Gamescare SCART to Extron 203Rxi

[KnightNZ]

Based on RetroRGB's recommendation, I got one of the Gamescare SCART switches as it solved my connection problems nicely - in theory. (As an aside - it seems to be a really nice piece of hardware and the web interface and auto-switching is pretty cool!)

I'm trying to feed the output from various consoles, RGBPi, Mk1 NTSC Genesis, Mk1 PAL Megadrive, NTSC SMS, PAL SMS2 (RGB modded), Dreamcast, Saturn, and a MiSTer - into my Sony 14N5 PVM.

The gotcha with the PVM is that due to modifications by a previous owner, even after being RGB modded, it will only accept RGsB, not RGBS - so I pretty much need to have my Extron 203Rxi sitting between it and the output from the switch. The horizontal and vertical adjustments are also very useful, as is the 2nd input so I can feed secondary devices in (such as downscaled 240p input from the 5x via a HDFury 2).

All of the devices are using SCART cables from RetroGamingCables (RGC) which I believe to be of good quality, as far as I'm aware they're all wired for CSYNC.

The MiSTer goes into the switch via a RetroUpgrades VGA2SCART adapter which is powered by external USB as it doesn't seem to want to accept the power from the VGA port.

Now, the 203Rxi is a apparently bit picky about sync, it expects clean TTL sync - the specs say it'll accept RGBS, RGsB or RGBHV input, but there seems to be some disagreement as to that from what I can see.

Feeding input from the Gamescare to the Extron via a SCART2VGA, with or without the TTL enabled doesn't give me a stable image from anything other than the MiSTer (which is the only device already outputting TTL so presumably why). If I plug the consoles directly into the SCART2VGA then I get a good signal in most cases.

So, despite Bob's oscilloscope images for the switch, it's either doing something to the signal, or the additional cables\circuitry are introducing enough signal loss than the SCART2VGA can't bring the levels up appropriately?

Next experiment - I substitute my GBS-C AiO in instead of the SCART2VGA and bingo, I get a signal from all devices although the output from the RGBPi is a bit shaky - not super surprising given that it's a super dirty output anyway so I'll disregard that as an outlier. I can turn the sync stripper on or off and I still get a stable image out of the Extron so it seems to be happy enough with the provided sync, presumably just the level of it?

Using a GBS-C is not an ideal solution as it adds noise to the image. I'm feeding one of the SCART outputs from the switch into my Retrotink 5x so it can upscale to my LCD, the other output goes to the PVM (eventually). The 5x never has any issue with any of the outputs so whatever the switch is forwarding is within spec of the 5x requirements and the image looks great.

I'm looking at borrowing a Sync Slayer 2 from someone to see if that resolves my issues in a cleaner fashion - still TBA.

Would anyone have any insight into the above gibberish and/or have any better solutions on how I might achieve this (possibly ridiculous) setup?

[Fatass]

Someone here once mentioned adding an Extron DA2 RGBHV ahead of the Extron RGB Rxi to make it work. I think i recall (?) him using a gscart somewhere in the mix, don't know how it compares to the gamescare switch.

If you've got results from just going directly into a sync slayer, that sounds like the way to go; is the gamescare a powered or unpowered switcher?

[KnightNZ]

Someone here once mentioned adding an Extron DA2 RGBHV ahead of the Extron RGB Rxi to make it work. I think i recall (?) him using a gscart somewhere in the mix, don't know how it compares to the gamescare switch.

If you've got results from just going directly into a sync slayer, that sounds like the way to go; is the gamescare a powered or unpowered switcher?

It's a powered switch. I've been able to borrow a Syncslayer 2 to try and see if that helps, so will see how that goes when it turns up.

Fwiw, here's Bob's review of the switch;
https://www.retrorgb.com/gamescare-8x2- ... eview.html

The gscart has an actual VGA output so realistically might’ve been better in my case, but the remote switching of the Gamescare is super useful.

(Narrator - Sometime later): Edit: The Syncslayer 2 fixes the problems perfectly. Image is sharp and stable. I tried various other solutions, nothing worked properly. It's a big hammer, but at least it's solved.