Well-made Dreamcast VGA only cable

[Revolver Ocelot]

Sorry for kicking this topic, but is there anyone who purchased a DC scart cable from thefoo.83? I'd also like to know if it does 480P RGBs over scart or not, messaged him via eBay but replied he isn't sure. I'd prefer this cable over a Toro as I don't need scanlines and don't like having this box behind my DC with the wiggly cable so would appreciate it if somebody has the answer

As far as I know normal RGB Scart cables do not output 480p, just 480i. But there is a RGB Cable from retro gaming cables uk in development that is able that is able to ouput 480p. But I am sure when It will be released.

[maxtherabbit]

so does the dreamcast output CSYNC when the 15kHz RGB mode is selected? or is it HV all the time?

[nmalinoski]

Sorry for kicking this topic, but is there anyone who purchased a DC scart cable from thefoo.83? I'd also like to know if it does 480P RGBs over scart or not, messaged him via eBay but replied he isn't sure. I'd prefer this cable over a Toro as I don't need scanlines and don't like having this box behind my DC with the wiggly cable so would appreciate it if somebody has the answer

I was under the impression that his current cables have a 15kHz/31kHz (RGBS/RGBHV) switch and a sync combiner; if that's the case, then his cable should be able to do 480p over SCART.

Of course, I find it worrying that he doesn't know the capabilities of his own cables.

[Ashura]

Interesting, just got a normal cable with audio from him.

I think Bagai-o is actually 240p and Last Blade 2 would be a NeoGeo conversion, presumably also 240p. That would make sense, probably all 240p releases are be incompatible with VGA unless they have some special line-doubling support build-in. That's certainly a weakness of a VGA-only solution. I haven't checked out Lack of Love yet

Belated, but, if you force Bangaio into VGA mode, it will make the picture 1/4 the size in the corner, and then display a bunch of, I guess, debug data or stuff from the video ram in the other 3/4. IIRC the game is also very slow this way. I’ve been meaning to take som footage from this but never got around to it.

[Sp33dFr34k]

Sorry for kicking this topic, but is there anyone who purchased a DC scart cable from thefoo.83? I'd also like to know if it does 480P RGBs over scart or not, messaged him via eBay but replied he isn't sure. I'd prefer this cable over a Toro as I don't need scanlines and don't like having this box behind my DC with the wiggly cable so would appreciate it if somebody has the answer

I was under the impression that his current cables have a 15kHz/31kHz (RGBS/RGBHV) switch and a sync combiner; if that's the case, then his cable should be able to do 480p over SCART.

Of course, I find it worrying that he doesn't know the capabilities of his own cables.

Yeah, got another message saying the VGA to SCART piece of the cable has a sync combiner so in theory it should do 480P. Was just hoping someone here bought one and could confirm

[eccoboy]

I'd prefer this cable over a Toro as I don't need scanlines and don't like having this box behind my DC with the wiggly cable so would appreciate it if somebody has the answer

I don't have an answer but I think you are being polite by saying "wiggly" cable. That thing is probably the worst connection on any electronics product I have ever owned. There must be a good reason for it...I hope

[nmalinoski]

I'd prefer this cable over a Toro as I don't need scanlines and don't like having this box behind my DC with the wiggly cable so would appreciate it if somebody has the answer

I don't have an answer but I think you are being polite by saying "wiggly" cable. That thing is probably the worst connection on any electronics product I have ever owned. There must be a good reason for it...I hope

Am I the only one that didn't get a wiggly Toro cable?

[eccoboy]

You mean you can actually move the Toro or your dreamcast and it stays connected??

I'm sure this has been complained about enough before, but really, that cable and connector design is terrible. You need a foot of space behind the dreamcast to carefully lay out that cable and toro in a straight line and make sure to never touch it again.

[nmalinoski]

You mean you can actually move the Toro or your dreamcast and it stays connected??

I'm sure this has been complained about enough before, but really, that cable and connector design is terrible. You need a foot of space behind the dreamcast to carefully lay out that cable and toro in a straight line and make sure to never touch it again.

Well, yes, but only when it's not weighed down by the super-dense Kabeldirekt SCART cable I had connected to it.

I entirely agree with you that the design is crap; it's not designed for accessibility. I had my Dreamcast on the middle shelf of a TV stand, and I had to rotate it 90 degrees, so the front of the console was facing to the right and the Toro was accessible on the left, in order to have access to the switches on the Toro. (Primarily for tricking Bust-A-Move 4 into 480p, before the disc rot set in. )

If I had the front facing forward, like I could do with every other console, then I would've had to get down on my knees and reach in about half a meter, behind the console, and feel around for the switches.

