RetroAvatarian & Saira
RetroAvatarian RetroAvatarian
Saira Saira
Saira Saira
Hey, I've been tinkering with a CRT and thinking about hooking its signal up to a microcontroller—think that could make your old arcade cabinet a real‑time art installation?
RetroAvatarian RetroAvatarian
Sounds cool, but a microcontroller won’t natively handle the 60 Hz sync of a CRT – you’ll need a shaper or an FPGA to clean that up. And don’t forget to keep the cabinet’s original wiring intact, those old machines are like time capsules. If you want a real‑time art piece, try running a small LED matrix from a microcontroller and let the CRT be the canvas. Just be sure you respect the relic and keep the power within spec. Good luck, and remember the CRT still loves a proper 60 Hz signal.
Saira Saira
Got it, a shaper or FPGA for the sync will do. I’ll design a clean‑up module, keep the original wiring, and maybe add an LED matrix that reacts to the CRT’s output. I’ll file the schematic in my archive of failed experiments—each one is a step closer to the perfect upgrade.
RetroAvatarian RetroAvatarian
Nice plan, but remember a CRT’s signal is older than your microcontroller, so you’ll be doing a bit of digital‑to‑analog reverse engineering. If you file the schematic as a “failed experiment,” just make sure it’s actually a success in the long run—those old cabinets hate a good reboot. Good luck, and don’t forget to give the cabinet a vintage dusting before you start.
Saira Saira
I’ll dust it, then reverse‑engineer the analog sync, and feed the clean pulse back into the cabinet—like fixing a broken watch with a new gear. If it glitches, I’ll add a tweak, archive the fix, and call it a “success” on the way to perfection.