GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

Good point on the component and vga inputs. Should be able to test with either of those.

It's a gbs control is its own firmware. I dont know the exact mechanics of how it loads in, but you dont get osd with it, but rather a web UI and it is wholly separate from the stock firmware in every respect.

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Cyber Akuma
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Cyber Akuma »

Sorry that I am asking so many questions, never tried a project like this before, still going to practice soldering on random broken junk devices first before even attempting this, just want to make sure I got everything figured out for when I do it.

Anyway, as I was watching videos on this, I noticed that some people used thinner wire for the clock generator. I recall reading that the clock gen is pretty sensitive to where you put it, the wire length, and other interference. So is using thinner wire also something that would help alleviate possible issues?

I only have some larger gauge wire left over from when I worked on my 3D printer, does anyone have any recommendations for what gauge wire I should use for the clock gen's wiring and the rest of the ESP wiring? I don't really have a frame of reference for how big/small the different AWG ratings are, I just know that the smaller the number the thicker the wire. What gauge would be recommended for the parts where you have to solder a wire to the pins of ICs or the SMD caps since those can be tricky?

I am probably WAY over-thinking this and ballooning it to something that will cost far more than it's supposed to, the whole point of this is to cost less than an OSSC and I think I am starting to come somewhat close, or at the very least starting to make it cost over $100 (although a large chunk of that is due to having no decent soldering equipment at all and not JUST for the parts for this alone), just spent hours trying to find a good quality power supply since I read multiple cases of a poor quality one effecting the image, and the good ones I can find are in the $15-ish range...
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

22 - 24 gauge or kynar wire will be fine for all. Rama was originally recommending some special wire for the clock gen's clock input, but others have used standard copper wire with no issues. You just want to keep the length as short as possible. 24 gauge or kynar is easier the solder to the small clock output pin on the tvia chip. Kynar is harder to strip, especially short lengths.

Follow the advice and techniques of the soldering tutorial videos you can find on youtube, and dont be afraid to use flux. You'll be a soldering whiz in no time!

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Cyber Akuma
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Cyber Akuma »

Thanks, yeah, I got some good flux and am watching a lot of soldering tutorial videos. I mean, I have done simple things like solder a new wire to my N64 controller or replace SRAM batteries before, but I never soldered to SMDs or IC pins before.

So 24 AWG would be fine for all of them? Would there be any issues with using something smaller like 28 or 30 for the clock gen? Or something larger like 14 or 22 for the ESP? I checked and I found some 14AWG and 22AWG wire I still have left over from when I was working on a 3D printer years ago. Although it's only in red and black so it might make things a bit confusing if all the wires are the same two colors everywhere, especially when I normally try to use red and black for positive and ground just to make it easier to tell what does what.
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

14 awg may be difficult to work with for this application.

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chromium
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by chromium »

I have a prebuilt AIO that I bought from Mister Kits when they were first release early 2001. I haven't really used it much because I got a Retrotink 5x shortly afterwards.

I decided to try using it to transcode YPbPr to RGBS so I can run component consoles into my gscartsw and have everything switching through that into my both my PVM and Retrotink 5x.

My set up is PS2, GC, Xbox into a component switcher, component switcher output into GBS-C AIO YPbPr input, VGA output of GBS-C AIO into Tim Worthington's VGA2SCART adapter, with built in sync combiner. The GBS-C AIO is in passthrough mode.

Now apart from the fact that the GBS-C seems really flaky and keeps losing wifi connectivity, the worst thing is that 480i just looks wrong. It looks like a flickering 240p. It's 480i, but the scanlines are not alternating, it seems locked onto odd or even, and flickers.
Also, I tried playing some 480i PS2 and it was really struggling to sync, like REALLY struggling. I'd see picture every few seconds then it would disappear. I can select 15Khz in the GBS-C AIO and the picture is stable, but I won't want to transcode 480i to 240p, not all the time anyway.

I tried doing a similar thing with a Retrotink 2x and had no such issues with 480i looking like 240p or sync issues. The 2x has some other issues though, like I keep having to cycle in and out of passthrough mode as it loses picture during resolution changes.

