XRGB-mini Framemeister

[axlblazeadam]

And now i'm happy i finally got my capturing device, i wanted to show you this too:

I have a problem with my RGB modded N64. It has a horizontal flickering issue, clearly visible here with Mario64:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUloxT2JGlk

So far, i have ruled out:

- Scart switch: plugged the N64 directly into the Framemeister = also a flicker
- Faulty RGB cable: have been using the official Gamecube cable, and tested that one on another Framemeister = flicker free
- A bad mod: because i tested at somebody else's place with a Framemeister, with my cable = no flicker

Can it be:

- The PSU (used the PSU from somebody else when testing at their setup)
- Wrong settings in the Framemeister somehow (i doubt it?)
- My Framemeister SCART to DIN plug, which uses an external 5V?

All my other consoles work great regarding this issue, it's only my N64 which is acting up.

[axlblazeadam]

And sorry, one more thing...

My Sega Saturn (PAL, but modded to do the 50/60NTSC-US/60NTSC-JAP output) shows a little bit of cropping on some NTSC games...

For instance, Night Warriors, which i booted in US 60HZ (which the original disc is from)



I tried everything with the Framemeister, but the full picture isn't there whatever i try. Is it really because i boot this from a PAL system? (even though i have the multi region, multi 50/60 mod?)

[rayik]

Would be great if we can find a way to get the 5X profiles show everything except the overscan borders... i think it is a mission impossible

Fried my Turbo Everdrive with static electricity. New one ordered. Won't be able to try those games until it is recieved.

[Fudoh]

For instance, Night Warriors, which i booted in US 60HZ (which the original disc is from)

Capcom was too lazy to redraw the intro and title screen on this one, so it's cropped because of the higher CPS resolution (384 pixels). Nothing wrong with your setup.

[zoiks66]

Edit: Profiles are again working correctly. The fix makes no sense to me, but I guess all is well. I saved a new profile through the Framemeister menu, and I was able to view and load that new profile. So I removed the SD card from my Framemeister, loaded it through my PC, and noticed that it had created a new EEPDATA folder, where the new profile I had created was located. I then moved my existing profiles to the new EEPDATA folder and deleted the old EEPDATA folder. I put the SD card back in my Framemeister, and I could then again access all of my saved profiles. Very strange.

First of all, I've been monitoring this thread for several weeks and want to thank everyone that has posted profiles. They've been very helpful.

Tonight, when I powered on my Framemeister, I cannot load profiles, which had previously been working fine. It's like the Framemeister perhaps doesn't recognize the SD card any more. I verified the SD card works fine on my PC, and I formatted and reloaded all of the files on the SD card to see if that would help (I had a backup of the SD card). The EEPDATA folder contains the same profile bin files that were working correctly until tonight.

When I go to DATA --> LOAD_SELECT, everything is grayed out. I've power cycled my Framemeister numerous times, reset it several times, and have tried toggling ZOOM and other options on and off to see if that would help. So far nothing.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this? Is it possible my SD card went bad in a way that my PC will read it, but my Framemeister will not?

[FBX]

Would be great if we can find a way to get the 5X profiles show everything except the overscan borders... i think it is a mission impossible

No, it's not impossible. I removed such overscan borders on my Genesis/Megadrive profiles (both 4x and 5x). It involves using the Visual_Set functions to pull the active graphics to the edge of the screen, and then using the Zoom_Set functions to shape the image. But here's the catch: It's incredibly hard to develop profiles this way because it throws integer scaling off, and you have to juggle a half-dozen different functions to try and dial it back in while still maintaining the overscan mask. The Genesis profiles for example, took many hours to nail down this way, but it was totally worth it in the end.

All my other consoles work great regarding this issue, it's only my N64 which is acting up.

It looks to me like your N64 is to blame. I've got an original charcoal console with the RGB amp mod and an N64 Everdrive. I get no flicker on my end.

[axlblazeadam]

Fried my Turbo Everdrive with static electricity. New one ordered. Won't be able to try those games until it is recieved.

Oh man that sucks! Let me know if you get the same borders once you got a new unit.

Capcom was too lazy to redraw the intro and title screen on this one, so it's cropped because of the higher CPS resolution (384 pixels). Nothing wrong with your setup.

Wow, now you mention it, i only have this issue with Capcom titles! Thanks for clearing that up!

No, it's not impossible. I removed such overscan borders on my Genesis/Megadrive profiles (both 4x and 5x). It involves using the Visual_Set functions to pull the active graphics to the edge of the screen, and then using the Zoom_Set functions to shape the image. But here's the catch: It's incredibly hard to develop profiles this way because it throws integer scaling off, and you have to juggle a half-dozen different functions to try and dial it back in while still maintaining the overscan mask. The Genesis profiles for example, took many hours to nail down this way, but it was totally worth it in the end.

Okay, looks like i'll be spending a long time to get this right!

