🇺🇦 Парус ВИ-201 (Sail VI-201): Part 2 (Investigating Video Output Problem) [TCE #0473]
29We continue our look at this rather nice Sinclair ZX Spectrum clone. It is definitely working but I can't figure out the video output. Faulty or inverted?
(link to schematic on this page)
https://speccy.info/Парус_ВИ-201
It uses a DIN7 socket that includes also audio & video it seems:
Pin 1 = sync
Pin 2 = ground
Pin 3 = green
Pin 4 = blue
Pin 5 = red
Pin 6 = audio
Pin 7 = video (composite?)
I can get a black screen when testing the "video" as a composite PAL signal ... and you can actually see some text, almost black on black.
So the video output is working ... just need to figure out the colours ... or whether it's inverted ... ?
From Part 1 video:
Another Sinclair ZX Spectrum clone (клон), called an "Игровой Компьютер" or Gaming Computer. This model is called the Парус ВИ-201 (Parus VI-201, or "Sail") and was built in Sevastopol (Севастополь) in Crimea, in the early 90s. I believe it was first built in 1990 which would make it a Soviet machine, though most examples would've been built after Ukraine became independent.
It came with a large power supply that should output 5V, using a toroid, rectifier and regulator. The fuse was missing, and indeed the AC power input wires were broken, so I will look at fixing the PSU later. In the meantime I whipped up a simple USB-to-DIN power cable ... 7-pin DIN!
Actually all the ports are 7-pin DINs ... interesting choice. The RGB output thus includes also composite video (I think) and audio output, and the cassette (магнитофон) also includes audio output as well.
It uses the Soviet version of the Zilog Z80, the Т34ВМ1 (T34VM1) or КР1858ВМ1 (KR1858VM1).
For the first time, they have made the keyboard easily detachable from the motherboard ... THANK YOU! Makes it a lot easier to work on the machine. They keyboard itself seems to be decent quality, albeit a little squeaky ... will try to sort that out next.
Further information (in Russian):
https://pikabu.ru/story/obzor_retrokompyutera_parus_vi201_spectrum_48k_6799684