Camcorder Viewfinder Blurry!

[Sosijdog]

Hi guys, I am hacking up an old (1992) Panasonic Camcorder and using the crt viewfinder for a project.

The camera was in perfect working order (until I got my paws on it) and the viewfinder was clear.
However, I managed to remove the viewer and circuit board, traced out the wires, got it powered up and a signal to the unit but it is very blurry!

I thought it might have been the input source so I tried playing a video through it but its still blurry. I have tried adjusting the 2 small pots (for brightness and focus) but that does not have any affect?

There was 5 grey wires - power, earth return and a video signal wire has been connected but there is still 2 remaining? What could the others be for?

There must be something within the body of the camera I need but it no longer works as they are seperate?
Any ideas on this would be ace!

Thanks Guys.

Ps. Not terribly technical so lemans terms would be appreciated.

 

[smanches]

It is most likely focused to be used after the main camera focus. You have to feed it a blurry signal to get a clean signal out.

Or are you looking at the raw screen without any lenses in front?

 

[Sosijdog]

I thought the CRT would play whatever signal you put into it as it is basically a small TV. It shouldn't rely on a blurry signal should it? If the input is blurred then you will get a blurred output. If it is clear it should be clear?

All I have is the viewfinder itself completely seperate from the camera - Basically the CRT and the wiring there is no lenses. I want to fit another small camera and view it through the viewfinder but I cannot get the CRT in focus? Its actually dislayed out of focus nothing to do with lenses or anything. Does that make sense?

I have power to the unit and I can get the signal from the smalle camera into the viewfinder but it is blurred. To check it wasn't the small camera, I fitted a video and played it through the viewfinder but with the same results.

 

[smanches]

Is it a flip-out monitor type? I was thinking it was the very small ones that are inside the eyepieces.

If it's just a basic LCD, then I have no idea why it's blurry.

 

[imix500]

If your video signal is not sharing the video ground of the viewfinder, that could cause a blurry signal from the high freq noise of the HV supply. Do you have video ground connected?

 

[Sosijdog]

To Smanches: "I was thinking it was the very small ones that are inside the eyepieces" - You are right it is.

I connected the earth from the video signal back to the earth coming from the power supply. Could that be the fault? How do you determine the video ground of the viewfinder? I assumed all the earths would be the same?

Thanks for your input guys. Much appreciated.