Solution to annoying GC interference?

[Blargaman91]

I'm looking for a definitive solution to the issue with interference in the audio and video lines of the GameCube because I can't figure it out myself. This is the interference that comes from whatever regulators are used for power and ends up largely affecting audio and video; the audio portion of it sounds like constant, quick clicking, and it's loudest in the home menu.
You don't hear it too much until you hook up smaller, low-powered amps.
The video part of it appears as fluctuating lines moving across the screen in varying directions, sometimes more intense and sometimes less.

When all of your components are in close proximity inside a portable, this becomes quite a pressing issue. Even so, it's usually won't go away by introducing shielding because the interfering signals just seem to make their way through the wires.

The few solutions I have seen in the past haven't really done anything for me. So if anyone knows what I am talking about and has experience dealing with the issue, could you give some insight into the subject? It would help tremendously.

 

[lyberty5]

I've never encountered such problems, except a few times but it seemed to disapear after a while..

I'm sure you have but have you seen how ashen shielded his regs on his last portable? Maybe you need to try different shieldings, maybe even directly ground them? Sure that's no news to you..

Also thicker power lines may help? What screen are you using? For audio, I wonder if smaller speakers might not pick up on the interference... Just my two cents..

 

[Blargaman91]

Okay, thicker power lines, I will see what that does.

My screen is a generic 3.5 inch and my amp is RDC's smAllMP with 1W speakers. It's true you don't hear it normally from something like TV speakers, so would that mean it exists at higher frequencies? I'm not sure how to deal with that.

 

[Ashen]

The few times I have encountered this its almost always come down to poor sanding of the edges of my motherboards after trimming them. Sand the crap out of the edges of your boards.

 

[lyberty5]

Makes more sense, plus, that "speaker" theory is most likely wrong since the bigger the speakers, the more different frequencies they should be able to deliver..

 

[Blargaman91]

I've tried sanding a ton and I don't think it could get any smoother, but the interference hasn't changed a bit. Is there at least some way I can filter this stuff out in the video, audio, or both?

 

[lyberty5]

Where are you taking video and audio from? maybe try to bypass the least caps possible :\

a whole different ground on the shielding seems obvious but I believe it helps also..

 

[Blargaman91]

Audio is coming straight from the pre-amp, video is coming straight from the AV DAC.

a whole different ground on the shielding

What do you mean by different ground?

 

[DuHasst0]

I have read a few things, using shielded cables for power, audio, and video helps to reduce the noise on the line, you also could use the caps that are in line with those signals to reduce the noise as well. Then of course shielding the regulators completely as well.