gscartsw / gscartsw_lite / gcompsw switches support thread

[superg]

There is a way for gscartsw_lite to support manual switching. There is an EXT header which supports all that, a simple small board with one button can be made which will switch the inputs (actually any configuration, leds displays, two buttons etc.)

Where can I find one of those?

If it had manual switching, I can use both Sync-on-Green and YPbPr-through-SCART without any problem, can't I? That would be cool for PlayStation 2 as well as both Xbox and Wii.

I have to make such board to insert it to the EXT header.

[mjs0686]

Just curious but are there any plans to have future full versions (not the lite) support Digital Sync Regeneration?

Also would you mind explaining to me how RGsB from the PS2 works? I know it needs to be sync stripped before being fed into an extron for it to output 480p rgb so does that mean it is just a change in the sync that somehow allows the signal to natively change from interlaced to progressive? If so is there any way a future Gscart could support it?

Lastly I heard you were considering it so I thought I should let you know I would love the option to enable or disable the low pass filter. (As well as the option to have a manual switch only mode but I doubt that will ever happen.)

Lite is the full version, I think it may replace gscartsw in future.
Regarding SoG: read this topic backwards, I think I've explained it here. I'm not aware of Extron specifics though. As I've said earlier I have a SoG board in development which installs in a middle of PS2 SCART and ultimately provides RGBS not depending on PS2 video mode.
Low pass filter: I think it's too late for gscartsw but there is no any filter in gscartsw_lite so there is nothing to disable.

I'm still working on the gscartsw_lite firmware, there is a good chance that I'll finish next week.

So you still will be selling regular gscartsw (3.4?) in the near future?

What do you expect to go for pre-orders next? regular or lite?

[superg]

So you still will be selling regular gscartsw (3.4?) in the near future?

What do you expect to go for pre-orders next? regular or lite?

The next batch is the lite batch for sure. Depending on a feedback on the new switch I will decide if I do more of older gscartsw's.

[mjs0686]

So you still will be selling regular gscartsw (3.4?) in the near future?

What do you expect to go for pre-orders next? regular or lite?

The next batch is the lite batch for sure. Depending on a feedback on the new switch I will decide if I do more of older gscartsw's.

OK thanks, well I guess I should go for the lite one then.

[jjcard]

Currently I have a gscartsw hooked up through a framemeister to a LCD tv and it works great. I also am picking up an old CRT, mostly for light-gun games, soon. It does not have BNC inputs, but it does have yCbCr. I've looked around a little at cables, but a lot of the VGA->Component ones say that don't actually change the single it sends at all. Does anyone use component out from their gscartsw? What cable/converter would you recommend?

[Fudoh]

I have to make such board to insert it to the EXT header.

this would be great and highly appreciated. Even if these become only available later on. A reasonably priced update would be a good thing. Being able to route component and RGsB and thus use a manual input selection for these would definitely add to the overall functionality.

One thing you should add is enabling the output of a "blank" sync signal from the FPGA when YUV or RGsB sources are used. This would make it easier to daisy chain switches without adding a manual selection to the "master" switch as well.

[superg]

One thing you should add is enabling the output of a "blank" sync signal from the FPGA when YUV or RGsB sources are used. This would make it easier to daisy chain switches without adding a manual selection to the "master" switch as well.

Outputting blank sync shouldn't be a problem but detecting sync on other lines requires a lot of additional logic. Apart from I wouldn't mix everything in one switch. There is gcompsw for YUV and S-Video is lossy (albeit it can easily forwarded using gcompsw given that adapters are built) so YUV is out of question here. And sync on green is really a PS2 thing which should be fixed before it enters the switch. But manual switching is easily possible in lite.

[RGB0b]

I wonder what people thoughts are about replacing the "gscartsw" with a "gscartsw pro"? Would people be willing to pay a much higher price for extra features? I'd happily pay a lot to have more features, but I realize I'm a bit of an abnormal example since I rely on this as a main tool to work with and not just a basic switch. Maybe things like:

- The design of the gscartsw 3.4, but with a Framemesiter output port added alongside the VGA port.

- The new Altera sync chip, but with a switchable RGsB solution.

- LFP switch

- Manual and automatic modes

- Maybe a powder-coated metal case? I still have the design drawings and prototype for that. Overall cost won't be outrageously raised...but shipping will definitely be much more expensive due to weight.

- A side port for cheap "daughter boards" powered off the main board that could expand it to 16 SCART ports...or even have a daughterboard with VGA ports that accept RGBHV and RGBs?

If you couldn't get an order for 100, then it wouldn't be worth making them at all...and would 100 people pay a really high price for all of that???


