GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

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Ryoandr
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Ryoandr »

1080p pushes the chip the limit and is known to be noisy. It should only be used with
-very short well shielded cable
-VGA-HDMI dongle
-Secondary output of GBS 8220 (with fixes preferably)
-HDMI GBS
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TABYDACAT
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by TABYDACAT »

I saw earlier in this thread that someone thought it would be nice to have physical buttons to select/load their custom presets. As a side thing I wanted to work on, I decided to give it a try. This edit is kinda messy, but through testing, I haven't noticed hiccups to the actual use of the device during gameplay. OLEDs can now be used to display which preset is being selected/loaded, boot-up messages, and various GBS data (resolution, input, etc.).

No idea if this would actually be useful, but if this sounds like something interesting, I can send around the edit. I already have a to-do list for this, but perhaps some others have good feedback for the functionality or aesthetics. The hardware needed to actually use this is straightforward, consisting of three components: SSD1306 128x64 I2C OLED and two toggle push buttons.

Some other things to note:
- SCART, VGA and Component were used to test (PS1,Dreamcast and PS2)
- I opted to use this particular OLED due to size, cost and availability. Could change in the future to use LCD screens or perhaps both that way users have an option on what they want to use.
- Different configs of this OLED don't matter, like color. Just make sure the size and comm. method is the same
- I'm still working on this so expect weird or unusual things, particularly the OLED functionality.

When taking this photo no input was connected hence the bypass and interesting refresh rate, after some time it will blink "No Signal"
Here's a some example photos:
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EDIT: I've now completed this edit to a usable state and soldered to a protoboard in the mean-time. There is some minor issues software-wise, but that will fix be shortly. Here's some crappy pictures to illustrate an example of a GBS 8200 with an OLED. Using a PS1 via SCART. I forgot to picture this, but you can might able to see the two buttons that control the loading/selecting of the presets.
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Last edited by TABYDACAT on Tue Jan 19, 2021 3:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

Did you do the mods at r58 and r59?

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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

Yes, I've done all the mods documented on the wiki.
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

Ok I discovered adjusting the Htotal+/- seems to clear it right up. Problem is, this setting is not saved in presets, and defaults back to 0 when you power cycle the GBS/load a new preset. I'm assuming there is no way to make this value save to presets, or make the adjustment its default?
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Chipnetics
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Chipnetics »

Hi everyone - I'm the dude who currently sells the pre-assembled GBS8200 units on Tindie that has been mentioned in this thread from time to time.

I wanted to drop a link to a Kickstarter that hopefully many of you will find of interest and perhaps support. It is for an autosensing 4-port switch (SCART & DSUB) combined with the GBS8200 and GBS Control firmware. It also will support automatic loading of saved system profiles. One of the stretch goals will be adding the circuitry to stack 8,12, 16, etc. mammoth switches (even mixing SCART with DSUB)!

Let me know if you have any questions! There is a product video demonstration in the Kickstarter as well as these are functioning units. Thanks a lot! :D

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ch ... sub-inputs

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SuperSpongo
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by SuperSpongo »

This looks really interesting! Will
Just a quick note: PAL N64s don't have RGB either. There is a rather easy mod available for early french units, but they don't do RGB by default.

Also, over in the German forums, user sanni successfully experimented with implementing remote control support for the web interface features. That would be a perfect stretch goal.
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

Man that looks seriously cool, I wish I had the cash to pledge for the full product :(
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gingerbeardman
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by gingerbeardman »

SuperSpongo wrote: Also, over in the German forums, user sanni successfully experimented with implementing remote control support for the web interface features. That would be a perfect stretch goal.
Do you have a link to this? Thanks!
armkon
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by armkon »

Hey, i have question, it's posible to output downscalled signal (240p) as RGBS signal by adding add sync combiner (HV->S) to make RGBS signal from RGBHV one. Or can i achive downscalling only with VGA-> YPbPr cable?
It will make life easier for using PVM monitors that accept only RGB signal.
Ryoandr
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Ryoandr »

armkon wrote:Hey, i have question, it's posible to output downscalled signal (240p) as RGBS signal by adding add sync combiner (HV->S) to make RGBS signal from RGBHV one. Or can i achive downscalling only with VGA-> YPbPr cable?
It will make life easier for using PVM monitors that accept only RGB signal.
240p downscaling into a sync combiner works.
if your PVM accepts component it might be worth looking at component-out mod (or switch) and just get a vga-bnc cable. Only very few models don't accept component in addition to RGB.
armkon
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by armkon »

