BENTLEY CRT Television AV Mod
Before anything else, this is not a tutorial. This mod didn't even work very well for me. If you want to try it yourself and have experience working with CRTs, check out this guide . If you don't know how to work safely with CRTs, do not attempt this modification.
Recently, I picked up a small handheld TV at a garage sale. I thought it would be cool to use an RF modulator to watch movies and shows in my room. However, it didn't come with a power cable, and the battery contacts were too corroded to use. To get it running, I soldered in a new power cable.
After that, I was able to get the screen to turn on, but there was no static. I found this odd because, even though analog TV broadcasts have been shut down for years, the screen should still display static. After some investigation, I discovered internal damage that was preventing the TV from receiving any video signal, even when connected to an RF modulator.
Instead of doing the sensible thing and fixing the existing damage, I decided to try adding composite video to the TV. This was easier said than done. Following the original guide helped me get started, but getting a video signal to work was much harder. After trying different points on various chips, I got some strange results. The best I could manage was an inverted video signal. Eventually, I grounded the chip labeled B5, which corrected the inverted colors and finally gave me a "usable" image.
The image now has a strange wobble effect. It's consistent and easy enough to ignore, but despite my attempts to fix it, I couldn't get it to improve. I'll just have to live with it for now.
Another issue I forgot to mention is that the fuse was blown. Fixing it should have been as simple as ordering a replacement online. Just kidding, that would be too easy. Instead, I soldered a piece of copper wire across the fuse. :)
