SyncSlayer - SCART to RGBHV Adapter

[Chipnetics]

Hi All, I have a new product I've whipped together called the SyncSlayer to follow up on the SyncBaby I created a while back (viewtopic.php?f=6&t=62837).

SyncSlayer is, what I consider, to be an improved SyncStrike as it can provide true hsync, has power filtering, and a premium-level finish quality. Some features:

• Switch between true ‘HSync’ or ‘Csync as Hsync’ via pin jumper
• Power filtering through quality decoupling capacitors
• Power indicator LED light (blue)
• High quality RCA left & right audio connector
• Genuine Amphenol Female D-Sub connector
• 15Khz VGA output with clean sync signals for HSYNC, VSYNC and CSYNC
• Genuine Texas Instruments LMH1980 sync separator and cleaner
• Genuine Texas Instruments voltage regulator
• Aircraft grade toggle switch between external 6V-15V power supply (included) or console-supplied power
• High quality new Dell VGA cable included (black)
• No board Vias (other than through-holes!)
• High quality 1.6mm PCB with black finish
• Beautiful 3mm acrylic case top/bottom with red standoffs and black M3 Screws
• All components are sourced directly from Digikey and are therefore authentic.

The jumper for switching between true ‘HSync’ or ‘Csync as Hsync’ is directly behind the audio output jacks.


I'll try and get better photos up this weekend, just was quite excited to share! If anyone is interested I already have it listed on my website https://chipnetics.com/projects/hw/syncslayer/ and on Tindie https://www.tindie.com/products/Chipnet ... a-adapter/. - of course I am here to answer any questions you may have and open to feedback good or bad! Thanks everyone!

[Fudoh]

nice! How well does the console supplied power work ? Which pin off the scart connector is used to power the device ? Pin 8 ? And what's the expected voltage range on there ?

[Chipnetics]

Thanks! Console power is via pin 8 of SCART, known as AV_CONTROL. Going off memory my meter read it as 5V (when using my SNES) and by the time it hit the LMH1980 after running through the regulator and filtering it was mid 3V... which is enough to power the chip as it takes between 3V and 6V as an operating input voltage.

[Chipnetics]

Regarding how well it works powering it via the console, I found it better than the SyncStrike in that regard. When I used console power on the SyncStrike with my SNES I had a slight band that would run up the screen slowly... almost like "poor tracking" on a VHS. I'm not sure if this was due to the design of the SyncStrike or my 15khz projector; but with my SyncSlayer the signal is now clean.

[nmalinoski]

nice! How well does the console supplied power work ? Which pin off the scart connector is used to power the device ? Pin 8 ? And what's the expected voltage range on there ?

Thanks! Console power is via pin 8 of SCART, known as AV_CONTROL. Going off memory my meter read it as 5V and by the time it hit the LMH1980 after running through the regulator and filtering it was mid 3V... which is enough to power the chip as it takes between 3V and 6V as an operating input voltage.

First, as I understand it, the SCART spec says pin 8 can have anywhere between 0V and 12V; you've said that it needs at least 5V to function, but what happens if you use it with a SCART device that's providing 9V to 12V? Does it get attenuated to 6V or less?

Second, are those screw terminals inputs or outputs? (I'm not all that familiar with sync strikes.)

[rama]

I have a couple suggestions. Hopefully the design can still be modified?

The HSYNC / CSYNC jumper should be reachable and default to CSYNC if it's off / missing.
It's okay to make it a little hard to reach, but currently it looks like one needs to take the cover off to get to it.
These kind of pins work well:

I recommend going for CSYNC by default, since that's more often than not the expected signal.
Having a default is nice, in case people loose or forget the jumper.

The power situation varies between consoles and cables. I wouldn't even expect to find any voltages at all!
But if you want to make the assumption that there's a signalling voltage on pin 8, then that's fine.
The issue will be the wildly different voltages and current capabilities you can expect.
You definitely need protection and a regulator on that pin.
Example:
- A PAL SNES with the stock power supply will give you around 10.5V DC on that pin. The DC will be barely rectified and have big 50Hz swings.
- A PSX will give you 5V, but at very little current. I don't remember the specs but it's a few mA max.

Is the sync output "moderated" somehow?
What are the levels?
It'd be best to have > 0.3Vpp but less than 1.0Vpp when terminated into 75 Ohm (TV standards).
Signal flanks should be fast, so I would use a level shifter for this.

[Chipnetics]

First, as I understand it, the SCART spec says pin 8 can have anywhere between 0V and 12V; you've said that it needs at least 5V to function, but what happens if you use it with a SCART device that's providing 9V to 12V? Does it get attenuated to 6V or less?

