gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thread

[superg]

I'm not sure about the reasoning from an electrical standpoint, it's just what I've heard repeated by enough people who know far more about it than me. I believe that Tim Worthington had said it was to reduce audio buzz: I would guess that the higher the voltage, the more likely it would be to couple to the other lines?

I was just curious, I'd never put it there because it will confuse everybody and ease of access also.

[jwo825]

I got mail! I got mail! YAYYYYY!

(paypal notified me of shipment)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gj8bin3vlQ

-FBX

Did you order the gscartsw_lite and the gcompsw? I'm just wondering because I placed my order about a week after you for only the gscartsw_lite. I'm just seeing if I can get an idea of when mine might ship.

[beaver_cheese]

I got my shipping notification!

I already have a 3.4 that's maxed out that I'm outputting to a PVM via the vga connector to BNC and to an XRGB via the scart output.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the daisy chain. Would I be able to output to my PVM from the 3.4 via the vga to bnc and then over the the lite via the scart output and then output from the lite's scart output to the XRGB? Would the consoles hooked up to the lite be visible on the PVM via vga to BNC?

How do I hook it up so that all consoles work on both outputs via the VGA to BNC to the PVM and to the XRGB via the lite's scart output?

Thanks!

[superg]

I got mail! I got mail! YAYYYYY!

(paypal notified me of shipment)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gj8bin3vlQ

-FBX

Did you order the gscartsw_lite and the gcompsw? I'm just wondering because I placed my order about a week after you for only the gscartsw_lite. I'm just seeing if I can get an idea of when mine might ship.

In the first few days there were ordered much more units than the rest, it's always like this when I open the pre-orders.
Also some combined orders were at a later date but as it was so much easier for me to ship them first, I did it. Now it's strictly first come first served.
I'm currently soldering more units to be shipped this week.

[ChuChu Flamingo]

I know you answered there will be extras of Gscartsw being avialable after everyone gets their orders, but will there be extra Gcompsw? I can't remember.

[jwo825]

I got mail! I got mail! YAYYYYY!

(paypal notified me of shipment)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gj8bin3vlQ

-FBX

Did you order the gscartsw_lite and the gcompsw? I'm just wondering because I placed my order about a week after you for only the gscartsw_lite. I'm just seeing if I can get an idea of when mine might ship.

In the first few days there were ordered much more units than the rest, it's always like this when I open the pre-orders.
Also some combined orders were at a later date but as it was so much easier for me to ship them first, I did it. Now it's strictly first come first served.
I'm currently soldering more units to be shipped this week.

I honestly don't mind the wait, I'm just getting excited. I was just trying to figure out if you were to that point of going in order now. It makes me more excited that it might not be long now, but I really wouldn't be upset if it takes another month or so to ensure quality. You really have your nose to the grindstone getting these things shipped out, make sure you take some time for yourself periodically to rest and recharge.

[superg]

I know you answered there will be extras of Gscartsw being avialable after everyone gets their orders, but will there be extra Gcompsw? I can't remember.

I don't have any gcompsw units at the moment and I haven't ordered anything, let me finish with lite situation first, that's the top priority.

[juji82]

Arrived both today. Thanks a lot! Time to finish gaming room, finally

[Arious13]

Hi I'm looking to get out in the list for the gscart ligh. The 8:2 one that has 2 scart outputs. Are the preorders open or closed right now?

[coderkind]

Got my gscartsw_lite today; have yet to hook it up, but very excited

@superg; forgive my ignorance, but what's the "JTAG" socket for?

Also, I'm slightly confused where sync situation stands with the addition of the "CS/OFF" switch; would switching it to "OFF" mean that sync wasn't altered regarding what was fed in from a SCART cable (potentially opening the door to SCART 480p PS2 to work, but also possibly those AV Component to SCART adapters, such as the ones Bob from RetroRGB has previously recommended: https://store.retrofixes.com/collection ... pter-audio)?

