SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

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daskrabs
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SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by daskrabs »

I need a recommendation for a SCART Switch/Splitter that has 4-6 ports (input). Bought a cheap one on ebay from Hong Kong and a $40 from US, and both suck. The cheap one was a total POS, and the $40 dropped my brightness and color down about 50%. I need no noticable loss in video quality. What are you running?
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Ghegs
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Ghegs »

Some discussion about the same problem here.

My main scart switcher is a Trilogy 1 (five scart inputs, four are RGB in). Unfortunately that one's rather difficult to find nowadays. To accommodate all my older consoles I also use a Hama-brand switcher (this one) and I'm happy with that one as well.
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speedlolita
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by speedlolita »

http://www.wolfsoft.de/shop/product_inf ... alter-rgb-(schwarz

EDIT: Oh I'm stupid, it's been posted. :lol:
Zapf
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Zapf »

That one only ships to germany/austria =/
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Strider77
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Strider77 »

Will these work for Japanese 21 pin RGB or ONLY with the Euro scart pin out?
Damn Tim, you know there are quite a few Americans out there who still lives in tents due to this shitty economy, and you're dropping loads on a single game which only last 20 min. Do you think it's fair? How much did you spend this time?
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Sinneslöschen
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Sinneslöschen »

Zapf
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Zapf »

The second one can be fine, there are just so many that look like that, from a million different sellers, that there is the chance for a dud.

I bought this one the other day: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-way-Manual-SC ... 2564c518ee

terrible! the video signals seem to be coming through regardless of whether the switch is turned on or off. I haven't had the time as of late, but I have it open and am trying to trace the lines out to see if its just someone who soldered some wires in the wrong spot or a fundamental problem with the pcb.
daskrabs
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by daskrabs »

Sinneslöschen wrote:I use this one:
http://www.amazon.de/Playstation-Scartb ... 71&sr=8-18
Do you see any noticable loss of video quality/brightness/color with this unit?
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Sinneslöschen
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Sinneslöschen »

Did not notice any loss with that unit.
philexile
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by philexile »

Hello,

I have the Shinybow SCART Matrix 6:2 Switch. It works great. Here is a link to the product's PDF:

www.shinybow.com.tw/products/pdf/12447065830.pdf

It works very well. The only catch is that its only available from Europe, however, you can have Shinybow USA import it for you. It will take about 3 weeks to reach you and cost about $170, including shipping. (I think)

Give them a call and they will help you out. Here is their contact page:

http://www.shinybowusa.com/shop/contact ... 60195ae657
Zapf
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Zapf »

Ghegs wrote:Some discussion about the same problem here.

My main scart switcher is a Trilogy 1 (five scart inputs, four are RGB in). Unfortunately that one's rather difficult to find nowadays. To accommodate all my older consoles I also use a Hama-brand switcher (this one) and I'm happy with that one as well.

I'm trying to get that hama scart switch, and am having problems with finding someone who will ship to the US. None of the ebay sellers seem to ship to the US. Amazon does, but it seems to cost more to ship than it the product itself (is 30 euro for shipping to the US normal?)
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angryswede
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by angryswede »

I'm curious about this switch, but I can't find anything on their site. Where (and when) in Europe did you find it? The distributor lists for EU is empty, and the only other mention of EU is a banner for a Dutch trade show.
philexile wrote:Hello,

I have the Shinybow SCART Matrix 6:2 Switch. It works great. Here is a link to the product's PDF:

http://www.shinybow.com.tw/products/pdf/12447065830.pdf

It works very well. The only catch is that its only available from Europe, however, you can have Shinybow USA import it for you. It will take about 3 weeks to reach you and cost about $170, including shipping. (I think)

Give them a call and they will help you out. Here is their contact page:

http://www.shinybowusa.com/shop/contact ... 60195ae657
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BuckoA51
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by BuckoA51 »

