Ultimarc PsX adaptor too dark or light, workaround?

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:07 pm

Bought a ps2 adapter off Andy and its way too dark on my cab.
He got me to test 5 different ps2's and a few ps1's and he keeps saying all the readings are fine and hes offered me a refund, i just wanna fix this.

all the ps2's i tested came up dark, and all the ps1's came up too bright, washed out with white.

herd you could put a seperate video amp in line with the adaptor to make it work.

Any body got any ideas?

brokenhalo · Post by **brokenhalo** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 1:14 am

mines too dark as well. i think it has something to do with the size of the capacitors on the adapter. if anybody has any suggestions i'd be interested as well.

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 2:22 am

i been screwing round with the monitor all day, Just set convergence to near perfect, screen focus and colors are sweet, brightness is set nice but the contrast is no where to be found.

tried need for speed most wanted, in the video adjustment screen there are supossed to be 2 logos but only one is visable, plug into my tv and can see 2 fine.

Has any body else plugged a ps1 in the cab with this adaptor?

I get too much contrast with ps1(washed out whitish screen) and not enought with ps2( way too dark in the dark areas)

the big cap on Andy's adaptor always has a voltage of about 4.8 for both PS1 and PS2 but the voltage reading i took from vid ground to r,g or b changes

for a ps1 its around 4.5v, (5 is normal im told but i recon 3.5-4v would suit my screen best

The ps2 puts out 0.25v!!!!

Andy tells me its impossable to mesure video amplitude with a multimeter but then why the different voltages?

antron · Post by **antron** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 5:08 am

brokenhalo wrote:mines too dark as well. i think it has something to do with the size of the capacitors on the adapter. if anybody has any suggestions i'd be interested as well.

what are the cap values on the adapter?

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 5:50 am

This is written on the Cap

SNC
63v
10 u
85 C

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:59 am

I have the exact same issues with my PSX/PS2 in my EGRET II cab. Very interested in any fix you might find.

Emph

D · Post by D » Fri Jan 02, 2009 9:51 am

Well if there is no contrast dial available then that really sucks, but for those that do, why is this such a problem? you will have to change the screen aspects for every system anyway, sometimes depending on game to get it full screen anyway, so why not jank that contrast button too? Well, anyway it never bothered me and I cannot understand why it is such a big deal for everybody, but it's probably just me

.

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:06 am

I dont have a contrast on my cab, pretty sure my astro city don't either.
Wish i knew a way to add one in

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:09 am

dont worry about the adapter....just find your contrast pot...if you have one, just turn it up.....if you dont....well......sux to be you

its simply a contrast issue...as d said...its no big deal.....

also....use the search feature...there are already like 2 threads about the PSX adapters here

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:48 am

Is there a way to add a contrast pot to a system?

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:54 am

did you check the chassis?

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:03 am

chassis is fine, only adjustments for color focus and screen on chassis, and color on neck board, rest is on the sister board.

ok searched thru the forums and found a link to this http://www.gamesx.com/avpinouts/psxav.htm
Thanks ckong

emailing andy now to see what he thinks of it an will mail back results.

D · Post by D » Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:03 am

It might not be calles contrast, but I almost suspect it would have to be somewhere. or perhaps this is a never crt with an on-screen display?

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 12:48 pm

you could also go ahead and sell your psx adapter to me, since it's not working out for you ^^

brokenhalo · Post by **brokenhalo** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:29 pm

i have mine running in a new astro city cab which has the contrast and rgb pots inside the control panel, and even with contrast maxed it's way too dark. it's playable, but you lose a lot of detail due to things being too dark. rtw mentioned in another thread that his red looks almost black and mine is the same. really annoying. i think i might just rewire the cab and eliminate the jpac entirely.

antron · Post by **antron** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 4:13 pm

syntax_X wrote:This is written on the Cap

SNC
63v
10 u
85 C

how many of these are on the adapter?

someone said in another thread that he added three to the RGB lines and got it to work.

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:25 pm

im going to add a 220uf cap to each of the rgb lines and see what happens today. Also got the next level down of caps to test them if i get a pic thats too bright.

