How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

[michael dranfield]

I have made a YouTube video as promised, something that has never been seen before.
https://youtu.be/7B9NdVMegR4

[budm]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

So I see the Skybox boxes are being used in Euro, is it something that people can buy and used by anyone or you have to pay the fees to Government or the broadcaster?
Since you can modify it so you actually own the box then?
i have no idea how the TV broadcast being regulated over there.
Nice works room and equipment.

[Diah]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

good job michael , it remind me on TEST Picture at RF VCR ,, of sure this box it had too. but it seem hidden by service / engineer mode )

[michael dranfield]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

So I see the Skybox boxes are being used in Euro, is it something that people can buy and used by anyone or you have to pay the fees to Government or the broadcaster?
Since you can modify it so you actually own the box then?
i have no idea how the TV broadcast being regulated over there.
Nice works room and equipment.

Hi Budm .this is how I made my fortune in the 90 s .when sky digital was launched in the UK in1998 a new one of these boxes cost £399 and I could sell refurbished ones for over £100 and I was selling loads of them everyday,sadley the market has collapsed every one now has one and they can be bought on e bay for £5 used.There is over 200 channels free and hundreds more you can pay for if you wish but most people are happy with the free channels.You still have to pay the government a licence fee to watch TV .not bad when you consider terestial TV only had 4 channels in the 1990 s .

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

Awesome I have alot of them in my loft that I might do this too

[michael dranfield]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

This was done on Amstrad DRX300 but the DRX400 uses the same video processor IC so it should work with the 400 as well . But these are the only 2 models that use this chip.
I could get into this , might make some more videos next week !

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

Yeah do some Vestel and other older Tv stuff ? Maybe a tour of your shop it looks good tbh ?

[CapLeaker]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

This was done on Amstrad DRX300 but the DRX400 uses the same video processor IC so it should work with the 400 as well . But these are the only 2 models that use this chip.
I could get into this , might make some more videos next week !

What are these 2 pins actually marked as on the service manual?
I have seen quite a bit of box hacks, but not a colour bar generator.

[michael dranfield]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

Hi , Capleaker, I said to someone the other day I was going to post something on U tube that had never been done before !

Pin 25 is simply the Y7 port on the Connexant BT865A video processor IC and taking it to Vcc enables the internal colour bar generator when operating in 8 bit mode, the other pin 48 is only a 3.3volt supply rail to the chip.

[CapLeaker]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

Hi , Capleaker, I said to someone the other day I was going to post something on U tube that had never been done before !

Pin 25 is simply the Y7 port on the Connexant BT865A video processor IC and taking it to Vcc enables the internal colour bar generator when operating in 8 bit mode, the other pin 48 is only a 3.3volt supply rail to the chip.

Hi Mike!
I pulled up the spec sheet for the BT865A. page 1-1, sez Y7: enables colour bar generator... pretty sweet freebee! good catch!

[michael dranfield]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

Hi Mike!
I pulled up the spec sheet for the BT865A. page 1-1, sez Y7: enables colour bar generator... pretty sweet freebee! good catch!

Correct ! It wasn't very clever but quite novel and a cheap way of generating colour bars. I do however have a test card generator that produces a picture of me in the middle !

[Moreno83]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

Hi Michael ,

I don't really get it , what is the point of these coloured bars? Just a option or do you get free channels if you use this skybox?
Sorry , Might be a dumb question but we don't have "skybox" in the Netherlands.

[michael dranfield]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

The coloured bars are an industry standard test signal for checking and aligning the decoder circitury in a television set and if you turn the colour off to display monochrome bars setting up the grey scale .

[Moreno83]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

Ok thanks a lot for the info.

[stj]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

i just strip skyboxes.
one of the old non-hd ones even had a dip package 40pin atmega16 on the frontpanel!

[vinceroger69]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

I have been collecting advertised for free sky boxes, only if they have the sata hard drives though as they always come in handy and if they have the remote control even better as you can still sell the remote for about £5.00 each

[CapLeaker]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

around here in the sticks, I can't get any digital OTA at all. Most of the satellite stuff is encrypted, even CBC etc. You guys over there have like 200 free channels, over here all we get is the "skinny" package for $25 that gives like 20 - 30 channels. That's it. We get hosed by the CRTC then skinned by Bell and Robbers.

[stj]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

get yourself a bigger dish.
find one of the old 3m C-band ones - preferably not mesh.
if it's mesh you need to re-skin it with finer mesh for KU band.

[CapLeaker]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

I've got about 9 dishes mounted, 3 of them are C-Band. Been on FTA since 89/90. I have subscribed for TV only once for less than a year, back when I was still living in Europe.

[stj]

Re: How to convert an old Sky Digital Box into a colour bar generator

9?
couldnt you just use a H-H mount like the rest of us, or an old jack-ram?