Cheap, sturdy SCART to 'VGA' dsub15 adapter that works well!

[kitty666cats]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/391967512983



I got one of these in the mail today, it works with both my sync OVER composite Saturn cable (not csync) as well as my sync on luma PlayStation 1 cable (from the.foo83)

Here's the catch: I'm using it with my new JS Tech 1:2 powered SCART splitter (made a thread about it) and it has a sync stripper inside it, but I'm not sure if I have it enabled right now or not, heh... u_u;

But it works! And is cheap

EDIT: I'm not sure if it works with actual VGA/480p and beyond (only tested with 15kHz sources so far), I can try to output 480p on PS2 with it if anyone wants!

EDIT2: By the way, I was using it on a JVC TM-H150CG. The cable I used was a Monoprice VGA to 4-BNC

I mentioned 'sturdy' in the title because it feels like this thing is housed in epoxy! It's very dense, I was expecting some cheapo plastic

[Guspaz]

Actual VGA requires separate H and V TTL sync, so no, it wouldn't work with real VGA. However, some VGA displays are able to accept csync or sync-on-green, which can be passed through SCART. My old Viewsonic CRT did. However, sync-on-composite is probably not going to work.

[kitty666cats]

Yeah, I mean I was honestly HOPING this thing was gonna be for 15kHz sources haha. Convenient and makes for some cheap cheap cables if you've got some dsub to BNC cables sittin' around! I usually cut off sound at the source and put it into a separate distribution amp of its own, so I don't need the audio. That's one thing the dongle is sadly lacking

I gotta try it out with S-video soon! It was a rando buy for shits and giggles but I'm happy with it.

[orange808]

Yep. Those were originally manufactured for (EIKI?) projectors.

They are useful for feeding the RGB lines to AV1 on the OSSC while simultaneously feeding sync lines to AV3.

[kitty666cats]

Yep. Those were originally manufactured for (EIKI?) projectors.

They are useful for feeding the RGB lines to AV1 on the OSSC while simultaneously feeding sync lines to AV3.

This one and all the others I've seen same to be the same: Optoma. But for all I know it coulda been EIKI prior to that... not very familiar with projectors besides a few brands

What do you do to connect it that way, btw? A SCART to 4 pin mini-DIN cable / if so, which brand?

[orange808]

Yep. Those were originally manufactured for (EIKI?) projectors.

They are useful for feeding the RGB lines to AV1 on the OSSC while simultaneously feeding sync lines to AV3.

This one and all the others I've seen same to be the same: Optoma. But for all I know it coulda been EIKI prior to that... not very familiar with projectors besides a few brands

What do you do to connect it that way, btw? A SCART to 4 pin mini-DIN cable / if so, which brand?

Yeah. It might be Optoma that used them...

Right now, I have a monoprice 5 BNC connected to a monoprice BNC to HD-15 connector. I only connect the RGB lines to the switch and the SCART adapter (on AV-1). The sync lines remain disconnected. That's the easiest way to do it.

4 BNC would certainly work, but I had bought quite a few 5 BNC cables; that's what I have sitting around.

[kitty666cats]

Yep. Those were originally manufactured for (EIKI?) projectors.

They are useful for feeding the RGB lines to AV1 on the OSSC while simultaneously feeding sync lines to AV3.

This one and all the others I've seen same to be the same: Optoma. But for all I know it coulda been EIKI prior to that... not very familiar with projectors besides a few brands

What do you do to connect it that way, btw? A SCART to 4 pin mini-DIN cable / if so, which brand?

Yeah. It might be Optoma that used them...

Right now, I have a monoprice 5 BNC connected to a monoprice BNC to HD-15 connector. I only connect the RGB lines to the switch and the SCART adapter (on AV-1). The sync lines remain disconnected. That's the easiest way to do it.

4 BNC would certainly work, but I had bought quite a few 5 BNC cables; that's what I have sitting around.

Ah, have you ever tried one of these guys? I have two, heh. ALSO surprisingly good build quality! Gold plated



EDIT: AH! So, one of these cables would be wonderful to accompany the Optoma dongle! That RGBS breakout is slightly off topic, I just think it deserves more shine, hah

https://www.ebay.com/i/232645332429

[oldgamer]

Ah, have you ever tried one of these guys? I have two, heh. ALSO surprisingly good build quality! Gold plated

Where did you find one of these? I can see the image is an ebay link, but can't find the item on ebay.