Anyway, I really thought the GBS-C AIO would be perfect for this, so I don't understand why I am having so many issues. I need the new gscartsw that supports SOG, then I could just pass component into the gscartsw without needing to transcoding, as my PVM also supports component through the same input as RGBS, but alas, mine is a gscartsw lite and it only supports RGBS.
Shiver_169
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Shiver_169 »

Hi

Here the solution for GBSC ODV Units from Aliexpress.

https://twitter.com/theretrobee/status/ ... iaQlQ&s=19
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Cyber Akuma
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Cyber Akuma »

Aww man, just noticed that TomDD's listing for the SCART PCB board ended early on eBay, I was planning to buy some of those soon before the Aug 10 deadline.

Are there any good alternatives to it? I tried looking up how to manually wire up my own and just could not figure it out, even the 3D printed case I am going to use was specifically made with the dimensions of that SCART plug and PCB in mind. No idea if he's ever going to re-list it.
Kaixe Rho
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Kaixe Rho »

Can anyone give me a solution on this?
I made the mistake of pressing "reset defaults" earlier today and now the GUI is completely broken on my board.
All buttons are greyed out, I have no idea if settings are turned on or off, it's...not optimal.
I've tried completely erasing and reflashing the board, does nothing.
Does anyone have any ideas? I finally installed the clock generator board and it was working great until I accidentally hit the wrong button.

Image
Lee
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Lee »

Kaixe Rho wrote:Can anyone give me a solution on this?
I made the mistake of pressing "reset defaults" earlier today and now the GUI is completely broken on my board.
All buttons are greyed out, I have no idea if settings are turned on or off, it's...not optimal.
I've tried completely erasing and reflashing the board, does nothing.
Does anyone have any ideas? I finally installed the clock generator board and it was working great until I accidentally hit the wrong button.
You have to create an empty preset or (I think) select one of the default ones, it's a quirk with the new web UI.
Kaixe Rho
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Kaixe Rho »

So now that I've had this thing for maybe a year or so? I have basically worked out all the kinks with it, except for two things, one major one:
When I try to use 480/576p, the image oscillates between okay-ish and this:

Image

It didn't bother me that much because I thought I would just not use 480p...but the other day I noticed that it's even affecting 720p, though not as badly.

I assumed it might be the cables I'm using, the power cable for the HDMI adapter, the HDMI adapter itself, hell even feedback and interference from my other things in my setup like my receiver, but I've tested enough to assume it's the GBS.
On the other hand that means I might be able to fix it.

Does anyone have any ideas? Here's a picture of my board as it looks right now to see if anything looks obviously wrong to someone more knowledgeable than I.
Spoiler
Image
------
EDIT: Raising "Htotal" by 1 value in the dev console fixed this issue. What I don't know is how to make that change permanent. If anyone does, I would love to know.
------

And in regards to my previous question (from when I first started testing to see what was causing it):
Lee wrote:You have to create an empty preset or (I think) select one of the default ones, it's a quirk with the new web UI.
Appreciate it. That solved the problem right away.
Last edited by Kaixe Rho on Tue Aug 09, 2022 10:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
skooter
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by skooter »

I noticed there is a new "ultimate" GBSC in AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmhCbKX
Any thoughts on it?

I'm trying to decide between it and the ODV-GBS-C. I like the ODV-GBS-C due to its closed case, but I'm worried about the issues of the first batch. Most sellers say they have new batches, but who really knows? Moreover, I don't like the choice of keeping the RGB knobs as I read somewhere that it's best to remove them.

The Ultimate has the advantage of an extra RGBS output, though I have no immediate use for it. I also like the SCART connector on the top as I would like to keep it standing up. Another advantage is that there is no RGB knobs to adjust. However, it is missing the clock generator, though one seller replied it can be installed for some extra bucks. I also dislike these open case/plexiglass plates design, as they let the electronics unprotected and get full of dust over time. Finally, while ODV-GSB-C has some feedback from buyers, this ultimate has none.
fernan1234
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by fernan1234 »

skooter wrote:I noticed there is a new "ultimate" GBSC in AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmhCbKX
This made me learn that YPbPr is literally called "color difference" in Chinese. Makes sense!
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Gunstar
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Gunstar »

skooter wrote:I noticed there is a new "ultimate" GBSC in AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmhCbKX
Any thoughts on it?

I'm trying to decide between it and the ODV-GBS-C. I like the ODV-GBS-C due to its closed case, but I'm worried about the issues of the first batch. Most sellers say they have new batches, but who really knows? Moreover, I don't like the choice of keeping the RGB knobs as I read somewhere that it's best to remove them.

