15kHz consoles to RGBS - advice?

[HDgaming42]

Help me decide a route to get from my SNES, Genesis (JVC X'Eye) and PS1 through an Extron Matrix Switch (the output path from there I can handle). I'm a stickler for quality. I don't want added interference. I don't want noise. I want the cleanest signal possible (don't we all?). With that in mind...

Update: So I've decided to wire and solder my own female SCART to 4 BNC to go through the extron. I'll add LM1881s as needed. Thanks for the help!

I have:
SCART cables for each system
a compression crimper
RCA compression ends
lots of quad shield RG6
access to cheap RG59

I do not have:
access to a US postal address
cheap access to BNC compression ends
a way to get SCART female or male ends
a soldering iron
any soldering skill whatsoever

As I see it I have 3 options:

A) buy this crazy expensive cable from the UK for each system - $55 USD + shipping
http://www.retrogamingcables.com/sony-p ... r-bnc.html



alternatively it seems broken makes what appears to be a much cheaper Monoprice edition of that bad-boy - $26 USD all in
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... ilit=scart



B) buy this breakout board and cable it myself with either cheap pre-fab BNC or make my own - $35 USD all in + cables
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=35885



C) get retro_console_accessories to make me a cable direct from each system to BNC/RCA, skipping SCART altogether (it is a thorn in my Canadian side I tell you!)

Am I missing something obvious? Truthfully I think C would be my preference because I'd be cutting down on mechanical connections (SCART male to SCART female) but she's seemed reluctant in the past to make such a cable...
Wasn't there another US-based member who occasionally makes cables?
I've got a PM in for the breakout board, but Fusion916's eBay listings just went dark today--not a great sign.

I'm not opposed to paying for quality. Would I see or hear any additional noise by going with my current SCART cables and broken's BNC breakouts? I'm I fussing over things I'll never see?

My SCART switch is supposed to be one of the better ones, but i have to jiggle it quite a bit to get a solid, noise free picture. I'm a little apprehensive about SCART connectors...I'd hate to have to crawl behind my rack to mess with cables.

I look forward to getting all of this into my matrix switch--hope to send the signals to both an XRGB2+ (I'll require a BNC to JPN21 cable) and a Sony PVM. Such bliss...just need to get there!

[cyborc]

are you using the extron crosspoint? just a word of warning if you are: you cannot use composite video as sync, it won't pass it properly. so make sure you get cables that use raw sync.

http://www.extron.com/technology/faq.aspx

Code: Select all

10.Can the horizontal and vertical sync connectors on an Extron switcher or DA be used for composite video or S-video?
Not as a general rule. Horizontal and vertical sync channels on Extron products are usually designed to switch TTL type signals, which are approximately 4-5 volts peak to peak. Video is approximately 0.7 volts and will not pass correctly on these channels. The exceptions to this rule are passive switchers, such as the System 8/10 Plus or the SW6 AR MX HV. Note that Extron manufactures no passive DAs or matrix switchers.

I confirmed this on my extron:( I couldn't get a stable signal with my snes using composite video, but when using my consolized mvs with a raw sync signal it worked perfectly.

[HDgaming42]

are you using the extron crosspoint? just a word of warning if you are: you cannot use composite video as sync, it won't pass it properly. so make sure you get cables that use raw sync.

http://www.extron.com/technology/faq.aspx

Code: Select all

10.Can the horizontal and vertical sync connectors on an Extron switcher or DA be used for composite video or S-video?
Not as a general rule. Horizontal and vertical sync channels on Extron products are usually designed to switch TTL type signals, which are approximately 4-5 volts peak to peak. Video is approximately 0.7 volts and will not pass correctly on these channels. The exceptions to this rule are passive switchers, such as the System 8/10 Plus or the SW6 AR MX HV. Note that Extron manufactures no passive DAs or matrix switchers.

I confirmed this on my extron:( I couldn't get a stable signal with my snes using composite video, but when using my consolized mvs with a raw sync signal it worked perfectly.

I was all set to respond that mine wasn't a crosspoint, but in fact it appears to be. Is there any way to tell if my existing SCART cables are using composite video as sync? Wouldn't the SNES/Genesis/PS1 output a pure sync signal, or is it a case of the cable maker just bridging the composite video pin out to two pins of SCART, one being used as sync?

I'm probably mangling some terminology here...

Doesn't Fudoh use a crosspoint? Do I really need to get new SCART cables with raw sync? Wow--I'm back at square one...

=(

Or maybe the sync strike would be more appropriate at $35 CAD plus shipping? Would that allow me to use my existing SCART cables, generate raw sync and then make my own BNC cables to run through the crosspoint?

[cyborc]

snes and genesis can output raw sync, I think the playstation only does composite video. perhaps fudoh or someone else can confirm this though. I'd wager that your cables are probably using composite video as sync. there is someone on ebay named retro-console-accessories who makes cables that output raw sync for systems that support it.

running scart into sync strike and outputting with something like a vga to bnc cable should work with the crosspoint...

also, does monoprice ship to canada? they have vga to bnc cables.

[HDgaming42]

snes and genesis can output raw sync, I think the playstation only does composite video. perhaps fudoh or someone else can confirm this though. I'd wager that your cables are probably using composite video as sync. there is someone on ebay named retro-console-accessories who makes cables that output raw sync for systems that support it.

running scart into sync strike and outputting with something like a vga to bnc cable should work with the crosspoint...

also, does monoprice ship to canada? they have vga to bnc cables.

Yes, they ship to Canada. I'd somehow overlooked the VGA out--that should work splendidly. In theory, the above will work...

Now I just need a BNC RGBS to JPN21 cable to go from the crosspoint to the XRGB2+. Anyone have any ideas on those?

[HDgaming42]

Thinking aloud--hoping someone can confirm:

The XRGB2+ can accept raw sync? Because I'll be stripping the sync down to raw to travel through the Crosspoint, I want to make sure PVMs and the XRGB will still accept the sync once its raw (maybe that's what they'd prefer in the first place?)

Thanks!