Die SCART, you don't belong in this world!

[Endymion]

For a while I'd wished I could banish SCART and uses regular RCA connectors and cables to route RGB and sync. Well I finally buckled down, came up with a game plan, and did it.

You need to change your name, because you're not cr4zy at all, manz0r, you're smart. Very smart.

I've said it many times here and it usually doesn't get any traction, maybe because there's enough in the EU/PAL areas that actually have SCART on their televisions, but if you don't have SCART on your display, you really don't need SCART anywhere else, and you're a lot better off if you eliminate it from your chain completely. Your setup works well for a standard HDTV theatre room type setup, I find it's a lot easier to work with a simple D-Sub 15 pin a la VGA. Once you've modded your SCART cables into VGA cables, you've got an untold, vast selection of high quality equipment to choose from, splitters, switches, matrixes, you name it. You could even interchange with a dongle to revert to component if you wanted to have flexibility with an HDTV similar to your setup. The sky is the limit. It makes not having an EU/PAL television an actually liberating thing, rather than the oppressive feeling that you probably felt when you first tried to pursue RGB at all. More people should follow your example and liberate themselves from SCART.

And I'm not from the UK.

Not being from the UK, or anywhere else SCART is used on your display, is actually a prime reason to do what he has done.

[mattbox]

since picking up an xrgb-mini I've been on the search for some way to eliminate the SCART cables. Since the mini is so popular I thought it would be easy to find someone making A/V cables that went straight from the console to the mini's rgb din port. I'd make them myself but I don't have the resources to build something like that from scratch.

[opt2not]

And I'm not from the UK.

Not being from the UK, or anywhere else SCART is used on your display, is actually a prime reason to do what he has done.

So I guess personal preference doesn't count in this thread.

If anyone in here is willing to replace all my SCART cables, matrix switch-box, and adapters to the various displays I have, then by all means. Some of us are too far gone down this path...

[Endymion]

If you prefer to spend more money, have fewer resources, and get worse returns then absolutely, by all means. Just because you have already thrown in with this doesn't make it the better option.

[opt2not]

Better, is subjective. I prefer spending money for the convenience of less work. So it's better for me.

[BuckoA51]

I found that this maxtrix switcher is not bad. With this I finally sorted out my cabling dilemma.

5 BVMs in your setup? That's awesome

I've also recently gone the Extron Crosspoint route and been really happy. I got SCART to BNC adapters from Retro Gaming Cables (and yes they were shielded) and Rob put the Phoenix audio connectors on at no extra cost.

[antron]

SCART is a connector. It's just as good as a VGA (HD-15). Either will blow with poor cables.

Separating all lines from one another with shielded BNC or RCA cables could possible improve things by eliminating crosstalk in the connectors.

[Endymion]

You're a lot more apt to get dodgy SCART cables than bad VGA cables, however. VGA cables and equipment are generally higher quality, and you can find them anywhere. SCART equipment, if you're not already in an area where PAL equipment is sold, is hard to come by, more expensive, need to order online, ebay etc. and finding one that works well never seems to work out for anybody twice. I've seen people look for the same exact cable, switch or converter that one testimonial swears on, only to get crap results once they got ahold of the thing.

And again, dodgy quality isn't even the only draw. After making the conversion he's done, the OP has better compatibility going forward and can choose from standard, reliable and easily obtainable equipment.

[RGB32E]

since picking up an xrgb-mini I've been on the search for some way to eliminate the SCART cables. Since the mini is so popular I thought it would be easy to find someone making A/V cables that went straight from the console to the mini's rgb din port. I'd make them myself but I don't have the resources to build something like that from scratch.

I generally build XRGB-mini direct cables when it's convenient. Only tricky thing can be for consoles that require external components (SNES capacitors, Genesis capacitors/resistors). However, consoles like the Saturn, Neo Geo, Jaguar, NES(RGB), and PC Engine/Duo (RGB modded) do not, and it's easy enough for me to create high quality XRGB-mini direct cables.

[CkRtech]

Only tricky thing can be for consoles that require external components (SNES capacitors, Genesis capacitors/resistors).

And even though it is tricky, we know it can be done.

The only one I haven't tried yet is a Genesis 2/32X RGB cable. There is definitely plenty of room in the Model 1 Genesis 8 Pin DIN and the NTSC SNES multiout to fit the required components. PAL SNES should be even easier since it requires resistors rather than caps.

Tantalum for the win.

[BuckoA51]

SCART is a connector. It's just as good as a VGA (HD-15). Either will blow with poor cables.

I keep telling myself that, but years of building setups around SCART and encountering weird problems and errors I'm convinced it actually runs on some sort of Voodoo magic half the time.

[kamiboy]

Funny, I've never had any issues with SCART or JP21. Everything is coming up Kamiboy!

[mattbox]

Only tricky thing can be for consoles that require external components (SNES capacitors, Genesis capacitors/resistors).

And even though it is tricky, we know it can be done.

The only one I haven't tried yet is a Genesis 2/32X RGB cable. There is definitely plenty of room in the Model 1 Genesis 8 Pin DIN and the NTSC SNES multiout to fit the required components. PAL SNES should be even easier since it requires resistors rather than caps.

Tantalum for the win.

Are you using surface mount size components? The way I pictured it was a heat shrunk blob of components somewhere along the cable.

[CkRtech]

Tantalum for the win.

Are you using surface mount size components? The way I pictured it was a heat shrunk blob of components somewhere along the cable.

Yes. Both the SNES RGB and Genesis (Model 1) cables I made use tantalum caps (+ resistors in Genesis cable) near the console inside the plug (multi-AV for SNES and 8 Pin DIN for Genesis).

Ideally, it would be best if everyone just opened their consoles and completed the respective circuits prior to the AV output and used high quality cable straight through to their desired plug (SCART, VGA, etc) with no extra components, but that is an unrealistic wish. I suppose I would consider it if I made a Genesis Model 2/32X cable.

I use VGA cables from monoprice and cut the ends off to make the cables. They have ferrite cores on each end of the cable, however this doesn't allow for much slack when putting a new plug at the end of the cable. I imagine I will eventually move to using separate, snap-on ferrite cores rather than keep existing ones in future cables. We'll see.

[panopticblue]

Sorry for the bump, but I was curious what do you do with the +5v? Is it just not wired up at all in your cables? I am also attempting to get away from scart and just make console to bnc cables. Going to use an extron crosspoint and can't see the need for scart in my setup (except for that scart to yuv adapter which I see you dealt with nicely there!).

[soulrazor]

The +5 is used only on the consumer grade TV's to feed the both the blanking signal with a resistor in series to feed the pin with the proper voltage between 1-3v. (not required for PVM and BVM)
It is also has another purpose on consumer grade TV's only.It also force the TV to switch to the AV channel, if 5-8V are used then the TV will be on 16:9 aspect ratio, if it is feed 9.5-12 V it will be on 4:3 aspect ratio.