Making RGB cables with HD15 connectors

[Xenogias]

I have all of these scart connectors and pretty much hate them.  Their build quality seems weak and they seem to encourage interference between the RGB and the audio lines.  I was wondering if anyone has made their own RGB cables with standard VGA HD15 connectors.  I was considering doing this but figured it would be no different than scart for interference if I didn't change the wire itself.  Has anyone made their own using CAT5-7 Shielded or Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP, STP) or possibly mini-coax?  How would I handle the grounding?

I would go ahead with this but I don't know how I'm going to go about getting into the Nintenda and Sony console A/V sockets solder into the console A/V socket without destroying it.

I would then run the HD15 RGB cables through an 8-port A/V Switch I have, output to a VGA-->JRGB cable-->XRGB

[RGB32E]

I have all of these scart connectors and pretty much hate them.  Their build quality seems weak and they seem to encourage interference between the RGB and the audio lines.  I was wondering if anyone has made their own RGB cables with standard VGA HD15 connectors.  I was considering doing this but figured it would be no different than scart for interference if I didn't change the wire itself.  Has anyone made their own using CAT5-7 Shielded or Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP, STP) or possibly mini-coax?  How would I handle the grounding?

I would go ahead with this but I don't know how I'm going to go about getting into the Nintenda and Sony console A/V sockets solder into the console A/V socket without destroying it.

I would then run the HD15 RGB cables through an 8-port A/V Switch I have, output to a VGA-->JRGB cable-->XRGB

The D2 input on the XRGB-3 is shared between a D-Terminal connector (component) and HDDB15 "VGA" connector.  So, you really wouldn't need to have a VGA to JP21 cable to use a VGA switcher with the XRGB-3.  I've found no reason to use the 21 pin Game input over the D2 VGA (15kHz signals), other than having JP21 RGB cables already.

[Xenogias]

I didn't think of that actually.  I have an XRGB2+ at the moment but thats one more reason to upgrade to a 3! 

[Xenogias]

If I do this, should I need to wire ground individually for each color, audio, and sync?  I am a little foggy on how to properly ground things in these cables.  The site owner has a custom 9-pin cable he uses which doesn't appear to have separate grounds or perhaps I am mistaken.  A normal VGA cable has 1 pin ground for each R, G, B, and HV sync.

I was thinking of using these style cables which run audio separate along the cable and just splicing the L/R audio back into the connectors at the ends (and replacing unused computer VGA signal pins):
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10201&cs_id=1020105&p_id=557&seq=1&format=2

This is all under the assumption that the XRGB internally grounds those pins as it would for a normal computer vga connector

[undamned]

Yeah, those cables should do you fine.  A decent VGA cable has individual shielding on the RGB lines.  If you aren't worried about having amazing shielding on your audio lines, most VGA cables have more than just conductors for RGBHV, i.e. enough to also run LR audio.

I too have an XRGB2+ and I use a DB-9 connector for all my RGB systems.  Just makes life easy going between the XRGB and other RGB terminals like my Commodore 1080.  You can buy a whole bag of hoods @ some electronic stores for like $10 and then a tray of solder cup DB-9 connectors for like $5.  You'd have enough for you and like 3 friends   I resolved to run audio in the same cable as the video, being as that's how the connectors are straight from the console.  One day I believe I will throw down and buy some lengths of RG59 cable and do up some freaking rock solid cables for my gear, keeping the cable length from the console to the DB-9 a matter of inches and then RG59 from there to the display.

You can buy bundled RG59 up to 5 conductor, which is great for RGBHV, but it'd be nice to have RGBS + LR audio in one cable.  I guess running audio separate isn't horrible, just more cabling than I'd like, heh.
-ud

[Xenogias]

I have noticed that I get that 60hz hum from my scart cables.  Others have reported this is due to running the sensitive RGB lines along with the audio lines.  Wiring in scart cables is usually unshielded hookup wire so this can cause noise.  I pulled out my continuity tester and checked my 8-port vga switch and the bastard only switches the RGBHV pins.  The Data pins I was planning on using are not connected.  I guess my best bet would be to get an 8-port KVM with separate 1/8in audio pins to maintain a separate signal path through the  switch to the XRGB.  VGA cables use RG-179/u coax which is excellent shielding and separate ground pins for each line signal line.  Sounds ideal to me so I think I'm going to go forward with the plan if I can find a cheap enough KVM+audio switch.

