UMSA - Ultimate Scart Adapter for MAME PC and TVs

[bencao74]

UMSA - Ultimate Scart Adapter

I`ve a made a new project with ApfelAnni and SailorSat. Both are well known in the arcade scene around. We made this development on the german AZ again. The purpose of this project is connect PCs with VGA to a CRT Telly by just plug and play. Just make sure that your PC outputs VGA lower resolution with 15Khz (soft15Khz) and your TV has an RGB Scart interface.





Features :

- Complete solderless device

- Only a simple 5V PSU is needed. UMSA cares about generating the different voltage levels for your suitable SCART configuration (1-3V RGB, 12V for AV, 5V for sync generation)

- Simple sound input interface. Use the cinch interface to put sound on the SCART interface.

- Composite Video Sync Generatin by logic. Thus a wider range of graphic cards and TV are supported. This results in more stable signal as well.

- Jumper for negative and positve sync. Some signal needs a positive sync and some are negative. Configure here your needs.

First tests was successful and I`ve put it to my page.

http://wp1114205.wp150.webpack.hosteuro ... ucts_id=57

There is a early bird offer until the 14th of april.

I want to give away a free testing exemplar. Just sent me a PM, what is your experience connecting TVs to computer and what do you expect from this device

Hope you had some nice moments reading this post

[Overkill]

My dream come true! i want one! for my arcadevga, and for my soft15hz equiped PC

[fagin]

Jochen,
You have PM.

[bencao74]

Fagin gets the test unit after the easter days. Hope I can give some more pics next days

[venchia3]

Cool! Are you going to post your review on your youtube channel, fagin?

Great work bencao!!

[Paradroid]

Damn! Got in to late for the test unit... Are you sure you chose the right guy to test?! I could have run that sucker through it's paces with all the TVs in my museum and done a write up for my blog:



All jokes aside, this looks like a really cool development! Where's the back story? I'd love to read about how you guys developed this if there's a thread somewhere?

Count me in when you have finished units for sale!

[matrigs]

does it have any protection so that a vga resolution won't go through ?

[lettuce]

Bencao74, notice u need a 5v power supply to run this unit, it's there a chance you could use the 5v that pin 9 gives on the VGA side for ATI cards to power the unit rather than have to use an external power supply!?, obviously this would only work for ATI cards??

[lettuce]

Fagin, I sure hope you'll be using GroovyMAME to test this device!?

[bencao74]

Here`re some pics of the enclosure and the unit in action.











http://bencao74.blogspot.de/2012/04/ums ... ished.html

It was just easy, installed soft15Khz and quickres and it worked like PnP.

Bencao74, notice u need a 5v power supply to run this unit, it's there a chance you could use the 5v that pin 9 gives on the VGA side for ATI cards to power the unit rather than have to use an external power supply!?, obviously this would only work for ATI cards??

I`ve used a step up for 5V to 12V for the scart settings. So I preferred to use an external PSU to exclude any issues here. Anyway, might be a nice mod connecting Pin9 vga to 5V. I`ve foresee a molex connector footprint on the PCB. This one carries the 5V, GND and 12V. Just bridge pin9 to the 5V solder point then.

does it have any protection so that a vga resolution won't go through ?

No...

Damn! Got in to late for the test unit... Are you sure you chose the right guy to test?! I could have run that sucker through it's paces with all the TVs in my museum and done a write up for my blog:

All jokes aside, this looks like a really cool development! Where's the back story? I'd love to read about how you guys developed this if there's a thread somewhere?

Count me in when you have finished units for sale!

http://www.arcadezentrum.com/forum/show ... -umsa-1000

Here is the developer thread. It took about one year until the unit was produced. ApfelAnni tried some solutions until he puts me in the loop. Winnie helped us to make the correct SCART settings and the step up converter circuit. I`ve made then the final development, PCB layout plus production. SailorSat made the testing and suggested some bug fixing

The units are up for sale right now.

Have some nice easter days,

Jochen

[fagin]

I'll do a review and YT video as usual. I will be trying this on a HD5770 setup, and have asked Jochen to supply a dongle for soft15. Hopefully this will enable this type of gfx to work with lo-res. I have multiple pc setups and one will be using win7 64bit. Will also try this with an ARCADEVGA setup.

