XRGB3 - have I fried my RGB input?

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 1:29 pm

Hi all,

Picked up an XRGB3 on my recent visit to Tokyo and in general I'm pleased with it but haven't been able to get the RGB input working at all. I have an RGB-modded NTSC-J Nintendo 64 and an unmodified Super Famicom which I would like to connect via the RGB input rather than S-Video.

I have tried both these consoles with the one cable that I own which I was told is wired for RGB. It does produce a superior image when I use this cable directly with my TV so I had no reason until now to doubt that it is indeed wired correctly. However neither console is picked up by the XRGB3 when connected with this cable. I haven't tried any other cables because I've read that this input can actually be damaged/destroyed by incorrectly-wired cables.

Here are some photos of the internal wiring of my cable:

Top Pins
Bottom Pins

I would be very grateful if anyone could tell me:

1. If the cable is correctly wired for RGB and should work with the XRGB3 and the consoles mentioned
2. If it is likely/certain that I have blown the input by using this cable
3. What my options are if I have indeed blown the input

Thank you very much.

Sixfortyfive · Post by **Sixfortyfive** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:03 pm

If your cable works on a European TV, then it's likely the wrong type of cable for your XRGB and has likely damaged the unit.

If the 21-pin port on the front of the unit is unusable, you can probably use the VGA input port in the back as an alternative by chaining an RGBs (SCART) to RGBHV (VGA) adapter.

blizzz · Post by **blizzz** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:16 pm

If the SCART cable works on your UK TV then it is a normal European SCART cable. The XRGB products have JP-21 inputs, which are physically identical, but wired differently. Plugging a EU SCART cable into the JP-21 input on an XRGB-3 fries it. But as Sixfortyfive already wrote, you should still be able to use the input on the back. So not all is lost.

Also your cable is missing some caps that should be in the RGB lines.

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:18 pm

Oh bugger. Thanks guys. Absolutely no chance that input is still working?

kel · Post by **kel** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:36 pm

The only way to find out is to buy a scart to RGB21 adapter and try it, you might be lucky.

If it is blown then it isn't a big job to repair it if you are handy with a soldering iron. The video switch ICs are still available. I ordered some recently that just arrived the other day.

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:46 pm

kel wrote:The only way to find out is to buy a scart to RGB21 adapter and try it, you might be lucky.

If it is blown then it isn't a big job to repair it if you are handy with a soldering iron. The video switch ICs are still available. I ordered some recently that just arrived the other day.

Ah, well that's reassuring. I've ordered an SHVC-010 cable which I'll test the input with when it arrives. Hopefully it still works, if not I'll need to work out how to repair it - finding a female SCART to VGA adapter online is not proving easy.

kel · Post by **kel** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:32 pm

In the worst case scenario, if you need any advice or help repairing it then let me know.

I have to repair mine again for the third time when I can get around to it. I wouldn't mind but it just got a new breath of life when I realized how good it looks when connected through a transcoder to the component input on my TV. Beats the XRGB-3 DVDO Edge combo for me hands down.

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:28 am

kel wrote:In the worst case scenario, if you need any advice or help repairing it then let me know.

I have to repair mine again for the third time when I can get around to it. I wouldn't mind but it just got a new breath of life when I realized how good it looks when connected through a transcoder to the component input on my TV. Beats the XRGB-3 DVDO Edge combo for me hands down.

You hero - thanks very much for the offer.

Hopefully the input will still work and when this JP21 cable arrives I'll be all set, but I may need to pester you for help if it's toast...

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:10 am

There really ought to be a sticky about this.

Sorry for your probable loss, hosser

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:00 pm

My SHVC-010 cable arrived and YAHOO my XRGB3's RGB input is still functioning after its encounter with a Euro SCART cable. I've also got the B1 mode working and the scanlines look great. I've tested it with my RGB-modded N64 and it works great, but sadly it lacks an RGB amplifier so the picture is quite dark. I can correct this using my TV and XRGB3's picture controls well enough though. Might look into the RGB amp mod in the future.

The Super Famicom though is another story. I expected this one to work perfectly as this is the system this cable was designed for. However, the picture jumps around like mad and none of the options on the XRGB help (AFC, VSync, etc.). Interestingly the Super Famicom also does this when connected via S-Video and even Composite.