[LK4O4]

I've been using the gcompsw for a little while now and it's awesome. Thank you! However, four inputs and one output isn't that many. I imagine I should be able to add more inputs by just daisy-chaining another gcompsw, but does anyone have a component splitter they'd recommend for adding more component outputs?

[superg]

Got my gscartsw_lite today; have yet to hook it up, but very excited

@superg; forgive my ignorance, but what's the "JTAG" socket for?

JTAG port can be used to upgrade Altera firmware.

Also, I'm slightly confused where sync situation stands with the addition of the "CS/OFF" switch; would switching it to "OFF" mean that sync wasn't altered regarding what was fed in from a SCART cable (potentially opening the door to SCART 480p PS2 to work, but also possibly those AV Component to SCART adapters, such as the ones Bob from RetroRGB has previously recommended: https://store.retrofixes.com/collection ... pter-audio)?

You're right about unaltered sync when the switch is in OFF position however it has nothing to do with PS2 VGA mode, it won't be detected by the switch. If you want more, somewhere in this topic it has been explained in detail.

[Arious13]

Hi, I'm new to all this and would really like to buy the gscart light. THe one with 2 scart output and 8 scart inputs.

I've tried reading the instructions and pages but I'm still confused.

I'm hoping to get some direction here as to what to do. I don't mind if there's a waiting period but in the mean time I'd like to do everything I can do now to get started.

Thanks in advance.

[Sir Tonk]

Hi, I'm new to all this and would really like to buy the gscart light. THe one with 2 scart output and 8 scart inputs.

I've tried reading the instructions and pages but I'm still confused.

I'm hoping to get some direction here as to what to do. I don't mind if there's a waiting period but in the mean time I'd like to do everything I can do now to get started.

Thanks in advance.

info is typically kept current in the first post, orders are opened at different times throughout the year

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50851

[superg]

Hi, I'm new to all this and would really like to buy the gscart light. THe one with 2 scart output and 8 scart inputs.

I've tried reading the instructions and pages but I'm still confused.

I'm hoping to get some direction here as to what to do. I don't mind if there's a waiting period but in the mean time I'd like to do everything I can do now to get started.

Thanks in advance.

There will be extra units after I ship the current ones. Everything will be announced here.

Soldered more units today, will be assembled and shipped tomorrow.

[Ward1986]

Got my gscartsw_lite today; have yet to hook it up, but very excited

@superg; forgive my ignorance, but what's the "JTAG" socket for?

JTAG port can be used to upgrade Altera firmware.

Also, I'm slightly confused where sync situation stands with the addition of the "CS/OFF" switch; would switching it to "OFF" mean that sync wasn't altered regarding what was fed in from a SCART cable (potentially opening the door to SCART 480p PS2 to work, but also possibly those AV Component to SCART adapters, such as the ones Bob from RetroRGB has previously recommended: https://store.retrofixes.com/collection ... pter-audio)?

You're right about unaltered sync when the switch is in OFF position however it has nothing to do with PS2 VGA mode, it won't be detected by the switch. If you want more, somewhere in this topic it has been explained in detail.

I posted a few days back that I had purchased CSYNC cables from retrogamingcables.co.uk, and was advised that they may introduce additional lag when connected through the gscartsw_lite as it already has this functionality built in.
Would switching off CS resolve this issue? Also I believe the chip used, the LM1881 is inferior the chip present in the gscartsw_lite?

[Ward1986]

Does anyone know of any modders in the UK, ideally Northern Ireland?

[Ctullu]

Any word on when your next batch of gscart lites might be?

Also, thanks for creating this great product. My current setup is mediocre at best, using a cheap ebay scart adapter "switch" right now. All of the plugs are just wired together. This causes some real issues. I just took out the "switch" and plug my SCART consoles into my scaler directly when I want to use them. A good scaler is needed here too (Framemeister or similar), and maybe a newer TV that will scale better for lower resolutions (a 4K?).

