I have no affiliation with Helder or assemblergames and paid full price for the product.
I use the XRGB-Mini but bypass the Mini for audio to avoid an extra a/d conversion and use analog audio straight to my AVR. This means every console cable I purchase needs audio breakout, or I would have to make or purchase a JP21 and EuroSCART audio breakout box, or I would have to modify my XRGB-Mini to add an analog audio passthrough (something I think was quite an oversight in the design of this product).
To reduce cabling complexity and cost I decided to add a Nintendo multi-out port to my genesis 3. The Nintendo multi-out port is great for analog audio and video: it supports s-video(chroma/luma), composite video, RGB, csync/pure sync/composite sync, 5v power, and stereo audio all in one port. There are many high quality RGB cables manufactured for it, including the custom made JP21 w/ stereo rca breakout cable I own. There are not as many cabling options for the genesis port. There is a csync pin on the Sega Genesis, but many folks including myself have not seen a stable csync signal actually output from it (probably depends highly on your model, revision, and luck).
Anyways, to the helder port. I had a problem with my initial shipment: I purchased multiple products but only received one. I notified helder and in less than 24 hours my SNES port was shipped out again. Great customer service.
The port is a nasty white color and obviously 3d printed. There apparently used to be a black version for sale which would look a lot nicer, especially in a sega genesis, but for some reason this doesn't seem to be for sale anymore.
The pinout matches that you may be used to from modding N64 systems etc., but is inverted because this time you are looking at the port from the top, not the bottom. Here is the pinout by helder which I followed:
Making room for the port required just a little bit of grinding inside my Genesis 3 case, which is tiny without much room. I imagine adding this port to most game consoles would be a piece of cake. The port offers two screw holes for mounting, but I found that blobs of hot glue held the port in just fine and made for a nicer finish on the outside of my case.
I recommend this mod to those looking to simplify their cable story, looking to add s-video to a system not designed for it (such as the genesis av port), or those looking to modernize an older system like an NES or Atari 2600 without wanting to go full HDMI or mess with individual RCA ports. Clearly this is not an adventure for purists, those still suffering from PTSD regarding the great Sega-Nintendo war of the 90's, or those that think taking a Dremel and soldering iron to a perfectly working classic console is heresy.
