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From: rick@ameristar (Rick Spanbauer)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: TV tuner circuits
Message-ID: <1991Mar27.033039.5045@ameristar>
Date: 27 Mar 91 03:30:39 GMT
References: <4405@orbit.cts.com>
Organization: Ameristar Technology, Inc
Lines: 31

In article <4405@orbit.cts.com> dougm@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Doug Mcintyre) writes:
>        I've been studying up on TV tuner circuits for various projects I'd
>like to do around here. I haven't gotten into any chips that exist though for
>help with this stuff. All I've seen is National's old linear data book. I was
>looking for something like a chip that took the standard IF out of the
>mechanical tuner, and fed back its AGC and AFT signals and put out baseband
>video and audio. Anything like this? It is part of a chip in my acient
>panasonic VCR, but there should be just a single part that does this? (I doubt
>I could find a source for the panasonic custom chip).
>Are there other chips for use in digital tuners? 
>
>Any data books recomended for their standard video chips (ie. Motorola?)

	I went through this hassle of trying to get info from eg Motorola
	on their consumer electronic semiconductors.  Since the domestic
	consumer electronic industry is all but dead, it is hard to get
	information on CE silicon from the usual sales offices.  People either
	don't know the chips exist, or they will not sell them in small
	quantities.  In particular, if all you are interested in is to
	build a TV tuner, then I would recommend you get a hold of one of
	the Asian electronics importer catalogs and buy a tuner from them.
	They are surprisingly cheap ($10-$15 US), people will sell in small
	quantities, and accept payment via wire transfer.  Alternatively, you
	could buy a tuner from eg the Sony, RCA, or Panasonic repair centers,
	though these will cost substantially more.  Modern tuners are
	available with all the PLL control circuitry already embedded - just
	supply +33V for the varactors, +12V, +5V, serial clock/data, and you
	get IF or baseband out.

					Rick Spanbauer
					Ameristar