gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thread

The place for all discussion on gaming hardware
Locked
mjs0686
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:51 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by mjs0686 »

brandonx76 wrote:For SuperG or anyone that can share / help

I'm hearing about some type of sync converter that's in development

My problem, I'm attempting to run a playstation 2 on an XM29 Plus RGB for PS2. Been running it with a Sync on luma cable, and I'm able to get 240p / 480i, no problem but no go at 480p or above when forcing a higher resolution via GSM. Seems to be a sync issue. (I'm guessing)

I'm familiar with with Extron stuff thanks to retrorgb/bob - but not sure if it may be best to wait for SuperG's device. Anyone have any info on it, or if they think either of these will solve my problem?

best
PS2 when outputting 480P+ outputs the sync on the green pin (referred to as sync on green or SoG or RGsB) as opposed to regular RGBS.

If you do get this future cable that SuperG is talking about it will convert everything to RGBS and should fix your problem as far as I understand.
brandonx76
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 3:55 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by brandonx76 »

Hey - thanks for info. Oh wow, just a cable solution. That sounds pretty cool. Any mention of when its being planned to be released?


mjs0686 wrote:
If you do get this future cable that SuperG is talking about it will convert everything to RGBS and should fix your problem as far as I understand.
User avatar
superg
Posts: 1597
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:31 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by superg »

brandonx76 wrote:For SuperG or anyone that can share / help

I'm hearing about some type of sync converter that's in development

My problem, I'm attempting to run a playstation 2 on an XM29 Plus RGB for PS2. Been running it with a Sync on luma cable, and I'm able to get 240p / 480i, no problem but no go at 480p or above when forcing a higher resolution via GSM. Seems to be a sync issue. (I'm guessing)

I'm familiar with with Extron stuff thanks to retrorgb/bob - but not sure if it may be best to wait for SuperG's device. Anyone have any info on it, or if they think either of these will solve my problem?

best
The problem you're experiencing is a common issue, no sync when PS2 switches to VGA (480p) mode. The adapter I'm currently working on is supposed to fix that.
coderkind
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue May 16, 2017 12:30 pm
Location: London, England

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by coderkind »

superg; how is the thing you're working on different from this cable for example (that converts the sync to CSYNC): https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/son ... T-GUN-PORT ? Still trying to work out what's special about RGsB that might facilitate 480p.
User avatar
superg
Posts: 1597
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:31 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by superg »

coderkind wrote:superg; how is the thing you're working on different from this cable for example (that converts the sync to CSYNC): https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/son ... T-GUN-PORT ? Still trying to work out what's special about RGsB that might facilitate 480p.
It's totally unrelated, just a SCART CSYNC cable with composite break-out for a light gun.
480p PS2 circuit has to extract sync from Green and provide it as separate sync (and strip it from Green), that's what my adapter is doing.
User avatar
Guspaz
Posts: 3216
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:37 pm
Location: Montréal, Canada

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by Guspaz »

Put another way, that RGC SCART cable just extracts sync from the composite video input and sends it to the sync output. superg's cable (or box, or adapter, or whatever) will need to extract sync from *either* the composite video input *or* the green input, depending on which one has sync, and send *that* to the sync output.
coderkind
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue May 16, 2017 12:30 pm
Location: London, England

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by coderkind »

Thanks both :)
mjs0686
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:51 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by mjs0686 »

coderkind wrote:Thanks both :)
Just FYI, if you absolutely need to do this and can't wait and money is not an issue you can go:
PS2 Component RCA Out -> Garo -> RGBS SCART Out

The Garo will always output the proper RGBS signal that you need.

https://www.beharbros.com/garo
brandonx76
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 3:55 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by brandonx76 »

Thanks for update - that's kind of cool with the Garo - but I'd like have 240p too. Says it starts at 480i, so I'm not sure if that would have an issue. Leaning towards an Extron solution at this point
mjs0686
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:51 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by mjs0686 »

brandonx76 wrote:Thanks for update - that's kind of cool with the Garo - but I'd like have 240p too. Says it starts at 480i, so I'm not sure if that would have an issue. Leaning towards an Extron solution at this point
Hmm, I would double check on that. Most specs don't list 240p because its not really a "standard" resolution. For example when I input 240p from any of my consoles to my Sony PVM it always says its "480i", not "240p".