240p downscaling into a sync combiner works.
if your PVM accepts component it might be worth looking at component-out mod (or switch) and just get a vga-bnc cable. Only very few models don't accept component in addition to RGB.
Ihave 2 models here 14N6E and 1440QM, both of them don't accept component i think.
bobbybobbybobby11
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by bobbybobbybobby11 »

I'm using a node esp-12e ESP8266 module.

Is it ok to install the new firmware onto it and then connect it up to the scaler later. As that's what i have done (scaler is disconnected while i'm waiting for my terminals and headers to arrive) and i can see it when i scan for wifi points, but i can not connect to the web interface. I can enter the password (eight q's) but when i try accessing via a browser using http://gbscontrol (or http://gbscontrol:80) (or http://gbscontrol.local) in a browser, i can not get to the main page,nothing is found.

I've tried using my wifi dongle on my desktop,then using my laptop with built in wifi, then i tried using my mobile. None of them can find the web based control panel page, they can all see the gbscontrol wifi name and enter the password, just i can't connect through the browser address.

I'm using windows 7, deactivated my tinywall firewall, along with no script and ublock origin.
I powered the module using a 5 volt usb psu, then tried with the usb ports on the desktop and laptop ( does the 8266 module need more volts and amps when it's using wifi and thus it needs to be connected to the scaler to work properly). And i tried a few usb leads just to rule that out.

Is there a way to test the module's wifi connection (using the arduino software to ping it ?). I did try to ping it and use tracert through windows command prompt and that failed.
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VariaSuit
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by VariaSuit »

Chipnetics wrote:Hi everyone - I'm the dude who currently sells the pre-assembled GBS8200 units on Tindie that has been mentioned in this thread from time to time.

I wanted to drop a link to a Kickstarter that hopefully many of you will find of interest and perhaps support. It is for an autosensing 4-port switch (SCART & DSUB) combined with the GBS8200 and GBS Control firmware. It also will support automatic loading of saved system profiles. One of the stretch goals will be adding the circuitry to stack 8,12, 16, etc. mammoth switches (even mixing SCART with DSUB)!

Let me know if you have any questions! There is a product video demonstration in the Kickstarter as well as these are functioning units. Thanks a lot! :D
The Quad Damage looks exciting! I like how it all fits together.

How does the Slipgate differ from the GBS-C AIO?
GeorgeSpinner
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by GeorgeSpinner »

Hello All - I'm new here.

I recently purchased a pre-modified GBS8200 with GBS Control CFW installed.

I have a few issues with the board.

1 - It doesn't (normally) sync with my NHL Open Ice (Midway) Jamma board. The board is similar to Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam in that it outputs 54Khz signal. I'll get to why I say normally in a minute.

2 - The brightness is cranked to 11 and I don't see any way to turn it down. I adjusted the GAIN in the Web App but it did not affect any change in the overall brightness. It looked more like a contrast adjustment to me.

I've been in contact with the mod-installer, but wanted to do some asking around as well.

Ok - I said it doesn't "normally" sync with Open Ice because it actually did end up sync'd up to it, but I think if I cycle power it will not be able to sync again. Let me explain why...

I just got the board and was messing around with all options in the GBSControl web application while my CPS1 multi running. I had the CPS1 multi running because I couldn't get Open Ice sync'd up and the GBS would actually stop displaying signal after failing to sync for a few minutes. This makes my TV turn off and it's annoying.

The web application got the red dot in the corner, which I am guessing means it lost signal with the board. The video output never stopped though. I switched to the Open Ice PCB and it sync'd right up.

I took a look at board and the blue light is OFF. The blue light is supposed to indicate video signal, I believe.

