Cloning the Gamecube component cable

[AetherSmyth]

Yes I plan on releasing files. I also hope to sell preassembled kits as well.

The pins were pulled from pcie slots. Do a search on eBay for pcie connector slots. I'm not sure where to get other than reaching out to factories in China. I was told the pins remove easily.

Thanks for the info, really appreciate all the work you've been doing. Big thanks to Unseen, too, while I'm at it. I think I'll wait for GCDual to be ready, maybe try and get the connector put together in the meantime and figure out a good way to mount it. I know Unseen has warned that trying to run much of any wiring between the digital port and the GCVideo board is likely to cause issues, but does anyone know if there's some length I should be safe below? Just being able to add enough for the connection to flex and take the weight off the connector ought to really help minimize stress on the port.

Where can you see info on this DVI version?

The digital version is GCVideo DVI, as opposed to GCVideo Lite, which is the analog version. All the digital versions I've seen use an HDMI connector for the sake of compatibility, but I believe it still uses DVI signalling to avoid licensing issues.

[strayan]

Anobody saw this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUks9-jW9xw

Yup, and the inevitable occurred: https://twitter.com/MetalJesusRocks/sta ... 5415879682

Looks like zeldaxpro will have a lot of trouble to deal with!

Lucky I used superglue.

[FinalBaton]

That's exactly what I am doing

Nice! I do that as well. It's well worth it indeed

And yep, some PS1 had a high quality audio output, unfortunally PS1 did not have any toslink audio output capabilities, though you could mod it in on some models.

1001 and 5001 Playstations have such a great DAC that moding them for optical out is kind of pointless though. To extract better sound from the console then what the analog outs provide, you'd need a very high-end standalone DAC (which I doubt many people have). And even then it shouldn't be a dramatic increase in fidelity.

My thought on this is : if a console has an amazing DAC, then just use it. It highlights a strenght of the console, it makes gaming on real hardware extra enjoyable.

[bobrocks95]

Well I can't imagine why you'd buy a sealed component cable for 700USD. It's not like you can display that on you shelf like a gaming console in the same condition. It's meant to be used and it works exactly as the 200USD used ones. And simply unsealing the cable for usage costs you about 500USD. This is insane.

No, there are crazy collectors that in fact display things like cables because they're "rare"

[RGBSource]

Well I can't imagine why you'd buy a sealed component cable for 700USD. It's not like you can display that on you shelf like a gaming console in the same condition. It's meant to be used and it works exactly as the 200USD used ones. And simply unsealing the cable for usage costs you about 500USD. This is insane.

No, there are crazy collectors that in fact display things like cables because they're "rare"

This is what happens when you can purchase component cables for a tenth of original retail price!



When the Pb (Blue) mini coax breaks in one of these cables:

[Lawfer]

That's exactly what I am doing

Nice! I do that as well. It's well worth it indeed

And yep, some PS1 had a high quality audio output, unfortunally PS1 did not have any toslink audio output capabilities, though you could mod it in on some models.

1001 and 5001 Playstations have such a great DAC that moding them for optical out is kind of pointless though. To extract better sound from the console then what the analog outs provide, you'd need a very high-end standalone DAC (which I doubt many people have). And even then it shouldn't be a dramatic increase in fidelity.

My thought on this is : if a console has an amazing DAC, then just use it. It highlights a strenght of the console, it makes gaming on real hardware extra enjoyable.

Thanks, do you know if PS2 have different audio quality depending on models?

The digital version is GCVideo DVI, as opposed to GCVideo Lite, which is the analog version. All the digital versions I've seen use an HDMI connector for the sake of compatibility, but I believe it still uses DVI signalling to avoid licensing issues.

I am reading online that both these solutions are FPGA as opposed to the official proprietary video encoder from the official Nintendo cables, so isn't that basically emulation?

[citrus3000psi]

This is what happens when you can purchase component cables for a tenth of original retail price!

Want to send me one so I can test my GCDual with one of these cables plugged in at the same time. (I'll send it back when I'm done)

[philexile]

This is what happens when you can purchase component cables for a tenth of original retail price!

Nice! Where did you get all those?

If you want to sell one, please let me know. I wanted to pick one up while I wait for BadAss to ship his GCVideoX.

[AetherSmyth]

I am reading online that both these solutions are FPGA as opposed to the official proprietary video encoder from the official Nintendo cables, so isn't that basically emulation?

Not sure I follow... any solution for this not produced by a large company is almost certain to be FPGA-based. There's no more supply of the video converter that was embedded in the official component cables, and no hobbyist is likely to be able to get a custom ASIC made. All the actual processing is still done by the GameCube hardware the same as it ever was, the GCVideo board just replicates the function of the chip from the official component cables. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean by emulation?

[Lawfer]

I am reading online that both these solutions are FPGA as opposed to the official proprietary video encoder from the official Nintendo cables, so isn't that basically emulation?

