GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

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Josh128
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Josh128 »

Cool, glad to see you got it working. Hey those Hitachi MMVs are capable of 768i and 960i as well. Was playing around the other day and they work perfectly. Looks pretty sharp. 31KHz interlaced looks so much closer to progressive than 15KHz does.
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Syntax
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Syntax »

yatzr wrote:Here's the first one I got
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SK8LNYG?ps ... ct_details
I went with adafruit because I've bought a lot of their stuff in the past and never had a problem with it. :?

Here's the second one that worked with no issue
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DRFK5K4?ps ... ct_details
For future purchases id recommend keeping an eye on what the xtal looks like and make sure it matches the purple model.
strayan
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by strayan »

What is this monstrosity I have created: https://imgur.com/ASZJ7XC
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Syntax
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Syntax »

It needs your initials on it in thick black permanent texta, then its perfect.
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Gunstar
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Gunstar »

strayan wrote:What is this monstrosity I have created: https://imgur.com/ASZJ7XC
You may not like it but this is what peak performance looks like
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kitty666cats
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by kitty666cats »

strayan wrote:What is this monstrosity I have created: https://imgur.com/ASZJ7XC
Is that one of the ___ to RGBS Gefen Scalers sandwiched in the middle? If so, how are those? They've always looked kinda interesting, and chaining one w/ GBSC is quite a good idea since RGBS is less finicky than RGBHV for the input
strayan
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by strayan »

kitty666cats wrote:
strayan wrote:What is this monstrosity I have created: https://imgur.com/ASZJ7XC
Is that one of the ___ to RGBS Gefen Scalers sandwiched in the middle? If so, how are those? They've always looked kinda interesting, and chaining one w/ GBSC is quite a good idea since RGBS is less finicky than RGBHV for the input
It’s a Sony UP55HD/CON1 (which I’m pretty sure is made by gefen). It doesn’t have any scaling features. The DVI to RGBS gefen scaler I think you’re referring to would definitely work though.
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Syntax wrote:So stay away from the blue adafruit clock gens then?
Yeah, HiLetGo's board seems like the best bet for this use case. I've bought more than one off Amazon and had no issues.
Surprising to see so much trouble with the Adafruit clock gen boards, a lot of their stuff has been more reliable than competitors in my experience.
But maybe it's this specific application that's just not ideal for the version of the board Adafruit puts out.

Has anyone tried the ol' trick of using kynar to extend the ESP's wifi antenna again lately? And if so do you have pics of your handiwork?

I wanna upgrade my current board to the newer firmware but it's not gonna be a fun time if I have to fight interference to dial in the specific settings I like with some systems.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

Hello, every time i try to use GBS control for PC games i either get a wavy picture or a really unstable one (especially for DOS games at 70Hz)

https://streamable.com/k9735d
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

Ok, for DOS games it seems that cycling SDRAM solve the biggest instabilities but i still get a wobbly picture, is that a problem with the fact that RGB scaling is still in development ?
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Iraito wrote:i still get a wobbly picture, is that a problem with the fact that RGB scaling is still in development ?
what are you using for your final output? Is there a super cheap VGA-to-HDMI converter involved? And did you have the chance to test this with any other sources?

RGBS scaling is perfectly stable and mature for GBS Control, but RGBHV (VGA, basically) does sometimes have problems in certain situations.

But a wobbly picture sounds more like an input or output issue rather than being a problem with the format. Take a photo of what the "wobble" looks like if you can, it definitely helps to see.
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

EmKIronFist wrote:
Has anyone tried the ol' trick of using kynar to extend the ESP's wifi antenna again lately? And if so do you have pics of your handiwork?

