GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

[AndehX]

Yeah, its very easy to just buy an ESP8266 at a later date once you decide if you want to invest the time into this if you like the results, and you understand how it works.

I have like 4 different boards that I've been through on this project At the moment, im using one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322485098225

[TobiasRieper]

Thanks guys it's going to take a wee while to get my head around this lot so I'll probably be back on here asking for help. Looking forward to getting a great image. It's funny the great lengths we go to to get our favourite consoles to look good in the 21st century. I have no intention of buying a PVM or a old school CRT and emulation for the 64 isn't great.

[TobiasRieper]

The Arduino will work just fine but you won't have any control over the software.
Everything is automatic anyway, so at this time you don't loose much.

Get the Arduino running, see if you like the results. It's easy to change the control boards later, should you want to

So I've got the board and downloaded the code from your repository. I presume I include all the .h files ie just copy the whole thing to the board.

My setup is pictured below. Left is sync strike and on the right is an slg 3000. Also I soldered the ground wire onto the component input sheilding. Is there a better grounding point?
Thanks again for your help. Sorry I'm quite new to all of this. I have been reading through the past 17 pages but couldn't find specific guidance on my queries. I'm a bit in over my head I think.

Do I need another 5v supply for the arduino or can someone show me how to get power from the gbs 8200?

What code do I change so I can get 640 x 480 resolution (for my slg 3000 scan lines) and how do I adjust the image size, horizontal position and vertical?



Thanks in advance

[rama]

Don't worry, it's looking fine

You can use a pin / pad right next to your SDA / SCL wires for ground. They're marked GND.

The Arduino Uno can be powered in many ways. It doesn't really matter which way you choose.
Either power it via the power input plug, over USB (only useful when connected to a PC, of course),
or with 2 additional wires from the GBS power input to Arduino "Vin" and "GND". Your sync strike is taking the same power, so maybe solder to the underside of the GBS board. Just be aware of the polarity!

Changing settings on Arduino is only possible with a PC connected.
In the Arduino IDE, there is a Serial Monitor command (under Tools). This opens a console, where you need to set the baud rate to 250000.
You should see the Arduino print status messages now (if not, try resetting the Arduino), and you can control it by sending various commands.
The command for using a different resolution is either '9' or '2' (it depends on whether your source is PAL or NTSC. Only one of the 2 options will look good.)
Please also try sending '8' with the regular preset loaded. This inverts the output sync and should make the scanline generator work.
I don't have one, and I'd like to know if that works.

Check the last few pages of this thread for more commands. You can see them all in the source code as well.
At one point you'll probably realize that this setup kind of sucks. That's when you get an ESP8266, to get access to the web server UI

[TobiasRieper]

Please also try sending '8' with the regular preset loaded. This inverts the output sync and should make the scanline generator work.
I don't have one, and I'd like to know if that works.

Check the last few pages of this thread for more commands. You can see them all in the source code as well.
At one point you'll probably realize that this setup kind of sucks. That's when you get an ESP8266, to get access to the web server UI

Hi Rama, thanks again for your help! I followed your guidelines and got it all up and running. Inverting the sync didn't do anything but as soon as I entered in '2' command I got a nice picture with scan lines from the slg! The only thing is the whole screen seems a bit narrow with 240p preset .
I figured out how to shift the screen. First picture is with no commands second 2 are with 240pal selected. I couldn't get scanlines to work until I activated 240p.



All of my consoles are PAL with RGB cables this is my modded N64 with 240p enabled. If only I could figure out how to make the image wider! Would I have to program my own resolution preset? Picture is excellent though. Its nothing short of amazing what you have accomplished with the Gbs. The image quality is so much more refined and less glitchy.






As for the esp12 I'll probably get this off ebay or Ali express. It's a pain entering commands via USB!

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2909362143

[rama]

Bummer, I guess I need to find one of these SLGs then. I can't imagine why it won't work with sync active high.
Maybe they require a mix, something like active high HSync and active low VSync..

The feedback clock presets have scaling disabled. Otherwise it would be very simple to stretch the picture.
Scaling is disabled because the point of those presets is sharpness.
I'll probably add an option for this at some point then, or create scaling 640x480 presets.

You'll find that with the web UI, configuration is much more intuitive to figure out.

The GBS is really quite capable. It defies the low cost

[TobiasRieper]

640 x 480 preset would be great. Also 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768. With 50hz and 60hz variants for TVs that don't support different respolutions through the vga port. I think the slg can only work properly on certain resolutions. My Asus monitor will get a nice image albeit narrow with the custom firmware. My TV can't get any picture it says 'sync lost' in the serial monitor. It went through all sog level but no luck. probably my TV can only handle certain timings and resolutions. On the gbs 8200 stock my TV works with 640 x 480 at 60hz without a hitch. I'll invest in that other board and tinker with the settings..