It looks to me like your N64 is to blame. I've got an original charcoal console with the RGB amp mod and an N64 Everdrive. I get no flicker on my end.

The weird thing is that i took this N64 to somebody else with a Framemeister and the flicker didn't show.

[FBX]

It looks to me like your N64 is to blame. I've got an original charcoal console with the RGB amp mod and an N64 Everdrive. I get no flicker on my end.

The weird thing is that i took this N64 to somebody else with a Framemeister and the flicker didn't show.

Well that is strange then. Was your friend's Framemeister on the same firmware and PCB revision?

[axlblazeadam]

Well that is strange then. Was your friend's Framemeister on the same firmware and PCB revision?

Same firmware, i have to ask for PCB revision! Good idea

[Tomdominer]

Hey chaps,

I've just had my N64 modded with this mod

I can't get the picture to properly sync with the framemeister. I've tried using the GameCube RGB cable DOL-009 (which doesn't give any picture) and the packapunch rgb pure c-sync cable from retrogamingcables which I use with my snes, which also has problems. I get a picture on Mario 64, but it sometimes goes blank, and Goldeneye doesn't get any picture at all.

I'm not sure whether the mod is not installed correctly, as I didn't do it myself, or something else?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I should mention my N64 is a very early japanese model and used to output jp21, if that makes any difference?

[Smashbro29]

That GARO seems like a must have for PS2 era consoles on the mini. Can't wait, previously I was told about this whole elaborate thing I'd have to do. Glad that's not gonna have to happen.

[Shuco13]

Hey chaps,

I've just had my N64 modded with this mod

I can't get the picture to properly sync with the framemeister. I've tried using the GameCube RGB cable DOL-009 (which doesn't give any picture) and the packapunch rgb pure c-sync cable from retrogamingcables which I use with my snes, which also has problems. I get a picture on Mario 64, but it sometimes goes blank, and Goldeneye doesn't get any picture at all.

I'm not sure whether the mod is not installed correctly, as I didn't do it myself, or something else?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I should mention my N64 is a very early japanese model and used to output jp21, if that makes any difference?

1. Have you got flawless output on another TV?
2. Do you only use JP21 cables and adapters?
3. Is your mod compatible with JP21?
4. Try adjusting the sync level on the Framemeister

[Tomdominer]

Thanks for the reply.

I've worked it out. Basically, the picture profile by the pixel purist for the N64 had an extremely high gamma setting. Not sure why? I think it might be because by default, the N64 doesn't output a very strong RGB picture, but this mod makes the picture strength A LOT stronger.

Anyway, using a different profile fixes everything.

Can I ask, the N64 profile from here http://www.firebrandx.com/pixelpurist.html, what is different from a normal picture profile? Just the gamma? They are hard to compare...

[TheShadowRunner]

I should mention my N64 is a very early japanese model and used to output jp21, if that makes any difference?

hmm why would you RGB mod it when it already did output RGB (JP21)...? :confused:

[Tomdominer]

Sorry, I thought JP21 was just the japanese wiring of the scart plug? My N64 never originally output RGB, only a JP21 s-video signal I think.

I did previously mod it to output rgb, by making a simple solder connection on the motherboard, but the picture wasn't great. Very dull. This new mod is much brighter.

[TheShadowRunner]

Sorry, I thought JP21 was just the japanese wiring of the scart plug? My N64 never originally output RGB, only a JP21 s-video signal I think.

I did previously mod it to output rgb, by making a simple solder connection on the motherboard, but the picture wasn't great. Very dull. This new mod is much brighter.

Oh no you're right, JP21 is just an alternate SCART wiring scheme, but "outputting JP21" is more often than not used to designate RGB I thought ^^;

[ApolloBoy]

only a JP21 s-video signal I think.

That's not even possible considering that the JP21 pinout doesn't have any provisions for S-video output unlike SCART.

[Wariolicious]

Just had my SFC Mini modded for augmented rgb through my framemeister. Output colors look absolutely crisp and fantastic, quite amazing. One thing though: Fire Emblem Holy War and Thracia have issues: Holy war's video is shaky when on the main battlefield map with audio cutting out, except is fine on dialogue screens, Thracia is fine on maps but has the same issue on fight screens.

Anyone have a clue?

[FBX]

Thanks for the reply.

I've worked it out. Basically, the picture profile by the pixel purist for the N64 had an extremely high gamma setting. Not sure why? I think it might be because by default, the N64 doesn't output a very strong RGB picture, but this mod makes the picture strength A LOT stronger.

Anyway, using a different profile fixes everything.

Can I ask, the N64 profile from here http://www.firebrandx.com/pixelpurist.html, what is different from a normal picture profile? Just the gamma? They are hard to compare...

The high gamma settings were for scanline users. If you don't use the Framemeister's scanline function, don't use the profile meant for them.

[Tomdominer]

Yeah, my framemeister has scanlines, yeah.

I think your N64 mod just isn't as bright as mine? Unless you've also got the one I linked to early?