[oldgamer]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/391967512983

Is the H sync pin on the vga side wired to the csync pin on the scart side?

[kitty666cats]

Ah, have you ever tried one of these guys? I have two, heh. ALSO surprisingly good build quality! Gold plated

Where did you find one of these? I can see the image is an ebay link, but can't find the item on ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/i/362197489441

This is the cheapest listing for me, I live in Northeast USA. There's other listings on there that may be cheaper for you, they are all around the same price. Try searching 'Hama RCA SCART', even though many aren't Hama I think they may be the originators of it. Could always add another dongle on it for breaking out audio! Those are like $3

The pinout of the SCART to 15-pin RGB / 4 pin mini-DIN out... I'm not sure of. It's an epoxy brick! But so far PS1 and Saturn worked with it, unsure if they were indeed sync stripped or not... I am pretty sure the new 1:2 SCART splitter I have came with the jumpers pre-set for converting to RGBS

[fernan1234]

For the S-video out, what would be a source that's sending s-video through the SCART pins?

Anyway I'm kinda tempted to throw this into my toolbox just in case I need to integrate something with a SCART cable into my Dsub-15 setup, though I'd also need a SCART coupler given this has a male connector. Then again I'd probably never use it.

[nmalinoski]

For the S-video out, what would be a source that's sending s-video through the SCART pins?

Certain camcorders and VCRs, mainly for recording between those devices. SCART can accommodate bi-directional composite video or S-Video, plus bi-directional stereo audio.

[kitty666cats]

For the S-video out, what would be a source that's sending s-video through the SCART pins?

Anyway I'm kinda tempted to throw this into my toolbox just in case I need to integrate something with a SCART cable into my Dsub-15 setup, though I'd also need a SCART coupler given this has a male connector. Then again I'd probably never use it.

Those F to F SCART couplers are pretty cool, with dongles that have directional switching it makes for great cheap Frankenstein cables... I keep all my cables quite short, I've not encountered any signal degradation with couplers/dongles/etc!

I just bought the thing as an experiment to see if it would work, people always worry about pinout before buying random cables blindly, but everything I pick up for kicks always seems to work!

orange808's suggestion definitely made this purchase a lot more interesting and useful than what I initially thought, now that I know it can pass RGB over the s-vid connector as well, that opens up a lot of options

[nmalinoski]

orange808's suggestion definitely made this purchase a lot more interesting and useful than what I initially thought, now that I know it can pass RGB over the s-vid connector as well, that opens up a lot of options

Wait, what? I don't think you can do that. That S-Video connector on that SCART adapter is going to put luma on the sync pin and chroma on red; you'd get a sync signal from luma, but you'd have an unintelligible, encoded signal on red, and green and blue would be disconnected.

Am I misinterpreting what you're getting at?

[kitty666cats]

orange808's suggestion definitely made this purchase a lot more interesting and useful than what I initially thought, now that I know it can pass RGB over the s-vid connector as well, that opens up a lot of options

Wait, what? I don't think you can do that. That S-Video connector on that SCART adapter is going to put luma on the sync pin and chroma on red; you'd get a sync signal from luma, but you'd have an unintelligible, encoded signal on red, and green and blue would be disconnected.

Am I misinterpreting what you're getting at?

I might be misinterpreting what orange808 was getting at xD, my mental image was orange using a SCART switch, with one of these SCART + 4 pin mini-DIN dongles plugged into it, with RGB going via 4 pin mini-DIN to OSSC AV1 and sync via HD-15 to AV3? I could have misunderstood orange. It sounded completely cray to me too, but very cool if true.

Either way, the dongle in my OP is cool if you have a SCART switch or splitter and want a HD-15 output for an Extron RGB interface or what-have-you. I wonder if the mini-DIN port on the dongle can pass audio...? IDK if it's standard S-Video on there or what, gotta test said port out still!

nmalinoski do you use the /crt/ Discord?

