Super Famicom Multi out

[nem]

Hi, long time lurker here. Great tech info on the GamesX page (thanks, Lawrence!).

My problem is with the multi out on the old style Super Famicom. I have not been able to get anything from it, no sound, no video. I have tried it with official and third-party leads (both S-Video and normal composite) that have been proven to work on the N64 and the Cube. However, with the Super Fami, no go. I even tried it with a "Super NES Converter" that I had lying around. It is supposed to output a PAL signal from the multi out and it says on the box that is compatible with the Super Fami. Again, nothing.

Broken console maybe? Well, you see, that's the thing, I have two identical consoles. It is possible that they're both borked, but not very likely, is it (the leds turn on and everything).

Both of the units have been tested on a PAL television, which has previously worked with NTSC consoles. I have no idea if the RF out works on the Super Fami; PAL televisions don't take NTSC through the RF socket (well, not mine atleast).

Any ideas?

[viletim!]

You should get a picture if you hook up a NTSC console to a PAL TV via RF. It may be rolling, have no colour, and no sound but at least it's an indicator that the console's still alive.  

[FM-77]

The Super Famicom has different pinouts from the US/European eqivalents*. You'll either have to modify your cable or get a Japanese one (but you would have to modify the SCART end a Japanese cable anyway).


* At least I believe this was the case. I'm not 100% sure on it though. At least it sounds logical since it doesn't work for you.

[nem]

You should get a picture if you hook up a NTSC console to a PAL TV via RF. It may be rolling, have no colour, and no sound but at least it's an indicator that the console's still alive.

Alright, will have a try at this later in the week.

The Super Famicom has different pinouts from the US/European eqivalents*. You'll either have to modify your cable or get a Japanese one (but you would have to modify the SCART end a Japanese cable anyway).

* At least I believe this was the case. I'm not 100% sure on it though. At least it sounds logical since it doesn't work for you.

Yeah, this would be my guess as well, but everything on the net suggests otherwise.

[FM-77]

Okay, this sort of confirms it.

I am going to assume that your AV/RGB-cable is for a European/PAL system. According to the above site, PAL and NTSC consoles does not have the same cables.

(I am assuming you're in Europe/Austraila/New Zealand since you mentioned something about a PAL TV.)

[nem]

Okay, this sort of confirms it.

That's still the same pinout on the multi out though. The extra +12V on the PAL one is for the telly to automatically detect a RGB signal.

[FM-77]

Oh, I see. I didn't bother to check for the difference. I just assumed it would be almost entirely different. Hehe.

And I believe it's +5V. Can't confirm it though.

[SFC Boy]

Erm if your using a composite video lead (the one with the Yellow, Red and White) leads then you should get a picture regardless of where the machine comes from (Europe, Japan or Amerika).

If you have one of these and you're getting no picture then your machine is borked. To confirm the machine is outputting a signal, turn your TV on, change to the AV channel where the machine will be plugged into, turn up the Brightness so the screen is grey rather then black. Plug in you machine, turn it on and if there is a signal you should see a slight change of brightness or at least a blip on the screen. Clean cartridges with iso alcohol and a cotton bud, use plenty of alcohol (it'll evaporate anyway) and push the cartridge into the machine and eject it and repeat a few times to clean the cartridge port.

SCART and 21 Pin Japanese RGB leads are another kettle of fish.  However a PAL composite SCART cable should default to Composite video regardless (as long as you switch to the AV channel).

Hope that helps.

[nem]

Shit man, I'm feeling really stupid at the moment.

Plug in you machine, turn it on and if there is a signal you should see a slight change of brightness or at least a blip on the screen. Clean cartridges with iso alcohol and a cotton bud, use plenty of alcohol (it'll evaporate anyway) and push the cartridge into the machine and eject it and repeat a few times to clean the cartridge port.

Followed your advice and guess what? Both of them work like a charm. I can not believe that a bit of iso alcohol was all that it needed.

Thanks!

[-Martin-]

You should get a picture if you hook up a NTSC console to a PAL TV via RF. It may be rolling, have no colour, and no sound but at least it's an indicator that the console's still alive.

Actually you wont on all TVs.
NTSC RF is broadcast on a different frequency range than PAL. Most older and some new PAL TVs don't have NTSXC tuners.