The Ultimate has the advantage of an extra RGBS output, though I have no immediate use for it. I also like the SCART connector on the top as I would like to keep it standing up. Another advantage is that there is no RGB knobs to adjust. However, it is missing the clock generator, though one seller replied it can be installed for some extra bucks. I also dislike these open case/plexiglass plates design, as they let the electronics unprotected and get full of dust over time. Finally, while ODV-GSB-C has some feedback from buyers, this ultimate has none.
The ultimate looks like a more compact All-in-one. Other than the clock gen, I think it's important they've done all the mods to the base GBS board to avoid all the noise etc but I don't think they're mentioned in listings usually. Totally a gamble but maybe a fixed ODV would be best.

Interestingly enough I think there might be some colour discrepancies with the GBSC's output, at least on the two I have with the RGB pots removed, I need to take some pics but maybe having the RGB dials/pots could remedy that and therefore be a plus?
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maxtherabbit
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by maxtherabbit »

fernan1234 wrote:
skooter wrote:I noticed there is a new "ultimate" GBSC in AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmhCbKX
This made me learn that YPbPr is literally called "color difference" in Chinese. Makes sense!
color difference is an alternative name for it in english too
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by skooter »

Gunstar wrote:The ultimate looks like a more compact All-in-one. Other than the clock gen, I think it's important they've done all the mods to the base GBS board to avoid all the noise etc but I don't think they're mentioned in listings usually. Totally a gamble but maybe a fixed ODV would be best.

Interestingly enough I think there might be some colour discrepancies with the GBSC's output, at least on the two I have with the RGB pots removed, I need to take some pics but maybe having the RGB dials/pots could remedy that and therefore be a plus?
The ODV seems a better bet. Indeed, it might be better to have the pots and remove them if needed than to buy and add them back. From the pictures, I couldn't figure out if the knobs are attached to the original trimpots or if they modified the circuit to move them to the GBS control board as regular pots. If that's the case, maybe they used pots that don't have that resistance issue of the originals?

By the way, just jumping those two pot terminals wouldn't have the same effect as removing them and adding the jumper?
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

skooter wrote: By the way, just jumping those two pot terminals wouldn't have the same effect as removing them and adding the jumper?
Afraid not, otherwise the default mod instructions wouldn't be to desolder them entirely.
If I'm not mistaken the pots adjust resistance to ground, not resistance in series to the ADC. So jumping two of the terminals without getting rid of the pots will either do nothing, darken the respective color channel or short it to ground entirely, removing that color from the signal.

So unless I'm mistaken, the main reason to remove the pots and jump the holes is that it's the best way to disconnect those parts of the circuit from ground.
Listai
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Listai »

Can anyone in Australia recommend a VGA to HDMI adapter and a power supply? I’ve got everything else ready to go but not sure where to start with those parts.
Dreamcazman
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Dreamcazman »

Listai wrote:Can anyone in Australia recommend a VGA to HDMI adapter and a power supply? I’ve got everything else ready to go but not sure where to start with those parts.
I got this one which is what most people seem to use.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/133851079812

Haven't really used it TBH as the old LCD I plug it into has a VGA input so I just use that.
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Listai wrote:Can anyone in Australia recommend a VGA to HDMI adapter and a power supply? I’ve got everything else ready to go but not sure where to start with those parts.
If you want a near-guaranteed great result, Monoprice's VGA-to-HDMI converter is excellent. They ship to Australia, though I don't know what shipping costs are like. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=4629

If you want to save money, the smaller cheaper adapters like Dreamcazman shared will work, although in my experience there's little to no quality control on them; some are very VERY noisy in terms of video and show waves rolling through the picture, some have reversed audio channels, etc. But if the prices are comparable to the US ones, then honestly they're so cheap that it's worth a shot and then if you're dissatisfied you can try for the Monoprice converter instead.
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yourbadvibes
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by yourbadvibes »

Heyo,

Just had a question and wondered if anyone has looked into this;

I'm looking at taking my VGA to HDMI adapter and moving it into the inside of the GBS case, however before I get to soldering the individual wires to the VGA port, does anyone know if the 12-pin VGA output works? I ordered a 12-pin to 15-pin VGA wiring harness to connect it directly to the HDMI adapter, but I'm not getting any signal.

