Want to make 1988 pocket TV portable again

[waigyuk]

I have a 1988 casio TV500 pocket TV that I want to use as a fully portable TV for free channels in the UK (Fife Scotland).
The TV has an AV input that is working using an rca (white,red yellow) to 4 pole 3.5mm jack (I tested it with my VHS video recorder).
So I assume I will need a digital receiver, an aerial, and a digital to analog TV converter to convert it to rca pal.
It will be for outdoor use not near my home so I can't use wireless or internet or a video recorder or a house aerial etc. and I don't have a smartphone or subscription to any kind of service.
I want this to be as compact and cheap as possible so I don't mind ordering from China and waiting for delivery.
I will have batteries to power whatever receivers and converters are needed.

Will items like these work?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nadalan-108.../dp/B076DZLGPP

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adapter-Con.../dp/B08XYWW55Q

https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Gain-F.../dp/B007JPOX8O

Or could I use this item (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freeview-Di.../dp/B003YT5XLU) with the aerial above and connect the hdmi output to my TV using the hdmi to rca converter above.

I have also seen someone connecting an rf aerial cable directly to the extending aerial on a pocket TV, so could I connect the RF out of the unit above to my TV aerial?

[patrickgnl]

The first device will work, it has CVBS (ie phono plug) out and has a DVB-T/T2 tuner. You will just need to power it as no doubt it comes with a plug in power supply. You don't need the converter as the CVBS out will be in PAL anyway. Just set the output to 576i…

To connect to the aerial or the aerial input, the connected device needs a PAL modulator, like a UK video recorder.

But…. (And i really dont want to rain on your idea, as I do love all this stuff) check the UHF freeview signal levels before you go ahead. I live 25 miles from the main Sutton Coldfield transmitter and just had my main aerial replaced, its quite big and needs a mast top amp as do all my neighbours.

What i am saying is DVB-T/T2 (as broadcast in the UK) isnt really suited for portable reception. To be honest, neither was PAL before digital switchover, its because we use UHF, for portable reception VHF (which when used was at a much higher power) was better suited. Nevertheless no doubt millions discovered this after they had bought their Casio TV, much to their disappointment. I actually collect portable TVs including certain Casio ones, but know their concept in the UK was flawed.

I know you dont want to go this way but a better way to go would be via the internet. Something like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265108181...8AAOSwTpZdy8T-

could mirror your phone to the casio it also has cvbs out….





Patrick

[SiriusHardware]

Just to add regarding the first device linked to in #1, it looks as though it needs a 5V-1A PSU so if it draws even half of that in normal operation that will make it quite power hungry for portable use. You might be able to run it on one of the commonly available 'Portable phone chargers' which are basically just a big Li-Ion battery with a charging input / 5V regulated output.

[waigyuk]

Ok thanks for the help.
I got a reply from the seller of the last item saying that it will work if I plug in this scart adapter.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Switchable-.../dp/B0792TZRYJ

So that would end up being the same as the first device in the list of items.

And this one is even cheaper (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Valueline-S..._t2_B0792TZRYJ) so that would make the overall cost with the aerial £31.83 which just happens to be the exact price of the first item on it's own.

So the final setup would be :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freeview-Di.../dp/B003YT5XLU

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Valueline-S..._t2_B0792TZRYJ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Gain-F...640866-3633127

@Patrickgnl
I already knew that the signal is dodgy from watching techmoans video "Whatever happened to Handheld TVs?".
He manages to get a good signal in his car using the aerial I am interested in here : https://youtu.be/idOJyjdbo-Y?t=935

So I expect that I will be lucky to get a signal, but it's important that I can say this is a fully functioning TV rather than just a monitor which it would be if I used the smartphone mirror device you suggested.

I researched a lot about using a raspberry pi to receive and convert images and sending that to the AV input on the TV.
Also even taking the whole insides out of the TV and fitting a 2 inch lcd for the raspberry pi, but both of those ideas would also make the TV just a monitor and not a TV.

@siriushardware
How would this setup compare to the first unit regarding power draw?

[waigyuk]

I just realised the cheaper scart adapter I ordered needs to be female so I have cancelled that and ordered the first switchable scart adapter in my last post.

If such a cable existed it would be slightly better for me, a female scart socket to a 4 pole 3.5mm jack.
That would take the audio/video output from the freeview scart and route it to the AV input on the TV.

I'm having to use a female scart to RCA adapter and an RCA to 4 pole 3.5mm cable (which I already have).

[patrickgnl]

Thats fine, youre aware of the possible limitations, thats the main thing.

I have a range of Casio TV’s, but mine are all UHF/VHF international ones, PAL/SECAM plus an american NTSC one, mainly because i am interested in foreign analogue TV. They all work.

