New MechTV user with MUTR issues....

[rkattufts]

Hello,

I am a new user to mechanical TV, which just fascinates me. I got the MUTR kit brought over from the UK by the in-laws, but I am running into some issues that I thought the folks here might be able to help with

When it is unplugged and running in "test card mode" the image seems fine. It is "stacked" in that I get an imkage with 1/2 the image, the full image, 1/2 the image. Maybe that is how it should be though.

Video from the CD is a bit problematic though. It seems to keep "unsynching" and only by fiddling with the speed control dial can I get a BRIEF image. Then it unsynchs.

Oh, and I am running via the line-out on a PC.

Any guesses on how to fix this?

TIA

[DrZarkov]

First: Welcome aboard!

Sync at the MUTR monitor is a little bit tricky. The distance between the disc and the sensor must be correct. The manual says at the end of the axes, that was not working for me. Too near to the sensor is not working, too. So it was a bit tricky to find the good position. I had the monitor with me in Stuttgart to a computer fair for three days with plenty of time for long time tests.
a) The monitor needs some time to warm up. Sync works much better after the first 15 minutes.
b) check the connection to the laptop. The audio output is not perfect, with my Dell Latitude I'll get a negative picture, with my Amiga (as in Stuttgart) it works fine, but the Amiga has a "proper" line-out output with two cinch-sockets, not a simple headphone connector. It works perfect with a good CD-player, I use a Philips CD-i 210. Do not take the cheapest cable, but of course you need no high-end cable for 10 EUR.
c) The CD which came with the MUTR monitor is crap. Very bad quality and much too short films. They stop when sync starts to work. If you want some good examples, take the Video2NBTV software mentioned several times here in that forum. You can convert almost anything, best results of course with old black and white movies with many portraits, for examples singers.
d) You should experiment with other diffusors and maybe with LEDs in other colours. Recommended are orange LEDs, which look more like the original neon lamp, I use an ultrabright white LED with best results, even in long term tests (now about 100 hours).

[Dave Moll]

It would appear that the half images above and below the main image in the MUTR is just the way it works!

Although I am able to obtain reasonable synch using a portable CD player with a line-out socket, I have never managed to obtain a watchable picture using the line-out from my laptop.

N.B. both have inverted output which needs to be reversed for driving the MUTR.

[Steve Anderson]

Just from a curiosity point of view it would be interesting to see the circuit diagrams. Now we might run into copyright/trade issues here, so I'm not suggesting that they be posted here without the express permission of MUTR.

But if anyone can scan what data they have and e-mail it to me privately I would be most thankful.

Steve A.

My email can be found on the 'Memberlist' page.

[M3DVQ]

Just from a curiosity point of view it would be interesting to see the circuit diagrams. Now we might run into copyright/trade issues here, so I'm not suggesting that they be posted here without the express permission of MUTR.

I believe the MUTR televisor uses an almost unmodified version of the NBTVA handbook circuit by Peter Smith!
I don't know if anyone can confirm this, but I seem to recall a certain black cloud hanging over the issue a while back on the weekly ham radio nets

[gary]

I should say that my MUTR works beautifully well, it locks quickly and stays locked for as long as I have ever had it running (except of course when it has to re-lock due to a discontinuity). I have not had any problems with syncing to any of the clubs CDs or any I have created both on CD or through my soundcard. I recently was using it to test my Video2NBTV application when inputting from a web-camera through my soundcard to the Televisor - the first time I have actually seen myself on a Televisor - not a pretty sight!

The half images above and below the main image is, of course, normal and can be alleviated by a correct mask size providing the image is centered correctly.

I recently did have a problem when I stupidly let the disk get warped (poor storage) but corrected it by carefully softening the disk with a heat gun and placing between two stout boards. It is imperative that the disk distance from the sensor is reasonably consistent.

[PatchY]

Cant say much more than what's already said, but its really is something running live tv into the MUTR Televisor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N95a6EQ2eI

Really jerky shot from me recording mine using VideoToNBTV, then quickly switching to recorded video on the PC.

I've never had a problem with the CD from the box actually its clear and defined, MLK speech is fantastically detailed, and so is Edison's (Well I think its Edison)

I like the idea of using a webcam into the software, Ill shall try that.