Not sure I follow... any solution for this not produced by a large company is almost certain to be FPGA-based. There's no more supply of the video converter that was embedded in the official component cables, and no hobbyist is likely to be able to get a custom ASIC made. All the actual processing is still done by the GameCube hardware the same as it ever was, the GCVideo board just replicates the function of the chip from the official component cables. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean by emulation?

From what I am reading FPGA is hardware emulation, meaning it's not native, at least in the case of the GameCube+GCVideo that would be partial emulation as it still uses the actual hardware but the board/video chip is FPGA?

[FinalBaton]

Thanks, do you know if PS2 have different audio quality depending on models?

I'm not as well-versed into PS2 motheboard revisions sadly. I couldn't tell you which ones have better DACs

[Unseen]

From what I am reading FPGA is hardware emulation

Please define "Emulation".

[TooBeaucoup]

Anobody saw this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUks9-jW9xw

Yup, and the inevitable occurred: https://twitter.com/MetalJesusRocks/sta ... 5415879682

Looks like zeldaxpro will have a lot of trouble to deal with!

Lucky I used superglue.

I'm just trying to figure out what in the hell people are doing to their Gamecubes to cause this issue. I'm not excusing the fact that the adapter could've been designed better, but I've had mine for a few months and it's been flawless. Granted, I don't bump my Gamecube or jerk it around, so that's likely why mine has no issues. I get that accidents happen, but what in the hell are you doing with your consoles that would be causing them to move around? I have always been sooooo careful with every disc-based console I've owned, especially when they're turned on, because I don't want discs getting, potentially, scratched. It reminds me of the XBox360 when people reported scratched discs if they bumped their consoles when it was in the vertical position. It's like, I'm not excusing bad design of a console or accessory, but why in the hell are you touching your Xbox or bumping it when it's turned on and the disc is spinning?! LOL!

Metal Jesus mentions his Cube got bumped at a party. Well, that's a vague description of what happened. How badly was it "bumped"? I can't imagine someone just tapped it. Again, hopefully, this adapter sees a revision to avoid this, but don't touch your damn console and 99% of people are going to have no issue.

[AetherSmyth]

From what I am reading FPGA is hardware emulation, meaning it's not native, at least in the case of the GameCube+GCVideo that would be partial emulation as it still uses the actual hardware but the board/video chip is FPGA?

Well, an FPGA is just a type of hardware that can be reconfigured to replicate other hardware designs; since it's nearly impossible for projects like GCVideo to reach the scale where getting a custom ASIC made would be possible, FPGAs are the norm in this sphere. It's true that it's not the actual hardware from an official component cable, but for the reasons mentioned previously you're not going to get that without shelling out for the official cable. That's where GCVideo comes in, as an FPGA-based replacement for the official chip. The GameCube's video output doesn't have to be modified in any way, it's just received and interpereted by the GCVideo rather than the chip in the official cables.

I suppose you could call it emulation if you really want to, but by that argument the same could be said of just about every big mod of the past few years, including the NESRGB, 2600RGB, N64RGB, Hi-Def NES, and UltraHDMI. I would say "replication" would be my preferred term, as to me "emulation" carries the connotation of the imperfections with software emulators.

[Ikaruga11]

Those Component Cables being sold for $700 aren't even in their original packaging. Assuming they're in mint condition and have never been used, they're worth about $400 at most.

[Guspaz]

From what I am reading FPGA is hardware emulation, meaning it's not native, at least in the case of the GameCube+GCVideo that would be partial emulation as it still uses the actual hardware but the board/video chip is FPGA?

Well, an FPGA is just a type of hardware that can be reconfigured to replicate other hardware designs; since it's nearly impossible for projects like GCVideo to reach the scale where getting a custom ASIC made would be possible, FPGAs are the norm in this sphere. It's true that it's not the actual hardware from an official component cable, but for the reasons mentioned previously you're not going to get that without shelling out for the official cable. That's where GCVideo comes in, as an FPGA-based replacement for the official chip. The GameCube's video output doesn't have to be modified in any way, it's just received and interpereted by the GCVideo rather than the chip in the official cables.

I suppose you could call it emulation if you really want to, but by that argument the same could be said of just about every big mod of the past few years, including the NESRGB, 2600RGB, N64RGB, Hi-Def NES, and UltraHDMI. I would say "replication" would be my preferred term, as to me "emulation" carries the connotation of the imperfections with software emulators.

It's not emulation because it's not emulating any existing hardware. It's performing a similar task to the original chip, but it's not doing the exact same thing. For one thing, it's doing a better job, and with audio to boot.

We're talking about a video signal conversion here. It's doing less manipulation than what your TV's own internal hardware is doing.

[Lawfer]

Those Component Cables being sold for $700 aren't even in their original packaging. Assuming they're in mint condition and have never been used, they're worth about $400 at most.

That's still 340 more than what I paid in 2006, damn! And even then at that time they were still starting to become rare.

Thanks, do you know if PS2 have different audio quality depending on models?

I'm not as well-versed into PS2 motheboard revisions sadly. I couldn't tell you which ones have better DACs

Damn, that's too bad, there doesn't seem to have any information online about this, unlike with the PS1.