[RGB32E]

I have noticed that I get that 60hz hum from my scart cables.  Others have reported this is due to running the sensitive RGB lines along with the audio lines.  Wiring in scart cables is usually unshielded hookup wire so this can cause noise.  I pulled out my continuity tester and checked my 8-port vga switch and the bastard only switches the RGBHV pins.  The Data pins I was planning on using are not connected.  I guess my best bet would be to get an 8-port KVM with separate 1/8in audio pins to maintain a separate signal path through the  switch to the XRGB.  VGA cables use RG-179/u coax which is excellent shielding and separate ground pins for each line signal line.  Sounds ideal to me so I think I'm going to go forward with the plan if I can find a cheap enough KVM+audio switch.

I've seen the hum issue on this forum before... using a XRGB-2/2+.  Thankfully running audio through the XRGB-3 doesn't add any hum or noticable noise to the output!  I'm using the LINE OUT, not the headphone jack, and connect directly to my Rotel RC-995 pre-amp.  Hence, with a SHVC-010, or my very own official playstation RGB cables (both use mini-coax for all signals except for +5VDC) do not exhibit noise from video problem or noise when connected through my XRGB-3, or directly connected to my pre-amp.

So, there's another bonus with the XRGB-3 over it's predecessors - no major audio problems when passing audio through the unit!

[Endymion]

I pulled out my continuity tester and checked my 8-port vga switch and the bastard only switches the RGBHV pins.  The Data pins I was planning on using are not connected.  I guess my best bet would be to get an 8-port KVM with separate 1/8in audio pins to maintain a separate signal path through the  switch to the XRGB.  VGA cables use RG-179/u coax which is excellent shielding and separate ground pins for each line signal line.  Sounds ideal to me so I think I'm going to go forward with the plan if I can find a cheap enough KVM+audio switch.

Is your VGA switch mechanical? If so then it would be a trivial matter to just make those connections. Monoprice has several cheap KVMs but their VGA switches are even cheaper, and their mechanical ones, at least the ones I've used in the past, did in fact have all the lines connected.

[Xenogias]

No, it appears to be digital.  I pulled it apart and noticed that the VGA traces are going through digital IC's for their switching.  I looked up data sheets and they are 5 pin (position?) switch IC's.  I was a liberal arts major so I figure this is beyond me to wire up additional switches (and alot more trouble than it's worth). 

  I've heard some people complaining about KVM switches not passing monitor EDID (basically max safe resolution, refresh) information which is transmitted on the data pins of VGA.  I figure this is common practice among KVM makers...  SO i figure the only safe way would be to get a KVM+audio switch or somehow find a stereo RCA or 1/8 switch with 8 inputs and tie it to my current switch  so I can switch with 1 button. 

I've been banging my head against the wall with this one..  I might just resign myself to getting up and plugging the damn things in when I need it, lol.             

[Jibbajaba]

I have all of these scart connectors and pretty much hate them.  Their build quality seems weak and they seem to encourage interference between the RGB and the audio lines.  I was wondering if anyone has made their own RGB cables with standard VGA HD15 connectors.  I was considering doing this but figured it would be no different than scart for interference if I didn't change the wire itself.  Has anyone made their own using CAT5-7 Shielded or Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP, STP) or possibly mini-coax?  How would I handle the grounding?

I would go ahead with this but I don't know how I'm going to go about getting into the Nintenda and Sony console A/V sockets solder into the console A/V socket without destroying it.

I would then run the HD15 RGB cables through an 8-port A/V Switch I have, output to a VGA-->JRGB cable-->XRGB

What you are describing is exactly what I did.  I bought SCART RGB cables for all of my systems, and then replaced the SCART connector with an HD-15.  All of my systems run through a mechanical VGA box.  I have a PVM monitor which takes BNC connections, so I just bought a VGA -> BNC adapter and I was good to go.

Chris