RGB out, Japanese Saturn on European tv

[D]

I've got two working Saturns next to each other.
One European and one Japanese

With the European one I'm getting pure slick RGB color when using the RGB SCART cable
With the japanese one I'm getting black and white when using the RGB SCART cable.

What's the deal? Does the Japanese Saturn have certain pins switched?
Are there special Japanese Saturn RGB cables?

I also have a Japanese Super Famicom connected via RGB SCART with color and also a Japanese PS with the RGB SCART cable which also outputs color.

How can I find out which pin does what to resolder the RGB SCART cable?

[elvis]

We were only just discussing this in the other RGB-related thread.

"SCART" is merely a connector type, not a standard. Japanses SCART and Euro SCART have different pinouts (generally speaking, everywhere *EXCEPT* Japan uses Euro SCART - including the US).

Here's a Japanese SCART Pinout:
http://www.gamesx.com/avpinouts/rgb21pinj.htm

And here's a regular Euro SCART poinout:
http://www.diyha.co.uk/electronics/scart.html
http://www.gamesx.com/hwb/co_Scart.html

Also, don't get confused with male and female sockets and plugs. Remember that one is the mirror image of the other, before you start hacking things with a soldering iron!

[neorichieb1971]

Elvis,

He is using the same cable on both saturns. One comes out color, the other does not.

I would do a few tests before taking things apart, like trying it out on different TV's.

If no joy, go to www.gamesx.com and check the AV port diagram for the Saturn and see which pins are R G B and see if they are still intact in the Japanese one.

Since you are getting a picture its unlikely anything is wrong in the Saturn itself. Has the japanese system been modded at all? Are you using the Euro saturn purely in 50hz mode? Or does it have a switch?

Need more info really.

[elvis]

Generally speaking if you are only getting black and white, that means only the Luminance (brightness) values are coming through, and the Chrominance (Colour) or RGB are not.

Rereading your first post I obviously missed the fact that it's the same cable.

Since you are getting a picture its unlikely anything is wrong in the Saturn itself. Has the japanese system been modded at all? Are you using the Euro saturn purely in 50hz mode? Or does it have a switch?

That makes sense. Can your TV do NTSC? Older TVs that could only do PAL would often display NTSC as a rolling picture, or in black and white only.

[neorichieb1971]

Going by his post I would say his TV can handle 60hz because his SNES/Famicom works fine and its an NTSC unit.


In theory there is no reason why one Saturn should display and the other not. Until he tests it on other TV's and goes through the process of elimination we can't really figure it out from here.

[theevilfunkster]

Maybe it's just your TV. My white Saturn outputted black and white on my older Mitsubishi TV but worked just fine on my newer Panasonic. I use the same RGB cables on both my PAL and JPN Saturns.

[D]

Wow, thanks for the quick reactions.

My European Saturn is modded to allways be in 60 Hz mode! And it works perfectly in 60 Hz
The Japanese system is unmodded as far as I can tell

My tv can do NTSC as neorichieb1971 pointed out, thanks btw

Well, because Japanese PS1 via RGB and Super Famicom via RGB work great via scart cable I can rule out it is the tv.
And it is a Japenese model 2 (round buttons) Saturn

But hooking it up on my brohers tv, another story.
It has two SCART inputs, one RGB, the other non-RGB, only the video signal goes through.
When I connect it to the RGB SCART socket I get a color picture for one millisecond and then it goes black (I can't confirm if this is a RGB quality picture because it's just only for a milisecond)
When I connect it to the non-RGB SCART socket I get the standard video display (complete with the fuzzy effect)

Maybe it's just your TV. My white Saturn outputted black and white on my older Mitsubishi TV but worked just fine on my newer Panasonic. I use the same RGB cables on both my PAL and JPN Saturns.

But, ............did your PAL Saturn work via RGB cable on your old mitsubishi tv?

[SharkSkin-Man]

.

[theevilfunkster]

Maybe it's just your TV. My white Saturn outputted black and white on my older Mitsubishi TV but worked just fine on my newer Panasonic. I use the same RGB cables on both my PAL and JPN Saturns.

