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2 layers43.2 × 53.3 mmA VideoBoard, the printed circuit board in 3D

FPGA board to create a component video signal for vintage computers.

Size
43.2 × 53.3 mm
Copper layers
2
Thickness
1.6 mm
Parts
75
Nets
68
Pads
333
Tracks, vias
721, 94
Pours
1
Routed
Yes
KiCad
KiCad 4
Created
8 Oct 2017
Updated
6 Feb 2025

Overview

A VideoBoard is an open-source printed circuit board by c0pperdragon, from the c0pperdragon/A-VideoBoard repository on GitHub, published under the MIT licence. It is a 2-layer board of 43.2 × 53.3 mm with 75 parts on 68 nets, routed with 721 tracks and 94 vias.

It is built around the 10M02SCE144I7G, THS7316D and LM1117IMPX-3.3. Its parts include 29 resistors, 28 capacitors, 3 inductors and 1 IC. It belongs with the fPGA and programmable logic and retro computing and games boards and the FPGA and CPLD boards of this library.

Main components

3

README

README.md

A-Video Board

A small FPGA board with a component video interface to directly drive an analog monitor or TV input. Its main purpose is to create component video / RGB mods of vintage home computers and consoles or to provide video output for hobby projects.

It consists of the purest minimum parts necessary to have a multi-purpose FPGA combined with a simple way to generate a YPbPr signal. After much research I finally settled on a cheap MAX 10 device in a TQFP-144 package which I can solder by hand (barely). The rest of the parts are pretty cheap and quite easy to solder.

To interface any of the vintage systems to the A-Video Board, level shifters are necessary to translate the 5 volt to 3.3 volt for the FPGA input pins. These level shifters can be implemented in a system specific daughter board that can be stacked on top of the A-Video board. Any such interface board can probably be implemented in a simple single-sided wide-pitch PCB that can be even home-etched with some experience.

Currently I have built applications of the A-Video board for

Images

alt text alt text

Board design

The board has these main parts

  • 10M02SCE144: fairly cheap FPGA of the MAX10 series
  • LM1117IMPX-3.3: linear voltage regulator
  • LFSPX0024957: 25Mhz clock generator
  • THS7316: video output amplifier
  • R1-R19: three 5-bit DACs made from transistors

and various supporting passive components, mainly decoupling, filtering and pull-ups.

It has the following connectors:

  • GPIO1 20-pin header that directly connects to FPGA pins
  • GPIO2 10-pin header with two pins providing GND and +3.3V, the remaining 8 connect to the FPGA.
  • JTAG 10-pin header for programming the FPGA (via an USB-Blaster or compatible device)
  • 3 RCA sockets to output the video signal (normally YPbPr, but other formats could be produced as well). Note that in the schematics these sockets are denoted as BNC, but are actually RCA connectors of type RCJ-046 (green), RCJ-042 (red), RCJ-045 (blue).
  • GND, VIN Provide between 4.5V and 9V as supply voltage. The board consumes about 80mA.

Contact

If you plan to use an A-Video board, feel free to contact me for assistance: reinhard.grafl (at) aon.at
Maybe I will either have some spare PCBs I could send you to populate yourself, or even provide you with a fully assembled board for the cost of the parts and shipping.

Parts

75
QtyValueFootprintReferences
23100nFCapacitors_SMD:C_0603_HandSolderingC11, C12, C13, C14, C15, C16, C17, C18, C19, C20, C21, C22, C23, C24, C25, C26 +7
710kResistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR20, R21, R22, R23, R24, R25, R26
510uFCapacitors_SMD:C_0805_HandSolderingC1, C2, C3, C4, C5
310mHCapacitors_SMD:C_0805_HandSolderingL1, L2, L3
3150Resistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR17, R18, R19
316kResistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR6, R11, R16
31kResistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR2, R7, R12
32kResistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR3, R8, R13
34kResistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR4, R9, R14
375Resistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR27, R28, R29
38kResistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR5, R10, R15
3BNCfootprints:RCA_JACKPB1, PR1, Y1
2CONN_02X05Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_2x05_Pitch2.54mmGPIO2, JTAG1
110M02SCE144footprints:QFP_144_GNDU2
11k1Resistors_SMD:R_0805_HandSolderingR1
1CONM_01x02Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x02_Pitch2.54mmGND
1CONN_02X01Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x02_Pitch2.54mmGND
1CONN_02X10Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_2x10_Pitch2.54mmGPIO1
1LFSPXO024957Oscillators:Oscillator_SMD_EuroQuartz_XO53-4pin_5.0x3.2mm_HandSolderingOSC1
1LM1117IMPX-3.3TO_SOT_Packages_SMD:SOT-223REG1
1THS7316Housings_SOIC:SOIC-8_3.9x4.9mm_Pitch1.27mmAMP1

The 72 most common of 75 parts.

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Questions

How big is the A VideoBoard PCB?

It measures 43.2 × 53.3 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.

What parts does the A VideoBoard use?

75 parts, built around the 10M02SCE144I7G, THS7316D and LM1117IMPX-3.3. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.

Where can I download the A VideoBoard KiCad files?

From the c0pperdragon/A-VideoBoard repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is board/board.kicad_pcb. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the A VideoBoard design in my own project?

Its repository publishes it under the MIT licence: you may reuse it on that licence's terms (keep the author's notice, and for a copyleft licence share your changes alike).