I still need to add a few consoles in here too, the bottom left is just a box, no console there yet , and the bottom shelf under the Atari's is just the Atari 5200 trackball controller.
I built this with just some MDF, wooden dowels, and lots of wood glue. The back plate is just a thin piece of white laminated MFD from Home Depot I drilled holes in for the cable ports.
I though of putting in some RGB lighting strips above each console, but don't really want to deal with wiring it all together (I would use individual controllers for each console, so each cubby's lighting could be individually controlled).

Pretty much everything that can run through SCART is using that, a few are using component, and the Dreamcast is using VGA. With the exception of the NES, all of the others are using S-Video (Ataris are modded, I soldered the output to a Nintendo SNES output jack, this makes finding cheap quality cables easy) The NES is using good old Composite video though. I have another one I might open up and mod for better video output though. I found a decent S-Video auto switcher at a yard sale, and use a composite to S-Video adapter to connect the NES, which works well and it still auto switches when powering the NES on or off.



Let me know what you guys think. Also, what are your suggestions for a scaler and TV? (unfortunately a CRT is not really an option for me. I move frequently due to work)

[Ward1986]

Any word on when your next batch of gscart lites might be?

Also, thanks for creating this great product. My current setup is mediocre at best, using a cheap ebay scart adapter "switch" right now. All of the plugs are just wired together. This causes some real issues. I just took out the "switch" and plug my SCART consoles into my scaler directly when I want to use them. A good scaler is needed here too (Framemeister or similar), and maybe a newer TV that will scale better for lower resolutions (a 4K?).

I still need to add a few consoles in here too, the bottom left is just a box, no console there yet , and the bottom shelf under the Atari's is just the Atari 5200 trackball controller.
I built this with just some MDF, wooden dowels, and lots of wood glue. The back plate is just a thin piece of white laminated MFD from Home Depot I drilled holes in for the cable ports.
I though of putting in some RGB lighting strips above each console, but don't really want to deal with wiring it all together (I would use individual controllers for each console, so each cubby's lighting could be individually controlled).

Pretty much everything that can run through SCART is using that, a few are using component, and the Dreamcast is using VGA. With the exception of the NES, all of the others are using S-Video (Ataris are modded, I soldered the output to a Nintendo SNES output jack, this makes finding cheap quality cables easy) The NES is using good old Composite video though. I have another one I might open up and mod for better video output though. I found a decent S-Video auto switcher at a yard sale, and use a composite to S-Video adapter to connect the NES, which works well and it still auto switches when powering the NES on or off.



Let me know what you guys think. Also, what are your suggestions for a scaler and TV? (unfortunately a CRT is not really an option for me. I move frequently due to work)

I'm planning on building something similar. Getting the set up sorted first. Already have the Framemeister and a gcompsw, hopefully get a Gscart-lite when they become available. Been getting my cables which has been a nightmare in itself trying to decipher the strange world of sync.
Have all the consoles, bar a Sega Master System and a Switch. Plan on RGB modding both the NES and N64 using Tim Worthington's boards.
Have all the dimensions of the consoles aswell as my home cinema receiver, just have to design a unit to house them all. I too plan on doing the LED backlighting as well as doing a false back in which I can organise all the wires, switches and power. Only want one power plug and HDMI coming out the back of the unit.

[DiegoPonga]

By the way, Superg, we talked several months ago about a possible extension for the Gscart that allowed us to select manually the inputs. This is something I would like, since I plan to have some slots with different sync (i.e., PS2 RGsB, Wii and Xbox YPbPr-through-SCART, etc). Do you think this is going to be a thing?

Any word on when your next batch of gscart lites might be?

Also, thanks for creating this great product. My current setup is mediocre at best, using a cheap ebay scart adapter "switch" right now. All of the plugs are just wired together. This causes some real issues. I just took out the "switch" and plug my SCART consoles into my scaler directly when I want to use them. A good scaler is needed here too (Framemeister or similar), and maybe a newer TV that will scale better for lower resolutions (a 4K?).

