NES/SNES SCART cables - Do I want CVBS or CSYNC 470 Ohm?

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sofakng
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Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2016 1:30 am

NES/SNES SCART cables - Do I want CVBS or CSYNC 470 Ohm?

Post by sofakng »

I'm looking to order cables from Retro Gaming Cables in the UK (https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/pac ... gold-scart) but I can't find an answer to my question.

* My NES uses an NESRGB connected to a MultiAV port. (currently 8-din, but I'm going to convert it)
* My SNES (1CHIP-03) uses the latest Voultar SNES RGB bypass.

Both are connected to a gscartsw_lite and then an OSSC.

Which SYNC option do I need on the cables?

Here are the choices:
  • CVBS - Sync over composite video from MultiAV pin 9, which is connected to ground via a 75Ω resistor, located inside the MultiAV plug.
  • CSYNC 470Ω - Most Common - Composite sync from pin 3, which has a 470 Ohm resistor in series inside the MultiAV plug, for use on regular consumer video receiving equipment.
  • Sync on Luma - 1-chip-03 - Extracts the sync information from the luminance signal on multiAV pin 7. This is for the 1 chip-03 console which doesn't output CSYNC on MultiAV pin 3, therefore, sync extracted from luminance (luma) is the next best thing. This is also compatible with all other versions besides the 1 chip-03.
Thanks for any help :)
nmalinoski
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Re: NES/SNES SCART cables - Do I want CVBS or CSYNC 470 Ohm?

Post by nmalinoski »

My understanding is that the most ideal option is CSync, if you can get it natively from the console, because it won't cause any interference with the RGB lines like composite video tends to do with unshielded or poorly-shielded cables, and it will be compatible with pro AV gear, like switches and converters from Extron or Kramer, which tends to not accept luma or composite video for sync.

Does the NESRGB require 220uF caps in the cable, like the NTSC SNES does?

If you have a PAL SNES, N64, or GameCube in the mix, I strongly recommend you label this cable as being for NTSC consoles only, because, as I understand it, those consoles put 12V power on pin 3, and that's going to fry at least part of whatever AV equipment you plug that console into. Yes, I know the N64 doesn't natively support RGB, regardless of region; but you still won't want someone mistakenly connecting this cable to an unmodified PAL console.
sofakng
Posts: 218
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2016 1:30 am

Re: NES/SNES SCART cables - Do I want CVBS or CSYNC 470 Ohm?

Post by sofakng »

nmalinoski wrote:Does the NESRGB require 220uF caps in the cable, like the NTSC SNES does?
Thanks for the reply... I'm not really sure which is why I'm asking :(
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Xer Xian
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Re: NES/SNES SCART cables - Do I want CVBS or CSYNC 470 Ohm?

Post by Xer Xian »

See discussion here for the NESRGB: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47617&p=1276071#p1276071 (continues on the next page)
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