Digital TV Converter Hack

Step 4 Finished!

Close up the case and plug in your new battery powered DTV box into a cigarette lighter or hook up the 12 volt battery to the remaining barrier strip screws. Make your A/V or Coax connections, hook up your antenna and you now have DTV for your portable TV's!

I hope you enjoyed this Instructable.!

Comments

[Last_Liberal]

What are you using for an antenna?

[Kipkay]

I used a standard VHF/UHF/FM backup antenna I have in my attic. I believe when the switcheroo occurs in June you will need an HD antenna. You can get those at RS or online. Around $30.

[biggybilly]

Dear Kipkay, Re. your RCA DTV , I had already bought a Magnavox-Funai tuner model TB100MG9, and can't locate a 12v DC power supply output, it appears it might have more than one operating voltage as there are 2 sets of 4 diodes and what looks like a transformer with multple secondaries, and I'm scared to randomly poke around with my VOM. Can youAssist me?

[ironsmiter]

your power supply circuit probably has at least 5 volt, 12 volt, and grounds. possibly a 3.3 volt also. Best bet is, relegate that box to normal tv usage. Go and get another box, from a different manufacturer, and try again. If you get one that uses a 5volt input. DTVPal is one such box. You can then hack a simple cellphone charger for the 12V(12-16 automotive voltage) to 5 volt converter circuit. Then, you don't even need to open the box. just put the circuit board into a project box, and wire it to the necessary connectors.

[Mr. Squishy]

You don't need an HD antenna. It said that on http://dtv.gov

[osgeld]

i have these things too, and as far as i understand you can use your normal antenna's after the full switch, but it may need an amplifier

[welder guy]

amps do nothing. you cant get what your antenna cant recive.

[static]

Osgeld said simply  " you may need an amplifier", and that's certainly true as far as it goes, no need to confuse the issue by implying something was said that wasn't. Amps do DO something. They can increase a weak signal received by the antenna to a level that's usable by the receiving equipment. Given the all or nothing nature of digital, combined with station that where formerly on VHF switched to UHF and many VHF and UHF transmitters required to reduce power at the change over, chances are we will be seeing amps employed more than ever for those who have to rely on broadcast TV.

[osgeld]

wellllllllllll when we moved out of the downtown area we could not pick up any channels, getting a +26db amplified antenna and we get most channels so it did not do nothing, infact it made a dramatic difference from jack squat to almost back to normal

[static]

 LOL! Well of course amplifiers have been alway been an important part of total systems I suspect welder guy was being lazy with the pat response, that "sounded good" or not very experienced in this area. Glad too read you found a solution that's working for you. I haven't turn on my TV, since I turned it one after te switch in Feb. to find that I was too far away. Before the snow flies I hope to get a better antenna AND amplifier installed installed. 

[Last_Liberal]

The HD band is strictly UHF. If you have a normal VHF/UHF rooftop antenna, it'll still work, but most of it will be unused and its ability to draw in UHF signals make not be as good as a standard HD antenna. I use an old pair of rabbit ears with one converter box in my bedroom. I keep the VHF rods collapsed because they have no effect. The UHF works reasonably enough to pickup DTV, but I must constantly adjust it to pickup a signal with select stations. I wrote about much of this on my own "Battery powered DTV system" instructable last November.

[Wolfshifter]

Not all digital channels will be HD and some will still use VHF... I have at least one station I know of that is going to still be on VHF after the transition. Weird, huh?

[osgeld]

yea its both here, fiddling with the "fine tuning" on the antenna sometimes vhf needs it sometimes uhf

[ironsmiter]

I've found that the antenna from the portable tv works just fine for dtv reception. not the best, but simple. portable, and free. In the portables I've used, the antenna is physically, and electrically connected with only one screw. After it's out, it becomes rather simple to connect a short cable to the antenna, and connect to the box. A good solder job, and some epoxy directly to the coax connector, and you can even rotate the antenna for storage/deployment.

[Braveit1]

I have a converter box that I use when tailgating. I have used "powered" antenna's as well as an old wired coat hanger. Coat hanger worked just as good. Also, if you select a converter box that uses a 12v wall wart type plug you may not even have to do this. (But it's great to know it can be done.) For converters that use the wall wart just get a lighter adapter with the same size pin. Check the polarity first!