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Mattel Aquarius TV output adjustment

K

khisanth

New Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2006
Messages
6
Location
Farnborough, UK
Hi everyone

Just dug out my Aquarius to finally get around to playing with it and whilst it fires up okay, the TV picture is not tuned in properly (I get occasional flashes of the boot screen so know it works!). Anyone know if its simple to adjust the RF modulator or is it more complicated?

Any help appreciated

:)
 
Also, have you tried to fine tune the TV channel? What kind of TV are you using, an old CRT or a modern flat screen? I've found that for some of the older home computers and video games, the receivers on modern TV's can have trouble with the signal. This even applies to some late 1990's CRT's, so after trying a different cable and double checking the frequency, if possible you could try an older TV if you have one available.
 
I guess what I'm asking is that I'd never seen a Aquarius that had PAL video output, only NTSC. Are you sure this is a British Aquarius, and not a US one ?
patscc
 
Well, there are relatively many for sale on European sites, including one listed at 99 Euros right now. As far as I understand, the PLA1 chip functions as a CRTC switchable between 525 and 625 lines. How that is determined, through AC frequency or another way I don't know, but there seems to be reasonably many references to PAL to not be a worry.

Besides, I remember NTSC RF usually displays a steady picture in B&W on a PAL TV. A few TV's might even be able to decode the colour signal, but it is far more common to work with NTSC composite video than RF.
 
It's good to hear there are PAL Aquarii out there.
However, I would think that the only way you'd see a stable NTSC picture on a PAL set, is if the PAL set can sync it's vertical refresh to that of NTSC. If this doesn't happen, you'd see, at the minimum, rolling of some sort.
Does anyone have any info on what the Aquarius does to in fact have the ability to output NTSC/PAL ? I'd open mine up and dig around, but it's not handy at the moment.
patscc
 
I used this as my tech source, dunno how accurate it is:
http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/hardware/aquarius_tech.html

There was a previous Aquarius thread on this forum, in which it was said that PAL units are less common than NTSC units.
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?t=9063

While I must admit I don't have any NTSC Aquarius to test with, I clearly remember my TRS-80 CoCo displayed a steady B&W picture on my 28" Philips CRT TV. A little noise, but it happens all the time with foreign signals. Also my Sears Tele-Sports (Atari Ultra PONG in US edition) displays a steady B&W picture on the same TV. I remember when it comes to playing NTSC VHS tapes on a PAL VHS recorder, the picture will roll but I think that rather is a property of how many frames per second were recorded on the tape, perhaps tape speed.
 
patscc said:
It's good to hear there are PAL Aquarii out there.
However, I would think that the only way you'd see a stable NTSC picture on a PAL set, is if the PAL set can sync it's vertical refresh to that of NTSC. If this doesn't happen, you'd see, at the minimum, rolling of some sort.
Does anyone have any info on what the Aquarius does to in fact have the ability to output NTSC/PAL ? I'd open mine up and dig around, but it's not handy at the moment.
patscc
Click to expand...

The Aquarius TEA1002 (U12) always generates a PAL composite signal even in NTSC machines. If you're in a PAL country, you can mod a composite output simply using a 220uF capacitor and a 270Ohm resistor tied to U12 pin 8. If you're a NTSC user, you must get the PAL composite output and tranform it to NTSC.
 
jltursan said
always generates a PAL composite signal even in NTSC machines
Click to expand...
???
The TEA1002 is just a PAL encoder, so I wonder if the NTSC ones have a different encoder.
I have at least two that put out NTSC, without anything special I've done to them. I'll dig one out of storage this weekend and take a look to see what's going on under the hood.

patscc
 
AFAIK all NTSC/PAL Aquarius have the PAL encoder TEA1002. The NTSC ones need some circuitry to generate the NTSC RF signal, that's why you can't mod easily a NTSC machine to work with NTSC composite video TVs...weird indeed.
 
Just check the bottom of your Aquarius system. Near the serial number is the model. Model 5931 is the NTSC system and model 4110 is the European PAL model.
 
Finally got it open. Sure enough, there's a TEA1002 in it. Does anyone with a PAL version who's had it open remember seeing a delay line in there ?
patscc
 
There's different types, your best bet is to do a google image search on "pal delay line"
A photo would be great, especially of the area where the TEA1002 is, but if the metal shield covering most of the PCB is in place, I won't ask you to tear into it.
patscc
 
I have several PAL models 4110, but none of them have a cage. I do know these cages from the Aquarius pheriperals. So opening the system was very easy.
Here is a picture of the TEA 1002:
tea1002-photo.jpg

I was always under the impression that the RF-modulator was responsible for the PAL/NTSC signal:
modulator-foto.jpg

Here is also an excerpt of the schematics of the Aquarius:
tea1002-schema.jpg

You can also join the Mattel Aquarius group at Yahoo!, there is a lot of technical information in the Files section. Like the full schematic diagram and several mods for a composite video signal.

Regs,
Martin
 
Nah, the modulator just takes the composite from the TEA 1002. I'll post a pic from my NTSC tonight (US.Central Time), I think I have two additional IC's above the TEA 1002.
patscc
 
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