Amazon UK still list them, not sure if they ship to the EU or not though http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scart-Matrix-Sw ... 024&sr=8-1
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angryswede
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by angryswede »

BuckoA51 wrote:Amazon UK still list them, not sure if they ship to the EU or not though http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scart-Matrix-Sw ... 024&sr=8-1
Thanks! Do any one know what the original rrp on this unit was? From £162 to £255 is quite a difference...
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Zapf
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Zapf »

I got those hama scart switches from amazon.de today. Damn they are solid! They only offer express shipping though, so it ended up costing me 80 euro for two (25 euro each, I guess it removed VAT after putting it in the cart) and 30 for shipping.
daskrabs
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by daskrabs »

Zapf wrote:I got those hama scart switches from amazon.de today. Damn they are solid! They only offer express shipping though, so it ended up costing me 80 euro for two (25 euro each, I guess it removed VAT after putting it in the cart) and 30 for shipping.
What brand SCART cables are you using? Do you see any loss in quality?
Zapf
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Zapf »

All my console cables are custom from retro console accessories (formerly pcenginesales), except for the NES one. My male/male one is that goofy thick sony scart cable you can get on ebay. It doesn't look any different compared to directly hooking it up to the xrgb (via scart -> 21 pin adapter). No difference when multiple inputs are turned on.
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BuckoA51
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by BuckoA51 »

The Hama switches are solid, despite what Sinneslöschen said I could not find any faults with the AV-100S either.
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Rock Man
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Rock Man »

Ghegs wrote:Some discussion about the same problem here.

My main scart switcher is a Trilogy 1 (five scart inputs, four are RGB in). Unfortunately that one's rather difficult to find nowadays. To accommodate all my older consoles I also use a Hama-brand switcher (this one) and I'm happy with that one as well.
My set-up/expectations has grown quite a bit since then.

Currently I have two black switchers that does 5 inputs, and the silver one that holds four, I've had them hooked up for about 2 years. These switchers dim the picture a little bit. Not recommended. So I wanted to invest in 6 x 2 A/V SCART matrix switcher and one of those Hama switches.

I am using about 16 consoles total. All RGB enabled. Gonna be attaching 9 of them to the switchers. The point switcher, the 6 x 2 SCART Matrix can hold 5 while the Hama switch takes the rest. The killer is because my financials are extremly limited can't afford a third competent switch. So I'll have to sacrifice the PC Engine and the NeoCD >_<* luckily the Xbox, X360, & GC can go to Component Video. I wish more people would acknowledge the possibilities of SCART leads in the States so retailers & online venues can sell these things at more affortable prices. Not only that but take us multi-console owners, who are housing a massive lot, into consideration. There's like no consideration at all. Can be frusterating sometimes.

My only concern if I buy these aformentioned switches and chain them together. Are there any electrical problems to report? Would attaching the Shinybow with the Hana blow my SCART cable? My understanding is some switchboxes can be hazardous.
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BuckoA51
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by BuckoA51 »

Would attaching the Shinybow with the Hana blow my SCART cable?
Yes! It will surely catch fire and disintegrate lol... no seriously, its perfectly fine.

When I told you on PM that some switches were "hazardous" I meant the cheap ones which don't isolate the SCART sockets from each other. This can lead to voltage from one system leaking into another, in one instance enough to turn on my SNES without it even being plugged into the wall. Even so we're talking 9 volts or so, so it's not going to burn down your house, but it's not exactly an ideal thing to do to your vintage consoles.

However, you won't get such problems with the Hama switches I've tested and I'd be astounded if you did with the Shinybow.
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Rock Man
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Rock Man »

BuckoA51 wrote:Yes! It will surely catch fire and disintegrate lol
Oh noes! :o
BuckoA51 wrote:When I told you on PM that some switches were "hazardous" I meant the cheap ones which don't isolate the SCART sockets from each other. This can lead to voltage from one system leaking into another, in one instance enough to turn on my SNES without it even being plugged into the wall. Even so we're talking 9 volts or so, so it's not going to burn down your house, but it's not exactly an ideal thing to do to your vintage consoles.

