rgb to component converter?

[duo_r]

Eastbayarb - if you actually message the seller, he can sell you a US voltage adapter for it I believe.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SCART-RGB-to-YPbPr-Component-Video-Converter-Scaler_W0QQitemZ220359280382QQihZ012QQcategoryZ14965QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

I have this box, and it works perfectly on TurboDuo (modded), Genesis 2, and SNES. No problems. For Saturn I did not notice a huge improvement from S-video signal. It might be my cable that I made (custom) so I will give that an another attempt. But the other systems looked very nice.

[Link83]

Its always bugged me that these Scart to Component convertors never have audio outputs, even though Scart carries audio aswell. Does anybody know the real reason for this  

I realise you could either mod it, or build/buy a scart cable with audio out sockets, but surely it couldnt have been that difficult to add it to begin with - even a 3.5mm stereo jack would have been enough  

[eastbayarb]

check out my new thread here:

http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3580.0

tested it with every RGB system I have (3DO is on it's way).

[duo_r]

I hear ya, but honestly adding a min jack to this is cake. I will post up some pictures of how I did mine. I even added a DB9 so I could make a custom cable for systems that I don't have the scart cable for.

Its always bugged me that these Scart to Component convertors never have audio outputs, even though Scart carries audio aswell. Does anybody know the real reason for this 

I realise you could either mod it, or build/buy a scart cable with audio out sockets, but surely it couldnt have been be that diffiicult to add it to begin with - even a 3.5mm stereo jack would have been enough 

[eastbayarb]

duo_r,

I would love some sort of picture or step by step on adding stereo output to this thing. I don't know if you saw my new post, but I tested all 11 of my RGB capable systems on this thing with my CRT TV and they work great! 3DO is coming soon, so I will post results.

would you happen to know how to make a VGA to SCART cable (all my systems use SCART cables and they are connected to 4-in-1 SCART switchers that have a VGA plug on the end)?

thanks!

[duo_r]

I will post up pictures of how I did mine, but here is a guide on modding for audio out:

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177830&highlight=transcoder

I took it a step further and simply added a mini jack for audio output. So I just use a minijack stereo cable for sound. It looks neater, and works very well. It takes the audio from either Scart or my custom DB9 cable (ala Gamesx) and splits the sound to the mini audio jack. I placed it right next to the Component RGB ports so it looks as if it game OEM like that.

duo_r,

I would love some sort of picture or step by step on adding stereo output to this thing. I don't know if you saw my new post, but I tested all 11 of my RGB capable systems on this thing with my CRT TV and they work great! 3DO is coming soon, so I will post results.

would you happen to know how to make a VGA to SCART cable (all my systems use SCART cables and they are connected to 4-in-1 SCART switchers that have a VGA plug on the end)?

thanks!

[duo_r]

You can see the minijack on the left of this picture:



Also, the LED was "relocated" above the minijack)



My DB9 wired to Gamesx spec - use your custom RGB cables with this box!  Note - I am going to replace the screws with smaller ones soon, it was more of a temporary fix.

[eastbayarb]

duo_r,

that's pretty damn sweet. I am cracking mine open and adding a mini stereo jack as well. Also, how would I be able to add VGA input to this (my SCART 4-way switchers have VGA on the end of them) ?

[duo_r]

please explain or show pictures related to the VGA plug. Not sure exactly how your setup works.

[eastbayarb]

please explain or show pictures related to the VGA plug. Not sure exactly how your setup works.

Ok, all of my systems (11 of them) all use SCART cables. Now, I have three SCART switch boxes. Each SCART switch box has four SCART female inputs. On the end of each SCART switch box is a VGA cable. The VGA cable connects to my RGB monitor. Now rather than unplugging each SCART cable for use with the SCART to Component on my CRT TV or projector, I would like to be able to still use my SCART switch box, but since the SCART to Component adaptor only has SCART input, I can't use my SCART switch boxes. That is why I want to add a VGA input in the same way you added a db9 input.

[duo_r]

so a male VGA connector to Scart is what you need correct?

[eastbayarb]

well a VGA connector on the side of the SCART to YUV converter like you have your db9 would be great

[duo_r]

yeah thats possible. so a VGA connector input to the box outputting your RGB / Scart signals. It would be exactly like what I did but using a VGA connector.