[orange808]

I might be misinterpreting what orange808 was getting at xD, my mental image was orange using a SCART switch, with one of these SCART + 4 pin mini-DIN dongles plugged into it, with RGB going via 4 pin mini-DIN to OSSC AV1 and sync via HD-15 to AV3? I could have misunderstood orange. It sounded completely cray to me too, but very cool if true.

Either way, the dongle in my OP is cool if you have a SCART switch or splitter and want a HD-15 output for an Extron RGB interface or what-have-you. I wonder if the mini-DIN port on the dongle can pass audio...? IDK if it's standard S-Video on there or what, gotta test said port out still!

nmalinoski do you use the /crt/ Discord?

All my RGB inputs are converted to RGBHV and distributed.

I have a sync stripper and an Extron RGB between the SCART input and the switch. The switch feeds RGBHV out to the rest of my gear.

I use additional sync boxes for displays/projectors that need combined sync or sync on green.

[kitty666cats]

I might be misinterpreting what orange808 was getting at xD, my mental image was orange using a SCART switch, with one of these SCART + 4 pin mini-DIN dongles plugged into it, with RGB going via 4 pin mini-DIN to OSSC AV1 and sync via HD-15 to AV3? I could have misunderstood orange. It sounded completely cray to me too, but very cool if true.

Either way, the dongle in my OP is cool if you have a SCART switch or splitter and want a HD-15 output for an Extron RGB interface or what-have-you. I wonder if the mini-DIN port on the dongle can pass audio...? IDK if it's standard S-Video on there or what, gotta test said port out still!

nmalinoski do you use the /crt/ Discord?

All my RGB inputs are converted to RGBHV and distributed.

I have a sync stripper and an Extron RGB between the SCART input and the switch. The switch feeds RGBHV out to the rest of my gear.

I use additional sync boxes for displays/projectors that need combined sync or sync on green.

OHHHH, so for this OSSC situation you've got the colors going on a Male BNC>Male SCART on AV1, and the two (or one) sync lines from the same cable going to a male HD-15 w/ female BNC attached to on AV3, yeah? Having trouble visualizing. What's the benefit of feeding the sync to a separate input on the OSSC?

Also, so you're just leaving the mini-DIN port alone, yes? I wonder if it's a versatile port that doesn't HAVE to be YC, and you could use something like this to draw audio out of it (unlikely):

[fernan1234]

I just tried one of these Optoma SCART-HD15 dongles, trying to get my RGBS sources into a SCART2X. I'm not sure if the dongle is the problem or the SCART2X, but RGBS sources fail to sync. I get an intermittent scrambled picture, and for the RGsB sources I was able to test I do get a stable picture, but it has a greenish tint (not as deep green as when mismatching composite and RGB).

I don't have any other way to go from HD15 (which my Extron switch and consoles use) to SCART, or another device with a SCART input, so I won't be able to troubleshoot this for a while, but I'm suspecting the dongle is at fault.

@kitty666cats have you tested this going from HD15 RGBS to SCART output, or just the other direction?

[Guspaz]

You're using it in the wrong direction. SCART is directional (different pins for audio and composite video input versus output), and this adapter is for going *from* SCART, not *to* SCART.

I can never remember which direction is which pins, but composite video is either on pin 19 or pin 20 depending on the direction.

A better solution, if you have any soldering experience, is to just cut open a VGA cable and solder a SCART head on to the end of it. SCART heads are pretty easy to modify because on most of them you just unscrew the retaining ring and the whole thing opens on a hinge.

The RT2X SCART doesn't support sync on green, at least not officially.

[Fudoh]

I can never remember which direction is which pins, but composite video is either on pin 19 or pin 20 depending on the direction.

that's because it changes with direction *AND* gender.

[fernan1234]

Thanks for the info, Guspaz.

Don't have soldering equipment nor skills, unfortunately. Totally forgot about the unidirectionality of SCART after not using it for a couple of years. I guess a cable like this won't work either since it's listed as SCART to HD15: https://www.ebay.com/itm//361224212922

Can't seem to find one specifically listed as going the other way. Goddammit, yet another reason to hate SCART.

[kitty666cats]

Thanks for the info, Guspaz.