I would be quite surprised if the Garo did not work with 240p component input.
brandonx76
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 3:55 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by brandonx76 »

mjs0686 wrote:
brandonx76 wrote:Thanks for update - that's kind of cool with the Garo - but I'd like have 240p too. Says it starts at 480i, so I'm not sure if that would have an issue. Leaning towards an Extron solution at this point
Hmm, I would double check on that. Most specs don't list 240p because its not really a "standard" resolution. For example when I input 240p from any of my consoles to my Sony PVM it always says its "480i", not "240p".

I would be quite surprised if the Garo did not work with 240p component input.
Ohh...good point...thanks for info!
hyne
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 5:40 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by hyne »

brandonx76 wrote:
mjs0686 wrote:
brandonx76 wrote:Thanks for update - that's kind of cool with the Garo - but I'd like have 240p too. Says it starts at 480i, so I'm not sure if that would have an issue. Leaning towards an Extron solution at this point
Hmm, I would double check on that. Most specs don't list 240p because its not really a "standard" resolution. For example when I input 240p from any of my consoles to my Sony PVM it always says its "480i", not "240p".

I would be quite surprised if the Garo did not work with 240p component input.
Ohh...good point...thanks for info!
But isn't the point of using RGB Scart on PS2 because its output is of higher quality than the Component signal?

The Garo-way you suggested would mean:
PS2 -> Component Cable (YPbPr) -> Garo (convert to Scart and RGBs Sync) -> Scart Cable -> Upscaler/TV

That way you wouldn't get the slightly better quality the RGB output has to offer, since the chain starts with component.
User avatar
Guspaz
Posts: 3216
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:37 pm
Location: Montréal, Canada

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by Guspaz »

Yes, but it also can do all resolutions (240p/480i/480p) without swapping cables or special sync processing. It has the advantage of being a simpler setup.
brandonx76
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 3:55 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by brandonx76 »

Guspaz wrote:Yes, but it also can do all resolutions (240p/480i/480p) without swapping cables or special sync processing. It has the advantage of being a simpler setup.
Hmm, is there any lag on the conversion from component to VGA/SCART with Garo? I could see using this for a Wii solution. PS2 I'd like to keep signal native RGB. Hence the solution from SuperG or Extron may be the way for me
User avatar
Guspaz
Posts: 3216
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:37 pm
Location: Montréal, Canada

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by Guspaz »

There shouldn't be, I believe it's a pure analog conversion. It's not as high quality an option as RGB on the PS2, but for some people, the easy of use and/or simplicity of the setup will trump the quality difference.
mjs0686
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 4:51 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by mjs0686 »

brandonx76 wrote:
Guspaz wrote:Yes, but it also can do all resolutions (240p/480i/480p) without swapping cables or special sync processing. It has the advantage of being a simpler setup.
Hmm, is there any lag on the conversion from component to VGA/SCART with Garo? I could see using this for a Wii solution. PS2 I'd like to keep signal native RGB. Hence the solution from SuperG or Extron may be the way for me
There shouldn't be any no. Its a simple conversion.
User avatar
arithmaldor
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:39 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by arithmaldor »

An extron Rxi device will work perfectly for what is needed:

If you look on RetroRGB's page on playstation systems:

http://retrorgb.com/playstation.html

He describes ways to use the sync on green from the PS2.

Also check the page on the Extron Rxi:
http://retrorgb.com/extronrxi.html

The extron rxi 201 (1 input) and 203 (3 inputs) will take any RGB signal (including 480p RGsB) and convert it to RGBs.
I have an extron rxi 202 which can be found for cheaper and works the same except it has male db9 ports for inputs instead of the more accessible female db15 (i.e. VGA style) ports

So you go PS2 RGB --> Extron Rxi --> RGBs out

I run my PS2 through input 8 of the gscartsw 3.4 and use the vga out to go to the Rxi. The rxi will switch between all resolutions and between RGBs and RGsB inputs flawlessly (although mine requires the DDSP switch to be on for 480i, but you can leave this on all of the time if you don't need the centering controls) while maintaining a constant RGBs output.
Visit Tinkerplunk for mods, repairs, and custom PCBs!
Twitter: @arithmaldor
User avatar
arithmaldor
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:39 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by arithmaldor »

I think retro_console_accessories or retrogamingcables.co.uk should be able to make a custom cable that goes from the PS2 --> db15+3.5mm audio for the Rxi boxes if needed. The pinouts for the rxi boxes are pretty standard and are listed in the manuals.
Visit Tinkerplunk for mods, repairs, and custom PCBs!
Twitter: @arithmaldor
User avatar
arithmaldor
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:39 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by arithmaldor »

