Low Cost PAL/NTSC Video Clock Overlay Generator

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VCG-01 PAL/NTSC Video Time/Date Generator

As published in the August 1999 issue of Electronics Australia magazine.

A captured screen shot of the time/date overlay produced by the VCG-01
Yes, that handsome devil on the left is yours truly!

An inside shot of the VCG-01 showing the PCB. There are no external connectors or wiring required.

The complete unit when closed.

Perfect low cost solution for :

New video security installations
SSTV transmitters
Amateur video
Existing installed security installations
Scientific experimentation monitoring
and any other application that needs the time and date recorded on an image!

In any recorded video security application it is essential that the time and date be recorded over the video image to validate the footage. Most low cost installations do not have this facility, and the VCG-01 is designed to fill this gap. It is designed to do nothing more than overlay the time and date onto an existing video image, with no fancy video switching or other unnecessary functions that increase the cost. Installation is as simple as connecting video in and out, and a DC supply which can even be derived from an existing camera supply. As a bonus the VCG-01 will also display a 10 character user defined text message. With battery backup and auto recovery after power failure, the VCG-01 is designed for set and forget installations.

Features :

Lowest possible cost
Compact size 120mm x 60mm x 30mm (PCB only - 90mm x 48mm)
Powered from a single 9-15V DC (50mA) power source (2.1mm DC socket) (can use the existing DC camera supply)
Battery backup lasts the shelf life of the battery (Internal CR2032 Lithium Battery)
Clear legible text with a black border around all characters (fixed to approx top center of the screen)
Fully automatic text brightness adjustment, set to 75% white level.
75ohm RCA composite video input
75ohm RCA composite video output
Colour or B/W compatible.
8MHz video bandwidth
Time/Date updated once per second (fixed 24hr, DD/MM/YY format)
10 Character user defined message for general titling (numbers and letters available)
User settable with two PCB mounted push buttons
Automatic retention and redisplay of Date/Time/Message in the event of power failure.
Optional NTSC version
Available as a short form or full form kit
Professional solder-masked & silk screened PCB
Fully Year 2000 (Y2K) compliant
NEW - From the 28th Aug'99 all kits will come with v2.1 or higher firmware which has a black border around the text to provide text readability in ALL conditions. The older version without the border had problems showing up on light video backgrounds.

Want a full screen KEYBOARD based Titler instead of the Time/Date?

Take a look at my Keyboard based full screen Video Titler!

Price & Availability :

LATEST NEWS:

The STV5730A chip used in this project was discontinued in Nov01, but has since been reinstated as a full product again and is now available in quantity!

HOWEVER, I will NOT be carrying this chip any longer and as such do not have any more full or short form kits available.

The STV5730A chip is available from many other suppliers.

Construction & Operating Information :

Please view and download all of these instructions and diagrams, no information is supplied with the actual kit.

Click here to view the Construction Article in HTML

Click here to view the Parts List and Component Overlay

Click here to view the Operating Instructions

Click here to view the Schematic Diagram

Click here to view the PCB in 300dpi GIF format

Click here to download the PCB in Protel format

Click here to download the HEX files for the PIC chip (NOTE : "VCG21.HEX" is for the 16F84, and "VCG21A.HEX" is for the 16C61 chip)

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