[phreak97]

I got one!
bought it off ebay last week, it came today:)
I've already added audio outputs to the back, I wanted to use a headphone jack but the shops were already closed, so I cut the line out cable off the back of an old car stereo and soldered that to the scart connector and stuck the other end through a slot i filed out of the back with a knotin the cable so tugging on it wont rip anything out.  o i've got about a 5cm figure 8 cable with two moulded female rca conectors (one white one red) on it sticking out the back, it looks quite good:) I wish I'd relocated the led to the scart end though.. I might even do that yet, the led legs had to be bent out of the way so the knot in the cable would fit in the casing (led is still in the same sport and works though), and theres no power indicator visible the way it's sitting in my setup.


One thing I've noticed is that red is very bright.. is that just because I'm used to red sucking alot on composite video? or should I try to tweak the pots a bit? how can I tell?

also, NOW I've realised pal n64's cant be modded for rgb.. is looking into that a lost cause? or has someone made a recent breakthrough?

[RGB32E]

I got one!
One thing I've noticed is that red is very bright.. is that just because I'm used to red sucking alot on composite video? or should I try to tweak the pots a bit? how can I tell?

So, do you have anything else to say about the picture quality of this unit?  Also, does the internal PCB and components look like the pictures of the CSY-2100 that I posted on the wiki?

http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=av:csy-2100

[eastbayarb]

Picture quality is awesome. I have used this with pretty much every system of mine (genesis, pc engine, NES, SNES, etc) I did the stereo out add on but I get a really bad buzzing sound. Anyone else?

[phreak97]

I'll have to open it again to have a look, but it has a bunch of pots in it the same as yours, but i forgot to compare. mine's made a bit more cheaply though, the led has no plastic mounting like yours, it clips into a plastic sleeve in the metal casing, but other than that it's just bare legs heading down to the pcb, I'd say the whole thing is made a bit more cheaply.
I havnt played much on it yet, only snes, which looks great aside from the red, which could just be me.

easybayarb, when you (re)do the mod make sure you have both the audio ground wires going to a good ground on the scart connector (I used pin 4), and clip pins 2 and 6 (audio) off of the pcb so the only thing youre connecting to is the scart slot. I couldnt take the pcb out withuot bending the casing, so I dont know if theyre attached to anything on the other side of the pcb. not worth the chance anyway, just clip 2 and 6.

[RGB32E]

I havnt played much on it yet, only snes, which looks great aside from the red, which could just be me.

Hmm... I noticed on the intro to Super Metroid that the "METROID 3" red text seemed too intense and bled to the right when using the CSY-2100.  However, the FC-14 doesn't do that... go figure. 

[RGB32E]

Here's a picture of Zelda on a 3LCD RPTV (decent scaling) connected via RGB through my FC-14 (RGB to component):

[cgm]

Hmm... I noticed on the intro to Super Metroid that the "METROID 3" red text seemed too intense and bled to the right when using the CSY-2100.  However, the FC-14 doesn't do that... go figure. 

for $200+, it better not.

[timofonic]

Hmm... I noticed on the intro to Super Metroid that the "METROID 3" red text seemed too intense and bled to the right when using the CSY-2100.  However, the FC-14 doesn't do that... go figure. 

for $200+, it better not.

Wow, what makes it so special for that price? Did you seem their internals?

[cgm]

Wow, what makes it so special for that price? Did you seem their internals?

No, but as someone who has worked with pro video equipment before, it has to meet a few requirements.

1. It has to work.. period.. no drama.. no quality issues.
2. It has to do the above for at least 20 years before breaking.
3. It has to survive being dropped  multiple times... onto concrete. A/V equipment in the field sees a lot more abuse then one expects.

Basically, its $200 well spent in its target application.

[RGB32E]

There's also another commercial grade transcoder/decoder I'm interested in playing around with: Extron QSD 204.  Though it appears to convert back and forth between analog and digital (intput->A/D->D/A->output).  It has an optional remote control!  It doesn't do any scaling, and is limited to NTSC/PAL timing (i.e. standard def).  So, I'm wondering what artifacts and problems that causes (e.g. treating 240p as 480i).  Only time will tell... 

[Fudoh]

Bought myself a Kramer FC-14. I will compare it with the XSelect-D4 and report back !

The Extron looks solid, but remember that there are higher end Kramer units out there which cannot handle 240p, so I would basically expect similar problems from other higher end units as well.

The Extron QSD has a SDI input which probably makes him quite expensive.

[RGB32E]

Bought myself a Kramer FC-14. I will compare it with the XSelect-D4 and report back !