I wanna upgrade my current board to the newer firmware but it's not gonna be a fun time if I have to fight interference to dial in the specific settings I like with some systems.
I use some stranded 22 gauge wire, strip about 1/4". Tin it with some flux and solder. Cut the tinned piece off. Bend it into an 'L' shape. Solder it onto the existing antenna so that it is perpendicular/upright.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

EmKIronFist wrote:
Iraito wrote:i still get a wobbly picture, is that a problem with the fact that RGB scaling is still in development ?
what are you using for your final output? Is there a super cheap VGA-to-HDMI converter involved? And did you have the chance to test this with any other sources?

RGBS scaling is perfectly stable and mature for GBS Control, but RGBHV (VGA, basically) does sometimes have problems in certain situations.

But a wobbly picture sounds more like an input or output issue rather than being a problem with the format. Take a photo of what the "wobble" looks like if you can, it definitely helps to see.
The converter i use is the same one i used 2 years ago when i started using the GBS for my old consoles, it works perfectly (with this setup i have no wobble with my consoles), the wobble is present on my monitor which is directly connected to the gbs through VGA, i have this wobbly issue only with DOS and PC games on multiple retro PCs i have.

I already posted a video that shows the wobble, it's pretty visible there already.

PS: I also noticed that a good chunk of the right side of my game screen is cut because the picture is too wide, i can resize it but i can never totally recover the whole visible screen, to me it looks like the GBS should improve RGBHV scaling.
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kitty666cats
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by kitty666cats »

strayan wrote:
kitty666cats wrote:
strayan wrote:What is this monstrosity I have created: https://imgur.com/ASZJ7XC
Is that one of the ___ to RGBS Gefen Scalers sandwiched in the middle? If so, how are those? They've always looked kinda interesting, and chaining one w/ GBSC is quite a good idea since RGBS is less finicky than RGBHV for the input
It’s a Sony UP55HD/CON1 (which I’m pretty sure is made by gefen). It doesn’t have any scaling features. The DVI to RGBS gefen scaler I think you’re referring to would definitely work though.

Ahh, yeah I have seen those - seems they were almost solely used in medical applications. It’s the exact same shell & font as the Gefen units, guess they just omitted the scaling haha

——————

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3467989 ... 379552542/

On a completely unrelated note, does this link work for people who aren’t members of this FB group? Made an interesting discovery on my 1080p plasma, feeding 1080p from GBSC w/ 100% horizontal scanlines into an OSSC on passthrough with 100% vertical scanlines & pre-ADC gain maxed out. Adjusted gain on the GBS accordingly & the TV’s settings. This resulting image looked SO similar to a CRT!
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Iraito wrote:The converter i use is the same one i used 2 years ago when i started using the GBS for my old consoles, it works perfectly (with this setup i have no wobble with my consoles), the wobble is present on my monitor which is directly connected to the gbs through VGA, i have this wobbly issue only with DOS and PC games on multiple retro PCs i have.

I already posted a video that shows the wobble, it's pretty visible there already.

PS: I also noticed that a good chunk of the right side of my game screen is cut because the picture is too wide, i can resize it but i can never totally recover the whole visible screen, to me it looks like the GBS should improve RGBHV scaling.
Yeah, RGBHV can sometimes be GBS Control's weakness. Unfortunately Rama has mostly moved on to other stuff so we probably won't see too many firmware updates unless someone else decides to contribute code.

But if you'd like, you can try building this passive sync combiner using the schematic suggested by RetroRGB: https://www.retrorgb.com/building-a-pas ... biner.html

You probably won't need the 470 or 1k ohm resistors on the output when it's going straight into the GBS board, as there's significant voltage drop in this circuit anyway and the board is comfortably rated to take up to ~3V TTL sync just fine. You can leave on the 470 ohm one if you want to be safe, though for me it caused the voltage to drop enough that I was occasionally getting sync dropouts, even with 5 volt TTL sync into the combiner.

