Is there a way to clean up the RF Interference on my 5200

[paulwgraber]

I know there is an AV mod. But I'd rather not as I like keeping my systems OG.

However, the RF interference on my 5200 4 port is terrible. Particularly with Adventure II with these veridical lines all up and down my screen. I have one of those ground loop things, but they do nothing.

With some games it's not bad. Others like the aforementioned its bad.

 

Thx in advance.

PG

[+x=usr(1536)]

Please post a couple of photos so that we can see what's going on.  Without visuals, diagnosing some of the common issues isn't really possible.

 

As for RF quality...  Well, there're a lot of possibilities at play here.  If the power supply and / or switchbox are going bad, you may see interference.  Ditto the RF cable from the 5200 to the switchbox.  Components may be flaking out.  External devices may be causing interference.

 

Also, does the TV you're using have a fine-tuning knob or setting?  If so, it's possible that whichever channel you've got the 5200 set to needs a little tweaking.

[paulwgraber]

I went ahead and ordered a new Power supply and switch box anyway. TV does not have a fine tuning knob its a newer considering CRT. I even tried going thru my VCR. Same results but worse.

[+x=usr(1536)]

On 3/12/2024 at 1:40 PM, paulwgraber said:

TV does not have a fine tuning knob its a newer considering CRT.

 

Understood, but some CRT TVs had fine-tuning capability in their on-screen menus.  Not all of them, though, and it became les and less common as we approached CRT Armageddon.

 

On 3/12/2024 at 1:40 PM, paulwgraber said:

I even tried going thru my VCR. Same results but worse.

 

That's not surprising.  Did you take the VCR's output from the VCR's RF jack, or from its composite / S-Video port (assuming it has them)?  Video should look a lot better over them than the RF output.

[christo930]

On 3/12/2024 at 2:40 PM, paulwgraber said:

I went ahead and ordered a new Power supply and switch box anyway. TV does not have a fine tuning knob its a newer considering CRT. I even tried going thru my VCR. Same results but worse.

Have you tried cleaning the channel select switch?  This affects all 2600 models.  A dirty channel select switch causes the weak reception with lots of snow.

 

Also, always make sure you turn on the game first.  I have a 7800 that will only display black and white video if the TV is already on when I turn on the 7800.  If I turn the 7800 on first then the TV, it's perfect color picture.

 

Also, you might want to make sure the TV tuner is not screwed up.  Presumably you use other RF sources like a 2600 or NES that works fine?

[paulwgraber]

All my other RF systems, CV, A2600, ODY, INTV look great actually. It's just the 5200 that looks terrible. 

[+x=usr(1536)]

On 3/15/2024 at 10:40 PM, paulwgraber said:

All my other RF systems, CV, A2600, ODY, INTV look great actually. It's just the 5200 that looks terrible. 

 

Sure, but as @christo930 suggested, has the channel select switch on the 5200 been cleaned?  Oxidation in it will absolutely affect picture quality.  It's a good sign that the other systems look fine because the TV can more or less be ruled out as a factor in all of this, but going through the small steps first will help to narrow down the issue.

 

There's also the possibility that the RF connector inside the 5200 may be oxidised, leading to a poor connection with the cable.  Passive components in that general area may also need replacement or reflowing - something about the inductors becoming flaky over time is rattling around in my head, but I may be misremembering.  That said, the goal is to try to hold off on firing the parts cannon at it and methodically work through where the actual problem might lie.

 

Let's see what it looks like once the new PSU and switchbox arrive.  Out of curiosity, is the switchbox that's en route NOS or used? 

[paulwgraber]

So I got the new SB in and tested it. It was brand new. Wow what a difference. Still not perfectly clean but the wavy up down lines that were there are now gone. So I ordered a new Coax RCA cable as well and when it arrives I will take my 5200 apart, clean it and put this in. Is there a way to replace the RF connector on the board as well? My new PS should be here tomorrow as well.

[+x=usr(1536)]

1 hour ago, paulwgraber said:

So I got the new SB in and tested it. It was brand new. Wow what a difference. Still not perfectly clean but the wavy up down lines that were there are now gone.

Very cool.  Glad it helped.

1 hour ago, paulwgraber said:

So I ordered a new Coax RCA cable as well and when it arrives I will take my 5200 apart, clean it and put this in.

Is the RF cable specifically made for use with the 4-port models?  Remember: it's carrying power to the system as well as sending RF out to the switchbox.

 

One thing I can say from experience (as I had a 4-port RF cable in a 2-port model) is that the 4-port cable is noticeably beefier than the ones used in the 2-port, and are vastly more robust than the ones used in the 2600 / 400 / 800.  Downsizing is not recommended.

1 hour ago, paulwgraber said:

Is there a way to replace the RF connector on the board as well? My new PS should be here tomorrow as well.

My recommendation would be for Console5's PCB Mounted RCA Jack.  I've used them and they're an excellent replacement.

[paulwgraber]

You know I forget about that. I simply purchased a double sheild RF cable from amazon thinking this would be sufficient.

Shit I totally forgot about the power issue.

I assume I will not be able to use this blue jeans cable then?

[+x=usr(1536)]

14 hours ago, paulwgraber said:

You know I forget about that. I simply purchased a double sheild RF cable from amazon thinking this would be sufficient.

Shit I totally forgot about the power issue.

I assume I will not be able to use this blue jeans cable then?

 

Good question.  Short answer: I don't know as I've never used their cables before.  Hazarding a guess, they're likely not designed to carry 11.5V at 2A, but you'd need to check with Blue Jeans on that.

 

One thing I am noticing is that their cables have what appears to be a fairly tall RF connector height.  This may cause problems when it comes time to reassemble everything.

 

For now, I'm gonna say that your best bet is to reuse the existing RF / power cable.  A slightly less perfect picture beats an electrical fire every time.

 

[paulwgraber]

Well I bought some 90 degree ends to help alleviate that. Ill try it and see. If it doesnt work fine, Ill send them back and go with the originals.

Im fine with slightly less than perfect. Kind of more retro OG that way anyway.

I have my 4K Ps5 or series X for perfect. LOL

[paulwgraber]

So I opened it up and to my surprise the coax was directly soldered to the board with a separate RF plug next to it. So I went ahead and hooked my new cable up to the separate RF plug just to see. Well it was worse. So going back to the old RF cable (which was hard wired to the board) seemed to be much much better. So with the new PS and new switch box Im good. Much better than before. So I am good and going to go with this. Position is key I noticed but man it looks so much better. Not perfect but better by a lot.