If anyone had any insight, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

Image
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

Yes the 12 pin output works. You can use a multimeter to check pinout.

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Dreamcazman
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Dreamcazman »

yourbadvibes wrote: If anyone had any insight, I'd appreciate it.
Try the other output next to it (behind the VGA output).

Also check the wiring with a multimeter and ensure you have everything correct, chances are there's something connected wrong.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

I noticed a really weird behavior with presets, with my WII i was trying to setup a 1920x1080p preset with custom scaling, everything went well and saved the preset, when i tried loading it to see if everything went correctly the GBS always forces a 1280x960 preset with none of my custom scaling, what the hell is going on?

Image
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

From the look of it i only have 7 real preset slots, all the other ones don't actually save any preset.

EDIT: As of now my only solution for the lack of presets is to use multiple backups with different presets on, definitely not an ideal solution, i even updated the GBS, it didn't solve anything, if anybody can check into it it would be much appreciated.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

Ok, let's see if somebody will answer to this one, even though i have really low expectations.

I just bought a VGA2SCART since i wanted to upscale DOS and 640x480 content for win95, the problem is that i only get a black screen, if i just plug the VGA from my retro PC into the GBS on the other hand i get a really shaky and disturbed picture that keeps rolling vertically, why isn't the VGA2SCART doing its job?

Image
SuperSpongo
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by SuperSpongo »

The VGA2Scart converts RGBHV to RGBS and would be better suited for a MiSTer or CRT_Emudriver setup, not for VGA.
The way to go in this case would be to go straight into the GBSControl with your VGA source. What kind of GBSControl setup do you use? Did you buy one or build it yourself?

At one point during the build process, it is recommended to install a resistor in parallel from the sync input to ground if you want to use RGBS sources such as Scart. If I remember correctly, this messes with VGA input, as it is TTL level sync and has to be terminated differently.

On my setup, I installed a switch to turn VGA mode on and off (I made the resistor switchable).
Give it a try, maybe it helps!

EDIT: From the Github :
Sync notes

Every GBS board comes with ~500 Ohm termination on the sync input. This termination is meant for (PC) VGA and most arcade boards.

Csync from consoles should be fine without additional termination but the input may not behave well with other kinds of sync.

If you want to use the RGBS input for regular video-level sync sources, the GBS requires one additional 100 Ohm resistor connected to ground from the sync input.
Together with the ~500 Ohm factory resistor, this will bring the total termination closer to TV levels (75 Ohms).
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

SuperSpongo wrote:The VGA2Scart converts RGBHV to RGBS and would be better suited for a MiSTer or CRT_Emudriver setup, not for VGA.
The way to go in this case would be to go straight into the GBSControl with your VGA source. What kind of GBSControl setup do you use? Did you buy one or build it yourself?

At one point during the build process, it is recommended to install a resistor in parallel from the sync input to ground if you want to use RGBS sources such as Scart. If I remember correctly, this messes with VGA input, as it is TTL level sync and has to be terminated differently.

On my setup, I installed a switch to turn VGA mode on and off (I made the resistor switchable).
Give it a try, maybe it helps!

EDIT: From the Github :
I built it myself, i did take out the resistor some time ago, the vga signal never worked correctly, i solved my current issue though, it was the scart cable.
Image

I know of a bunch of users that use a sync combiner with the gbs control, i just bought one, seems to do the job, DOS is stll unstable, i don't know if the GBS can deal with 70Hz.
SuperSpongo
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by SuperSpongo »

Good to hear!

I built one unit a couple of years ago and no matter what I do, it always completely loses sync after working perfectly for a couple of minutes.
When I power cycle the whole board, it mostly works fine for hours. But it's driving me nuts to the point that I simply bought another one.
I blame the quality control of the 8200 boards :mrgreen:
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

SuperSpongo wrote:Good to hear!

I built one unit a couple of years ago and no matter what I do, it always completely loses sync after working perfectly for a couple of minutes.
When I power cycle the whole board, it mostly works fine for hours. But it's driving me nuts to the point that I simply bought another one.
I blame the quality control of the 8200 boards :mrgreen:
Oh tell me about it, my first one worked but had a constant white dots noise, this one is pretty much perfect, for DOS i can set the refresh rate to 60Hz apparently which would mean finally sharp DOS recording, i'm still kind bothered by the fact that 70Hz doesn't work though.
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