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Sony Handycam ccd-f55 viewfinder pinout

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Matthew Domb

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have a viewfinder from a broken camcorder that I would like to convert to
a little TV / monitor, but I don't know the pinout for it.

Does anybody know the pinout for it?
If so, please respond soon!

Thanks in advance.


- Matthew Domb
 
M

Mike

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have a viewfinder from a broken camcorder that I would like to convert to
a little TV / monitor, but I don't know the pinout for it.

From a similar model, if you have a 4 pin connector between the camcorder
and the CRT/board, then your 4 pins are likely to be

1: LED (for record mode, ground this leg to light LED).
2: Composite video
3: 0v (and video return)
4: 5v (Supply at around 100ma)

With some very basic probing around you should be able to identify the
ground leg (0v) -- check continuity to the outer of any phono/jack connectors,
or any large screening cans in the camcorder.

If the camcorder's not entirely dead, you should also be able to find the 5v
supply line to the CRT module by simply measuring between the known ground
and each other pin.

From there you have a 50-50 chance on the video input: Power up the
viewfinder and stuff a composite video signal into the remaining 2 pins and
see what happens :)

That's how I found the pinout ...

You may need to fit a 75ohm resistor between the composite video in to the
viewfinder and ground, depending on how it's designed and how you use it. I
found I needed the resistor, otherwise the picture was overbright and washed
out.

Mike.
 
M

Matthew Domb

Jan 1, 1970
0
I haven't been able to get it to work so far, but I'll try some more. It has
a six pin connector.

Notes so far.

Pin# | Trace Thickness | Ideas?
--------------------------------------
1 | Thick Trace | LED
2 | Thick Trace | LED
3 | Thin Trace | Video?
4 | Thin Trace | Video?
5 | Thick Trace | Unknown
6 | Thick Trace | Unknown


I've heard of some viewfinders having separate horizontal/vertical sync
connections before, so perhaps that is the case?


--

- Matthew Domb
Mike said:
I have a viewfinder from a broken camcorder that I would like to convert to
a little TV / monitor, but I don't know the pinout for it.

From a similar model, if you have a 4 pin connector between the camcorder
and the CRT/board, then your 4 pins are likely to be

1: LED (for record mode, ground this leg to light LED).
2: Composite video
3: 0v (and video return)
4: 5v (Supply at around 100ma)

With some very basic probing around you should be able to identify the
ground leg (0v) -- check continuity to the outer of any phono/jack connectors,
or any large screening cans in the camcorder.

If the camcorder's not entirely dead, you should also be able to find the 5v
supply line to the CRT module by simply measuring between the known ground
and each other pin.

From there you have a 50-50 chance on the video input: Power up the
viewfinder and stuff a composite video signal into the remaining 2 pins and
see what happens :)

That's how I found the pinout ...

You may need to fit a 75ohm resistor between the composite video in to the
viewfinder and ground, depending on how it's designed and how you use it. I
found I needed the resistor, otherwise the picture was overbright and washed
out.

Mike.
-
Mike Brown: mjb[at]pootle.demon.co.uk | http://www.pootle.demon.co.uk/
 
M

Mike

Jan 1, 1970
0
I haven't been able to get it to work so far, but I'll try some more. It has
a six pin connector.

That's scuppered my pinout then :)
I've heard of some viewfinders having separate horizontal/vertical sync
connections before, so perhaps that is the case?

Possibly: The CRT ones I've dismembered are a self contained b/w monitor,
taking composite video in. Which of course needs the sync recovering and
splitting out, so if it's available in the camcorder, why not keep it
separate? ... seems a good plan. If this *is* the case you'd need a sync
separator IC too to drive it.

It is a CRT viewfinder, not LCD, right?
 
M

Matthew Domb

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yes, it's a CRT. In a day or two I'm going to post some pictures on a
website.

What is sync recovering and splitting out?
 
M

Mike

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yes, it's a CRT. In a day or two I'm going to post some pictures on a
website.

What is sync recovering and splitting out?

Somewhere in the camera is a chip that is driving the CCD to collect the
image. It knows when the right moments are when horizontal and vertical
sync take place. Makes sense?

On the unit you were speculating about :-

.... these sync signals would be sent on their own independent wires to the
viewfinder module, along with power, and the b/w or colour video signal.

The viewfinder module can directly use those signals to generate appropriate
sweep patterns to build up a picture on the tube, like any other TV device
has to.

But ...

In other units, the sync signal will be embedded into the video stream
(composite video, like you'd find on a SCART plug, or on the RCA/Cinch jack
VIDEO IN/OUT on your VCR).

So the viewfinder needs to "recover" the sync: That is, extract the short
(horizontal) and long (vertical) sync pulses to drive the horizontal and
vertical sweep generators.

So ...

*If* your viewfinder expects separate H and V sync signals to operate, then
it should be getting them from the camera guts. But as you are using the
viewfinder elsewhere, then you will have to fake the syncs up using a
"sync separator" circuit. There's a few ICs that will do this in one chip +
a couple of capacitors, so it's not hard, just a nuisance :)

Google on LM1881 as a starting point.

Mike.
 
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