How to hook up a Famicom?

[Gapporin]

Hey,

I've got a old '83 style Famicom that I just recently bought, and I have no clue how to make it work. Using my own RF cord hooked up to a regular switchbox, I've been able to get a blank picture on channel 96, but nothing else happens. I've verified that it works, though, because I blew into the microphone, and the sound was picked up by the television. So, here's a few questions:

1. Do you have to use the RF switch that came with the Famicom?

2. If so, how would one go about hooking it up to the TV?

3. If not, is there any way I can get the picture to work with my RF cord?

4. Would I be able to use the RF switchbox that came with the NES on the Famicom?

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

[MrKitt]

1. no but you wont be able to find the channel if you do.
2. by opening the unit and getting Video Composit signal before it goes into the RF modulator.(big metallic box)
3. plug in a game check the power and search for the right channel by browsing the frequencies (not sure if you can do this in the US ? but you can if you have a PAL tv :P)
4. yeah probably as they do the same thing but probably on different frequencies


a good thing to check also.. is the power led running?
are you still not getting a picture ? is so replace the 7805 IC cause its busted even thoe it have enough juice to power the led.

[LocalH]

The switchbox shouldn't make a difference, since it's my understanding that the Famicom's RF modulator is internal (same as the NES). In other words, the system's modulator determines the frequency used, not the switchbox.

You could always consider replacing the JP modulator with a US one. The only difference between our NTSC and theirs is a slight level difference which I am thinking will be negligible (for the technically astute: US NTSC has the black level at 7.5 IRE - also called 'setup' - whereas JP NTSC has no setup, and black is right up on sync). This would only be a major issue on really old NTSC sets (the reason the US added setup was to add a little bit of leeway for less accurate hardware to lock onto the signal without seeing the sync on the screen). Basically, the darker areas of the image will be even darker on a US set than they should be (but you will probably be able to get used to that).

[phreak97]

are the frequencies on a japanese tv different from a european tv? i have a multi format european tv, it works pal and ntsc, and i think you can make it work secam too. but i need to know if the frequency the famicom runs at will be there.
what frequency does the famicom output rf at? i think my tv displays the frequency while youre tuning.

[MrKitt]

well im not sure how japanese tvs work but in the US they have a fixed frequency for everything not like European TV's where you search each frequency yourself on each channel, and yeah a famicom should work if you have the modulator (ive tested myself on a clone)