However, you won't get such problems with the Hama switches I've tested and I'd be astounded if you did with the Shinybow.
You heard the man people. This seems the ideal combination!
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trunk
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by trunk »

BuckoA51 wrote:When I told you on PM that some switches were "hazardous" I meant the cheap ones which don't isolate the SCART sockets from each other. This can lead to voltage from one system leaking into another, in one instance enough to turn on my SNES without it even being plugged into the wall. Even so we're talking 9 volts or so, so it's not going to burn down your house, but it's not exactly an ideal thing to do to your vintage consoles.
I own a cheap SCART Block that did the exact thing above(turn on consoles), so I never used it. I have been aching for more scart switchers(I have the madcatz rgb one, wish they'd make more).

I thought about what I could do to use the SCART block. I went ahead and did some checking on where the voltage was coming from the consoles and the main stuff is from pin 8(aspect up) and pin 16(blanking). Now from eviltim's console scart pinouts I saw that pins 8 and 16 are connected on certain consoles(with resistor to step down voltage)(NOTE:this is for NTSC, PAL is different). I went ahead and opened the scart block and cut all the traces between pin 8 of the scart plugs. I plugged it into the xrgb(with an adaptor of course) and all works well. I'm not sure if I need to cut the traces on pin 16 as the voltage passed across is less and does not turn anything on. Also when using a block I make sure to only turn on one console at the time.

NOTE: this only works on the XRGB as it does not need to be told to accept RGB. A regular SCART TV needs that voltage to change from composite to RGB.

Anybody else try this?
Current Setup:

720P------------------------v
240P->XRGB-3->Edge->4x2 matrix->DLP HDTV
480i/P->YPbPrselect-^ . . ^ . . V-->hdmi2vga->Super Emotia->Tate CRT SDTV
PC->vga2hdmi-------------^
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BuckoA51
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by BuckoA51 »

It's better than nothing but in that setup you still have the problem that components in one SCART can affect another, for instance if there are caps in a SCART cable further down the chain, perhaps to reduce the brightness on one console, they can then affect the brightness of a console left in another SCART socket.
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trunk
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by trunk »

BuckoA51 wrote:It's better than nothing but in that setup you still have the problem that components in one SCART can affect another, for instance if there are caps in a SCART cable further down the chain, perhaps to reduce the brightness on one console, they can then affect the brightness of a console left in another SCART socket.
I didn't notice the brightness change that bad but you're right. This is more of a band aid until a proper SCART switch can be picked up. The madcatz RGB one is perfect, I really wish I could find another one(or two).
Current Setup:

720P------------------------v
240P->XRGB-3->Edge->4x2 matrix->DLP HDTV
480i/P->YPbPrselect-^ . . ^ . . V-->hdmi2vga->Super Emotia->Tate CRT SDTV
PC->vga2hdmi-------------^
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BuckoA51
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by BuckoA51 »

Yeah it depends on the SCARTs I think, the brightness might not be affected by, say, the Saturn's SCART since its just plain wires. a SNES SCART might have much more of an effect since its usually capped.
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daskrabs
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by daskrabs »

I bought the Hama switchbox. It's awesome, no issues. Expensive to import from Germany, but worth it. I just wish I had another.
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Rock Man
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Rock Man »

daskrabs wrote:I bought the Hama switchbox. It's awesome, no issues. Expensive to import from Germany, but worth it. I just wish I had another.
Where did you get it from? On what website?
daskrabs
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by daskrabs »

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Rock Man
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by Rock Man »

Do you know if this store ships to the US? When I proceeded to checkout everything was in a different language. :?
daskrabs
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Re: SCART Switch/Splitter Recommendation

Post by daskrabs »

Yes, I'm in the US. ~$85 total.
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