Here's the one I built, I soldered it to some DE15 connectors to make an adapter I could plug straight into my board (but I usually plug it into my Extron MVX):
Spoiler
Image
This can convert RGBHV signals to RGBS, which as you have noticed, GBS Control handles much more comfortably. I use one in my setup for converting the output from a Retrotink 2X Mini in passthru mode connected to an HDMI-to-VGA converter, as well as my Gamecube using a GCVideo HDMI dongle. GBS Control works great with progressive scan RGBS signals, so some of your DOS games might look great! Then again, with all the weird resolutions and refresh rates available, it's possible that there might be other artifacts or weirdness with the geometry. Definitely worth a shot if you can try it, though.

(EDIT: Should also note I use an attenuating resistor (470 ohms) on the output from my Extron to the GBS, since the Extron amplifies sync signals to 5v TTL)
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

EmKIronFist wrote:
Iraito wrote:The converter i use is the same one i used 2 years ago when i started using the GBS for my old consoles, it works perfectly (with this setup i have no wobble with my consoles), the wobble is present on my monitor which is directly connected to the gbs through VGA, i have this wobbly issue only with DOS and PC games on multiple retro PCs i have.

I already posted a video that shows the wobble, it's pretty visible there already.

PS: I also noticed that a good chunk of the right side of my game screen is cut because the picture is too wide, i can resize it but i can never totally recover the whole visible screen, to me it looks like the GBS should improve RGBHV scaling.
Yeah, RGBHV can sometimes be GBS Control's weakness. Unfortunately Rama has mostly moved on to other stuff so we probably won't see too many firmware updates unless someone else decides to contribute code.

But if you'd like, you can try building this passive sync combiner using the schematic suggested by RetroRGB: https://www.retrorgb.com/building-a-pas ... biner.html

You probably won't need the 470 or 1k ohm resistors on the output when it's going straight into the GBS board, as there's significant voltage drop in this circuit anyway and the board is comfortably rated to take up to ~3V TTL sync just fine. You can leave on the 470 ohm one if you want to be safe, though for me it caused the voltage to drop enough that I was occasionally getting sync dropouts, even with 5 volt TTL sync into the combiner.

Here's the one I built, I soldered it to some DE15 connectors to make an adapter I could plug straight into my board (but I usually plug it into my Extron MVX):
Spoiler
Image
This can convert RGBHV signals to RGBS, which as you have noticed, GBS Control handles much more comfortably. I use one in my setup for converting the output from a Retrotink 2X Mini in passthru mode connected to an HDMI-to-VGA converter, as well as my Gamecube using a GCVideo HDMI dongle. GBS Control works great with progressive scan RGBS signals, so some of your DOS games might look great! Then again, with all the weird resolutions and refresh rates available, it's possible that there might be other artifacts or weirdness with the geometry. Definitely worth a shot if you can try it, though.

(EDIT: Should also note I use an attenuating resistor (470 ohms) on the output from my Extron to the GBS, since the Extron amplifies sync signals to 5v TTL)

Looks like an attenuator to me, it's easy to build but will it solve the picture being wider than normal too ?

P.S: If you people want someone to contribute i would ask on VOGONS, there are many people that want something for DOS games and that are also able to provide help.
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Iraito wrote: Looks like an attenuator to me, it's easy to build but will it solve the picture being wider than normal too ?
There's some necessary attenuation on the inputs but the key thing is that the circuit outputs a Csync signal by combining the Vsync and Hsync signals safely without damaging the source device or the input it's plugged into. In my experience, it made things much more usable for me with my Retrotink 2X Mini. I was able to scale and crop things with as good a result as I've gotten with my Genesis.

Unfortunately I don't have any retro PC hardware to test myself, so I don't know how the GBS will react to those resolutions but I think there's a chance it could give better results than what you're getting right now.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

EmKIronFist wrote:
Iraito wrote: Looks like an attenuator to me, it's easy to build but will it solve the picture being wider than normal too ?
There's some necessary attenuation on the inputs but the key thing is that the circuit outputs a Csync signal by combining the Vsync and Hsync signals safely without damaging the source device or the input it's plugged into. In my experience, it made things much more usable for me with my Retrotink 2X Mini. I was able to scale and crop things with as good a result as I've gotten with my Genesis.

