Wamer/redder picture on SNES Mini after RGB mod. Normal?

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VariaSuit
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Wamer/redder picture on SNES Mini after RGB mod. Normal?

Post by VariaSuit »

I recently installed Voultar's SNES THS7374 RGB bypass kit in a SNES mini. Now, the picture seems a bit too warm. It's not dramatically wrong, but it's noticeably different than the colors on my regular SNES and another SNES mini I have access to. I've attached some pictures below to show what it looks like.

(Please forgive the composite video and phone camera shots. Installing this mod is my first step into the world of RGB, so I don't have SCART cables or an upscaler yet.)

Do some SNES consoles or mods have a slightly warmer picture? Do RGB mods make the composite signal warmer? Did I make a mistake somewhere? Does anyone have any troubleshooting tips?

Here's a link to the full-size comparison pictures.

Here are smaller versions to look at in-thread. First the comparison shots:
Spoiler
Image

Here's a comparison between a modded and unmodded mini on a CRT. This is probably the clearest one. It shows that the image is darker than an unmodded mini (which is expected) but also noticeably warmer/redder, which is unexpected.

For example, the clouds on the SMW title screen should be an extremely light blue with a slightly darker blue boarder. On my SNES, they're more of a purplish or pinkish white, which looks a bit out of place next to the blue border and other colors. This is visible in the last picture.

Image

The warmer colors are most obvious on the SD card and the white SNES logo.

Image

Here's the Mini compared to an original SNES. This picture makes the color difference look a little more subtle than it is, but it's still visible.

The unmodded mini and the original SNES seem to have the same color temperature.
And here's the mod itself:
Spoiler
Image

A picture of the mod from above, in case I missed something obvious.

Image

A picture of the RGB wire connections from the other side of the board, since they're not easy to photograph from above. I've used a multimeter to confirm that they're connected and that and there are no bridges.
Last edited by VariaSuit on Tue Mar 12, 2019 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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VariaSuit
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Re: Wamer/redder picture on SNES Mini after RGB mod. Normal?

Post by VariaSuit »

Since I'm new and this board is very active, this post was already off the first page by the time it was approved. Hopefully it's alright for me to bump it once. I also added another picture to better illustrate what I'm talking about.

Has anyone experienced a similar problem with the color on their SNES after a mod? Or is this normal?
thebigcheese
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Re: Wamer/redder picture on SNES Mini after RGB mod. Normal?

Post by thebigcheese »

Can't say that I specifically noticed that, but do keep in mind that RGB signals are generally fixed (that is, you can't really adjust the color much) whereas composite and s-video signals can easily be affected by the TV's color controls. What I am saying is that the color controls typically only affect non-RGB inputs (and on PVMs can be configured per input), so it's expected that the colors will look different between different signals. However, if you feel that it looks wrong, you could see how you might adjust on the TV side to fix it. It may be as simple as a white balance change or you may have to dig into service menus to do it.
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maxtherabbit
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Re: Wamer/redder picture on SNES Mini after RGB mod. Normal?

Post by maxtherabbit »

VariaSuit wrote:Since I'm new and this board is very active, this post was already off the first page by the time it was approved. Hopefully it's alright for me to bump it once. I also added another picture to better illustrate what I'm talking about.

Has anyone experienced a similar problem with the color on their SNES after a mod? Or is this normal?
I've never bypassed a SNES, but it is not uncommon for color representation to be affected by the encoder. When you bypass the encoder, things can change. I don't think I would class this as a "problem"
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ASDR
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Re: Wamer/redder picture on SNES Mini after RGB mod. Normal?

Post by ASDR »

To be clear, you are comparing the composite output between a stock SNES mini, a SNES mini with the RGB amp and a stock SNES 1-Chip/APU?

I don't really know much about composite or if Voultar's board affects it or is supposed to work with composite, but at least on RGB one issue with the stock 1-CHIP consoles is that the output is wrongly attenuated and they're a bit too bright. The corrected output has a bit more of a warmer look to it. I have no idea if Voultar's board affects the input that goes into the video encoder, though.

(btw, the OSSC has both generous analog gain control and digital bias & gain controls per-channel so you can correct almost any signal level and color issue)
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VariaSuit
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Re: Wamer/redder picture on SNES Mini after RGB mod. Normal?

Post by VariaSuit »

ASDR wrote:To be clear, you are comparing the composite output between a stock SNES mini, a SNES mini with the RGB amp and a stock SNES 1-Chip/APU?
I'm comparing the composite output of a stock SNES mini, a SNES Mini with an RGB amp, and a stock SNES "2-chip"/older revision. The RGB bypass has fixed the brightness issue on the mini (the unmodded SNES Mini is noticeably brighter than the modded Mini or the 2-chip) but has altered the color temperature of the video output, at least over composite. The two stock consoles (the mini and the 2-chip) have the same color temperature.

I'll be buying RGB cables and an OSSC in the future but don't have them to test at the moment. Is it possible for a mod to change the color temperature of the composite output without also impacting the color temperature of the RGB signal? I'm not an expert so I have no idea, and unfortunately I don't have any way of testing this at the moment. I was hoping some folks here with more experience or equipment would be able to tell me if this is normal or a sign of an issue with the console or installation.
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