This one: http://etim.net.au/shop/shop.php?crn=209

I mean, either way, the picture from your other profiles, with scanlines and without, work fine.

[FBX]

Yeah, my framemeister has scanlines, yeah.

I think your N64 mod just isn't as bright as mine? Unless you've also got the one I linked to early?

This one: http://etim.net.au/shop/shop.php?crn=209

I mean, either way, the picture from your other profiles, with scanlines and without, work fine.

I have the original charcoal console, so mine uses the small RGB amp mod and not Tim's board. That may cause a bit of difference.

[lechu]

I'm using the latest firmware. My scanline settings suck. Can't get anything good for 1080P or even 720P. I cannot find anything decent. I've been using profiles that Implantgames on Youtube use in the "How To XRGB Mini" series, and their scanline settings are from the old firmware.

The scanline settings on the Mini themselves are a bit confusing to me as well. Does anyone have good settings, or give me tips for getting good settings?

[Shuco13]

@lechu

Take a look at FBX's settings as a starting point. 40 INT LINE and 86 INT SMOOTH was the recommended setting by the way. 4x profiles work very well with scanlines, 5x and up allow only very thin scanlines.
I hope this gets fixed by Micomsoft some day. I really wish there were decent looking scanlines even on higher scaled profiles.

[austin532]

@lechu

Take a look at FBX's settings as a starting point. 40 INT LINE and 86 INT SMOOTH was the recommended setting by the way. 4x profiles work very well with scanlines, 5x and up allow only very thin scanlines.
I hope this gets fixed by Micomsoft some day. I really wish there were decent looking scanlines even on higher scaled profiles.

By me of course but did I say 86? If I did I meant 76. There are at least 3 things that will effect how scanlines look. The size of the display, whether you are using one of FBX's profiles which customizes Zoom settings, and how far you sit from the display. Try one of these scanline settings and see which one looks best to you ONLY if you are using a 4x 240p profile in 1080p mode and your TV is set to 1:1 ratio.

40 INT LINE and 76 INT SMOOTH
50 INT LINE and 81 INT SMOOTH
60 INT LINE and 86 INT SMOOTH
70 INT LINE and 91 INT SMOOTH

If you choose the darker settings you will definitely need to adjust the Gamma and possibly the Brightness to.

[Elrinth]

which is the best way to get best image quality to deliver Commodore-128 image over to the framemeister?

[Shuco13]

@austin532
Thanks for sharing the new settings. They all look great @4x. From my experience it's enough to rise BRIGHTNESS accordingly until you don't crush blacks anymore when applying scanlines. Scanlines compensate for any white clipping and most of the color change happening without, so no need to worry. It's better to avoid GAMMA if you don't need it.

[lechu]

@lechu

Take a look at FBX's settings as a starting point. 40 INT LINE and 86 INT SMOOTH was the recommended setting by the way. 4x profiles work very well with scanlines, 5x and up allow only very thin scanlines.
I hope this gets fixed by Micomsoft some day. I really wish there were decent looking scanlines even on higher scaled profiles.

By me of course but did I say 86? If I did I meant 76. There are at least 3 things that will effect how scanlines look. The size of the display, whether you are using one of FBX's profiles which customizes Zoom settings, and how far you sit from the display. Try one of these scanline settings and see which one looks best to you ONLY if you are using a 4x 240p profile in 1080p mode and your TV is set to 1:1 ratio.

40 INT LINE and 76 INT SMOOTH
50 INT LINE and 81 INT SMOOTH
60 INT LINE and 86 INT SMOOTH
70 INT LINE and 91 INT SMOOTH

If you choose the darker settings you will definitely need to adjust the Gamma and possibly the Brightness to.

Those don't look bad. Still a bit thin for my liking though. Is there a good setting if I use FBX's profiles in 720p?

[austin532]

You can't get perfectly even scanlines in 1080p mode so that's probably the best for now. If they look to thin then lower the INT SMOOTH by 5 for thicker scanlines.

Honestly I think they look just right. I even did a side by side comparison with a CRT. Very rarely do you get that perfectly even scanline look as their thickness is determined by how bright or dark the screen is. I adjusted them to match what I consider medium brightness as most retro games are bright and colorful.

All of FBX's profiles only work when set to HDMI 1080p mode or DVI 1920 x 1080 mode.

[Tomdominer]

Hey chaps, another question:

When loading profiles from the framemesiter there seems a duplicate / copy of any profile loaded with an underscore in front of the name.

Is there a way of getting rid of these?

[FBX]

Those don't look bad. Still a bit thin for my liking though. Is there a good setting if I use FBX's profiles in 720p?

My profiles cannot be properly used for 720p as they involve scaling factors that were designed for 1080p output.

Hey chaps, another question:

When loading profiles from the framemesiter there seems a duplicate / copy of any profile loaded with an underscore in front of the name.

Is there a way of getting rid of these?

You wouldn't by chance be using a Mac?