CRT Cameras: Tube Replacement / CCU Interchangeability
 

Hi there!

Thanks for letting me in. I’m a new member, but you guys have helped me a lot in several occasions in the latest years. I’m glad to have the opportunity to now ask for your help and leave the information for those in the future, looking for the same questions.

So, I’ve been interested in CRT cameras and i recently got a Ikegami ITC 730A. I have some basic notions of electronics, but i’m just a curious newbie. I have a question for you fellows who may have some experience with analog video cameras.

1- TUBE REPLACEMENT : It seems the blue tube needs to be replaced. There is some blue spots in the image. Is it only possible by using the exact same tube model? The manual tells it uses 2/3" saticon II H8399B tubes. I found some CRT online but not this one. Would it be possible to replace it to some similar model in the same size maybe?

2 - CCU INTERCHANGEABILITY : I found out another affordable CRT camera, a Panasonic NewVicon Omnipro. This one looks like new but needs to be controlled and powered only with a Camera Control Unit. Now i’m figuring out if these CCU cables are/were pinned out differently for each brand, model, etc or if i could acquire some CCU and a CCU cable and use in both/any cameras.

This is a new subject for me and i haven’t found much information about it. I’ll appreciate any help or opinion.
Thanks for your time.

I don't think I've ever heard of a camera using a tube pickup instead of a CCD being referred as a CRT camera, so pardon me if I seem a little lost. :scratch2:

Being a tube camera, you can really only replace pickup with the same tube or a listed and known substitute. Parts from a consumer will not work. Saticon and Newvicon in fact are two different tube technologies and as such, I'm not seeing any subs.

Consumer cameras unless you were Sony with their "K-Connector" used the 10 pin EIAJ interaface. Labguysworld has a full page on this. The CCU's literally just broke out the lines from the cable but otherwise you gave the camera +12v and it gave you back composite video and line level audio.
I've never touched the more high-end cameras but looking at photos of the connections it's pretty close to the same, but with no EIAJ connection. Give it 12v and it will give you a video output.

In the three-tube world of cameras, the tubes are specific...thus the B designation on the H8399B...B for blue. The tubes were specific because of color spectrum capabilities regardless of Plumbicon/Saticon/Newvicon/et al. You need a R/G/B set for any camera.

The CCU's were also specific per brand name usually because of pinouts. A Sony CCU will not operate a RCA device. Apples and oranges. I have consumer RCA's from the late 70's that will still power a late 80's RCA consumer camera. The larger broadcast versions get more specific as to model operations but do not cross manufacturers connections.

Well technically a camera tube IS a CRT--it has an electron beam and all--it JUST "picks up and image" instead of "drawing one"

Camera Chains
 

All camera chains are propriatory and the electronics (and tubes unless same type) involved are never interchangeable. It would be nice if some were but almost all have special features by themselves that are not compatable with any other brands. They make more money this way and most if not all have special patents on their electronics not to be shared with any other brand.

Pretty much the only thing that was shared (which was a good idea for several chains) was a "Triax" camera cable.

PS Camera tubes are not referred to as "CRT's".