Unfortunately I don't have any retro PC hardware to test myself, so I don't know how the GBS will react to those resolutions but I think there's a chance it could give better results than what you're getting right now.
The only thing i can't discern from that scheme is where should the resulting Csync go, to the H or the V or both ?
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

C-sync should be sent to the H-sync line on your GBS board. It expects a C-sync signal by default when there's no Vertical sync signal detected.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

EmKIronFist wrote:C-sync should be sent to the H-sync line on your GBS board. It expects a C-sync signal by default when there's no Vertical sync signal detected.
Perfect and thank you, i guess it should work for DOS games and games played at 640x480, the refresh rate is always 70Hz nothing too crazy, my need for this would be mostly DOS and win95 games, which i can already capture at 70Hz but with visible diagonal lines and non quadratic resolution for some reason, the GBS looks pretty good for retro PC if not for that wobble.
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Iraito wrote:
EmKIronFist wrote:Perfect and thank you, i guess it should work for DOS games and games played at 640x480
No worries! Yeah it will probably read as EDTV/Progressive scan NTSC, which works fine in my experience. Any resolutions lower than that I would expect to read as standard NTSC and get treated like 240p, while anything higher than that is a total unkonwn for me.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

Ok this is what i got:

https://streamable.com/nh84hq
Spoiler
Image
It's unstable but it looks good, i had to lower the SOG level to get to this level, i also took out the 450 resistor as i was told, should i add the resistor back to get a stable picture ?
Dildaria
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Dildaria »

EmKIronFist wrote:
Syntax wrote:So stay away from the blue adafruit clock gens then?
Yeah, HiLetGo's board seems like the best bet for this use case. I've bought more than one off Amazon and had no issues.
Surprising to see so much trouble with the Adafruit clock gen boards, a lot of their stuff has been more reliable than competitors in my experience.
But maybe it's this specific application that's just not ideal for the version of the board Adafruit puts out.

Has anyone tried the ol' trick of using kynar to extend the ESP's wifi antenna again lately? And if so do you have pics of your handiwork?

I wanna upgrade my current board to the newer firmware but it's not gonna be a fun time if I have to fight interference to dial in the specific settings I like with some systems.

I have extended the range as per the instructions at this link https://community.openhab.org/t/esp8266 ... ange/78982

Here is my hack job. It really did help alot with the device's wifi connectivity.
Spoiler
Image
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Iraito wrote:Ok this is what i got:

https://streamable.com/nh84hq
Spoiler
Image
It's unstable but it looks good, i had to lower the SOG level to get to this level, i also took out the 450 resistor as i was told, should i add the resistor back to get a stable picture ?
Does your board happen to have that 100 ohm resistor from sync to ground that people use to improve non-Csync compatibility? If so, disconnect it and see how things look. The voltage drop already present in the combiner circuit becomes even lower with it in place, which can cause picture instability like this. This is just my best guess though.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

EmKIronFist wrote:
Iraito wrote:Ok this is what i got:

https://streamable.com/nh84hq
Spoiler
Image
It's unstable but it looks good, i had to lower the SOG level to get to this level, i also took out the 450 resistor as i was told, should i add the resistor back to get a stable picture ?
Does your board happen to have that 100 ohm resistor from sync to ground that people use to improve non-Csync compatibility? If so, disconnect it and see how things look. The voltage drop already present in the combiner circuit becomes even lower with it in place, which can cause picture instability like this. This is just my best guess though.