Those BeharBros boxes need their controls detachable so they can be made accessible from the front of the console--not everyone is going to have a deep enough space, or space on a tabletop, to put their Dreamcast plus Toro.

I think I'd much rather have a Dreamcast HDMI mod installed at this point.

[Syntax]

There's always the option of installing a dpdt switch in the dreamcast to choose the various video modes.
Cut csync and replace it with combined hv while your at it and you've got a pretty solid setup.

[nmalinoski]

There's always the option of installing a dpdt switch in the dreamcast to choose the various video modes.
Cut csync and replace it with combined hv while your at it and you've got a pretty solid setup.

I believe the Dreamcast HDMI group was recently discussing the feasibility of toggling the modes automatically. If that's possible, we won't have to bother with switches at all!

[maxtherabbit]

Does the foo cable use mini coax for the rgb lines?

does anyone know? I'm really getting impatient for some dreamcast action and might grab one if they do

[Shelcoof]

I just picked up the VGA Cables for the Dreamcast and a Scart Cable for the Saturn by foo83

Cable says ATEX Scart Cable on the Dreamcast VGA Cable. They look like a pair of good quality cables. Not super thick but definitely thicker than the cheap stuff you get from China.

I have no idea how to tell but why not give him a shout on via ebay messages?

I'm doing a comparison right now with his cable and the generic VGA cable you can find anywhere and the Toro.

My findings so far... I see no difference in terms of image quality. Picture seems exactly the same with all three connections.

Differences as follows:

Generic VGA Cables:
Pros =
- Cheap
Cons =
- None I can think of

thefoo83:
Pros =
- Switch Box
- Affordable
Cons =
- Needs screw driver to secure VGA plug in

Toro:
Pros =
- Scanline Generator
- 480p via Scart
- Scart output

Cons =
- Scanlines a not as dark compared to other scanline devices
- Expensive
- Dreamcast Cable can get disconnected easily from the Toro Box
- VGA output a bit dimmer compared to other connections

[nmalinoski]

Toro:
...
Cons =
- Scanlines a not as dark compared to other scanline devices
- Expensive
- Dreamcast Cable can get disconnected easily from the Toro Box
- VGA output a bit dimmer compared to other connections

For me, the scanline con is mild, since I just have my OSSC generate scanlines, as it gives me better control than the Toro (plus hybrid scanlines). Does anyone actually use the Toro in isolation with scanlines enabled?

And am I the only one that the disconnecting issue hasn't happened to? Are you tugging on the console or the cables or something? I have a hard time believing it just falls off on its own.

[orange808]

Toro:
...
Cons =
- Scanlines a not as dark compared to other scanline devices
- Expensive
- Dreamcast Cable can get disconnected easily from the Toro Box
- VGA output a bit dimmer compared to other connections

For me, the scanline con is mild, since I just have my OSSC generate scanlines, as it gives me better control than the Toro (plus hybrid scanlines). Does anyone actually use the Toro in isolation with scanlines enabled?

And am I the only one that the disconnecting issue hasn't happened to? Are you tugging on the console or the cables or something? I have a hard time believing it just falls off on its own.

I use some large cabinets to store consoles. Each shelf has its own power supply and most consoles are set up to be physically moved to a small end table that I set in front of the display. I route signal cables in front of the storage cabinets and to a central switch area. It looks bad, but this isn't a game museum; it's for playing.

When I am gaming (that's the point of all this) I don't want to be tugging on the controller cable or tripping over tensioned cables during gaming. All cords should be laying flat on the floor with slack and no trip wires. I also find it convenient to be nearby the current console while gaming.

In my case, I am gently pulling on the power cord and the signal cable when I move a console out and put it away. That's not unreasonable. Nothing should be coming unplugged.

I expect the controller, power, and signal cable to be secure and I hate lame controller/power/signal cable trip wires or feeling restricted by the controller cord.

[nmalinoski]

I use some large cabinets to store consoles. Each shelf has its own power supply and most consoles are set up to be physically moved to a small end table that I set in front of the display. I route signal cables in front of the storage cabinets and to a central switch area. It looks bad, but this isn't a game museum; it's for playing.

When I am gaming (that's the point of all this) I don't want to be tugging on the controller cable or tripping over tensioned cables during gaming. All cords should be laying flat on the floor with slack and no trip wires. I also find it convenient to be nearby the current console while gaming.

In my case, I am gently pulling on the power cord and the signal cable when I move a console out and put it away. That's not unreasonable. Nothing should be coming unplugged.

I expect the controller, power, and signal cable to be secure and I hate lame controller/power/signal cable trip wires or feeling restricted by the controller cord.