I can no longer connect to the web app, but the board is doing almost exactly what I want from a sync standpoint. I would like to adjust the image scaling and position a little though.

Does this mean anything to anyone? It seems odd to me that it works when the web app is offline.

Does anyone else have trouble syncing their Midway boards with GBS Control CFW?

I really only bought it for the Open Ice PCB.

I'd also like to add that I have a stock GBS8200 and that sync's to the board just fine. I get a little hop in the picture every now and then but it's reliable (just looks like shit).

Regarding the brightness, can I add pots back?

I saw Bob from RetroRGB review this mod and (I believe) he said the equivalent of the POTS for RGB would be in the Web Control Software, but I don’t see any individual adjustments in there. Just Gain+ and Gain-.

Thanks.
armkon
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by armkon »

Ok i have made 2 HV to Csync boards to connect old Toshiba laptop to GBS-c, one of sync combiner change RGBHV to RGBS signal on input and the second one on the output of GBS-c, i try to downscale to 240p and send RGBS signal to my PVM, everything work only with resolution 640x480 (the image is stable), when i use 320x240 (dos games) sync brake after few seconds, 800x600 and 1024x768 don't sync at all.
Ryoandr
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Ryoandr »

I believe GBS can only downscale 480p. 800x600 is too high.
DOS games are 320x200@70hz and I don't think they'll downscale nicely.
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vol.2
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by vol.2 »

Is 480i->1080i upscaling implemented in GBS Control? I'm looking for integer scaled with centered timings letterboxed.

Thanks
fernan1234
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by fernan1234 »

If the GBS Control can output 1080i I would be really interested in learning how to set it up to do so. There is no 1080i output option in the web interface presets.

I'd also really appreciate any ideas regarding an issue I encountered today with my GBS Control. I tried plugging in an Xbox360's component output set to TV mode, i.e. 480i (for original Xbox games), and connected it to the GBS and set it to passthrough mode in order to convert YPbPr to RGB for my monitor. A picture is displayed but the monitor can't sync to it properly, resulting in a horizontally rolling picture. The Extron RGB interface I use to combine RGBHV into RGBS shows a stable V 15.X rare, but H move constantly between 60.X and 59.X. When set to downscaled 240p or linedoubled 240p I can get a stable picture and sync with the same setup, so it appears that somehow in passthrough mode the GBS cannot pass along the sync from the YPbPr input properly to the RGB output.
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

Ryoandr wrote:I believe GBS can only downscale 480p. 800x600 is too high.
DOS games are 320x200@70hz and I don't think they'll downscale nicely.
It will downscale 480p and 480i. Only rgbs or ypbpr input. Downscaling vga is not reliable.

@fernan1234 gbs-control will not pass through interlaced signals and will not output interlaced signals.



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GeorgeSpinner
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by GeorgeSpinner »

Has anyone had luck using using GBS8200/8220 CFW or GBS-Control with a Midway PCB (54Hz) ?

I can't get my 2 on 2 Open Ice to sync directly.

I figured out a workaround, but I'd rather not have to use it.

If so, which version of the firmware are you using?

Here's the workaround I'm using:

I have multiple Superguns hooked up to the GBS-Control via a Component video switch.

I start my CPS1 Multi (that runs at 59.xHz) and let it sync with the GBS-Control.

Turn off "SyncWatcher" in the Developer Options.

Power on Open Ice.

Use the Component video switch to select the input is connected to Open Ice.

Open Ice displays perfectly.

The GBS-Control will sync to the Open Ice board until another signal is sync'd with it.

This workaround did not work with the Clock Mod installed.

Thankfully I haven't noticed any tearing, even at 1080p.

I'm pretty sure any source that will sync with the GBS-Control will work, the CPS1 is just easy for me.
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Garatuzo
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Garatuzo »

Hi guys,

First of all thank you very much Rama for such a wonderful piece of software!! :mrgreen:

I've been tinkering with it for a couple weeks with a Neogeo MV1C Board directly attached using RGB input and it looks amazing!! But reading some other post in this thread has come to my attention that many people do not recommend this "direct" connection because signal levels are not really standardized in arcade world and could potentially damage my GBS board. So I'm a little confused, is my understanding that one of the main use cases for the standalone GBS back in the day was to convert arcade cabs CRTs to Flat panels with all the cons we all know but it worked...