...also, I think selling an optional add-on board for manual switching is an excellent idea for the gscartsw_lite; People who don't need it won't have to pay the cost in the main unit, but people who want it can just order and plug in.

[Wolf_]

I wonder what people thoughts are about replacing the "gscartsw" with a "gscartsw pro"? Would people be willing to pay a much higher price for extra features? I'd happily pay a lot to have more features, but I realize I'm a bit of an abnormal example since I rely on this as a main tool to work with and not just a basic switch. Maybe things like:

- The design of the gscartsw 3.4, but with a Framemesiter output port added alongside the VGA port.

- The new Altera sync chip, but with a switchable RGsB solution.

- LFP switch

- Manual and automatic modes

- Maybe a powder-coated metal case? I still have the design drawings and prototype for that. Overall cost won't be outrageously raised...but shipping will definitely be much more expensive due to weight.

- A side port for cheap "daughter boards" powered off the main board that could expand it to 16 SCART ports...or even have a daughterboard with VGA ports that accept RGBHV and RGBs?

If you couldn't get an order for 100, then it wouldn't be worth making them at all...and would 100 people pay a really high price for all of that???


...also, I think selling an optional add-on board for manual switching is an excellent idea for the gscartsw_lite; People who don't need it won't have to pay the cost in the main unit, but people who want it can just order and plug in.

I would order one for sure! My only real concern for the gscart lite is that if the resolution changes inside a game I'm playing it will go into "seek" mode and the screen will go blank for a second or two until it detects the signal on the same channel again. And the Nt mini has spoiled me for metal cases so I would certainly love all my gear to look like that.

[mjs0686]

I wonder what people thoughts are about replacing the "gscartsw" with a "gscartsw pro"? Would people be willing to pay a much higher price for extra features? I'd happily pay a lot to have more features, but I realize I'm a bit of an abnormal example since I rely on this as a main tool to work with and not just a basic switch. Maybe things like:

- The design of the gscartsw 3.4, but with a Framemesiter output port added alongside the VGA port.

- The new Altera sync chip, but with a switchable RGsB solution.

- LFP switch

- Manual and automatic modes

- Maybe a powder-coated metal case? I still have the design drawings and prototype for that. Overall cost won't be outrageously raised...but shipping will definitely be much more expensive due to weight.

- A side port for cheap "daughter boards" powered off the main board that could expand it to 16 SCART ports...or even have a daughterboard with VGA ports that accept RGBHV and RGBs?

If you couldn't get an order for 100, then it wouldn't be worth making them at all...and would 100 people pay a really high price for all of that???


...also, I think selling an optional add-on board for manual switching is an excellent idea for the gscartsw_lite; People who don't need it won't have to pay the cost in the main unit, but people who want it can just order and plug in.

I would buy it, but I'm weird as well.

[mjs0686]

One thing you should add is enabling the output of a "blank" sync signal from the FPGA when YUV or RGsB sources are used. This would make it easier to daisy chain switches without adding a manual selection to the "master" switch as well.

Outputting blank sync shouldn't be a problem but detecting sync on other lines requires a lot of additional logic. Apart from I wouldn't mix everything in one switch. There is gcompsw for YUV and S-Video is lossy (albeit it can easily forwarded using gcompsw given that adapters are built) so YUV is out of question here. And sync on green is really a PS2 thing which should be fixed before it enters the switch. But manual switching is easily possible in lite.

Just curious, is the sync re-generation "always on" or is it only on when the sync stripper is enabled?

[PeterWar]

Just curious, is the sync re-generation "always on" or is it only on when the sync stripper is enabled?

I'm also curious about the sync re-generation feature, as you might know, Sony BVM-A20F1M monitors with BMK-68X boards are very picky with slightly off sync signals, so they don't sync with many Sega consoles (See this post).

Will the gscartsw_lite solve this? If so please put me in the list as I would like to preorder one .

Also, I would be happy to betatest the switch with my two Sony BVM-A20F1M monitors as well!

[RGB0b]

I'll also be testing on an A-Series with the BKM-68x. I'm crossing my fingers...if it works, it will be a mandatory purchase for all 68x owners.

[superg]

Just curious, is the sync re-generation "always on" or is it only on when the sync stripper is enabled?

There is an ON-OFF switch (similar to what I provide in gscartsw) which will toggle between two modes, pass-through and sync regeneration. Sync regeneration is stripped sync so it kinda have it all in one.

I wonder what people thoughts are about replacing the "gscartsw" with a "gscartsw pro"? Would people be willing to pay a much higher price for extra features? I'd happily pay a lot to have more features, but I realize I'm a bit of an abnormal example since I rely on this as a main tool to work with and not just a basic switch. Maybe things like:

- The design of the gscartsw 3.4, but with a Framemesiter output port added alongside the VGA port.