Don't have soldering equipment nor skills, unfortunately. Totally forgot about the unidirectionality of SCART after not using it for a couple of years. I guess a cable like this won't work either since it's listed as SCART to HD15: https://www.ebay.com/itm//361224212922

Can't seem to find one specifically listed as going the other way. Goddammit, yet another reason to hate SCART.

https://www.arcadexpress.com is one of many sites that has these, they're def out there

Also, here is a sick monstrosity I made with one:



It's with that 1:2 SCART splitter w/ sync separator I initiated the production of, it's easy cheapo access to Extron RGB interfaces, or any sorta PVM/pro monitor hehe. Much cheaper than most specialty cables out there, but incredibly shameful looking

[fernan1234]

I'd really prefer a dongle like that, rather than a cable that is hopefully shielded enough. That's I wanted to try using this Optoma little guy. On that arcadexpress website I can only see cables though, and a more expensive naked converter board.

[kitty666cats]

I'd really prefer a dongle like that, rather than a cable that is hopefully shielded enough. That's I wanted to try using this Optoma little guy. On that arcadexpress website I can only see cables though, and a more expensive naked converter board.

Ohhhh word, I getcha... there's gonna be a unit coming out in the near future that can go SCART to 'VGA', but also go the other way around. It's probably gonna be a little while, though... in the meantime I guess there's those new RetroTink PCBs, I think someone from here is gonna produce a few! I forget if those have audio breakouts on the board too, but that's nothing a dongle or modification can't take care of.

Come to think of it, doesn't ArcadeForge have the UMSA? That could do the trick for you.

[fernan1234]

Come to think of it, doesn't ArcadeForge have the UMSA? That could do the trick for you.

I looked at that earlier, but the description says "Converts 15Khz RGBHV via a DSUB HD 15pin to 15Khz RGBS SCART signal."

Not sure if it also takes RGBS via the HD15, which is what I need. I've also seen cables made for use with MiSTer's IO board, which would work since those require setting the MiSTer to output composite sync. But the shielding quality would be an unknown variable. The retro-access cables for this are $40+ since they use coax.

[kitty666cats]

Come to think of it, doesn't ArcadeForge have the UMSA? That could do the trick for you.

I looked at that earlier, but the description says "Converts 15Khz RGBHV via a DSUB HD 15pin to 15Khz RGBS SCART signal."

Not sure if it also takes RGBS via the HD15, which is what I need. I've also seen cables made for use with MiSTer's IO board, which would work since those require setting the MiSTer to output composite sync. But the shielding quality would be an unknown variable. The retro-access cables for this are $40+ since they use coax.

http://www.wolfsoft.de/shop/product_inf ... Cbr%20/%3E

Here's a lesser-known one I bookmarked quite a while ago, I've seen random others around. And yeah, MiSTer picking up steam and CRT Emudriver and what-have-you being more popular than ever are leading to more being made. I've seen a few others around, I will grab some links and PM them to you or post them in here if anyone chimes in and wants the links

[oldgamer]

I tried the dongle from OP to go snes and genesis 2 to extron 192v and 203rxi.

I get picture problems/rolling.

Csync on the scart side doesn't seem to be connected to hsync on de-15 side. I used two of these vga to bnc breakout cables connected to each other, and unplugging the hsync cables make no difference at all on the image.

[Guspaz]

Nor should it be. This is a pin adapter, not a sync converter. SCART doesn't even have a dedicated sync line, and if you're going to connect composite video to anything on the VGA connector, it'd be vsync, not hsync.

[maxtherabbit]

if you're going to connect composite video to anything on the VGA connector, it'd be vsync, not hsync.

not that I would want to connect CVBS to any pin on the VGA connector, but what is the reasoning being this statement?

[nmalinoski]

if you're going to connect composite video to anything on the VGA connector, it'd be vsync, not hsync.

not that I would want to connect CVBS to any pin on the VGA connector, but what is the reasoning being this statement?

I'd like to know this, too, considering all the pro AV gear (granted, not VGA monitors) I've seen that takes RGBS over DE-15 expects composite sync on HSync, not VSync.

Would it even work if VGA normally calls for 5Vp-p/TTL sync, and you're feeding it 1Vp-p/75Ohm/video-level composite sync contaminated with video data?