Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

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Ed Oscuro
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Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Ed Oscuro »

In a previous thread there was yet another discussion about the relative merits of various suppliers of video cables. So I'd like to break things down as cleanly as possible - first listing some technical topics of interest, and then a run-down of the known suppliers and their qualities. I also wanted to move away from the more "so and so says" type of discussions where people make recommendations or warnings without it being clear why various things are said, or whether they are relevant to buyers. This is definitely a work in progress - formatting is nearly unreadable and I might have some things plain wrong, as some of the topics are esoteric and technical. I expect to reorder and condense some things if there's demand for it. Finally, a word of warning: A lot of the suggestions one finds on these technical standards is meant for heavy-duty applications, and short cables lightly used in relatively low-bandwidth retrogaming use probably deliver great results without using the most expensive materials. We don't have a lot of data on this, and most of it is interpreted from the charts for more demanding uses, and also by individual users finding out what works nice with their equipment - which might have the exact same model number as yours, but perform slightly differently in their setup.

SCART vs. BNC connectors: I've heard a suggestion that the SCART plug type might not be optimal for RGBs (RGB+sync, the major type this thread covers). I'm not aware of hard data on retro gaming use, however. BNC and RCA are alternative connector styles. It seems that the major factors in making a choice are DEVICE SUPPORT and COST (or FLEXIBILITY). SCART is a quasi-standard for retrogaming, back from the days when 240p was next-gen and many manufacturers released RGBs cables using the connector. It's commonly used in video switches. You can also probably buy amazing video switches using BNC and RCA type plugs as well. It's possible to convert between BNC and RCA plug types with cheap adapters - again it's not known empirically what effect, if at all, they have on a video signal. In practice - this probably isn't a problem because we tend to connect these devices directly to a switch, at worst, so there are fewer chances for impedance mismatches to show up.

Any of SCART's disadvantages come from the plug's design for flexibility. While crosstalk or related problems aren't shown to be a huge problem, there are two widely used pinouts - ways of wiring up its connectors, known as EURO SCART and JP-21 - which have caused confusion and a lot of damage over the years due to people not labeling the connectors and making sure to only use them in correct devices. Unfortunately, you need a SCART connector to connect to some devices. On the other hand, people who have exclusively devices that accept BNC or RCA connectors may find that SCART isn't useful for them; the price of going from two consoles to SCART connectors and then a common SCART to BNC connector is going to be higher than if those two consoles had cables wired straight for BNC, and the SCART plug is potentially unwieldy. On the other hand, once you've plugged in a SCART to BNC breakout, switching video cables is a bit easier than unscrewing BNC plugs (though I gotta say, I prefer the feel of BNC to SCART). Why are SCART plugs the standard for retrogaming cables? I imagine cost and simplicity in manufacturing is the major answer here, but I'd like more input from people making cables.

Some related links:
50 Ohm vs 75 Ohm: BNC Connectors Explained (MilesTek Blog) - One manufacturer's description of BNC plugs (we're interested in the 75 ohm type)
Component Video Cables -- A Guide (Blue Jeans Cable) - Mentions the effect of impedance in video.
Is there Really a True 75 Ohm RCA Plug?

Wire shielding: The Blue Jeans Cable company reproduces a handy table showing different types of cable, and provides estimates of relative quality. Shielding has been a point of contention, and understandably so. What's the point of a homegrown cable making operation trying to ape the Monster Cable-style mantra of "more is always better" if we are dealing with devices that have limited bandwidth requirements? Still there is at least one unknown we can guess at: Can high-quality displays show a difference when fed slightly improved video? What happens if we have longer or more complicated setups? What about upscalers and capture devices? And where does audio fit into this? I would love to see some data captures on this to see what are the practical limits on improving video quality by cable.