I still need to add a few consoles in here too, the bottom left is just a box, no console there yet , and the bottom shelf under the Atari's is just the Atari 5200 trackball controller.
I built this with just some MDF, wooden dowels, and lots of wood glue. The back plate is just a thin piece of white laminated MFD from Home Depot I drilled holes in for the cable ports.
I though of putting in some RGB lighting strips above each console, but don't really want to deal with wiring it all together (I would use individual controllers for each console, so each cubby's lighting could be individually controlled).

Pretty much everything that can run through SCART is using that, a few are using component, and the Dreamcast is using VGA. With the exception of the NES, all of the others are using S-Video (Ataris are modded, I soldered the output to a Nintendo SNES output jack, this makes finding cheap quality cables easy) The NES is using good old Composite video though. I have another one I might open up and mod for better video output though. I found a decent S-Video auto switcher at a yard sale, and use a composite to S-Video adapter to connect the NES, which works well and it still auto switches when powering the NES on or off.



Let me know what you guys think. Also, what are your suggestions for a scaler and TV? (unfortunately a CRT is not really an option for me. I move frequently due to work)

OSSC is the best option. Cheaper than Framemeister, and you avoid problems with sync (OSSC is compatible with almost everything), aspect ratio (again, OSSC handles weird aspect ratios), input lag (0 lag with OSSC), artifacts (since it's not upscaling), signals (you don't have to convert both Xbox and Wii to RGB 480p with Garo, for instance), resolutions (many upscalers get crazy with 240p)...

Really, I think OSSC is the best thing you can have.

[Ward1986]

[quote="DiegoPonga"]By the way, Superg, we talked several months ago about a possible extension for the Gscart that allowed us to select manually the inputs. This is something I would like, since I plan to have some slots with different sync (i.e., PS2 RGsB, Wii and Xbox YPbPr-through-SCART, etc). Do you think this is going to be a thing?

[quote="Ctullu"]Any word on when your next batch of gscart lites might be?

Also, thanks for creating this great product. My current setup is mediocre at best, using a cheap ebay scart adapter "switch" right now. All of the plugs are just wired together. This causes some real issues. I just took out the "switch" and plug my SCART consoles into my scaler directly when I want to use them. A good scaler is needed here too (Framemeister or similar), and maybe a newer TV that will scale better for lower resolutions (a 4K?).

I still need to add a few consoles in here too, the bottom left is just a box, no console there yet , and the bottom shelf under the Atari's is just the Atari 5200 trackball controller.
I built this with just some MDF, wooden dowels, and lots of wood glue. The back plate is just a thin piece of white laminated MFD from Home Depot I drilled holes in for the cable ports.
I though of putting in some RGB lighting strips above each console, but don't really want to deal with wiring it all together (I would use individual controllers for each console, so each cubby's lighting could be individually controlled).

Pretty much everything that can run through SCART is using that, a few are using component, and the Dreamcast is using VGA. With the exception of the NES, all of the others are using S-Video (Ataris are modded, I soldered the output to a Nintendo SNES output jack, this makes finding cheap quality cables easy) The NES is using good old Composite video though. I have another one I might open up and mod for better video output though. I found a decent S-Video auto switcher at a yard sale, and use a composite to S-Video adapter to connect the NES, which works well and it still auto switches when powering the NES on or off.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/HIYgKVE.jpg[/img]

Let me know what you guys think. Also, what are your suggestions for a scaler and TV? (unfortunately a CRT is not really an option for me. I move frequently due to work)[/quote]

OSSC is the best option. Cheaper than Framemeister, and you avoid problems with [b]sync[/b] (OSSC is compatible with almost everything), [b]aspect ratio[/b] (again, OSSC handles weird aspect ratios), [b]input lag[/b] (0 lag with OSSC), [b]artifacts[/b] (since it's not upscaling), [b]signals[/b] (you don't have to convert both Xbox and Wii to RGB 480p with Garo, for instance), [b]resolutions[/b] (many upscalers get crazy with 240p)...