I will be trying MAME along with a plethora of other 15khz compatible emulators.

To top it off I will be testing this with a xbox360, Extron RGB interface to SCART TV.

[venchia3]

great, fagin, can't wait

[lettuce]

Look forward to your YT vid Fagin. It's a shame you don't have a 4 series ATI card or below, as then you'll of been able to try GroovyMAME aswell, then choppy scrolling, skipping sound, screen tearing and incorrect refresh timings would of been a thing of the past and you coujd enjoy the silky smooth scrolling on R-Type. I highly recommending trying out a game called Osman, I came a cross it the other week and if you like Strider you love Osman.

I take it you have the service code for you Trinitron?

[fagin]

I'm not too bothered about getting the best emulation "experience". This is just to try a number of different scenarios.... others can then use their own emulator preference, dependant on PC spec etc.

Yes, I can get access to my service menu to alter geometry.

[Paradroid]

Here is the developer thread. It took about one year until the unit was produced. ApfelAnni tried some solutions until he puts me in the loop.

Nice! Thanks for the link. I always enjoy reading ApfelAnni's posts. He's quite the SCART guru and also has some funny/weird stories to tell. For me, his stories are even funnier once Google Translate does its thing.

Product looks fantastic! Looking forward to trying this thing...

[Some-Mist]

probably a bad question, but could I use this this to input an SCART cable and output via VGA monitor?

What I want to do is to connect a Sega Saturn to a CRT monitor - Saturn SCART cable > UMSA > VGA CRT Monitor. I would assume that this wouldn't work, but it'd be awesome if it did.

I've been trying to find an effective way to connect my Saturn to my CRT monitor for a good month or so and haven't found a solid solution

[Overkill]

Where have you been looking in that month? The answers is all here in the hardware section, but not in this thread. This adapter is for connecting something with a VGA out, to a RGB scart input, like a PC working in low resolutions (ArcadeVGA, Soft-15khz, CRT_EmuDriver) to a European CRT Scart TV, or an arcade monitor with a Viletim Scart to Jamma, etc.

You need a scaler, a unit that will convert the 15Khz RGB video signals from your Saturn to the higher resolution of your VGA monitor.

[Some-Mist]

GAF and google
I figured it was only one-way, but it was worth the embarrassment since I know what I need now. Next time I'll look in the right spot - I promise!

[Overkill]

GAF and google
I figured it was only one-way, but it was worth the embarrassment since I know what I need now. Next time I'll look in the right spot - I promise!

Do you have some knowledge to build a home cable? how much money are you thinking in spending in that? you have choices from lower prices to higher. Let me know and i can give you some tips where to start

[bencao74]

the enclosure had some delay, all unit with enclosures will be shipped on next saturday and monday.

[Overkill]

Cant' wait for mine to arrive. All my home made scart to vga cable are very fragile, and i don't have the skills to make a better one

[fagin]

I think the Post Man tried to deliver my review unit today.... I was out! lol

Will pick it up Monday and get to testing / reviewing asap.

[Fudoh]

a fellow member asked in the Framemeister thread: what happens if you feed a 31khz signal to the UMSA ? Does it damage the device ? Or will it output 31khz RGBs through scart ?

[fagin]

31khz output.... it has no "protection" for that and will output what is input.

[BuckoA51]

Could potentially work nicely for the Frame Meister then!

[lettuce]

Can this device be used to contect say a SNES to a Arcade monitor with a VGA socket??

[fagin]

Nope.... That's what a Sync Strike is for, assuming you're referring to 15khz.

[lettuce]

Nope.... That's what a Sync Strike is for, assuming you're referring to 15khz.

Yeah i thought of that as soon as i posted it . Does the Sync Strike need its own power source?

[BuckoA51]

In some instances, though usually it can draw power from the SCART cable if it's wired up correctly.

[bencao74]

I confirm fagin's post : UMSA has no 31 Khz filter

Sync Strike can use power via scart. I doubt use the external PSU interface via the screw terminals. Here againi my pictorial about installing Sync Strike with the cga2vga scaler http://bencao74.blogspot.de/2011/11/ins ... caler.html I grab here the 5V from the scaler and feed it to Sync Strike.