Capacitors: Depending on the cable you've bought, capacitors or resistors can both be found in video cables, handling the voltage (and therefore brightness) of video. Resistors aren't usually interesting, but capacitors have undergone constant development and refinement over the years. Additionally, many sources claim different performance or lifetime from different suppliers. Audiophiles often cite differences in sound quality when using different high-quality capacitors - however, this suggests looking at the quality of components in your gear, not the cable. Audio wires in RGBs cables, if present, aren't hooked up to a capacitor at all. Tom's Hardware recently posted an article which makes some interesting claims, apparently informed by manufacturers of power supplies, about capacitor quality. It should be noted that a lot of the attention paid to capacitors - such as that in the article - is for their use in applications which are very difficult, whereas the capacitors in RGB cables have one of the easiest jobs a capacitor can have, even easier than those your old game console's 25-year-old capacitors have to deal with. The data on reliability is very uneven, as many people who do repair these aren't able to keep detailed records, and of course a capacitor carrying large charges blowing wide after being inside a very hot workstation PC case doesn't tell us much about whether a small capacitor from the same manufacturer will survive for a long time in a simple video cable. Finally, it seems that newer technology (such as polymer capacitors) performs very well regardless of supplier.

So, what's important here? Ideally, we'd like to buy good quality capacitors that won't have to be opened and messed with down the road. Some old first-party RGB cables (like official Nintendo RGB cables for the Super Famicom / SNES) have needed to be cleaned out and their caps replaced. It'd be ideal not to have this be required down the road. However, in terms of lifetime, who's to say that an "off-brand" capacitor in a cable won't last long enough? As far as I can tell, the major concern here is lifetime, not peformance. The flip side, of course, is cost. I would like to see what some realistic expectations of the cost pros and cons of various types are: For small cable makers, the cost of moving to a good electrolytic capacitor brand probably won't be so high, but what of moving to small polymers?

Some makers of cables and what is known about them

There are a lot of posts here at Shmups, especially over the last year, about different makers. Of course it should be noted up front that if you have the skill and the parts, you can tailor a video cable to your own specifications. This list, therefore, is more about finding out what the relative qualities of the various makers are, and finding out what should be considered better value for the money (if not actually what constitutes a best practice). I'm not here to shame anybody, advertise, or warn people off from specific manufacturers; my opinion is that it is best if there are a variety of options available - some makers are closer and therefore cheaper for some users, and it also might not be bad if there were different cost options too. I hope to honestly portray each maker's statements on quality.

I should repeat something that I noted above about capacitors, except more clearly: We don't have any scientific data on the reliability of these manufacturers. Some suppliers may have quality issues in the past or future, without those being especially useful points of discussion when considering their present product. Many SCART plugs can be opened and inspected by users so you can fairly easily spot some problems to fix them. Aside from having good customer satisfaction, there also are different beliefs about what is required of a SCART table.

Retro Computer Shock: I don't know anything about this supplier other than that they exist and I was told they are worth a look.

Retro Console Accessories: This US-based maker has a presence on eBay and is widely respected for attention to quality and customer wishes. I have a SNES RGB cable from them and I think it performs well. An example of their components and construction, which looks very much like my cable, is found here (thanks AdamBlue!) After users have talked about cable shielding and grounding, they've stated that these are important things. Since that last discussion, they've also mentioned to me that they're aware that capacitors are an interesting topic for some users - there might be more to add on this topic later!

Retro Gaming Cables: A UK-based maker of cables which has a website and an eBay store. It isn't clear to me how reliable their production quality is. I also don't have any of their products. An example of their components and construction is found here (thanks again to AdamBlue). I also don't know if some criticisms of that cable won't apply to other makers. For a SCART to BNC breakout cable, RGC's website states that "all ground pins are connected inside the SCART to avoid compatibility issues." It's not clear to me if this is standard practice for all their cables or not. What I do know is that within the last year or two they have reportedly said that heavy shielding on cables isn't necessary. However, please refer to "wire shielding" above and the table at the Blue Jeans Cable link. It's not clear to me what type of cable shielding any maker uses, and it should also be considered that these cables are typically rather short, so their decision might be cost-effective.