[AndehX]

You can get an SLG from china for about 10 to 15 euros on ebay. I'm gonna grab one myself when I have some spare cash.

I'm excited to eventually see some of these pixel perfect profiles. I had a play around myself, but couldn't quite find the exact settings for a pixel perfect image. I don't even know if the horizontal scaling is right for perfect pixels....

[TobiasRieper]

I've just re read the manual on arcade forge concerning the Slg 3000. It works best at
640x480 for nice looking scanlines. If Rama, you could create a preset for 480p I think it would work really well with the Slg and old consoles. I'd be super appreciative. I've played around with higher resolutions but the scanlines are either too small or don't show at all. I've ordered myself the ESP8266 board from Ali Express with a good discount. It's the WeMos D1.


I've found a scanline generator on Ali express for quite cheap looks good too.

http://s.aliexpress.com/7Bb2Ebe6 it's around $29 and sometimes on that site you can get money off just for signing up to their news later. I got mine from Arcade Forge. They have a sale on at the moment its down to €35.

[Red_Delta]

Didn't you consider adding scanlines using the ESP8226 at one point?

[TobiasRieper]

Bummer, I guess I need to find one of these SLGs then. I can't imagine why it won't work with sync active high.
Maybe they require a mix, something like active high HSync and active low VSync.

I recompiled and uploaded the code to the arduino, played around with the dip switch settings and managed to get some scanlines on start up by cranking up the pot to increase intensity.
This is just with the arduino running without any commands.




Looking forward to being able to use more presets as I'm pretty sure my big led TV isn't working with this due to incompatible resolutions being fed to it.

[rama]

Ah, so it does work. It probably requires an integer multiple of lines of the source.
That'd be 480 or 960 active video lines for most sources, so exactly what's on offer now for NTSC and for PAL general preset.

I won't be adding more presets at this time, unless it replaces an existing one.
Each new set of presets is an additional burden to support and I just don't have the time.
User custom presets will hopefully be able to solve this issue.
I often hear requests that achieve a goal in a roundabout and difficult way. Once users can just click their image to their liking, things should be better

My TV can't get any picture it says 'sync lost' in the serial monitor. It went through all sog level but no luck.

This log is with regards to the source. It lost the connection to the console. Has nothing to do with the attached TV at all.

[TobiasRieper]

This log is with regards to the source. It lost the connection to the console. Has nothing to do with the attached TV at all.

I totally understand about the presets now.just looking through all that code gave me a headache. I look forward to creating custom presets . Any ideas why this only happens with my TV and not my monitor? Thank you. and thanks for your excellent work must take a lot of time.

[rama]

It has to be something physical. Maybe you changed the console to one with issues, or the cable, or you moved something and it lost contact.

The dooklink presets will probably run but there will issues.

[TobiasRieper]

I'll have a play around. I used the same console and cables. I have another monitor and another TV that I can test. Works fine with big TV when I disable the arduino. It's very odd. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of it.

[TobiasRieper]

I got it working. Sorry If I've been annoying. The presets you have done already work great. The TV doesn't accept the regular preset so I pressed '2' on the serial monitor and now I get a great picture! The scanlines are small but also working. Brilliant.
I'm curious as to what your plans are for the future development of GBS control. I love it. Thanks for your patience. I didnt really understand how this project works but now I got the gist. PS1, PS2, N64 all work brilliant in 50z and 60hz.


Stock GBS 8200 Sync Strike and SLG3000 N64 Pal

GBS Custom Firmware



This setup I have now certainly looks like it rivals the image quality from a more expensive scaler.
I got the Gbs 8200 for £20, Sync Strike and SlG3000 for £40 off ebay and the Arduino for £8.
Very happy I can now play 64 and ps1 again without headaches. If you have an slg you just need to mess around with the dip switches and intensity.

[rama]

I just can't get over the fact that the 3 chips, 2 resistors SLG should cost twice the price of the GBS.
I think I'll never buy one of these for that reason :p

But nice that it works now!

Ehr, anyone know anyone else that might be good with AJAX stuff on small devices? xD

[rama]

I'm excited to eventually see some of these pixel perfect profiles. I had a play around myself, but couldn't quite find the exact settings for a pixel perfect image. I don't even know if the horizontal scaling is right for perfect pixels....

It is easier on feedback clock presets, as they have scaling disabled.
But it does work on the scaling presets as well, you just have to ensure every factor is correct:
320px source, ADC PLL tuned for moire free line pattern, phase correct for source and PLL setting.

The thing is, I can optimize for this here with my setup, but I can never hardcode a correct phase setting, for example.
There are factors I can't control (or even know, at this time), so for now this is only something each user can tweak to their own devices.

I'll put up a small howto guide when preset saving / loading is implemented.

[AndehX]

Cool ok. I've tried playing with the ADC PLL and Phase but I can never seem to get it to look right. I'm not even certain how it "should" look once I find the correct settings, lol.

