Sony BVM-2011P sync issues

[l0rd m0rd]

hi guys, let me introduce myself - i've started to collect retro hardware about 1 1/2 years ago and have gathered about 17 consoles now. To get the best picture quality possible (?) i recently picked up a Sony BVM-2011P... for 50 bucks. And my buddy provided free transport with his company car.

But now i have some troubles with SYNC. I have two Scart->BNC cables. One with an LM1881 and one without it. With the LM1881 cable (from retrogamingcables) and RGB cable the SNES worked nearly perfect. The picture was stable until pictures with a high percentage of WHITE are shown, then it loses it's sync! What the..?

At least that's how it was yesterday, today the sync doesn't work at all!!

I've tested both sync inputs on the BVM, that doesn't make any difference.

With the mega drive 1 ( or should i say genesis? ) sync also doesn't work at all.

Both RGB cables i'm using also are from retrogamingcables. I know there has to be 5-12V on PIN 8 of the cables for the LM1881 to work. According to Robert from rgc they have this voltage and should work fine with the LM1881.

The cable without LM1881 also doesn't work. According to some guy i came across, this BVM model doesn't support composite video as sync.

I can however connect the composite video to the composite slot card and display composite video without any problems.

Are you familiar with these problems? Does anybody have the same BVM model working? I've heard different opinions on whether or not this model can handle composite video as sync, not needing csync.

Is there any chance that i won't have to get a sync strike additionally? Would you expect the problem to be solved with a sync strike with an external power supply connected? Thanks for the feedback!

[mchay]

Did you terminate the unused outputs with 75 ohm BNC resistor plugs?

[l0rd m0rd]

yes, at least on the outputs on the RGB slot. Do i also need to put them into the two outputs on the digital component card and composite card? And maybe even on the second sync input?

here's some more information

- on the BVM the "format" setting is set to RGB
- the BVM is set to external sync
- if i set it to internal sync or unplug the sync cable the problem is way worse

i took a video of the problem. I also switched from external to internal sync to show you the different results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1zWQaDNsMA

[fagin]

I'm pretty sure I've tried using composite video for sync on my 2010P and it worked. Unfortunately I don't easily have the means to re-test it, as my breakout cables for composite video are stored away.

I always use CSYNC by default (in respect of this monitor and my set-up config).

If your screen is blanking on high contrast, something is going "Pete Tong" with the sync from your SNES. You'd need to crack open the scart end, to see what's going on with the components on each line.

[l0rd m0rd]

hi, thank you very much guys for responding to my questions!! I wanted to give you an update about the current situation with my beloved BVM. I tried to disconnect everything from the power lines except the BVM and the console, didn't make any difference. I also did a factory reset on the BVM, still no difference. So i bit the bullet and additionally purchased a sync strike with external power supply.... I wasn't even suprised anymore that it still didn't work, even with the sync strike!! So after spending this much money on cables alone i almost gave up ... but still continued to trial and error. This way i discovered that the monitor accepts sync on green! When i connected the sync-cable to the Green-input and switched from external to internal sync i had a stable image!! Only the green colour was missing... obviously. So, out of sheer curiosity, i connected Green back to Green-input ... and sync to the Green-output. It f****** works!!!!!! I have a stable image with all colours. How crazy is that??! I'm quite stunned at the moment. How the f*** is this possible?

Well, at the moment i'm quite happy about it. On the other hand, i'm confused and have some concerns. I don't think that hooking things up this way is how it's meant to be. Mixing the green-channel and the sync signal by sending sync as an interfering signal via the Green-output ... thats quite unorthodox, to say the least.

What do you guys say about this situation?! To me it's if i was searching for the correct keys to a car and now i have just hot-wired it... the badass way.

Do you think this setup could harm my BVM?
Do you have any more ideas on how to get it working with external sync?

Thanks for the feedback!!

[mvsfan]

I think Sync on green means exactly that - Sync AND Green.

A T adapter should do the trick.

but it would be good to know WHY your monitor only works with sync on green and not seperate sync.

A bvm should take external sync fine. i think you are missing a setting somewhere.

[l0rd m0rd]

hi and thanks for your feedback! Well i would be quite happy if there's another option i just haven't found that enables external sync ... unfortunately i can't find it. I have the switch for internal or external sync and the switches for the RGB (or YUV, comp...)-signal. Its set to RGB and external / internal sync as i mentioned. Maybe there is another option i'm not seeing yet but i also purchased (!) the manual of my BVM and even there i can't find relevant information. In some thread i came across somebody said that he had to push the "H/V"-Button to get sync. He had a PVM not BVM, i don't have such a button.

Why am i the only one around here that has such huge problems with the external sync? I honestly don't get it. Others have stacks of PVMs and BVMs and don't have these issues. If there is someone who experienced similar problems please report in. I'm quite frustrated by now, the sync and green mixture doesn't seem that reasonable.