Other makers: Shmups Forum user Daskrabs is located in the US and has offered SCART to BNC breakout cables. I have one - it does what I expect. I know there are other people who have offered these as well.
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BuckoA51
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by BuckoA51 »

This is an excellent article/thread.

Regarding Retro Gaming Cables I have to feel bad for them since all the cables I've had from them have been excellent. I'm actually working with them at the moment on a SCART to VGA design. I can confirm the SCART to BNC cable I got from them was shielded and grounded internally, as far as I could tell anyway (admittedly I'm no expert!) Here's a picture of it.

Imageretro-gaming-cables-bnc-scart by videogameperfection, on Flickr

I appreciate that they could be cherry picking cables to send to me in light of the fact I review cables on my website of course, and that its entirely possible not all of their cables are created equally.

I'm actually considering offering a selection of cables for sale myself in the new year, but it all depends on manufacturing costs.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by blizzz »

I've got excellent cables from an Austrian guy who goes by the name of Kurzschluss_480V. These are by far the best cables I have, even compared to ones from a German modder that were more expensive. But he only sells them to active members in a German board. Here's a comparison between two cables on the Framemeister: ScreeShotComparison.com.

Here are two pics of the cable: [1] [2]
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by speedlolita »

All of my cables are Official. :lol:

Friend sent me a Neo Geo AES to fix. Turns out the cable he had bought from retrogamingcables was defective. I wouldn't buy from them myself.
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Xan
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Xan »

I have the SCART to BNC cable from retrogamingcables and can't say anything bad about it, other than the BNC wires being maybe a bit on the short side for some monitors, but after seing how their RGB cables are constructed I'm not as sure I would buy those.

Slightly related, why does nobody seem to make a SCART to SCART plug with audio breakout? Besides the bulky construction, not being able to hook up seperate speakers is easily the biggest flaw of that connector. I've seen such an adapter by Philips, but it's nearly impossible to find these days.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by blizzz »

Xan wrote:Slightly related, why does nobody seem to make a SCART to SCART plug with audio breakout?
You mean something like this? They are widely available and super cheap.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Xan »

Yeah something like this; guess I just wasn't looking thoroughly enough. Hopefully it doesn't degrade image quality though, that's really an issue with a lot of things SCART related.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by blizzz »

It should be fine as long as you don't plug something into the composite / s-video plug. It's just a passive adapter.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Wargo »

I posted about this issue in the "Questions that do not deserve a thread" topic, but it might be relevant to this discussion as well.

I'm trying to use one the the SCART to SCART with audio breakout devices mentioned above with cables from retro_console_accessories for SNES, Genesis, Satrun, and Neo Geo, but I'm getting extremely low volume or non-existent audio. The picture is great using a SCART to component converter, but I'm struggling to figure out this sound issue. I've actually used two different audio breakout boxes, but neither fixed the problem. I know I have the in/out switch in the correct position, and I don't think it's a problem with the audio cables, since I was able to get perfect sound out of the headphones jack on the Neo Geo and Genesis using them. I don't think the inputs on the TV are a problem, since I currently have a Wii U plugged in with no sound issues.

I'm new to SCART cables, so I'm not sure if this is a common issue. Most discussions primarily focus on image quality, so I haven't found anyone that has this problem. Are sound issues common with SCART cables, or is it possible that the wiring between the cables and the audio breakout aren't quite compatible? Both are supposed to be Euro-SCART.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by BazookaBen »

I've just hacked the connectors off of RF adapters put short VGA leads on them. Then I use your standard VGA to BNC cable to connecto to my PVM.

I've certainly saved a lot of money that way, and it's probably equal in quality to buying some first or third party scart cable.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by philexile »

Regarding Retro Console Accessories and Retro Gaming Cables – I've had varying quality from both. However, one consistent is the audio ground pin not being wired. RCA didn't wire this up with Genesis cables and RGC didn't wire it on SNES cables. In both cases this cause noise in the audio – a buzzing. Once I wired the correct pin to ground, it fixed the issue.