[Aidan]

That be the UHF band then? In some PAL territories, TV occupies 470 to 854MHz. In the US, the UHF range is a bit smaller, being restricted at the top end of the spectrum.

[nem]

As a follow-up to this, I finally bought a security bit so naturally I cracked open both Super Famis. What do you know, the other one has been modded. There's a Sony CXA1145P chip in there. However, I'm wondering what exactly is it doing there? The Super Fami already outputs RGB and S-Video on it's own, so the extra chip is doing what exatly?

Pictures here and here.

Thanks again.

PS. I'm an idiot (as evidenced by this thread), so go easy on me.

[viletim!]

nem,

If you bought the famicom in PAL Land then maybe it's there to encode the RGB into PAL video (PAL-60). What's the frequency of the crystal (metal cylinder thing)?

[nem]

It's just marked on one side as 4433.

[Guest_chris]

I have just bought a Super Nintendo (PAL Version) and i have a tv where you cant plug in the three colour cord. What is something i can do to play it on that tv?

[Midori]

Use a RF(antenna) cable or a Scart cable if your TV has a scart connector.

[NFG]

If you don't have a SNES AV cable get one off ebay, they're cheap.  The only other alternative is to open it up (not easy without a proper tool) and solder wires to it, not really elegant.

[Midori]

Lawrence are you answering Guest_chriss question? Reason I wonder is because he claimed that his TV didn't have a AV connection and you sugest he should buy a AV cable :-)

[NFG]

bah, I misread.  For the record leaving out the apostrophe in "can't" confuses me.  =)

[Guest_Chris]

i have a psone RF switch but it doesnt work with the SNES. i dont know what to do!!!

[Guest_Chris]

Midori, i have a antenna but what do i do with it??

[Midori]

The snes has got a build in RF switch, just connect the antenna cable from the snes to your TV.

[Guest_Chris]

Do i need to plug something into the multi out, or do i just plug from the RF out to the tv?

[Guest_Chris]

Can i just somehow use a playstation RF unit?

[Midori]

Just plug the cable from the RF out on the snes to the TVs RF in. You shall not use the multi out in any way and you don't need the playstation RF unit.

[Guest_Chris]

and it should work?

[Guest_Chris]

i hav just tryed it and it isnt working unfortunately. Can i work something out with the Playstation RF switch?

[Guest_Chris]

I am so dumb. i dont have a antenna cable. i have a coaxial cable. but that didnt work anyway. So can i use the sony RF Switch?

[Midori]

An antenna cable is a coaxial cable, the picture should come in the same way as when you connect any other console through the antenna connection. Your PSX RF switch will not be useful for your snes unless you modify quite a bit, and if you modify it that mauch you will probably not be able to use it with your PSX any longer, don't ask me how to mod it because I can't help you with that.

[Drewman21]

Guest_Chris,

You have a few options here. Two of them just require the right cable and connector.  Nothing to elaborate.  Get a standard RCA male to male video cable and plug it into the RF jack on the SNES and the other into THIS adapter.  Then in to the back of you TV.

OR

Get a piece of TV cable wire with the screw on ends or push on ends and get something like THIS.  Just hook it up to the cable and the proper ends to the SNES and TV.

Drewman21

[Guest_Chris]

Okay. Lets start over.

I want to plug a Super Nintendo (PAL Version) into the back of a TV but the TV I am using doesn't allow me to plug in an AV cable (three coloured plug).
This is the equipment that is available to me.

A playstation RF unit with a multi out plug-in function.
A coaxial cable
A VCR (if thats any help)

Can someone please tell me somehow if I can use this equipment to use my wonderful SNES! (I just bought it and I have Super Mario All Stars.)

If you have any idea on how to help me with this, it would be good.

Thanks

Guest_Chris

[JB]

The VCR is probably the way to go.
Plug your SNES' AV cable into the VCR, and the VCR into the TV with the coax.
If your VCR has no AV ports, you need to buy something. I'd get a GameCube RF switch, as they use the same switchbox.

Directly connecting the SNES' RF out to the TV's RF in WORKS, but it leaves you with a nastier picture. The SNES piggybacks an extra signal on the RF line to trip the switchbox. In my experience, this makes the TV upset.

The PS RF modulator is useless. Period. End of story. Stop asking about it.