[AetherSmyth]

It's not emulation because it's not emulating any existing hardware. It's performing a similar task to the original chip, but it's not doing the exact same thing. For one thing, it's doing a better job, and with audio to boot.

We're talking about a video signal conversion here. It's doing less manipulation than what your TV's own internal hardware is doing.

Good point, that's another reason why "emulation" really isn't the right word here.

[nmalinoski]

It's not emulation because it's not emulating any existing hardware. It's performing a similar task to the original chip, but it's not doing the exact same thing. For one thing, it's doing a better job, and with audio to boot.

We're talking about a video signal conversion here. It's doing less manipulation than what your TV's own internal hardware is doing.

Good point, that's another reason why "emulation" really isn't the right word here.

Simulation? It's been used by the StepMania developers to describe their software, as it acts very much like the Dance Dance Revolution games (and, in some cases, does quite a bit more), but it doesn't perform any emulation of any original DDR code.

[Guspaz]

I mean, it's a digital video decoder, it's not involved with the execution and processing of the GameCube in any way... It's working on the console's output, so who cares by what mechanism it transforms the bits going through it? It's not even replacing chunks of the console hardware like the NESRGB and Hi Def NES do.

[AetherSmyth]

Agreed, I'm not really bothered by finding a label for it, I was just concerned with stressing how "emulation" conveys the wrong idea. It seemed to carry the implication that GCVideo was inferior to the official component cables, which by all accounts couldn't be further from the truth.

[citrus3000psi]

Just a little teaser of tonight's action

[meneerbeer]

Anyone seen this? It gave me a good laugh.

[gordon-creAtive]

Anyone seen this? It gave me a good laugh.

And there's his video about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvd-73clV6E
The Gamecube actually fell from a cupboard.

[RGBSource]

Anobody saw this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUks9-jW9xw

Yup, and the inevitable occurred: https://twitter.com/MetalJesusRocks/sta ... 5415879682

Looks like zeldaxpro will have a lot of trouble to deal with!

Lucky I used superglue.

Looks like Kinsey killed it at the beach/eclipse trip!
https://youtu.be/wvd-73clV6E?t=107

[TooBeaucoup]

^ I just watched his video and, although, I think the design should be revised, it kills me when people knock something over and then blame the device. People keep pointing this out on his videos and all he can say is: "Ahh, you can tell it fried before it hit the ground... the device is flawed!". Really, dude? She just, outright, knocks your Cube over and you're going to split hairs and say it fried the instant she touched it and the fall had nothing to do with it? His Cube could have died with the official cables being plugged into it, if someone knocked it over. It seems like all he wants to do is defend his friend and blame the device for her carelessness. Again, the device could definitely be improved. But, I've been using my 2.0 for months now and guess what? It works great! Don't jostle your system around when it's running! Pretty simple. LOL!

[citrus3000psi]

I have a plug in play design (HDMI ONLY) in the works going on now as well.

Here is the case :





Here is the PCB:



I can work with both sides of the PCB with style of case. So the backside is populated as well. Now, to get this thing as small as I could I'm using 0402 components.

I doubt I'll ever design a plug in play with hdmi and rgb. As I don't think I will ever be satisfied with the size it will be.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a different note, the RGB/HDMI protoboard is working great. I have ordered new boards, small revisions, and the QSB to go with it.

I may do a small run of these. I'd like to know how much interest there is so I would know how many to get made

[Guspaz]

What about an RGB-only plug-and-play?

Apart from cost, a combo plug-and-play unit isn't super important. It makes sense in an internal installation, because that lets you put in an HDMI while still wiring up the multi av port, and the installation is sort of permanent. That is, if you install the HDMI version, then if you decide you want to use RGB, you'd have to do a bunch of work to remove the HDMI version and install the RGB version. So a combo unit there makes sense. However, for external use, if you want to switch between HDMI and RGB, you can just unplug the HDMI unit and plug the RGB unit in. It's still not as convenient as it could be, but it's a few seconds to switch instead of a few hours like the internal approach.

[andykara2003]

I have a plug in play design (HDMI ONLY) in the works going on now as well.

That's much more like it - having the pins isolated from each other by a non-conductive material should be a prerequisite.

[Bobster]

What about an RGB-only plug-and-play?

Apart from cost, a combo plug-and-play unit isn't super important. It makes sense in an internal installation, because that lets you put in an HDMI while still wiring up the multi av port, and the installation is sort of permanent. That is, if you install the HDMI version, then if you decide you want to use RGB, you'd have to do a bunch of work to remove the HDMI version and install the RGB version. So a combo unit there makes sense. However, for external use, if you want to switch between HDMI and RGB, you can just unplug the HDMI unit and plug the RGB unit in. It's still not as convenient as it could be, but it's a few seconds to switch instead of a few hours like the internal approach.

Seconding this idea. For me personally I'm in for an RGB solution for use with my framemeister/OSSC. Regardless, your plug and play solution look simple (that is to say uncomplicated in a good way) and I'm on board.