Between the two, I found Retro Gaming Cables had better build quality over all, although I haven't purchased cables from Retro Console Accessories in a few years. Its possible their quality has improved.

Also, I have a very high-end monitor – the 32" Sony BVM. I think Fudoh said it was something like $40,000 when it was released? Anyway, I couldn't hear or see a difference with fancy cables or not. The things that matter (at least in my experience) are solid connections – well soldered wire SCART cables and wires lacking pulls.

I don't use cheap cables, but most of my interconnects were built from BNC cables from Monoprice – so they aren't super high-end either. The only time I noticed "noise" in the image was with the old Arcade RGB PPU modded NES – and that was from jailbars.

Thanks for the write up!
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by bobrocks95 »

I'll see if I have an old picture to post before I fixed my Genesis cable, but I can assure you that Retro Gaming Cables' claim that they wire every ground pin is either a fairly recent policy change or an outright lie. The cable didn't work at all without wiring up the composite video (used as sync) pin, and there were 3 more I had to wire up as well.
BuckoA51 wrote:I'm actually working with them at the moment on a SCART to VGA design.
Curious about this- are you including a linedoubler for better monitor compatibility? If not, what makes it different from the 100's of other SCART to VGA cables?
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by ApolloBoy »

Earlier this year, I did an RGB mod for someone's TurboDuo and I had Retro Gaming Cables build the cable for me. They didn't bother wiring up all the ground pins in the cable, and there was no ground wired to the DIN shroud so the video looked blurry as a result. The same customer also sent me a Framemeister SCART adapter that was also built by RGC, and that was a mess too (not all the ground pins were wired up, all the pins were covered in hot glue, and some of the wires broke off very easily). Since then I've stayed far away from them and I now build my own SCART cables.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by philexile »

ApolloBoy wrote: . . . and that was a mess too (not all the ground pins were wired up, all the pins were covered in hot glue, and some of the wires broke off very easily).
That's funny, I had the same experience, but with Retro Console Accessories. They used epoxy on the solder points making it nearly impossible to fix a PCE SCART cable with the amp built-in.

ApolloBoy wrote:Since then I've stayed far away from them and I now build my own SCART cables.
Where do you source your parts? I've never been able to find a Nintendo multi AV source. Do you happen to know of any?
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Voultar »

I've had to repair 3 cables from Retro Console Accessories.

2 of my previous customers had problems with cabling bought from Retro Console Accessories after about a year of use.

The problem with the 1st cable (SNES) was due to the drain-wire being completely exposed, making contact with both pin 21 (sync) and a couple of grounds.

The problem with the 2nd cable (Playstation) was a cold solder joint on pin 21 (sync) of the SCART head.

The problem with the 3rd cable (SNES C-Sync) was 3 very cold and brittle solder joints that didn't wet very well at all..

I hand-wire all of my personal cables, and I don't make them on a commission basis. Given what I've seen out of just a couple of cables however, I have a hard time endorsing that vendor.
philexile wrote:
Where do you source your parts? I've never been able to find a Nintendo multi AV source. Do you happen to know of any?

I source my multi-out connectors from cheap Play Asia cables. They're typically $3.99 plus shipping, but if you buy a decent bulk order, it's not very expensive.

http://www.play-asia.com/rgb-cable-paOS ... 70-64.html
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by ApolloBoy »

philexile wrote:
ApolloBoy wrote:Since then I've stayed far away from them and I now build my own SCART cables.
Where do you source your parts? I've never been able to find a Nintendo multi AV source. Do you happen to know of any?
I bought my SNES cable from Retro Console Accessories, before I started making my own cables. I get the SCART connectors locally and I just use good quality VGA extension cables for the cable itself. The console end comes from a local source or online, depending on the connector.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Pasky »

philexile wrote:That's funny, I had the same experience, but with Retro Console Accessories. They used epoxy on the solder points making it nearly impossible to fix a PCE SCART cable with the amp built-in.