Second, are those screw terminals inputs or outputs? (I'm not all that familiar with sync strikes.)

I should have been clearer, the 5V was from pin 8 of the SCART when powered from a SNES. My board can handle up to 16V on pin 8 as it goes through the voltage regulator, and gets regulated to 5V, which then goes into the sync stripper. So yes, it will work with a SCART device providing 9v to 12v

Second, are those screw terminals inputs or outputs?

Screw terminal outputs, so essentially a breakout of all the signals for future expansion/development for people to fiddle with.

[Chipnetics]

I have a couple suggestions. Hopefully the design can still be modified?

The HSYNC / CSYNC jumper should be reachable and default to CSYNC if it's off / missing.
It's okay to make it a little hard to reach, but currently it looks like one needs to take the cover off to get to it.
These kind of pins work well:

I recommend going for CSYNC by default, since that's more often than not the expected signal.

I thought about this but I really didn't want any protrusion or chance of kids pulling out the jumper easily. I feel this is something you set once for your application and then never really set again.

The power situation varies between consoles and cables. I wouldn't even expect to find any voltages at all!
But if you want to make the assumption that there's a signalling voltage on pin 8, then that's fine.

SyncStrike made the same assumption regarding pin 8... there's really no one size fits all pin to use. It should cover the majority of consoles, and if not there is the external power option.

The issue will be the wildly different voltages and current capabilities you can expect.
You definitely need protection and a regulator on that pin.
Example:
- A PAL SNES with the stock power supply will give you around 10.5V DC on that pin. The DC will be barely rectified and have big 50Hz swings.
- A PSX will give you 5V, but at very little current. I don't remember the specs but it's a few mA max.

The regulator can handle 10.5V (see post above).... the SNES I use mine with is 5V and little current and had no issues powering the stripper. Luckily it has a very low amp draw and voltage requirement! Regardless if you use console power or external power it still goes through the regulator and filtering. The SyncStrike (if I recall) has no voltage regulator and it's up to the user to know the voltage of pin 8 and not "blow" the chip.

Is the sync output "moderated" somehow?
What are the levels?
It'd be best to have > 0.3Vpp but less than 1.0Vpp when terminated into 75 Ohm (TV standards).
Signal flanks should be fast, so I would use a level shifter for this.

I have 100ohm resistors as per the datasheet recommendation on the sync outputs to protect against brief short-circuit events and limit output current. If someone wants to change this the 0805 SMD is easily accessible to solder on new values.

Also to quote per the datasheet:
The video generator should provide a clean, low-noise video input signal with minimal sync pulse overshoot over 75Ω coaxial cable

Thanks for the feedback! Appreciate it!

[nmalinoski]

Am I understanding this correctly? The screw terminals are inputs, and the DE-15/RCA and SCART ports are outputs?

What happens to SCART output when the sync jumper is set to HSync? Does it get fed HSync instead of CSync?

With the sync jumper set to CSync, is it possible to get simultaneous RGBS output from both SCART and DE-15?

[Chipnetics]

Am I understanding this correctly? The screw terminals are inputs, and the DE-15/RCA and SCART ports are outputs?

What happens to SCART output when the sync jumper is set to HSync? Does it get fed HSync instead of CSync?

With the sync jumper set to CSync, is it possible to get simultaneous RGBS output from both SCART and DE-15?

A little backwards All good...

Input: SCART (euroscart, not jp-21)
Output: VGA D-sub, RCA/phono, screw terminals.

The jumper changes what gets output on the Hsync pin of the D-sub. (Hsync or Csync acting as Hsync). Far as I know practically every monitor supports Csync acting as Hsync fine. But for those real oddball monitors that don't, you will be safe using the jumper.

Via the screw terminals you will get simultaneous Csync AND Hsync output at all times.

[orange808]

Very nice.

Much easier than using a SCART to BNC cable, sync stripper, and an Extron RGB unit. Reasonably priced as well--considering the amount of custom and vintage hardware this can replace.

[Chipnetics]

Very nice.

Much easier than using a SCART to BNC cable, sync stripper, and an Extron RGB unit. Reasonably priced as well--considering the amount of custom and vintage hardware this can replace.

Thanks, that's nice to hear. Acrylic is actually freaky expensive for both the material and the cutting. The fancy red anodized hex standoffs are costly as well; but they looked so good I couldn't resist. I thought about offering a non-acrylic version but really the unit just looks so blah without it.

[BazookaBen]

Man, this thing is so nice it's tempting me to abandon my plans to roll my own VGA cables.

Already made a few but they're very hacked together.

[the Goat]

Are the VGA port and the screw terminals independently buffered?

[Chipnetics]

They both feed off from a single sync stripper.

