12-09-2018, 02:34 PM
I've built a Hedghog 625 to 405 converter from the information on Frank Cuffe's website http://electronics.frankcuffe.ovh/hedghog and it works very well.
There were some typos in the documentation, but I told Frank and he immediately corrected them so the files on his website should be correct.
I was able to get almost all the components from Farnell and one from RS when Farnell was out of stock. The two modulators I found at a supplier I'd never heard of in Shenzen, but they work well. The boards were made for me by AllPCB.com. I haven't tried all the suggested alternatives myself.
(I'd attach my parts list spreadsheet which shows the sources and has some further notes, but I haven't spotted how to attach documents here, only insert images.)
Using a £14 EP2C5 development board and £10 Altera FPGA/CPLD USB Blaster compatible programmer both from Amazon, and Altera Quartus II software, I first tried a simple LED flashing routine to prove the Cyclone II and Blaster hardware worked. Then I uploaded Frank's .jic file, plugged the board into the Hedghog and everything worked fine.
These dev boards are very thin, so Frank warns to be careful if removing them as the force needed to extract the 112 pins of the main connectors can cause damage. The second one I bought had poor soldering and showed an intermittent fault as soon as it was plugged in. These little boards make a cheap and convenient way of getting an FPGA and flash memory, but you do get what you pay for. I have listed an alternative slightly more expensive source which also stocks a USB Blaster compatible programmer.
In his notes, Frank describes modifying some phono sockets from Mouser to make them fit the board as the originals are no longer available. I tried to use sockets from Farnell instead, but they needed even more modification and are a different height on the board, so in future I'd wait until I needed other things from Mouser to reach their minimum order threshold, then get the better phonos from them!
I used a thinner case than Frank's original and both types are in my parts list. To fit the smaller one, I had to make a heatsink from a bent strip of aluminium.
I was interested in the DIP switch functions VD osc and DB osc. Frank replied they were just for diagnostic purposes:
I have already used the Hedghog to help restore a faulty Bush TV62 and I'm about to build another for a friend who wants a picture source for his working TV62! I am very pleased with it. Even including minimum order quantities and the USB programmer (which you may have other uses for), one can be built for less than the cost of an Aurora and it is fun! For two, the cost comes down to about 3/4 of an Aurora. Farnell aren't the cheapest supplier and others may have better minimum quantities, so greater savings are definitely possible
There were some typos in the documentation, but I told Frank and he immediately corrected them so the files on his website should be correct.
I was able to get almost all the components from Farnell and one from RS when Farnell was out of stock. The two modulators I found at a supplier I'd never heard of in Shenzen, but they work well. The boards were made for me by AllPCB.com. I haven't tried all the suggested alternatives myself.
(I'd attach my parts list spreadsheet which shows the sources and has some further notes, but I haven't spotted how to attach documents here, only insert images.)
Using a £14 EP2C5 development board and £10 Altera FPGA/CPLD USB Blaster compatible programmer both from Amazon, and Altera Quartus II software, I first tried a simple LED flashing routine to prove the Cyclone II and Blaster hardware worked. Then I uploaded Frank's .jic file, plugged the board into the Hedghog and everything worked fine.
These dev boards are very thin, so Frank warns to be careful if removing them as the force needed to extract the 112 pins of the main connectors can cause damage. The second one I bought had poor soldering and showed an intermittent fault as soon as it was plugged in. These little boards make a cheap and convenient way of getting an FPGA and flash memory, but you do get what you pay for. I have listed an alternative slightly more expensive source which also stocks a USB Blaster compatible programmer.
In his notes, Frank describes modifying some phono sockets from Mouser to make them fit the board as the originals are no longer available. I tried to use sockets from Farnell instead, but they needed even more modification and are a different height on the board, so in future I'd wait until I needed other things from Mouser to reach their minimum order threshold, then get the better phonos from them!
I used a thinner case than Frank's original and both types are in my parts list. To fit the smaller one, I had to make a heatsink from a bent strip of aluminium.
I was interested in the DIP switch functions VD osc and DB osc. Frank replied they were just for diagnostic purposes:
Quote:VD osc = Video Decoder oscillator. If it is functioning the front panel LED will flash
DB osc = Development Board oscillator. If it is functioning the front panel LED will flash
FID (the two switches on together) = Field identification signal front panel LED will flash if it is present. It is only present if the video decoder is producing a valid PAL signal.
At power up the video decoder defaults to NTSC if there is not a PAL signal feeding the video decoder (LED wont flash). when a PAL signal is present it switches to PAL and remains at PAL even if the PAL signal is removed.
I have already used the Hedghog to help restore a faulty Bush TV62 and I'm about to build another for a friend who wants a picture source for his working TV62! I am very pleased with it. Even including minimum order quantities and the USB programmer (which you may have other uses for), one can be built for less than the cost of an Aurora and it is fun! For two, the cost comes down to about 3/4 of an Aurora. Farnell aren't the cheapest supplier and others may have better minimum quantities, so greater savings are definitely possible