- The new Altera sync chip, but with a switchable RGsB solution.

- LFP switch

- Manual and automatic modes

- Maybe a powder-coated metal case? I still have the design drawings and prototype for that. Overall cost won't be outrageously raised...but shipping will definitely be much more expensive due to weight.

- A side port for cheap "daughter boards" powered off the main board that could expand it to 16 SCART ports...or even have a daughterboard with VGA ports that accept RGBHV and RGBs?

If you couldn't get an order for 100, then it wouldn't be worth making them at all...and would 100 people pay a really high price for all of that???


...also, I think selling an optional add-on board for manual switching is an excellent idea for the gscartsw_lite; People who don't need it won't have to pay the cost in the main unit, but people who want it can just order and plug in.

Wow, that would be too complex for me to work on
Daughter boards won't work for my multiplexer based design and the other possible design is inferior in terms of image quality (and it's gonna get worse the more ports we add).

[Guspaz]

Daughter boards could work simply be changing the last input to pin headers that can be connected to the daughter board via a very short ribbon cables or bridge PCB, at which point the second set of inputs would be internally daisy-chained, but to the user it would present itself as one big switch. The downside would be, since your multiplexers only support eight inputs, you'd be reduced to 7 inputs. Easier to just daisy chain a second switch, I think, as most people already do. You're not really saving any space via the daughter board approach since the thing that takes up the most space is the SCART sockets.

[Wolf_]

Just curious, is the sync re-generation "always on" or is it only on when the sync stripper is enabled?

There is an ON-OFF switch (similar to what I provide in gscartsw) which will toggle between two modes, pass-through and sync regeneration. Sync regeneration is stripped sync so it kinda have it all in one.

I wonder what people thoughts are about replacing the "gscartsw" with a "gscartsw pro"? Would people be willing to pay a much higher price for extra features? I'd happily pay a lot to have more features, but I realize I'm a bit of an abnormal example since I rely on this as a main tool to work with and not just a basic switch. Maybe things like:

- The design of the gscartsw 3.4, but with a Framemesiter output port added alongside the VGA port.

- The new Altera sync chip, but with a switchable RGsB solution.

- LFP switch

- Manual and automatic modes

- Maybe a powder-coated metal case? I still have the design drawings and prototype for that. Overall cost won't be outrageously raised...but shipping will definitely be much more expensive due to weight.

- A side port for cheap "daughter boards" powered off the main board that could expand it to 16 SCART ports...or even have a daughterboard with VGA ports that accept RGBHV and RGBs?

If you couldn't get an order for 100, then it wouldn't be worth making them at all...and would 100 people pay a really high price for all of that???


...also, I think selling an optional add-on board for manual switching is an excellent idea for the gscartsw_lite; People who don't need it won't have to pay the cost in the main unit, but people who want it can just order and plug in.

Wow, that would be too complex for me to work on
Daughter boards won't work for my multiplexer based design and the other possible design is inferior in terms of image quality (and it's gonna get worse the more ports we add).

Honestly I don't see the issue with daisy chaining switches together so plugging them in seems like a purely optional feature. A 1 foot cable from retroconsoleaccessories shouldn't degrade the image in any noticeable way.

The xrgb mini out feature also sounds like overkill. A) It no longer being produced so we should be thinking about the future gen/whatever replaces it. B) Scart to xrgb mini cables are easy to pick up from retroconsoleaccessories and you would probably want them to make a quality version of the other cable anyways.

As long as it has this epic sounding new sync regeneration feature that doesn't degrade the image and is faster, and can work with the new ps2 SoG cables you are designing I would say it is complete. Just please please please make a manual switch ext available for purchase. 3 Buttons is all it would need, Left, Autoswitch on/off, and Right. And maybe a little screen to show which input it is on, or 8 input lights.

If you wanted to make a high end metal case for it then I would totally spring for that, but if it is out of your price range to develop so be it.

[foxdagamer]

Would love gscart lite,keep us posted im keen as

[grips03]

I have Videopac G7000 and G7400 that work when connected to Sony PVM. And also works on my Sony LCD TV via SCART (RGB) to HDMI converter box. However won't work via XRGB2 same Sony LCD TV. Odyssey 2 (US version of G7000) RGB SCART works via XRGB2 to this TV. I was wondering if your device converts PAL type sync to something more NTSC friendly.

When G7000 and G7400 are using XRGB2 TV says "unsupported signal". If I connect to Dell monitor in lieu of Sony TV it works fine.