Really, I think OSSC is the best thing you can have.[/quote]

Yeah but it lacks HDMI, pain in the arse having to run a second wire for sound. Not all TVs allow a second source for audio whilst on a HDMI input

[DiegoPonga]

Yeah but it lacks HDMI, pain in the arse having to run a second wire for sound. Not all TVs allow a second source for audio whilst on a HDMI input

As far as I know, you have two options:

1) Newer iteration of OSSC, which will have both sound and video in the same output.

2) Buying one of these:



Never tried this option, but if it works, it's not a big deal.

[superg]

By the way, Superg, we talked several months ago about a possible extension for the Gscart that allowed us to select manually the inputs. This is something I would like, since I plan to have some slots with different sync (i.e., PS2 RGsB, Wii and Xbox YPbPr-through-SCART, etc). Do you think this is going to be a thing?

Definitely not now as I'm busy. Once I'll get some free time I might do one.

Guys please no off-topic.

[Ward1986]

Yeah but it lacks HDMI, pain in the arse having to run a second wire for sound. Not all TVs allow a second source for audio whilst on a HDMI input

As far as I know, you have two options:

1) Newer iteration of OSSC, which will have both sound and video in the same output.

2) Buying one of these:



Never tried this option, but if it works, it's not a big deal.

That's fine for plugging into the OSSC, but what about the end that plugs into TV, it will have to be HDMI and is only wired for digital audio not analogue

[superg]

That's fine for plugging into the OSSC, but what about the end that plugs into TV, it will have to be HDMI and is only wired for digital audio not analogue

Please no more unrelated discussion here, it's difficult to search for the information when topic is overloaded with stuff.

[Magicalbottle]

Got my gscartsw_lite today; have yet to hook it up, but very excited

@superg; forgive my ignorance, but what's the "JTAG" socket for?

JTAG port can be used to upgrade Altera firmware.

Also, I'm slightly confused where sync situation stands with the addition of the "CS/OFF" switch; would switching it to "OFF" mean that sync wasn't altered regarding what was fed in from a SCART cable (potentially opening the door to SCART 480p PS2 to work, but also possibly those AV Component to SCART adapters, such as the ones Bob from RetroRGB has previously recommended: https://store.retrofixes.com/collection ... pter-audio)?

You're right about unaltered sync when the switch is in OFF position however it has nothing to do with PS2 VGA mode, it won't be detected by the switch. If you want more, somewhere in this topic it has been explained in detail.

I posted a few days back that I had purchased CSYNC cables from retrogamingcables.co.uk, and was advised that they may introduce additional lag when connected through the gscartsw_lite as it already has this functionality built in.
Would switching off CS resolve this issue? Also I believe the chip used, the LM1881 is inferior the chip present in the gscartsw_lite?

I have all my CSYNC RGB cables from retro consoles acc. on ebay, how will this cause lag problems?

[thebigcheese]

I have all my CSYNC RGB cables from retro consoles acc. on ebay, how will this cause lag problems?

It does not. Superg was saying that cables with built in sync strippers can cause lag problems. The sync regeneration on the switcher should not.

[superg]

I have all my CSYNC RGB cables from retro consoles acc. on ebay, how will this cause lag problems?

It does not. Superg was saying that cables with built in sync strippers can cause lag problems. The sync regeneration on the switcher should not.

I mean it's not a big problem that LM1881 has some lag, it's just that gscartsw_lite is doing it faster. Before nobody complained that LM1881 shifts the image so it's a matter of perception.

[superg]

More units are shipped (will be dropped off tomorrow)

[FBX]

Got mine in today and already started hooking consoles up to it. The picture quality looks absolutely flawless, as though the consoles are hard-wired to the Framemeister itself! Kudos!




BTW, I will be looking to buy a gcompsw next time you get more in (should have bought one with this order, but was skittish about spending the money at the time).


-FBX