^ This was the most annoying thing ever when I had to fix a PS1 SCART cable from them. The entire PS1 connector plug was epoxied and had a short on luma.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Voultar »

Pasky wrote:
philexile wrote:That's funny, I had the same experience, but with Retro Console Accessories. They used epoxy on the solder points making it nearly impossible to fix a PCE SCART cable with the amp built-in.


^ This was the most annoying thing ever when I had to fix a PS1 SCART cable from them. The entire PS1 connector plug was epoxied and had a short on luma.
It didn't happen to be epoxied with a black tar resin like substance, did it?
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by BuckoA51 »

Curious about this- are you including a linedoubler for better monitor compatibility? If not, what makes it different from the 100's of other SCART to VGA cables?
100s of others such as what exactly? There's a few generic ones on Amazon but no details of how they are connected.

Ok it's going to be:-

Female SCART to VGA and 2x RCA audio (for easy connecting existing cables)
Built in Sync stripper (powered from the SCART)

The idea is for an easy connection to an Extron RGB interface for folks that want a cheap way of doing this without having to buy the full blown sync strike.
Where do you source your parts? I've never been able to find a Nintendo multi AV source. Do you happen to know of any?
I would also be VERY interested in a supplier that can make/supply these and doesn't need a minimum order of thousands.
Earlier this year, I did an RGB mod for someone's TurboDuo and I had Retro Gaming Cables build the cable for me. They didn't bother wiring up all the ground pins in the cable, and there was no ground wired to the DIN shroud so the video looked blurry as a result. The same customer also sent me a Framemeister SCART adapter that was also built by RGC, and that was a mess too (not all the ground pins were wired up, all the pins were covered in hot glue, and some of the wires broke off very easily). Since then I've stayed far away from them and I now build my own SCART cables.
You should have returned the cables. Couple of months ago I actually miss-plugged my Pack a Punch SCART and damaged one of the pins, I e-mailed RGC and they said they would repair it for the cost of return postage. This is a cable I ordered over a year ago.

From chatting with them it sounds like there's Rob, the guy who runs it, and one or more guys that work on a part time basis, maybe the work of one of his sub-contractors isn't up to snuff. As for retro console accessories, I think there's just the one lady and her husband that run that, I am sure they would swap any faulty cables too. I don't get the impression from either of them that they want to do a shoddy job for people.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Retro Access »

Can I back up the previous post. This is retro console accessories, yep it is just me and my husband running things here from Florida. I wire all the cables and he does admin.

About the glue: I sell on ebay. It is a minefield as I'm sure many are aware. The clamshell cases used in snes and playstation multiouts are designed to be glued together and because of the nature of ebay and possible severe sanctions to accounts for a low rate of returns or even mild complaints, I use industrial strength epoxy. Hot glue (easier to modify/repair) has resulted in returns in the past because some plugs just don't hold. Most people who buy don't want to open the cables after the fact. I do have to fix some plugs on occassion after testing - I find it annoying too to alter these plugs, but it is just the most reliable way to do it that results in the least complaints.

I editted the listing there but this has always been my policy and I have told console modders who buy off me in the past. If you wish to modify cables just ask for no glue. I am not trying to hide my work or glue over solder joints because I don't trust them (I trust them fine) I am gluing these clamshells together because it is required by design. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Nintendo- ... 1216661671? - I just edited this listing to reflect this.

Nobody is infallible and I have by necessity changed my components over the years from reading this and other sites for suggestions. I've also changed the solder used some six months ago (I was asking around on this site about it) because I unfortunately became very allergic to rosin core flux and now use "no clean" flux solder which is quite a bit more expensive but as a result seems to be better quality.

I changed my capacitors to Panasonic ones overnight after a very recent post here.

As of three years ago all cables have every ground point in SCART or japanese 21 pin RGB connected (5 points.)

I started offering multicore coax as an option on any cable because of suggestions here saying people wanted it.