The Extron looks solid, but remember that there are higher end Kramer units out there which cannot handle 240p, so I would basically expect similar problems from other higher end units as well.

The Extron QSD has a SDI input which probably makes him quite expensive.

Very cool... my shenanigans has paid off!  I'm looking forward to your comparison with the XSelect-D4.  Though, I'm sure you paid more than I , though you do own a VP50Pro...    The SDI input is a separate module that can be added (sold with or without the SDI input).  I'll have a few more words about the 240p support on this unit in the near future ...

[Fudoh]

Did you grab the QSD on eBay lately ? Very nice price If it does not live up to your expectations transcoder-wide, drop me a PM. I'm interested in the machine for FBAS to Component for Laserdiscs in comparison to the legendary Monster Entech CVSI-1.

[RGB32E]

Did you grab the QSD on eBay lately ? Very nice price If it does not live up to your expectations transcoder-wide, drop me a PM. I'm interested in the machine for FBAS to Component for Laserdiscs in comparison to the legendary Monster Entech CVSI-1.

By FBAS, do you mean (from the manual):

Four-line adaptive comb filter — Separates the color carrier signal and it's
harmonics from the video signal to eliminate chroma noise and enables a
projector or monitor to display a clean, clear picture.

[Fudoh]

Yes. Composite to Component. The companies have basically stop to incluce good combfilters into their TVs and even the VP50pro completely fails this task. The Entech CVSI-1 I use is nice, but a multi-purpose unit would be nicer of course.

[RGB32E]

Yes. Composite to Component. The companies have basically stop to incluce good combfilters into their TVs and even the VP50pro completely fails this task. The Entech CVSI-1 I use is nice, but a multi-purpose unit would be nicer of course.

Well... I received the Extron QSD 204 and..... it works fine for 480i, but NOT for 240p/doublestrike... FAIL  .  So, it would work great for a laser disc player, VCR, DVD player, cable box, ect... but not for any low resolution doublestrike interlaced video signal  .  At least the Kramer FC-14 works with any RGB source, regardless of resolution/timing (except for signals exceeding it's bandwidth rating).

[Fudoh]

Unfortunately to be expected. If you want to sell it for the price you paid + shipping to my place, PM me.

[RGB32E]

Unfortunately to be expected. If you want to sell it for the price you paid + shipping to my place, PM me.

Certainly... at first I tried the NES via composite... FAIL... next I tried Final Fight (CPS1)... fail.... I was starting to thing that the unit was "defective".  However, this morning I tried the composite output from my Motorola cable box... SUCCESSS!!!  So, while it may be a long shot... I have something in progress that may benefit future products... only time will tell!  Custom RGB PS1 cable it is!!!! 



Edit:
Adding crummy DSi pix

[phreak97]

i just cracked my generic converter open again, it isnt the same as the csy-2100 but the layout of the pcb is roughly the sam and it still has 6 pots. did anyone figure out what the pots on the csy-2100 do? I tried tweaking mine and got pretty good results but still not quite how I'd like. looks a hell of alot better than composite though. Anyone got a snes rom of a monitor colour test pattern? I've got a couple of snes backup units in my collection, may as well put one to use.

I figured out a couple of the pots, theres Pb and Pr adjustments, and a couple that dont seem to do much at all, then two which affect the colour vibrance but I cant work out exactly what theyre doing.

[RGB32E]

i just cracked my generic converter open again, it isnt the same as the csy-2100 but the layout of the pcb is roughly the sam and it still has 6 pots. did anyone figure out what the pots on the csy-2100 do? I tried tweaking mine and got pretty good results but still not quite how I'd like. looks a hell of alot better than composite though. Anyone got a snes rom of a monitor colour test pattern? I've got a couple of snes backup units in my collection, may as well put one to use.

I figured out a couple of the pots, theres Pb and Pr adjustments, and a couple that dont seem to do much at all, then two which affect the colour vibrance but I cant work out exactly what theyre doing.

I ended up selling my CSY-2100 over the weekend (since I have the FC-14),  and never experimented with what the pots control.    Though, from my experience with this unit, that the pot that controls saturation should be turned down just a bit (to handle the really vibrant colors - e.g. METROID 3).

[phreak97]

I ended up turning one of my pots all the way down, and another one just a fraction up from all the way down.
I'd still like to know what their proper functions are.

[duo_r]

Did you adjust while it was "hot"?