ok, just a quick question. For ground are you guys just soldering a ground wire to the metal part of the DB9 connector? And when would 5+ be necessary, do certain monitors need that to activate? For now I used the 5+ pin as my ground pin since I didn't need a 5+.
http://www.gamesx.com/misctech/mypin.htm (http://www.gamesx.com/misctech/mypin.htm)
Yes; as a rule the shield and hood are grounded (if possible). This is a good habit to get into should you use shielded wiring; you can just solder the sheath to the connector for full shielding on your cable. The +5V is multipurpose, usually there to power an external encoder, like an RF switch. It can also be used for sync separation or amplification. I'd recommend you include the connection whenever you can; you never know when you may need it. ;)
Yeah, what Benzaldehyde said. And no, monitors don't need +5v to activate usually, tho many SCART TVs prefer a little voltage here or there.
I personally wouldn't use 5+ as a ground.....that is just asking for trouble if you happen to get the 2 things mixed up in the future....you don't want 5v and ground shorting together so I wouldn't do this as a rule.I'd make my own diagram so you don't get the 2 mixed up...or use one of the other pins if you don't need all of them.But then you can probably take the risk,I've done similar things in the past without trouble....