Took out the resistor, it got worse, ok question, the emitter of the transistor goes to H but from the scheme i also had to add a resistor that goes into ground, so i added a resistor at the emitter and sent the signal coming from the emitter BEFORE the resistor to H and the emitter with the resistor to ground, honestly i would like some clarification regarding the scheme.
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EmKIronFist
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by EmKIronFist »

Iraito wrote: Took out the resistor, it got worse, ok question, the emitter of the transistor goes to H but from the scheme i also had to add a resistor that goes into ground, so i added a resistor at the emitter and sent the signal coming from the emitter BEFORE the resistor to H and the emitter with the resistor to ground, honestly i would like some clarification regarding the scheme.
The only resistors you need in the combiner circuit for this specific application are the ones on the original H and V sync lines.
Here's a modified version of the schematic so you can see the version of the circuit that worked for me:
Spoiler
Image
As you can see, there's no resistors to ground anywhere on this circuit. Just the two that are necessary on the collector and base. I apologize if there was any confusion from my explanation before. The 470 ohm resistor on the Csync line in the original circuit would act as a voltage divider since there's already a 500 ohm resistor to ground on Hsync line built into the board; this is why I leave it out, because a lot of the time it will cause such a drop in voltage that I actually lose sync.
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

EmKIronFist wrote:
Iraito wrote: Took out the resistor, it got worse, ok question, the emitter of the transistor goes to H but from the scheme i also had to add a resistor that goes into ground, so i added a resistor at the emitter and sent the signal coming from the emitter BEFORE the resistor to H and the emitter with the resistor to ground, honestly i would like some clarification regarding the scheme.
The only resistors you need in the combiner circuit for this specific application are the ones on the original H and V sync lines.
Here's a modified version of the schematic so you can see the version of the circuit that worked for me:
Spoiler
Image
As you can see, there's no resistors to ground anywhere on this circuit. Just the two that are necessary on the collector and base. I apologize if there was any confusion from my explanation before. The 470 ohm resistor on the Csync line in the original circuit would act as a voltage divider since there's already a 500 ohm resistor to ground on Hsync line built into the board; this is why I leave it out, because a lot of the time it will cause such a drop in voltage that I actually lose sync.
Sweet! This I think I need to try.

240p downscaled dreamcast, here I come!

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Pr1ha
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Pr1ha »

Hey! Yesterday I installed the GBS-Control mod and I love how it works.
But in the control interface, some of the mode switches are always off, even if used. How to fix it?
(I've tried toggling Deinterlace Method Motion Adaptive or Bob, see screenshot)
Spoiler
Image

My modification GBS-Control
Image
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yourbadvibes
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by yourbadvibes »

Hi All,

I'm new here, but I'm having some trouble with my GBS and I'd really appreciate the help if anyone has any pointers.

I'm getting some pretty classic "GBS board not responding!" messages and the image on the TV doesn't display anything


[img]file:///C:/Users/buddi/Pictures/20211101_202606.jpg[/img]

[img]file:///C:/Users/buddi/Pictures/20211101_202628.jpg[/img]

[img]file:///C:/Users/buddi/Pictures/20211101_202638.jpg[/img]

[img]file:///C:/Users/buddi/Pictures/20211101_202706.jpg[/img]

It occasionally works. And by occasionally I mean that every time I turn it on its like solving the hellraiser puzzle to get it to work. Which is to say I have to try a variety of things like unplugging it and plugging it back in with or without the input signal being plugged in at the same time and etc.

more than 90% of the time however, it throws me a not responding message.

[img]file:///C:/Users/buddi/Pictures/Capture.PNG[/img]

thank you all who read and help out
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dj505
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by dj505 »

Pr1ha wrote:Hey! Yesterday I installed the GBS-Control mod and I love how it works.
But in the control interface, some of the mode switches are always off, even if used. How to fix it?
(I've tried toggling Deinterlace Method Motion Adaptive or Bob, see screenshot)
Spoiler
Image

My modification GBS-Control
Image
I've been having the same issue with my unit, as has a friend of mine, and I'm not sure if this is a bug or intended/regular behavior. I made sure to double check that all the settings were correct in the Arduino IDE before uploading, so I'm at least confident that's not the issue at play here, at least for me
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