I don't get to see many of my cables after a year (albeit I have seen a few of late because I offered to allow people to send back their old ones in part exchange for a multicore coax version - the returned cables were all fine.) I had no idea some were getting damaged over time, and I will fix them if there are issues. But I do sell thousands a year so some failure is inevitable. I do read this site though and have modified and improved designs over the years. As it seems possible for the drain wire to get exposed by the heatshrink shifting over time, I am as of today going to cover nearby connectors (like sync in SCART) totally with more heatshrink.

The main reason I still use ebay is it keeps you on your toes. You are constantly looking for ways to improve because the rules get more stringent every year. Just 2% returns/simple query over "not as described" or "where is my item" (these are all cumulative so you can't even afford 1% returns/complaints as the where is my item queries are more common) now will lose you thousands in fee discounts a year, so you absolutely have to offer the best you can. I do believe my cables have increased significantly in quality but I am always looking for ways to improve on that.

I have the longest available return policy on ebay (three months) but please contact me if you have any issues even if it goes beyond that.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Pasky »

Voultar wrote: It didn't happen to be epoxied with a black tar resin like substance, did it?
That's the stuff....
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by blizzz »

Retro Access wrote:I changed my capacitors to Panasonic ones overnight after a very recent post here.
Are there any measurable differences between cap brands (CrapXon, Panasonic, Nichicon etc) in SCART cables?
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Lawfer
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by Lawfer »

speedlolita wrote:All of my cables are Official. :lol:

Friend sent me a Neo Geo AES to fix. Turns out the cable he had bought from retrogamingcables was defective. I wouldn't buy from them myself.
Robert of RetroGamingCables is a stand up guy, if there is a problem just email him.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by evil_ash_xero »

Lawfer wrote:
speedlolita wrote:All of my cables are Official. :lol:

Friend sent me a Neo Geo AES to fix. Turns out the cable he had bought from retrogamingcables was defective. I wouldn't buy from them myself.
Robert of RetroGamingCables is a stand up guy, if there is a problem just email him.

Well, Robert should just shield his cables, and quit just saying "it doesn't need it!". Give in to your customers pleas, Rob.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by kamiboy »

Guys, try to remember that because you are modders who get to repair the occasional bad cable you get a very biased outlook on the quality of the work being done.

Personally I feel if you want super high quality cables you will have to buy some high grade SCART cables that are now being sold for peanuts and do the work yourself.

Here in Denmark there is a webstore dumping these for 1/100th their original price because no one wants to buy them.

Be warned though that these are thick cables and each wire is individually shielded. Good luck soldering them to a DIN connector, or what have you, in an reliable manner.

I stick to official cables, even though they do introduce some interference in the signal.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by BuckoA51 »

Dumb question but what exactly needs shielding on a SCART cable? I mean are we talking about the individual wires as they attach to the SCART connector or what? How would you shield those? I would like to know since I do review cables and open them if possible when I do.
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by blizzz »

My guess is that the most important part would be individual shielding for the audio. Individual shielding for R, G, B, S would also not hurt, but I have no idea how much difference it actually makes.
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blizzz
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by blizzz »

I ordered a Sega Saturn cable from retro_console_accessories last Saturday. It's the standard kind with composite video. It was shipped on Tuesday, arrived in Germany on Friday and was delivered today. The customs declaration was filled out correctly, so there were no problems.

On a CRT the picture is perfect and I also have no problems on the Framemeister with default settings (at least on first look). No video noise, no sync issues etc. The console is a Victor Saturn model 2 btw, which should be identical to the Sega branded model 2.

Overall, highly recommended. :D
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by BuckoA51 »

My guess is that the most important part would be individual shielding for the audio. Individual shielding for R, G, B, S would also not hurt, but I have no idea how much difference it actually makes.
See I thought that it should be the wires carrying the signal voltage. Ed Oscuro you seem to obsess over this the most, what do you suggest?
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blizzz
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Re: Where to buy your RGB cables and what to look for

Post by blizzz »

My reasoning is that the magnetic field changes with changes in the current. These changes would then affect the other wires. The 5V / 12V wires have a constant field which should be less of a problem. But who knows.
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