[rama]

You want to aim for this to look the best you can get it:


Have the terminal open to see the actual values. Your main aim is to find the best value for S5_12.
Start with 'g5g12' > displays the current value.
Subtract 16 from that, ie: if you got 0xac, make it 0x9c, so you send 's5s12s9c'.
Now your image should look considerably worse, with a definitive moire pattern to it.
Start increasing S5_12 by sending 'n' (or use the web UI) until you get to a point where the moire starts to break up.
There will be a range of ~8 where it's most correct. Choose one and fine tune with the ADC phase++ command.
Most likely, the left or right side will not look sharp, while the other does. Go up / down one tick on S5_12 and retry then.

Once you're happy (don't try to be a perfectionist, or you'll go crazy :p), write down your value for S5_12.
It is valid for this console, using this sync connection, on this GBS board.. You get the idea?

Edit: I totally forgot, you have to reset the ADC PLL after each set command by sending an additional 'j'.
Also, I had a bug in the feedback clock PAL preset. It's fixed now so that should work better.

[TobiasRieper]

I just can't get over the fact that the 3 chips, 2 resistors SLG should cost twice the price of the GBS.
I think I'll never buy one of these for that reason :p

But nice that it works now!

Thanks im super happy with it. I only bought it because I got it with a Sync Strike for £45. I'd definitely get a cheap SLG if you can. I never play without it. I've only ever used the arcade forge one and it's an excellent bit of kit. Sometimes you just have to fiddle with the dip switches to get it working.

It would be nice to compare a cheaper alternative to the one from Arcade Forge.

[AndehX]

You want to aim for this to look the best you can get it:


Have the terminal open to see the actual values. Your main aim is to find the best value for S5_12.
Start with 'g5g12' > displays the current value.
Subtract 16 from that, ie: if you got 0xac, make it 0x9c, so you send 's5s12s9c'.
Now your image should look considerably worse, with a definitive moire pattern to it.
Start increasing S5_12 by sending 'n' (or use the web UI) until you get to a point where the moire starts to break up.
There will be a range of ~8 where it's most correct. Choose one and fine tune with the ADC phase++ command.
Most likely, the left or right side will not look sharp, while the other does. Go up / down one tick on S5_12 and retry then.

Once you're happy (don't try to be a perfectionist, or you'll go crazy :p), write down your value for S5_12.
It is valid for this console, using this sync connection, on this GBS board.. You get the idea?

Edit: I totally forgot, you have to reset the ADC PLL after each set command by sending an additional 'j'.
Also, I had a bug in the feedback clock PAL preset. It's fixed now so that should work better.

Right I get it now. I think the problem im having is the settings on my monitor. What do I set my monitor's Phase and Clock settings to? leave them default?

[rama]

"Show" the monitor either the grid full screen picture, or some other fully bright full screen content (not in motion), then hit the auto adjust.
Whatever measures the various signals in these displays requires that to get scaling, positioning and dot clock correct.
Once it's set, it should remember it for this general resolution.

[AndehX]

ok so I was getting nowhere with my SNES, so I gave the Gamecube a try, and this is the best I could get:

[AndehX]

I think I worked out why I can't get the SNES to look right. Take a look at these direct captures from my RGB capture card:

Here's the Gamecube, pixel perfect, as it should be:


And here's the SNES. For some reason, it's not pixel perfect, even in a direct capture:

[rama]

SNES uses a 256px active video mode and this appears to be less supported across all kinds of devices.
It should work with a 1024px active video output mode (1024x768 for example).
I found that when I optimize for 320px modes, more consoles are covered and SNES still looks great in actual games

Really nice look on the Gamecube!
Next, maybe it's just your pictures, but the picture always seems to be too dim.
Try optimizing the ADC gains for RGB. I explained it a bit earlier in this thread.

[AndehX]

SNES uses a 256px active video mode and this appears to be less supported across all kinds of devices.
It should work with a 1024px active video output mode (1024x768 for example).
I found that when I optimize for 320px modes, more consoles are covered and SNES still looks great in actual games

Really nice look on the Gamecube!
Next, maybe it's just your pictures, but the picture always seems to be too dim.
Try optimizing the ADC gains for RGB. I explained it a bit earlier in this thread.

It's probably just the camera on my phone making it look dark. it looks brighter in person, but I'll try a 1024 px setting for my snes

[rama]

1024x768 requires a new preset, most likely with a different video clock. It's a lot of work.

[AndehX]

1024x768 requires a new preset, most likely with a different video clock. It's a lot of work.

oh on the GBS, yeah I figured as much. I meant on my capture card. The drivers for the PEXHDCAP are terrible though. It's detecting the SNES as 240p, and displaying it as such, even though I've set my capture program to 1024x768... oh well.

[AndehX]

How would you make these adjustments on a console that doesn't have a 240p test suite? Like the Sega Saturn or PS2?