Bandridge SCART Selector Issue

[GeneStealer]

I purchased the manual Bandridge selector for my SCART setup, and while I do get picture and sound, it is not passing red and green at all. At first I thought this might be an issue with the cheap M to M cable I bought, but I just replaced it with a high quality cable and have the same issue. The source cables are all Euro-Scart and individually connect to the Framemeister without a problem. Any thoughts on why I might be experiencing color loss with this switch? Thanks!

[Rock Man]

Yeah, the scart selector is junk. I would return it and ask for a refund.

You're better off investing in the Keene Commander Sync Blaster. It's a switcher that has yet to let me down. The Hama switch ain't bad either, so's the Thor, I would recommend the almighty Shinybow and it's 6 inputs but it's the most expensive of the aformentioned. I know I paid upwards of 200+ USD. I owned mine for a couple of years now and it's still doing strong. Keene Commander might be the easiest of the four I mentioned. There is also the Sony MadKatz switcher but those are scarce.

[GeneStealer]

I was afraid of that. The reviews I read on it were a mixed bag, but I wanted to be sure before I sent it back. I will look into the others you mentioned. Thank you!

[GeneStealer]

It looks like the Keene unit is no longer in production, and the couple I saw put it in the price range of the Shinybow.

I found this:

http://www.ani-av.com/shop/product_info ... cts_id=199

The website looks circa 1998, but is that correct model?

[opt2not]

I currently have the Bandridge as well as a Shinybow 4x2 Matrix. Both are great, haven't encountered any problems with either.

The Bandridge is definitely a great switch for the price you're paying. I would assume your issue would have to do with your particular unit, because it hasn't cause me any problems at all. I recently switched to the Shinybow due to wanting a multi-output switch going to two displays. But when I had it all set-up with the Bandridge I had a SNES, NES, XBOX (classic), PSX/PS2, and Dreamcast connected and it was all good.

I did notice my PS2's colour output would flicker, but that was due to the crappy SCART cable I had that seemed to have a loose solder point on the Red pin. After opening up the housing and re-solidering that wire, I had no more flickering issues.

Was there any damage to the unit you received? Was it dropped perhaps?

[GeneStealer]

It could be I just received a defective unit. There was nothing to suggest the shipping box had been abused, and even inside the retail box the Bandridge was well padded by the manufacturer, and it's completely blemish free.

Are you using Composite Video, or Composite Sync cables in your setup?

[opt2not]

Composite sync.
But as far as I know, a complete two-channel colour loss shouldn't be an issue with sync.

I still would question the cables, or perhaps how securely they're plugged into the switch.

[GeneStealer]

I have two Nintendo multi-out to Scart Composite Video, and 1 Genesis to Scart Composite Video, and all 3 present identical issues with the switch. The Male to Male I have is from Monster, and I got that to replace a cheap one I bought on Amazon thinking it would resolve this issue, but it didn't. Unfortunately, I don't have a Composite Sync cable to test with, but for $20 it might be worth it to see if this is a sync issue.

[DaftenDirekt]

Yeah, the scart selector is junk. I would return it and ask for a refund.

You're better off investing in the Keene Commander Sync Blaster. It's a switcher that has yet to let me down. The Hama switch ain't bad either, so's the Thor, I would recommend the almighty Shinybow and it's 6 inputs but it's the most expensive of the aformentioned. I know I paid upwards of 200+ USD. I owned mine for a couple of years now and it's still doing strong. Keene Commander might be the easiest of the four I mentioned. There is also the Sony MadKatz switcher but those are scarce.

Well, I wouldn't call the Bandridge junk (at least the manual one) and say that the Hama one isn't bad. While the Bandridge does have its faults and seems to be fragile, it at least has some production value to it and doesn't short the contacts when you switch them. Furthermore the Hama switch has a nasty cheap PCB with terrible soldering. I took mine apart and did some measuring, and if one switch is deserving of the term "junk" this is definitely it. Needless to say that it leaks voltage and isn't properly isolated. Now the review on videogameperfection may say otherwise, but I believe this to be random luck. If they tested out a couple of the same switches, and not only one, I'm pretty sure the results would be different. The production value really is low as it gets. I'd say stay the hell away from Hama products in general.

Back on topic:
I would assume the plugs are bad or the contacts connecting them to the board. Mine broke down after a couple of pluggin/unplugging. At first worked it absolutely fine for a year or so, then it gave me a composite quality picture instead of RGB and now it shows no picture at all.
Your best bet is to make your own. All you need is some soldering skills, some scart sockets which you can find on e-bay (although not as cheap as one would think) and a rotary non-shorting switch. It'll cost you way less than any of the overpriced stuff you'll find on the net and with little know-how, you'll know for sure that it does work how it's supposed to.

[speedlolita]

I recently got the manual Bandridge and haven't had any issues with it. For the £15 or so I paid it is better than my powered SCART switch. Got a big ol' 1cm thick JVC cable between it and my CRT.

Only using AV1-4 currently as I've read people run into issues with AV5, but that's fine.

[GeneStealer]

Just a quick follow-up. I went ahead and ordered a Shinybow 6:2 instead of a replacement Bandridge; it arrived today and everything looks excellent. Putting aside the fact my Bandridge was defective, the build quality of the two units could not be on further ends of the spectrum. A big thank you, Rock Man, for the recommendation.