Introduction: Mini TV / Oscilloscope

About: Physicist

Hi, I'm going to show you how to make a tiny TV/Oscilloscope. You will be working with a Cathode Ray tube which requires high volts and high pressure vacuums, so be careful. To build this you need patience.

Please rate my instructable or leave questions. They will be answered.

This is an old instructable I accidentally deleted a while ago and managed to find via a link deep in the interwebs. The TV has since been lost, but I plan on making a new and better one.

Step 1: Get All the Stuff

You will need...

Tools:
+ A soldering Iron/Gun*
+ Solder*
+ A small phillips screwdriver*
+ A Hot Melt glue gun
+ Hot Melt Glue
+ Scissors

Electronic Items:
+ 3 DPDT switches*
+ Reasonably thin wire*
+ Two nine-volt battery snaps*
+ A Relay*
+ An LM386 audio amplifier IC*
+ A 100k Potentiometer*
+ A 10uf Capacitor*
+ A Small Speaker*
+ Female AV Jacks°

Other Items:
+ An old video camera {circa 1990}
+ A craft box to build it in

*can be bought at radioshack etc.
°salvaged

Step 2: What Are These Dohickys?

Before you get started, you will have to take apart the viewfinder/microphone. Pretty fun actually. Pictures are here to help.

Step 3: Get Out the Important Part

Take out the video section of the viewfinder. Don't break any wires or anything and be very careful not to get shocked. Capacitors inside may still hold a small charge. Also, don't break the screen for christ's sake.

Step 4: Identify the Connections

This is frustrating. You have to figure out what is power in and video in. Hook up a nine volt to random wires to find out. If the screen lights up, you have found the power input. Once that is found, add more wires until some garbage appears on the screen, that's video in. Mine came out like this...

Step 5: Build and Connect

Have fun. Think, Cut, Solder, Sweat, Get Burned, Yell F*ck, Stomp around, Rest, Build, Freak out when it don't work, Cry, Scream, Pee, Wash Hands, Build, Get it Done, Then realize you forgot batteries.

A pictorial of the layout is below. The wires are obviously not 'connected' to the batteries, the 9v battery snap however, you get the idea.

Tips:
+ On the LM386, the side with the indentation is top. Very important.
+ The colors of your coil wires may be different. It is trial and error. Go to http://censtron.com/?p=18 for more information on coil hookup.
+ Taping wires down makes it easier to move around.

Step 6: Mount

Get the glue gun ready and build a thingamabob out of the craft box to make it look nice. It also may be a good idea to cut a hole for the screen...