Okay, that makes sense; I can definitely see the Toro coming loose in that scenario, especially if it's being weighed down by a heavy SCART or VGA cable.

With that kind of setup, (and knowing that what you do now probably works fine for you) I might go as far as getting a rolling equipment rack (like this one) and wiring it up like a mobile charging station, but for consoles. Slap in a rack mount surge protector or PDU (I have one of these; very long cable, and a switch on the front), connect one of each type of power cable/adapter for your consoles (For example, Dreamcast and fat PS2 use the same cable, so you'd only need one), and perhaps one of each console video cable (although doing this might necessitate migrating your switching equipment into the rolly cabinet).

Then, with the rolling AV rack, you can keep it off to the side, roll it out when you want to use it, then pull your console out of the cabinet, hook it up on top of the cabinet, and flip the power switches on the PDU and the console. Basically the same thing you're doing now, but with a little less effort to hook everything up; and, if you end up putting your switching equipment on the rack, and you have everything running into something like an OSSC or Framemeister, you only need to worry about two cables from the rack: power and HDMI.

[Shelcoof]

Toro:
...
Cons =
- Scanlines a not as dark compared to other scanline devices
- Expensive
- Dreamcast Cable can get disconnected easily from the Toro Box
- VGA output a bit dimmer compared to other connections

For me, the scanline con is mild, since I just have my OSSC generate scanlines, as it gives me better control than the Toro (plus hybrid scanlines). Does anyone actually use the Toro in isolation with scanlines enabled?

And am I the only one that the disconnecting issue hasn't happened to? Are you tugging on the console or the cables or something? I have a hard time believing it just falls off on its own.

I use neither the Toro or the OSSC to produce Scanlines. I use a RetroVGA to produce the scanlines. I find that little device to be most pleasing to the eye.

I have a few set ups and one that I use quit often is a moveable little TV stand. I do tug and pull the Dreamcast in and out often and with that huge heavy stiff Scart Cable connected to the Toro... it's going to cause the Dreamcast wire to get loose or fall out. Not a huge deal but a bit annoying.

Over-all I have mixed feelings about my Toro purchase. I guess I have other options that fulfill my needs already that the Toro offers.

I'm surprised that the video output via VGA is dimmer compared to the other cables. 480p via Scart was nice and bright but that maybe due to the Scart connector hooked up to the OSSC


Edit:

I use some large cabinets to store consoles. Each shelf has its own power supply and most consoles are set up to be physically moved to a small end table that I set in front of the display. I route signal cables in front of the storage cabinets and to a central switch area. It looks bad, but this isn't a game museum; it's for playing.

When I am gaming (that's the point of all this) I don't want to be tugging on the controller cable or tripping over tensioned cables during gaming. All cords should be laying flat on the floor with slack and no trip wires. I also find it convenient to be nearby the current console while gaming.

In my case, I am gently pulling on the power cord and the signal cable when I move a console out and put it away. That's not unreasonable. Nothing should be coming unplugged.

I expect the controller, power, and signal cable to be secure and I hate lame controller/power/signal cable trip wires or feeling restricted by the controller cord.

Okay, that makes sense; I can definitely see the Toro coming loose in that scenario, especially if it's being weighed down by a heavy SCART or VGA cable.

With that kind of setup, (and knowing that what you do now probably works fine for you) I might go as far as getting a rolling equipment rack (like this one) and wiring it up like a mobile charging station, but for consoles. Slap in a rack mount surge protector or PDU (I have one of these; very long cable, and a switch on the front), connect one of each type of power cable/adapter for your consoles (For example, Dreamcast and fat PS2 use the same cable, so you'd only need one), and perhaps one of each console video cable (although doing this might necessitate migrating your switching equipment into the rolly cabinet).

Then, with the rolling AV rack, you can keep it off to the side, roll it out when you want to use it, then pull your console out of the cabinet, hook it up on top of the cabinet, and flip the power switches on the PDU and the console. Basically the same thing you're doing now, but with a little less effort to hook everything up; and, if you end up putting your switching equipment on the rack, and you have everything running into something like an OSSC or Framemeister, you only need to worry about two cables from the rack: power and HDMI.

lol that is exactly what I've made myself.

Got me a surge protector and all the hook ups needed to plug my consoles in. Idealy I wanted an all in one solution. Wanted to store all my consoles in that one little TV stand but due to the limited amount of room available I'll hook up whatever console I want to play at that time. I have switch boxes for the VGA/Component signals to make hooking it up much easier.

I can probably hook up two consoles at once.

Wish I could upload a picture of my set up.