With this mod is indeed risky to the board or LCD screen to pair a Neogeo directly by RGB? :?:

Thanks in advace.
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Greg2600
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Greg2600 »

The GBS-C AIO was opened for pre-orders last week. I had no idea, but they sold out two batches. Did anyone get one here?

How did that piece run Dreamcast VGA downscaled to 240p?
tenmillionvolts
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by tenmillionvolts »

Hi. I have the 8200 board and I'm trying to run an Amstrad CPC-464 through it. I have it wired up with RGB and composite sync as others have done but I'm just seeing a no signal warning. However, if I disconnect and reconnect the sync wire a few times, it suddenly gives me one frame of the Amstrad page which looks perfect as far as colours go but is not aligned well so I'm guessing I have a sync issue. The image then goes away and I'm back to no signal unless I play with the sync wire again.

The computer came with a green screen monitor and that looks perfect. It seems to use the sync pin and it has great H and V sync, no problem when connected to the computer. I want to use the GBS board to get colour on a VGA monitor.

Does anyone have experience with Amstrads through the GBS? My GBS is a version 5.1 and looks to have slight hardware differences from the earlier versions. I'm not sure if I need to clean up the sync or do any modifications for this issue since the few videos and info I've read seem to suggest it works on the Amstrad without issue. however, those were version 3 boards.

I had a quick look at the sync waveform and it looks reasonable to my eyes. About 3.5 to 4V pk to pk. I tried a series resistor to drop it to around 2v and then 1 v, but no difference.

If anyone could help, that would be great.

Thanks
bitannihilator
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by bitannihilator »

I'm having a weird issue with RGB out on my AES 3-4 on my GBS8220 with gbscontrol: https://i.imgur.com/kEpn7gg.jpg It almost as like the picture is laggy/choppy and I'm not quite sure what could be causing it. I've already tried:

-changing the RGBS output cap/resistor chain to 75ohm/470uF in the AES
-adding an LM1881 stripper in the chain, and using both composite video and sync.
-adding/removing a 100ohm resistor to the sync line to GND.

It seems to be only with my AES, my NGCD syncs fine, and the AES works perfectly fine over composite to my TV.
Ryoandr
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Ryoandr »

bitannihilator wrote:I'm having a weird issue with RGB out on my AES 3-4 on my GBS8220 with gbscontrol: https://i.imgur.com/kEpn7gg.jpg It almost as like the picture is laggy/choppy and I'm not quite sure what could be causing it. I've already tried:

-changing the RGBS output cap/resistor chain to 75ohm/470uF in the AES
-adding an LM1881 stripper in the chain, and using both composite video and sync.
-adding/removing a 100ohm resistor to the sync line to GND.

It seems to be only with my AES, my NGCD syncs fine, and the AES works perfectly fine over composite to my TV.
I can't see your image, but Neogeo is known to have sync problems currently.
I have several MVS systems and also an AES and they give problems.
But I also have other MVS that work no problem.

I've sent Rama one of the troublesome system so hopefuly we'll get more info.
bitannihilator
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by bitannihilator »

Looks like the imgur link expired. Here's an updated photo: https://imgur.com/YXoVwNL

It's looks like the image is slid to the right for the top 1/4 of the screen in a curve, but the rest is okay.
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kitty666cats
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by kitty666cats »

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https://media.discordapp.net/attachment ... video0.mov

Scan converter PS4 240p tomfoolery! lol

The scan converter’s flicker filter, unfortunately, causes some motion blur - anyone know a model that can completely disable flicker filtering?
Last edited by kitty666cats on Sat Jan 23, 2021 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kitty666cats
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by kitty666cats »

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PlayStation 4 480p RGBS in, downscaled to 240p. Sans-scan converter. Looks MUCH better... I’d like to take a crack at trying a scan converter without a flicker filter, but I have my doubts about the effects on image quality. The scan converter was convenient for resizing the downscaled image for fine-tuning, but not worth it in the end!
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

Looks fantastic!

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