D'oh retrorgb himself explains this back on page 14. The only caveat from what he said to add to my post is that the Rxi boxes only accept clean sync, so since the PS2 uses sync-on-luma any cable chain going from the PS2 to the Rxi would require a sync stripper.
Visit Tinkerplunk for mods, repairs, and custom PCBs!
Twitter: @arithmaldor
User avatar
arithmaldor
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:39 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by arithmaldor »

mjs0686 wrote:
brandonx76 wrote:Thanks for update - that's kind of cool with the Garo - but I'd like have 240p too. Says it starts at 480i, so I'm not sure if that would have an issue. Leaning towards an Extron solution at this point
Hmm, I would double check on that. Most specs don't list 240p because its not really a "standard" resolution. For example when I input 240p from any of my consoles to my Sony PVM it always says its "480i", not "240p".

I would be quite surprised if the Garo did not work with 240p component input.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... wuIGCTR0iA

The Garo works with 240p
Visit Tinkerplunk for mods, repairs, and custom PCBs!
Twitter: @arithmaldor
User avatar
lettuce
Posts: 1336
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:10 pm
Location: Bedfordshire, England.

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by lettuce »

Haven't been keeping up with this thread, has the latest batch (first batch) of the gscartw lite been shipped out yet?
User avatar
superg
Posts: 1597
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:31 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by superg »

lettuce wrote:Haven't been keeping up with this thread, has the latest batch (first batch) of the gscartw lite been shipped out yet?
No, I'm still waiting for the manufactured boards.
magus90
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2016 4:15 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by magus90 »

Just wanted to say i got a GSCART months back and it easily the best purchase i have made for my collection. Excellently built and the functions have really made my gaming setup all come together. I almost want to buy a second just in case something happens to this one.

Definitely don't wait, i had to wait months to get mine because they kept selling out immediately.


Sorry again SuperG for the misunderstanding we had on assemblergames. IDK why i was being such a baby......

Image
User avatar
superg
Posts: 1597
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:31 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by superg »

magus90 wrote:Just wanted to say i got a GSCART months back and it easily the best purchase i have made for my collection. Excellently built and the functions have really made my gaming setup all come together. I almost want to buy a second just in case something happens to this one.

Definitely don't wait, i had to wait months to get mine because they kept selling out immediately.


Sorry again SuperG for the misunderstanding we had on assemblergames. IDK why i was being such a baby......

Image
I'm glad you sorted that out!
Sunray
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 11:56 am

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by Sunray »

superg: Are you planning to do a manual switch or something using the EXT header on the lite? That would be useful in some cases, for example when you want to toggle between two powered on consoles to calibrate your TV or compare picture quality.
User avatar
superg
Posts: 1597
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:31 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by superg »

Sunray wrote:superg: Are you planning to do a manual switch or something using the EXT header on the lite? That would be useful in some cases, for example when you want to toggle between two powered on consoles to calibrate your TV or compare picture quality.
At some point yes but currently busy with other stuff.
Milspex
Posts: 94
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 12:50 pm
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by Milspex »

Is there any estimate as to when the latest batch of gscart lites will ship?

I don't mind waiting so no rush.
daniel_collin
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jun 12, 2017 1:16 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by daniel_collin »

Hi,

I'm sorry if this has been stated earlier in the thread.

I wonder if the are any plans of another batch after the initial batch gscartsw_lite or if there are any plans for more of the gscartsw 3.4 version as it's sold out. I would be fine to place an order on either of them if possible (I looked at the homepage but I wasn't able to find any info about it)

Cheers!
User avatar
superg
Posts: 1597
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:31 pm

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by superg »

Milspex wrote:Is there any estimate as to when the latest batch of gscart lites will ship?

I don't mind waiting so no rush.
All the information is here:
http://www.gretrostuff.com/store/pre-or ... artsw_lite
daniel_collin wrote:Hi,

I'm sorry if this has been stated earlier in the thread.

I wonder if the are any plans of another batch after the initial batch gscartsw_lite or if there are any plans for more of the gscartsw 3.4 version as it's sold out. I would be fine to place an order on either of them if possible (I looked at the homepage but I wasn't able to find any info about it)

Cheers!
There will be extra units from this batch. I will put them on sale once I ship all the pre-orders. Of course there will be a subsequent batches after the current one. Not sure about v3.4 at the moment, I will need more lite feedback and then I'll decide if I will manufacture v3.4.
coderkind
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue May 16, 2017 12:30 pm
Location: London, England

Re: gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thre

Post by coderkind »

superg; for capturing the audio separately from a gscartsw_lite, would something like this do, and is it likely to introduce any signal degradation? https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/INL ... BLE-STEREO
Locked