an old (possibly sore topic), The Component adapter that Sal gave me last year worked for all of 3 boots before dying. I was trying to get it functional so I could take it to the Atari Party this year, so far no luck. I cracked the case and caught a slight burnt electronic smell (case was sealed), the board looks fine, but I'm not sure where to start testing.

 

I used 12v 1.2a DC power, dunno if it was too much or not enough.

 

Using it with an STe, so far it's still working normally so dunno if any truth to these things messing up ST video. When it was working, it was awesome. Hopefully I can get it replaced somehow.

 

-A.

That is too bad, I was really hoping the problems that Lance mentioned were possibly only the prototype. Could you identify which component went bad? Typically these converters are a bunch of passive components (caps / res), a Linear Voltage Regulator (i.e. 7-12v input to 3.3 to 5v output), and a few ICs for the V/H syncs and the video converter IC.

 

If you have a multimeter you should be able to see if the Linear Voltage Regulator died if you don't see it supplying most likely 5v to the rest of the board. If that is it you should be able to pick up a replacement for cheap from any number of online electronic component suppliers, same goes for the other passives if you can tell the expected value from the silkscreen. If however those are good and the issue is with the video converter IC, that will likely be harder to come by and most likely need to import from a Chinese supplier since the old video converter ICs used in older analog devices like consoles / VCRs / DVD players are no longer made in the US and you need to find a clone that will work.

 

I am no expert on this, but I have been following other converter projects for RGB modded retro consoles and some efforts to use a Gonbes 8220 converter board for the ST. Seems like quality control on many of these Chinese imports are spotty at best and sometimes are really just non functions circuits with fake silkscreen labels to fool buyers. Depends on how much effort you want to take and assuming you actually have a FLIR thermal imaging option for your phone / dedicated camera (not cheap) you can also looks for hotspots on the board to debug the failure point if you can't visually find the failure.

 

I haven't seen anything further from Lance about starting the project up again, so not sure what is going on except that Kjmann has been silent for 6-8 months now and I don't have much hope on getting one myself. The Gonbes solution kinda works, but from the vids I saw of this it appeared to be a much better solution.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Malichite