Different Datavideo TBC-1000 mods?

[Diopter_Doctor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

You're doing a good job here DD, keep it up, I may even send something to you eventually.

I appreciate the kind words

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

While I do TBC-1000 refurb work, I'll probably refer certain units your way.

Thank you, LS. This is really a hobby turned into worthwhile side projects.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

There's still a lot of things you don't know about these units, but you're at least starting to learn/understand/know what you don't know. That in itself is major progress, most don't know what they don't know. Once you see your own knowledge gaps, then it's matter on filling them.

Yes, I am continually learning and enjoy each step of the process. I actually am not a "professional" electronics refurbisher by trade, but I've had undergraduate classes and years of hands-on experience with friends and family. And really, hobbies tend to take you to the next level of care unlike doing something you "have" to do.

[Diopter_Doctor]

Here's another one.

I decided to solder both output and input this time. It looks much better without all the jumper cables.

I made a quick video of it here.

[mrmuy97]

More nice, clean work.

Do you have the info on what particular coax cable you used in the latest mod (thin, bronze color)? I ordered some Belden 1855A which is Mini RG-59, 4mm overall diameter, but curious if you have a thinner option you're using.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diopter_Doctor

Here's another one.

I decided to solder both output and input this time. It looks much better without all the jumper cables.

I made a quick video of it here.

[Diopter_Doctor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmuy97

Do you have the info on what particular coax cable you used in the latest mod (thin, bronze color)?

It's RG 179.

75 ohm, of course, and it's only 2.5mm in diameter. Stranded conductor.
Not good for long runs, but for small PCB mods it's great.

[mrmuy97]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diopter_Doctor

It's RG 179.

75 ohm, of course, and it's only 2.5mm in diameter. Stranded conductor.
Not good for long runs, but for small PCB mods it's great.

Thanks.
And I think that also happened to answer a separate question of what the coax is that the Extron s-video to Y/C split cables use. Looks like same specs and dimensions, same 7 strands, braided and foil shielding layers, etc. Just not labelled on the jacket.

[nicholasserra]

Got sick of pulling out the TBC7000 just to switch from NTSC to PAL. Wired in a quick little toggle switch for it. Need to get a label maker for a proper label on the back lol

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicholasserra

Got sick of pulling out the TBC7000 just to switch from NTSC to PAL. Wired in a quick little toggle switch for it. Need to get a label maker for a proper label on the back lol

I need to make a gallery of the best TBC mods. Not random mods, but "the best". For the 3/4/6/7000s, that mod you've done certainly qualifies.

I want your blueprints.

[latreche34]

I would go for SPDT (Single Pole, Double Throw) slide switch instead of rocker switch, It doesn't blend with the back of the unit.

[nicholasserra]

Agreed, this is just what I had handy to test with. And it's easier to just cut the circle hole instead of dremeling out a rectangle.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicholasserra

And it's easier to just cut the circle hole instead of dremeling out a rectangle.

Ease is always important to me. I don't want mods to be fugly, but I also don't want to spemd a whole day with tools to file and sand (and it may still look rough).

There are nicer toggles than what was used here, but the placement and security seems excellent.

FYI, noting not all DataVideos have this simple jumper option. Some are DIP, some cannot flip PAL/NTSC.

[Diopter_Doctor]

Just finished another bypass mod. This one in particular ended up with a real nice output signal. (Better than my personal unit.) I've noticed the later models end up with minimal output brightness attenuation post refurb. Although they are always significantly improved, the older models tend to have a darker output even after refurb.

How many years did the production span for these units?

[lordsmurf]

More than a decade.

[BarryTheCrab]

One of these days I'll have to open my LS supplied TBC-1000 and see if anything looks amiss.
Does Lord Smurf have any relevant paperwork/notes on the unit?

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryTheCrab

One of these days I'll have to open my LS supplied TBC-1000 and see if anything looks amiss.
Does Lord Smurf have any relevant paperwork/notes on the unit?

That was almost 7 years ago. No.

In that time, TBCs have aged. The fact that yours is still seemingly fine is probably a testament to my own work, if I do say so myself. I really do try to make gear last another decade after I work on it. But I will admit that gear was easier to refurb back in 2017, and it's downright awful in 2024. 2023 was my most difficult gear year to date, and it chased me away from servicing certain brands/models of gear as result (100% bad units ).

[FrontierDK]

I also have a working TBC-1000, max. usage 40 hours. When I bought it new, I also bought a Panasonic NV-FS200, and I quickly noticed that the Panasonic is better at syncing the lines + the TBC adds a slight softness to the picture.

Can anything be done about the softening of the picture?

[Diopter_Doctor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrontierDK

Can anything be done about the softening of the picture?

Interesting, I have never noticed a softening on a per line basis on the 20+ TBC-1000s I've worked on. I'm taking about comparing the voltage readings on an oscilloscope. Straight from the player vs. adding the TBC into the video chain.

How did you measure or "notice" the softening? Were you using S video or composite?

The only part of those units that could potentially add softening (or noise rather) would be the distribution amplifier, which I mod these units to bypass for members on here often.

The video board is essentially an ADC-->frame sync/buffer-->DAC.

For 15kHz video, those converters shouldn't add noticeable changes to the lines. These units are Frame TBCs not Line TBCs.

[FrontierDK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diopter_Doctor

Interesting, I have never noticed a softening on a per line basis on the 20+ TBC-1000s I've worked on. I'm taking about comparing the voltage readings on an oscilloscope. Straight from the player vs. adding the TBC into the video chain.

How did you measure or "notice" the softening? Were you using S video or composite?

I just bypass it by adding the S-video cable directly to the capture device. When running through the TPC-1000, it seems a bit softer than running direct, albeit with less noise.

I'll try making some screenshots tomorrow.

[aramkolt]

Theoretically, there will be some detail loss through any TBC. This may be visually beneficial as detail loss could also be described as "noise reduction". Basically the way that they work is to convert an analog signal to digital, store a couple frames in digital frame buffer memory, then release them first in-first out after converting each frame back to analog at a digitally-precise framerate. The degree of need of that precise framerate will depend on how sensitive the capture card is to slightly varying framerates which will always occur to some degree with tape based media where it has to physically be pulled across the video head with mechanical variables involved.

On the other hand, a TBC with a digital output (usually SDI) that is then captured doesn't really have the detail loss issue of additional unnecessary A->D and D->A conversions since the TBC itself essentially your "main analog to digital" conversion in the chain at that point. The actual SDI capture device used just saves an "already digital" stream and doesn't perform any analog to digital or digital to analog conversion.