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Post by ratty on May 28, 2017 16:30:36 GMT -5
So there's a bucketload of info on the net on how to make scart cables for different game consoles, old computers, pretty much anything really when it comes to using SCART as an input. But using it for RGB output, well there's not much info on that!
Case in point, Panasonic DMR-E85H DVD/HDD recorder. Supposedly this should be able to output RGB via SCART AV1. There is indeed a menu option to set AV1 to "RGB without composite". I selected that option, I have made a scart-to-BNC connector, essentially wiring the RGB and composite pins of the SCART connector to BNC plugs. I am fairly certain I am missing something as there is no activity on any of the pins, but what is it that I'm missing? Anyone know? Using AV1 as an output, technically it should be the DVD unit that is sending the RGB and aspect ratio and blanking signals out, so I shouldn't need any other connections, or do I ?
I have the same problem with my VCR, though I am not sure it's capable of RGB output (plus with a VCR why would you bother anyways, it's not going to be better than over composite), hence I'd just wired up the audio out pins and the composite out to a pair of cinch and a BNC connector, and I'm getting no output at all. Again, in output mode, I shouldn't need to wire in anything else no?
Does anyone have experience building their own cables like this?
Thanks for any help in advance!
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Post by ratty on May 29, 2017 7:05:17 GMT -5
So I pulled the cable from the VCR. I made that based on an existing cable, which was obviously mislabelled...  So that's one problem down. On the other side things are not so nice. I have an old Thomson RGB via scart monitor (made for commodore and friends originally) that I connected with a fully wired scart lead to the dvd recorder. For some reason or another, despite the selection of 'RGB without composite', I am certain that when I am using the analog tuner portion of the dvd recorder, it does put the full composite signal on the sync pin. When I just have the tuner on, I get a lot of colourful noise on the screen. As soon as I enter the menu, or start a dvd, the noise is gone, and the picture is clear enough that it is obviously going through RGB. Strange thing is, when I enter the menu, there is a transparent overlay over the tuner image for a second, and the noise is gone from the tuner's image as well. It is clear that the video feed is through RGB in either case though, as this monitor doesn't have the scart plug wired to decode composite, if I switch to composite over scart, the image is completely gone. So for some reason when only viewing the tuner there is noise in the RGB feed, and even on a newer CRT tv, the image is duller and has much less colour. That still doesn't explain why my cable won't work though. In effect, I have this made: www.geocities.ws/podernixie/htpc/dvd2vga2.gif but without the sync separator circuit, and instead of a D-sub ending in BNC plugs. Annnd I just realized that the source of the problem could theoretically be upstream in the signal path... (because I'm too lazy to drag my scope down to the theater ) time to try it direct into the projector. |
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Post by ratty on May 29, 2017 7:50:48 GMT -5
Okay so I ended up lugging out the scope and making some quick test cabling. So... it was a facepalm moment when I realized the player said without component not composite! So obviously I had the full composite video on the sync pin, plugging it into a composite input I had full colour picture. I still don't know why the video quality changes when using a regular RGB monitor.I also have no idea why that ancient thomson monitor can deal with using composite as sync either, it really shouldn't be able to do that.
Regardless, for some reason I thought the TvOne scaler would be able to deal with using composite as sync, but apparently that's not the case. I have to use up an additional loop of my RGB switcher to put in a sync stripper it seems. At least I have that done on a proto-board, so it won't take too much to make it happen.
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Post by ratty on May 29, 2017 9:38:01 GMT -5
Everything's fixed. Added a sync separator and it finally works. My cable was okay afterall. It's odd that I got nothing on screen with the composite video as sync, not even a flicker. Oh well. At least this was an excuse to make the sync separator loop in my RGB switcher that I would have had to do sooner or later anyways for my consoles.
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Post by Casethecorvetteman on Jul 21, 2017 21:02:11 GMT -5
Look on eBay, there are excellent quality SCART cables available for almost every console for very reasonable prices.
Even i dont make my own for consoles, only SCART - SCART leads for transfer between SCART switchers. I make those to avoid noise that you get with most SCART -SCART cables. I use big thick RGB cables with good shielding for that and good quality plugs.
The quality SCART cables for consoles on ebay that come from UK are awesome.
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Post by ratty on Jul 26, 2017 16:40:12 GMT -5
Look on eBay, there are excellent quality SCART cables available for almost every console for very reasonable prices. Even i dont make my own for consoles, only SCART - SCART leads for transfer between SCART switchers. I make those to avoid noise that you get with most SCART -SCART cables. I use big thick RGB cables with good shielding for that and good quality plugs. The quality SCART cables for consoles on ebay that come from UK are awesome. I make my own cables because I'm cutting out the middle-man, I direct-feed RGBHV switchers from my dvd recorder and consoles, because virtually all scart switchers are either too small (not met one with more than 5 ports and that was pretty crap quality) and/or noisy. I'm actually about to start building an overgrown chest of drawers for my consoles with a 16 channel RGBHV switcher rack in the middle. |
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Post by Casethecorvetteman on Jul 28, 2017 0:07:39 GMT -5
I buy the console SCART leads because theyre as cheap as making them, and top quality. Finding suitable plugs for the back of some consoles is not easy, and i like to retain original connectors, even though i do change capacitor and resistor values in some consoles to get the correct colour drive that Sony intended for their CXA-1145 and CXA-1645 chips, in the case of a fair few consoles they used different values that result in reduced black to white range.
I use 2 SCART switchers in line with each other, and there is zero noise or degraded image quality if you use the good quality manually switched units. Theyre spot on perfect. Ive tested with going direct to the XRGB-3 as well as via both switchers, and there is no loss that can be seen on my 125" screen with my Cine 9, so youre pretty safe there.
The auto switching ones are shit, that is absolutely true.
I must use the XRGB-3 to line double because my Cine 9 does not scan at 15.7kHz, and although the LiMO-PRO is pretty good, very little lag in doubling, but the XRGB-3 is way better, way faster with as little as 1 line of lag, and it also lets you adjust the brightness of every second line, so you can dim them down and make it look like a perfect 15.7kHz image, but still adds a bit of brightness to the image at the same time. I dim them enough so that you cant really tell theyre there from the lounge, but if you ramp them right down you see the overall image brightness drop, meaning you need to drive contrast up a bit more, wear tubes unevenly, wear scanlines into the tubes ( because its a 240p signal in majority of cases as you know )
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So that's one problem down.
