Any way of testing that a Famicom is working without a compatible TV?

I've just bought an original Nintendo Famicom on ebay and as I don't have a TV that is compatible with the NTSC RF out I'm going to do an AV mod on it.
Although it was listed as working when I bought it, I want to check if everything is okay before I start taking it apart and soldering/desoldering. Is there any way I can test it and determine that it's likely working? If I run the raw video out from the PPU will I get anything at all on my TV if it's working? Is there some output I can test with a multimeter? Any other ideas?

 

You could test if voltage is going through the Famicom by using a multimeter on the front controller port when the unit is switched on.

Measuring pin 1 (GND - top left) and pin 15 (+5V - bottom right) will show if the unit powers up at least; if not it could mean the fuse has popped or 7805 has failed.

 

You can listen to the audio by connecting a poorly shielded RCA cable to the system and wrapping it around a metal radio antenna. Make sure the radio is at 95.something MHz or 106.something MHz and that the RCA pin is touching the antenna.

Most VCRs I've seen can tune to NTSC-J signals closer than many TVs can. You'll need to select Channel 95 or 96. There are even some NTSC-M/NTSC-J TV Tuner cards for Windows that might work.

While the AV mod is a good way to test if it works, it's not that great for long term use. It's full of jailbars. The better options are the NESRGB board (new composite video, S-Video, and true RGBS) or the Hi Def NES kit (HDMI mod). They will provide much better video quality, especially when using RGB or HDMI. If you do want the AV mod, this circuit is the same one the AV Famicom uses: http://assemblergames.com/l/attachments/kyuusaku_zps6a57f5ab-gif.10058/. Connecting the video pin directly to an RCA jack might not work.

 

Thanks for the info, I'm getting +5 V out of pin 15, so at least I know it's doing something.
The Hi Def NES kit looks interesting, is it actually available yet? I can't see it listed for sale anywhere.

 

You're welcome. The kit isn't for individual sale yet but you can buy a console within installed from here. More info can be found here.

 

I usually manage to find right frequency with european tv's via rf, image is bad, in b/w with no sound but at least I understand if unit is working or not