Will write back with results

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:40 am

ok, got the caps today and heres how the story goes;

installed the caps after the ultimarc amp- nothing different
installed the caps before the ultimarc am- nothing different

Got the shits and thought to myself " I wonder if this amp is doing anything?, surely if i cut the rgb lines from the amp and connected them straight to the rgb on the cab monitor id be able to see if the pic was different and if it wasn't then the amp was doing squat (still using the chip for sync on the lm1881n)

what happens next goes against EVERYTHING i have read in all forums

The picture was perfect, no no, IS PERFECT!!!! what the hell is going on?
(its a little bright but i got the 220uf cap inline with rgb so ill take em off and see.)

so theres the fix you ultmarc freaks!

for the record the rgb lines on the amp are

Green=green
Orange=red
Blue=blue

Enjoy!!!!!

antron · Post by **antron** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:19 pm

cool. I'll be doing this this weekend, except with a scart cable and an lm1881 circuit. I lost my adapter in a move.

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:58 pm

this really seems to vary from cab to cab, monitor to monitor....

i have seen a ps2 hooked up using the ultimarc adapters in 3 different NAC's (one of which was not the stock monitor) and it was fine in all of them with no color issues after cranking the contrast up a bit

it is odd tho

because neither the DC or XBOX adapters have this problem.....

but thankfully as long as you can adjust your contrast and you dont have a dull monitor to begin with its no big deal

glad you were able to get it sorted out tho

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:03 pm

Yes, this seems to be just the PS2/PSX adapter. My DC adapter looks equally good on all my three cabs, but the PS2 looks like I've entered the twilight zone. As soon as I see pictures of how to do this, I'll try this fix as well.

Emph

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:47 pm

will send pics today guys but its really as simple as cutting the green blue and orange wire from Andy's amp, adding a 220uf cap to each wire, then wire the other side of the cap to the rgb on your monitor.

If you dont know where rgb is on the monitor go have a look at a jamma pinout.

Im sure that theres people out there that have the same problem i had, and think they fixed it by turning up the contrast, but i had no contrast pot, and i dont think its right for the xbox and dc to work fine and within close range of each others contrast brightness settings and have the ps2 and ps1 way out at ursa minor!!!

Seriouly, anyone who is encountering extreamly dark graphics with no way to up the contrast, Try this........

Also does anyone know of a pentranic 33 inch monitor that supports video at 1v, cos im starting to think i have the only one!

antron · Post by **antron** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:38 am

finished my ps2 rgb cable to jamma adapter, with an ln1881 circuit. it looks better and brighter than my ultimarc ever did (probably because of capacitors I included)

but one problem remains: in gradius V that red konami logo on white still comes out black (but the game looks great). so, I guess that didn't have anything to do with ultimarc. I'll try it with my ps3 next.

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:59 am

did you use polarized or non? and what voltage?

looked around local for a non polarized 220uf around the 10v mark but the lowest i could find was a 100v 220uf or bridging 2 50v 100uf together.

Ended up getting electrolitic 10v 220uf caps, hope they'll do

antron · Post by **antron** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:47 pm

I left what was already in the scart connector, 220u 10V, polarized with the negative towards the monitor.

antron · Post by **antron** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:38 pm

antron wrote: but one problem remains: in gradius V that red konami logo on white still comes out black (but the game looks great). so, I guess that didn't have anything to do with ultimarc. I'll try it with my ps3 next.

it does it with my ps3 too.

but I noticed in the display settings that 480p is an output option for the scart cable... PS3 does VGA? (almost)

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:50 pm

So the ps3 will work in a cab no probs? using a ps2 scart cable hack?

antron · Post by **antron** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:56 pm

syntax_X wrote:So the ps3 will work in a cab no probs? using a ps2 scart cable hack?

yes. actually I hacked a PS3 branded cable for my PS2. They are the same cable.

if your monitor supports sync on green (do any arcade monitors?) it can output 480p

syntax_X · Post by **syntax_X** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:47 am

arcade monitors dont sync on green, but theres a way to remove the green sync, does the ps3 have a rgb output?

antron · Post by **antron** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:16 am

syntax_X wrote:arcade monitors dont sync on green, but theres a way to remove the green sync, does the ps3 have a rgb output?

yes, on the scart cable. it is RGB + composite video in 480i (maybe 240p too?). RGsB in 480p

shmups.system11.org

Ultimarc PsX adaptor too dark or light, workaround?

Ultimarc PsX adaptor too dark or light, workaround?

cap values

no contrast

contrast

contrast

Re: cap values

caps contrast

OMFG!!!!!

OMG

caps

so you didnt have a problem?

Re: so you didnt have a problem?

ps3

Re: ps3