Can’t really help with the power draw question…

Scart sockets can pass in/out CVBS, RGB, in/out stereo audio and also s-video if so configured so it will work. The only problem with involving scart - as you are probably aware - is that they are very bulky.

I notice the Amazon Female adaptor only shows pics of male adaptors… Hmm i have come a cropper with that kind of listing before… fingers crossed.

Scart plugs to Phono, exist, but the only devices with scart sockets I can recall were usually box units with phono sockets on them, also bulky. Keep looking you might find something…

Best of luck…

Patrick

[waigyuk]

I got the items today and it's all working fine.
It's not possible to read any text on the TV500 screen (even with a magnifying glass) so for things like the menu and setup pages on the freeview receiver I first had to search for channels etc. on my pc.
I can then memorise what each text page looks like so I can do things like find videos on a usb stick.
I tried putting a few random videos of different sizes and resolution on a usb stick and it plays all of them no problem in pal resolution on the TV.

I have just tested it quickly in my living room with the aerial at my window and the signal changes a lot by moving the aerial just a few inches.
I am just able to make out the signal and quality bars on the TV so I might be able to use that outdoors to find a signal before searching for channels.

So the working setup is these :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freeview-Di.../dp/B003YT5XLU

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Switchable-.../dp/B0792TZRYJ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Gain-F...640866-3633127

And a 3.5mm 4 pole to 3 phono cable from the scart adapter into the AV input on the TV similar to this :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/kenable-3-5.../dp/B00BG088FM

Next I am now going to figure out a portable battery solution to power the freeview receiver.

The aerial is horrible, a proper set top type will be much better. Larger, but you never get nothing for free in aerials.

[hamid_1]

To be honest, the early LCD screens on those Casio pocket TVs were not great either. As you've found, it's hard to read text due to the low number of pixels. They also have a slow response time. Moving objects look blurred. If you want a more practical TV with better picture quality, there are modern alternatives available which I'd recommend instead of trying to use an old one.

Having said that, I do have a few vintage pocket TVs. Back in 2012 when the digital switchover was happening in my area, I wondered if it would be possible to still use them as they were intended i.e. portable battery-powered.

I tried a Sony Watchman FD-210BE which has a miniature black-and-white CRT instead of an LCD. This TV only has RF input, no AV, so I used a TVOnics MFR-200 Freeview box with built-in RF modulator. This box is very small (pocket-sized) and runs on external 5.5v DC 1A power supply. Instead of the mains adaptor, I powered it using 4 AAA rechargeable batteries in a holder. This worked, but the batteries ran out in about half an hour, so not very practical.

These days, you can buy mobile phone power banks which contain high-capcity lithium-ion batteries (4000mAh or more) which will be able to power your Freeview box much longer. You'll just need to make a USB lead with a power plug to fit your Freeview box (I believe the one you bought runs on 5v DC so you should be able to run it from a USB power bank).

For my experiment, the stubby stick aerial worked but then I can see a Freeview transmitter from my window, so the signal is very strong. My local transmitter in High Wycombe only carries a small selection of Freeview channels, not the full service, so it's only possible to receive BBC, ITV 1-4, E4, More4, Film4, Channel 4 and 5 with an aerial. Other channels require a satellite receiver and dish. I actually have a portable mini dish and 12v digital satellite receiver (Lidl used to sell them). If 12v DC power is available e.g. from a car battery, this could be connected to a 12v portable TV with a larger screen for a better viewing experience.

Most people in the UK will be able to receive all the Freeview channels throgh an aerial without needing a satellite system - I'm just unlucky due to my location. But as Merlin says, the stick aerial is likely to be inadequate unless you are in a strong signal area. Even an indoor set-top aerial (the type that looks like a miniature roof aerial) should perform better, though less portable. As they are cheap, it's worth a try.

As I said earlier, there are modern portable / handheld TVs with DVB-T (Freeview) that can be powered by batteries and are more practical. Another method : you can use an Android smartphone or tablet with a RTL2832U USB TV tuner adaptor - these cost less than £10 from China. You can use software such as AerialTV by Martin Marinov to watch Freeview on your phone or tablet using the adaptor and an aerial. No internet connection is required -you don't even need a SIM card! The AerialTV software is not free, but you can install a free trial version which lets you use it for a limited time, to test reception. There is other free software for the RTL2832U adaptors that lets you receive DAB/DAB+/FM radio and even amateur radio. It's fun to play with!

[patrickgnl]

Its in German so you will need to translate the page but this webpage show the evolution of picture quality on portable TV’s.

http://www.taschenfernseher.de/testbild.htm