Reason I want to use XRGB2 is that it produces better colors.

[superg]

I have Videopac G7000 and G7400 that work when connected to Sony PVM. And also works on my Sony LCD TV via SCART (RGB) to HDMI converter box. However won't work via XRGB2 same Sony LCD TV. Odyssey 2 (US version of G7000) RGB SCART works via XRGB2 to this TV. I was wondering if your device converts PAL type sync to something more NTSC friendly.

When G7000 and G7400 are using XRGB2 TV says "unsupported signal". If I connect to Dell monitor in lieu of Sony TV it works fine.

Reason I want to use XRGB2 is that it produces better colors.

NTSC/PAL sync is the same (well, almost the same: https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app- ... vp/id/1184, Table 1) so it shouldn't be a problem.
Maybe the issue is with something else? If it's sync level issue it's gonna be fixed by gscartsw_lite. Here I have 7 different consoles which cause issues with XRGB-Mini if connected directly, all of that is fixed using sync regeneration.
However what was left is to look into SCART-PI and thing called "positive sync", whatever that is.

[Wolf_]

I have Videopac G7000 and G7400 that work when connected to Sony PVM. And also works on my Sony LCD TV via SCART (RGB) to HDMI converter box. However won't work via XRGB2 same Sony LCD TV. Odyssey 2 (US version of G7000) RGB SCART works via XRGB2 to this TV. I was wondering if your device converts PAL type sync to something more NTSC friendly.

When G7000 and G7400 are using XRGB2 TV says "unsupported signal". If I connect to Dell monitor in lieu of Sony TV it works fine.

Reason I want to use XRGB2 is that it produces better colors.

NTSC/PAL sync is the same (well, almost the same: https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app- ... vp/id/1184, Table 1) so it shouldn't be a problem.
Maybe the issue is with something else? If it's sync level issue it's gonna be fixed by gscartsw_lite. Here I have 7 different consoles which cause issues with XRGB-Mini if connected directly, all of that is fixed using sync regeneration.
However what was left is to look into SCART-PI and thing called "positive sync", whatever that is.

Just curious but what are the 7? Also do any consoles use Scart-pi/positive sync?

[superg]

I have Videopac G7000 and G7400 that work when connected to Sony PVM. And also works on my Sony LCD TV via SCART (RGB) to HDMI converter box. However won't work via XRGB2 same Sony LCD TV. Odyssey 2 (US version of G7000) RGB SCART works via XRGB2 to this TV. I was wondering if your device converts PAL type sync to something more NTSC friendly.

When G7000 and G7400 are using XRGB2 TV says "unsupported signal". If I connect to Dell monitor in lieu of Sony TV it works fine.

Reason I want to use XRGB2 is that it produces better colors.

NTSC/PAL sync is the same (well, almost the same: https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app- ... vp/id/1184, Table 1) so it shouldn't be a problem.
Maybe the issue is with something else? If it's sync level issue it's gonna be fixed by gscartsw_lite. Here I have 7 different consoles which cause issues with XRGB-Mini if connected directly, all of that is fixed using sync regeneration.
However what was left is to look into SCART-PI and thing called "positive sync", whatever that is.

Just curious but what are the 7? Also do any consoles use Scart-pi/positive sync?

SNES NTSC, NESRGB+PAL GC SCART cable, Dreamcast VA1 NTSC, PSOne PAL SCPH-102, PSOne NTSC SCPH-101, PSX SCPH-7001 NTSC, PS2 SCPH-70001.
Please take this with a grain of salt as this may involve other setup specific issues like cable quality and my XRGB-Mini unit. Everything from this list either doesn't work or flickers / artifacts when connected to XRGB-Mini directly (default configuration, some of the issues are fixed by changing XRGB sync level but my point is that it should always work).

I've never seen non-negative sync but I wanna check that RaspberryPI with PI-SCART adapter because they mention it there and there were issues with it and gscartsw. retrorgb has sent me his SCART-PI for testing, will be tested tomorrow.

[Nodoan]

I'm having an issue with the VGA out with interlaced video, I was curious what specifically the VGA outputs. Currently I'm using just a straight out VGA cord of good quality to a PEXHDCAP60L to a DVI-I plug VIA an adapter. I've read that the C-sync switch doesn't affect VGA so I installed a LM1881 sync stripper into the cable leading to the GSCARTSW to little to no effect. 240P video to the capture card looks fantastic. But with interlaced video the best way I can describe it is the fields don't line up close enough for de-interlacing to correct it. I'm just hoping someone knows something I can do after it leaves the GSCARTSW but before it enters the capture card to mitigate or remove this, as well as more detail on the VGA output.

http://imgur.com/a/rueLE
An Album with the issue, The ps2 images are all "High motion" as that looks the best and I kept it consistent on the composite, though bob looks better. When I got to N64 just did all the deinterlace methods for both.

