February 16, 2026
From fursona to antenna
STM32G431 Analogue TV Transmitter
Tiny chip “broadcasts” to a vintage TV — and the comments go nuclear
TLDR: A maker used a tiny microcontroller to fake a short-range TV signal and beam custom video to a vintage antenna-only set. The community split between applauding the clever hack, warning about airwave rules, and joking that a thrift-store VCR modulator or simple TV mod would’ve been easier.
A retro-crazed tinkerer just made a tiny microcontroller pretend to be a TV station, pushing custom video to an old-school antenna-only set. The trick? Using an STM32 chip’s built-in parts to whip up a short‑range signal — enough for a black‑and‑white CRT to show a self‑made image. The crowd went wild: one camp calling it “pure hacker art,” another demanding a teardown, and a third yelling “just buy a VCR” on repeat.
Then the drama dialed up. RF (radio) purists warned about rules around airwaves, asking if this mini “broadcast” could leak past the room. Defenders said it’s short range and basically a science fair demo; skeptics sniffed “you’re abusing an op‑amp,” while fans cheered the creative misuse. Nostalgics mourned that CRTs are now pricey, gamers mocked the black‑and‑white picture, and meme lords spammed “we have RF modulator at home” over screenshots. The line of the day? “From fursona to antenna” — equal parts wholesome and cursed. Meanwhile, practical folks linked cheap RF modulators, purists pushed for a simple composite‑video mod, and hardware nerds drooled over the chip’s “secret” high‑speed mode. It’s half lesson, half performance art — and the comments are the main attraction.
Key Points
- •A black-and-white CRT TV with only antenna input prompted a project to generate an analogue RF video signal.
- •Initial tests used a Philips PM5145 generator, exploiting harmonics to reach 48.25 MHz (channel 2) and its AM input for video.
- •Broadcast TV’s negative modulation required an inverter and amplifier to produce a correct video signal.
- •An STM32G431 on a NUCLEO-G431KB board used op-amp input mux toggling at 96 MHz to create a ~48 MHz carrier receivable by the TV.
- •STM32G431 DACs, advertised at 1 MHz, can reach ~15 MHz in unbuffered mode per the reference manual, enabling higher-speed video modulation.