No picture from Datavideo TBC-100?

[cheeky]

Hey everyone, longtime lurker here, after some years Ive finally just completed a workflow to capture my VHS tapes. Ive got a refurbished panasonic ag-1980p, running svideo to a datavideo tbc-100 pci card, to an ati tv wonder 600 usb capture card (purchased from LS), plugged into a windows 7 PC, running virtual dub 1.9, with huffyuv, and CMC installed. However when trying to capture with this workflow I just have a blank/black screen in both Virtualdub and CMC. When I remove the tbc-100 from the flow and run svideo directly from the AG-1980p to the ati 600 usb capture card, I do get picture in Virtualdub & CMC. I tested this with every svideo cord I have and each one worked well when routed from the AG-1980p to the ati card.

Any ideas what could be going on with the datavideo tbc-100 thats causing it to not output any picture? Im not sure what I should do. When the tbc-100 is powered the red LED blinks very slowly, but unfortunately the manual for it has no useful information regarding what that means and googling hasn’t gotten me anywhere.

[aramkolt]

I don't think the light on the TBC100 is supposed to blink, but I could be wrong. Maybe a short video of the rate of blinking could be helpful.

As far as possible reasons for no video output from the TBC100, there are relatively few things that can cause that. If the card hasn't been fully recapped, I'd start there.

Otherwise it could be an input connector issue or it may not be auto-selecting the correct input. It does it in a sort of odd way where it looks for a connection on the S-Video shield when an S-Video cable is plugged into it. Do you get no input/output with both composite and S-Video?

So the test would be - try composite input and see if you get either composite or S-Video out and then try S-Video input and see if you get either composite or S-Video out.

Regardless, I wouldn't recommend actually using a TBC100 or 1000 unless it has been recapped after this many years. They used extremely bottom of the barrel capacitors throughout. On mine, I think 75% of them tested bad out of circuit.

Also out of curiosity, Do you actually get any dropped frames or vertical jitter if you leave the TBC-100 out of the workflow altogether?

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheeky

Hey everyone, longtime lurker here,
(purchased from LS),

Welcome.

(... err, welcome back? Did you recently register a new account? I can re-merge, PM me.)

Quote:

When I remove the tbc-100 from the flow and run svideo directly from the AG-1980p to the ati 600 usb capture card, I do get picture in Virtualdub & CMC. I tested this with every svideo cord I have and each one worked well when routed from the AG-1980p to the ati card.

Good troubleshooting.

Quote:

Any ideas what could be going on with the datavideo tbc-100

Where did it come from? I've seen so few of these in the past 20 years. Literally less than 10, so not even one per year on average. Those had an incredibly low production number.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aramkolt

I don't think the light on the TBC100 is supposed to blink, but I could be wrong.

It's normal, you're wrong.

Quote:

It does it in a sort of odd way where it looks for a connection on the S-Video shield when an S-Video cable is plugged into it. Do you get no input/output with both composite and S-Video?
So the test would be - try composite input and see if you get either composite or S-Video out and then try S-Video input and see if you get either composite or S-Video out.

Yes, try this.

Quote:

Otherwise it could be an input connector issue or it may not be auto-selecting the correct input.

aka, connection de-solder due to insert/remove over time.

Quote:

If the card hasn't been fully recapped, I'd start there.
Regardless, I wouldn't recommend actually using a TBC100 or 1000 unless it has been recapped after this many years. They used extremely bottom of the barrel capacitors throughout. On mine, I think 75% of them tested bad out of circuit.

I'd put this last, not at the start. The "TBC-100" (actual VP301x) at the heart of a TBC-1000 is not the same. Those internal cards were almost always somewhat shoddy, shortcuts taken.

Quote:

Do you actually get any dropped frames or vertical jitter if you leave the TBC-100 out of the workflow altogether?

Even with AG-1980P field TBC, you can expect that it will drop at points.

[cheeky]

Thanks for the quick responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by aramkolt

Otherwise it could be an input connector issue or it may not be auto-selecting the correct input. It does it in a sort of odd way where it looks for a connection on the S-Video shield when an S-Video cable is plugged into it. Do you get no input/output with both composite and S-Video?

So the test would be - try composite input and see if you get either composite or S-Video out and then try S-Video input and see if you get either composite or S-Video out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

Yes, try this.

aka, connection de-solder due to insert/remove over time.

Ok so I did more testing and it seems that this is what’s wrong. The svideo port on this tbc-100 is picky, it likes some cords better than others. When I use the better/thicker (& more snug?) svideo cords it seems I can consistently get picture passing through it. I have 2 thinner cords that work from the AG-1980p to the ATI USB 600, and eventually I did get picture with the full workflow including the TBC-100 with one of the the thinner ones plugged in, but the connection drops/goes black if I move it around too much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

Welcome.

(... err, welcome back? Did you recently register a new account? I can re-merge, PM me.)

PM’d you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aramkolt

Also out of curiosity, Do you actually get any dropped frames or vertical jitter if you leave the TBC-100 out of the workflow altogether?

I was starting with commercial tapes, (luckily I had one macrovision-less tape in the house to test on but it is only like 14 minute runtime, as most of the home videos I am going to digitize are in storage) so I cant say yet about dropped frames without the TBC, but when I get to those I can give an update on that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

Where did it come from? I've seen so few of these in the past 20 years. Literally less than 10, so not even one per year on average. Those had an incredibly low production number.

It has been a few years but I got it as a complete fluke from someone in a facebook group. They werent advertising it for sale, I just randomly came across a thread at one point where they implied they owned one in a post that I dont think had much to do with VHS/digitization, and I just messaged them saying if they ever wanted to get rid of it Id buy it, they said they have no use for it anymore, and offered it for a VERY reasonable price. I don’t have the conversation saved anymore but I think (& hope lol) they said they recapped it themself too. Im hoping to get properly started this weekend & then I’ll be able to tell what kind of shape it’s in.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheeky

someone in a facebook group.
they said they have no use for it anymore, a
they said they recapped it themself too.

To me, this is a total red flag.

I see far too much gear that was "fixed" worse by somebody that thought of themselves as a jack-of-all-trades, but lacked true/good skills at anything.

It may need to be re-redone.
I'd strongly suggest Diopter_Doctor for this one.