But, ............did your PAL Saturn work via RGB cable on your old mitsubishi tv?

Yeah, it works fine. As do my PS2, Xbox, Gamecube and Dreamcast when set to 60 htz with an RGB cable. Before it broke, my modded 60htz PAL saturn worked too but for some reason the JPN Saturn only outputs black and white.

Pain in the ass really as thats's the TV I prefer to TATE because I'm not bothered if it gets fucked up, it's my spare TV.

[D]

Japanese Saturns output a slightly different voltage to pins 8/16 in the Scart lead. This lesser voltage is often not enough to switch a lot of TVs to RGB mode, and therefore it will display in composite.

Inside the scart plug there will be a resistor bridging pins 8 and 16, remove this and replace it with a wire. The TV should now switch to RGB as it would with a PAL Saturn.

post count 1, wow you like came from above! when I needed you.
Like you don't come when I shout, you come when I need you, wait a minute ...... that sounded unintentionally gay.

Errr..., anyway Great! Thanks.
Will this give problems when using a PAL Saturn, like give too much voltage, possibly damaging the set?

Why is the transistor in there.

Answers make new questions. You need not answer them.
thanks, happy happy joy joy!

[theevilfunkster]

Japanese Saturns output a slightly different voltage to pins 8/16 in the Scart lead. This lesser voltage is often not enough to switch a lot of TVs to RGB mode, and therefore it will display in composite.

Inside the scart plug there will be a resistor bridging pins 8 and 16, remove this and replace it with a wire. The TV should now switch to RGB as it would with a PAL Saturn.

Holy shit, this really works!!! You are a genius. 2 minutes with a soldering iron and now I dont have to TATE my good TV anymore.

Sorry D, I havn't tried the cable on my PAL Saturn yet ( incase it fries it or something).

[SharkSkin-Man]

.

[neorichieb1971]

I think SCART uses 5v for blanking or something, it definately uses 5v somewhere. I think you will be fine.

[D]

Checked on my tv and instead of a black and white picture, I'm getting a color picture, but it's rolling out of sync, i don't know how to properly describe it, but it's unplayable.

Going to try on my brothers tv later today.

Well anyway, modding the cable was neat.

[SharkSkin-Man]

.

[D]

Sounds odd, maybe removing the resistor is affecting the AV switching on your set?

Once you get this rolling picture have you tried switching to a normal TV channel and then back to AV manually using the remote? Or switching to teletext (if your set has this) and then back to AV?

If your SuperFami and PSX synch 60Hz RGB then there is no reason the Saturn shouldn't be.

Tried on my brothers tv, now I get the same distorted image which is better than black!

I know what you mean, but I disconnected the cable (tv broadcasts) completely and still the distorted image. also switched to tv then back to the AV channel!

I'm beginning to wonder if maybe some pins are not working on my unit.
I also wonder if units in Japan were even tested for RGB out at the manufactering complex.

The saga continues...............

[D]

SharkSkin-Man, you get the "best new member" award.
Welcome

[SharkSkin-Man]

.

[theevilfunkster]

You are plugging the scart into AV1 and not AV2 aren't you?

[D]

Sounds very strange, maybe there is something wrong with your Saturn - have you tried your PAL Saturn with the altered cable?

Yeah the PAL Saturn still works like a charm with the altered cable.

Also there is another thing on my brothers tv, when connected via the normal video cable the japanese unit displays vertical graphical lines like sawtooth lines, don't know how to explain it, but this is the same as what happened to me in black and white, the image was clear though on my tv.

OK this is all very vague,

On my tv.
PAL Saturn, RGB cable great image
Jap Saturn, RGB cable color picture all distorted with RGB cable
Jap Saturn, video cable b/w picture (vertical lines have a sawtooth effect to them)




On my brothers tv.
Jap Saturn, RGB cable color picture all distorted with RGB cable
Jap Saturn, video cable color picture (vertical lines have a sawtooth effect to them)

I don't know how to explain the sawtooth effect, but I think whenever anyone ever gets a b/w picture there is also this sawtooth pixelly effect present, it's not the same as a normal image and then turning the color all the way down via the remote control of the tv.