Here is a video of the issue: http://youtu.be/xVax2atoROA

Could it be an issue with the PSU I am using? It's an Atari Jaguar PSU - 9 V, 1.2 A, 10.8 VA. If I connect the Super Famicom directly to my TV with a different (Euro SCART) cable it works absolutely fine though, so I have no idea.

Any help/advice gratefully received!

kel · Post by **kel** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:01 pm

It seems like the RGB input is still working because you probably wouldn't get any picture at all if you had fried it.

You should probably try another power supply with a bit more current capacity. If I remember correctly the original XRGB-3 power supply is 11v 2A.

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:18 pm

kel wrote:It seems like the RGB input is still working because you probably wouldn't get any picture at all if you had fried it.

You should probably try another power supply with a bit more current capacity. If I remember correctly the original XRGB-3 power supply is 11v 2A.

Ah, sorry I was talking about the Super Famicom PSU - I'm using one of these to power the XRGB3 (set to 11V).

Do you think it could be that which is at fault? :O

kel · Post by **kel** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:23 pm

Oh, I see. No that power supply looks fine to me.

Have you tried resetting the XRGB? It has sorted out all sorts of problems for me in the past. Just put it in stand by and then hold the Menu and OK buttons for 2 seconds whilst turning it back on.

The other possibility is the caps in your new cable. Those cables are quite old now, even the "brand new" ones and it is common for the caps to leak. I realize that the cable works fine on the N64 but without an amp the signal levels would be a lot lower so maybe the caps can still handle it, I don't know. I would check the caps in the cable regardless anyway if I were you.

EDIT: Just noticed that you get the same problem though S-Video and composite so it's obviously not the caps in your new cable causing the problem although it can't do any harm to check the caps sometime in the future as a precaution.

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 12:20 am

Yeah I've reset it a bunch of times, no joy

Good thinking about the caps, though yeah as you say it wouldn't explain why it happens with the S-Video cable too.

Anyway I've discovered that the Super Famicom works absolutely fine in B0. So, no scanlines but at least it works!

Annoyingly my Famicom only works in B0 too. The N64 looks best in B1. Shame you have to reset the XRGB to switch modes.

All that said I'm now pretty satisfied with my setup. Thanks for all the help and advice kel.

kel · Post by **kel** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 2:37 am

It could be that your TV's VGA input doesn't like the slightly of spec 60.1Hz refresh rate that the Super Famicom has. This would explain why the N64 is fine in B1 mode and also why the Super Famicom only works well in B0 mode.

Try it on a different display to confirm if this is the case. I think some displays have compatibility problems with B1 mode if I remember correctly.

hosser · Post by **hosser** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 7:32 am

I tried it on my computer monitor (Dell U2412M) and the result was exactly the same. That doesn't rule out display incompatibility though. Maybe I'll borrow a few screens from work and see if any of them work.

stuntman · Post by **stuntman** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 11:29 am

Well, I guess I can join the club for people who fried the "GAME IN" input on their XRGB3

I normally use the rear input (which fortunately still works) but I just wanted to try something quickly.....DOH!

I'd like to repair it (I can solder) and would appreciate any advice. What parts will I need to order?

Fudoh · Post by **Fudoh** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 2:28 pm

AN15865 is what you need. It's the video switching IC.

Deubeul · Post by **Deubeul** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:09 pm

I have spares if you want. That's not an easy IC to find.

stuntman · Post by **stuntman** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 8:50 pm

Thanks, Fudoh. You're always there with the right info

Deubeul, I appreciate your offer. Just about to send you a PM...

stuntman · Post by **stuntman** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 8:47 pm

I just replaced the AN15865 IC (thanks to Deubeul for supplying the part) and the GAME IN input still doesn't work (very dark mostly black image, loud audio buzz). The rear inputs still work as before, and I'm reasonably confident I did a good soldering job.

I'm thinking the fault could be another component before the AN15865, but I'm wary of making things worse so I might just leave things as they are.

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XRGB3 - have I fried my RGB input?

XRGB3 - have I fried my RGB input?

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