[nmalinoski]

Input: SCART (euroscart, not jp-21)
Output: VGA D-sub, RCA/phono, screw terminals.

Good to know! Assuming you haven't done so already (I haven't seen a straight top-down shot of the board), you may want to update the silkscreen to label them specifically as inputs or outputs, so Luddites like myself will understand why the screw terminal inputs aren't working.

[Chipnetics]

A good idea for the next run! I may just put removable labels on the underside of board if it does become an issue.

[BazookaBen]

Do you have any recommendations for SCART cables that doesn't involve me sending hundreds of bucks to those guys in the UK? I would need cables for multiple consoles.

[Chipnetics]

Unfortunately not... It's actually why I made my other product the SyncBaby, so that SCART cables aren't required at all - in this case for the SuperNES. The general consensus was it would be cool if the effort was put in to make a similar product for every console, but I definitely don't have the time nor the consoles at my disposal to test with.

If you're referring to retrogamingcables; I broke apart the housing (which is just like all the other housings - cheap!) and really didn't see anything too spectacular... crappy wire, crappy solder, bargain bin caps. I would say they are 10% better than a typical SCART. I sometimes think about rolling my own cables (I thought about it again after you mentioned you were going to as well), but there's just so many projects already on the go!

[BuckoA51]

What kind of connector is it for the power supply, DC barrel jack?

[Chipnetics]

Rising cage clamp header.... so in other words, strip your power supply leads and screw them in. I thought about barrel connector, USB, etc for some time; but really a clamp header is more universal for everyone.

[maxtherabbit]

Unfortunately not... It's actually why I made my other product the SyncBaby, so that SCART cables aren't required at all - in this case for the SuperNES. The general consensus was it would be cool if the effort was put in to make a similar product for every console, but I definitely don't have the time nor the consoles at my disposal to test with.

If you're referring to retrogamingcables; I broke apart the housing (which is just like all the other housings - cheap!) and really didn't see anything too spectacular... crappy wire, crappy solder, bargain bin caps. I would say they are 10% better than a typical SCART. I sometimes think about rolling my own cables (I thought about it again after you mentioned you were going to as well), but there's just so many projects already on the go!

SCART is cancer, if everything was converted to VGA jacks everyone could have true shielded mini-coax cables for all their consoles for 5bux each at amazon and no waiting on custom BS

[the Goat]

Rising cage clamp header.... so in other words, strip your power supply leads and screw them in. I thought about barrel connector, USB, etc for some time; but really a clamp header is more universal for everyone.

Ugh, i would prefer any of the other choices you listed.

[Chipnetics]

Rising cage clamp header.... so in other words, strip your power supply leads and screw them in. I thought about barrel connector, USB, etc for some time; but really a clamp header is more universal for everyone.

Ugh, i would prefer any of the other choices you listed.

=] there's nothing more frustrating than to find an adaptor with the right sized barell connector tho!

[the Goat]

Rising cage clamp header.... so in other words, strip your power supply leads and screw them in. I thought about barrel connector, USB, etc for some time; but really a clamp header is more universal for everyone.

Ugh, i would prefer any of the other choices you listed.

=] there's nothing more frustrating than to find an adaptor with the right sized barell connector tho!

I have a box with 25+ spare DC supplies.

[mr. newbie]

Rising cage clamp header.... so in other words, strip your power supply leads and screw them in. I thought about barrel connector, USB, etc for some time; but really a clamp header is more universal for everyone.

Ugh, i would prefer any of the other choices you listed.

Usb is clean looking (the theme of this thing), plentiful, and cheap. Why on earth not just go with that?

[orange808]

+1 for proper power supply input

Finding the right barrel isn't really difficult at all. That's just a quick Amazon search and a couple clicks. If you post the size of the barrel right here, the information won't get lost. (I don't need or want a wiring project.)

[nmalinoski]

+1 for proper power supply input

Finding the right barrel isn't really difficult at all. That's just a quick Amazon search and a couple clicks. If you post the size of the barrel right here, the information won't get lost. (I don't need or want a wiring project.)

Perhaps not, but I don't want a bucket with 25 different types of barrel connectors. I'd much rather power as much as possible from a 10-port USB hub, so I only have one wall wart powering a bunch of devices. Yes, you can get USB-A to barrel plug cables, and I'm going to have to for some devices, but it's easier and cheaper to get a pile of Mini or MicroUSB cables.

[the Goat]

Micro USB (or USB-C even) power port would be ideal.

[nmalinoski]

Micro USB (or USB-C even) power port would be ideal.

I've grown a preference for MiniUSB; it's a bit sturdier than MicroUSB, and it's still cheaper and more available than USB-C. Maybe if USB-C bulked up a little...