XRGB-3 Help Sync issue. I'm a complete noob

[KoroKoro]

Hi guys.

Sorry if this has been asked a million times, but I'm kind of drowning in too much info or wrong info for that matter. I know there is an xrgb3 thread but it has too many posts to read through so I hope someone with more knowledge can help me out please.

So, I only have a hand full of consoles (SMS, MD, Saturn, Dreamcast) that I'm trying to hook up to my XRGB3 and I cant for the life of me work it out.

I have tried a 220uF cap, cap plus 75ohm resistor and a direct connection with RGBS. I can't seem to find good info online. There is soo much misinformation and misuse of terminology

Here is a video of the kind of results I am getting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=13&v=SEP7DviZvXs



I also just got an email from Micomsoft, and they suspect its my home made rgb cable. probably grounding and shielding. Am I supposed to be using special shielded wire? And am I supposed to the RGB grounds hooked up as well?

I'm also not sure about what I should be doing with the caps and resistors. Plus I have read that people put sync cleaners on composite video and use that as csync. Is that what I am supposed to be doing? And some say the signals need to be amped/boosted and/or buffered as well.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Cheers.

[Fudoh]

now that's a monstrosity

different systems require different cable configs. It's usually simpler to put the required components directly into the RGB cable you're running from the system in question - instead of trying to make a multi-purpose cap/resistor adapter (which I assume this is supposed to be).

On the XRGB-3 you got an internal termination switch for the front RGB input (via menu). Tried that ? Or are you using the RGB input on the back ?

[KoroKoro]

monstrosity indeed lol

I was trying to make a multi-purpose cap/resistor adapter actually... mainly because I couldn't be stuffed making 10 different scart cables.

Unfortunately I just got my xrgb back from micomsoft for repairs (wasnt actually anything wrong with it) but they updated the firmware and its now back in Japanese.

Before sending them the unit, I was using the RGB input on the back mainly because it was neater... but I'm now getting interested in separating the csync to HVsync. Maybe that would solve my problem?

I really want to avoid things like jailbars etc so I'm not sure if I want to be using comp video. I tried that on the sega saturn and I wasn't impressed with the video quality to be honest. Colours looked fuzzy, grainy and hazy. Not to mention it would lose sync every so often

I have also just read that sony recommends using a 470uF cap etc etc.

I've been forwarded this many times, but it seems to me that this really only applies to RGB crt monitors. And I get the feeling the xrgb3 is a lot more picky about what signals it likes.

I mean its been quite a let down. I've had the xrgb3 for about 4~5 years and I still haven't been able to play games on it

[Fudoh]

I really want to avoid things like jailbars etc so I'm not sure if I want to be using comp video. I tried that on the sega saturn and I wasn't impressed with the video quality to be honest. Colours looked fuzzy, grainy and hazy. Not to mention it would lose sync every so often

why should you ? But on most systems composite video for RGB sync is fine. Especially on the Saturn it hardly makes a difference. Since you got software switchable termination on the Scart front input, I would use this one instead of the back-RGB input. Eventually you can use both to minimize switching.

You should really take it step by step, meaning system by system. Start with your Saturn. It's got a good source signal and works well with the XRGB-3. DC is ok as well, but you should be using VGA in the first place, so running a DC through the XRGB-3 makes only sense for a very limited number of systems. MD can be rough and your best shot here is indeed a LM1881 in your RGB cable.

And I get the feeling the xrgb3 is a lot more picky about what signals it likes.

not really. RGB cables without shielding or the proper config would give you the same problems on a CRT.

[KoroKoro]

Cheers for that.

I guess I need to find a better source of shielded cable. I wasn't able to find anything better than my 9 wire computer cable which is unshielded. Maybe I should hack apart a VGA cable and use that?

I guess if its the only other option I have is the LM1881 but I don't really understand how the csync out of that is better than what my console generates natively.

When I hooked up the saturn with sync on composite, this is basically what I was getting but a little worse actually.

at 9:20

https://youtu.be/LAlrdCBjUAQ?t=9m20s

[ApolloBoy]

I guess I need to find a better source of shielded cable. I wasn't able to find anything better than my 9 wire computer cable which is unshielded. Maybe I should hack apart a VGA cable and use that?

That's what most people use when they build their own SCART cables.

[BuckoA51]

But on most systems composite video for RGB sync is fine.

Definitely disagree for XRGB3, clean sync is a must. Better picture in my experience (no dot-crawl/checkerboarding) and if you don't use it your picture will drop when the screen gets too bright. That definitely affects the Saturn too.

[Fudoh]

Let's put in perspective where he's coming from ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=13&v=SEP7DviZvXs ).

I think on the Saturn it might matter which console revision you're using. I never had any problems with mine and in my XRGB-3 days I strictly used the japanese Sega JP21 cable which certainly isn't wire for c-sync.

[BuckoA51]

I should have tried the Model 1 I had in for testing recently for the screen blanking issue. Honestly though I've never known a console that didn't do it with a sufficiently bright screen and a composite video for sync cable.

Though yes, certainly the problem in the video is not due to composite video for sync.

[KoroKoro]

Well, I chopped a VGA cable and wired it all up without the switches. There was a slight improvement.

So I decided to try my other console... and it works flawlessly. So after all this... it was my console. T.T Not happy Jan!

Thanks so much for the replies, guys Very much appreciated!