[Wolf_]

NTSC/PAL sync is the same (well, almost the same: https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app- ... vp/id/1184, Table 1) so it shouldn't be a problem.
Maybe the issue is with something else? If it's sync level issue it's gonna be fixed by gscartsw_lite. Here I have 7 different consoles which cause issues with XRGB-Mini if connected directly, all of that is fixed using sync regeneration.
However what was left is to look into SCART-PI and thing called "positive sync", whatever that is.

Just curious but what are the 7? Also do any consoles use Scart-pi/positive sync?

SNES NTSC, NESRGB+PAL GC SCART cable, Dreamcast VA1 NTSC, PSOne PAL SCPH-102, PSOne NTSC SCPH-101, PSX SCPH-7001 NTSC, PS2 SCPH-70001.
Please take this with a grain of salt as this may involve other setup specific issues like cable quality and my XRGB-Mini unit. Everything from this list either doesn't work or flickers / artifacts when connected to XRGB-Mini directly (default configuration, some of the issues are fixed by changing XRGB sync level but my point is that it should always work).

I've never seen non-negative sync but I wanna check that RaspberryPI with PI-SCART adapter because they mention it there and there were issues with it and gscartsw. retrorgb has sent me his SCART-PI for testing, will be tested tomorrow.

Thanks for the update, that's very interesting. I have to say when I thought the gscart lite was just a cheaper version of the regular gscart version (which I assumed was the "full" version with all the features as "lite" makes it sound lighter on features) I had no reason to get it because thanks to the Nt mini I reduced my setup down to 6 scart consoles (TurboDuo, Snes, Genesis + CD + 32x, Saturn, PS1, PS2 SoG) but knowing that it is actually an improved version has made me decide to pick one up when they become available.

[superg]

Thanks for the update, that's very interesting. I have to say when I thought the gscart lite was just a cheaper version of the regular gscart version (which I assumed was the "full" version with all the features as "lite" makes it sound lighter on features) I had no reason to get it because thanks to the Nt mini I reduced my setup down to 6 scart consoles (TurboDuo, Snes, Genesis + CD + 32x, Saturn, PS1, PS2 SoG) but knowing that it is actually an improved version has made me decide to pick one up when they become available.

Yeah, maybe the naming is a bit off but that's may be too late to change.

[Namdor]

Thanks for the update, that's very interesting. I have to say when I thought the gscart lite was just a cheaper version of the regular gscart version (which I assumed was the "full" version with all the features as "lite" makes it sound lighter on features) I had no reason to get it because thanks to the Nt mini I reduced my setup down to 6 scart consoles (TurboDuo, Snes, Genesis + CD + 32x, Saturn, PS1, PS2 SoG) but knowing that it is actually an improved version has made me decide to pick one up when they become available.

Yeah, maybe the naming is a bit off but that's may be too late to change.

Yeah I figured the same thing that it was inferior in some way since it was the lite version. Maybe having a chart that shows the differences/improvements would be beneficial?

[Fudoh]

I have Videopac G7000 and G7400 that work when connected to Sony PVM. And also works on my Sony LCD TV via SCART (RGB) to HDMI converter box. However won't work via XRGB2 same Sony LCD TV. Odyssey 2 (US version of G7000) RGB SCART works via XRGB2 to this TV. I was wondering if your device converts PAL type sync to something more NTSC friendly.

When G7000 and G7400 are using XRGB2 TV says "unsupported signal". If I connect to Dell monitor in lieu of Sony TV it works fine.

If you connect a PAL source to the XRGB-2 you get a 576p50 output, which isn't supported by almost all VGA inputs on LCD TVs.

[FBX]

SNES NTSC, NESRGB+PAL GC SCART cable, Dreamcast VA1 NTSC, PSOne PAL SCPH-102, PSOne NTSC SCPH-101, PSX SCPH-7001 NTSC, PS2 SCPH-70001.
Please take this with a grain of salt as this may involve other setup specific issues like cable quality and my XRGB-Mini unit. Everything from this list either doesn't work or flickers / artifacts when connected to XRGB-Mini directly (default configuration, some of the issues are fixed by changing XRGB sync level but my point is that it should always work).

Yeah some of those might be the particular setup you have. Some of those on the list work fine directly on my Framemeister. But if sync regen fixes them universally, that's all good!

I'm totally down for the gs-lite, so I'll be checking back here for when you have pre-odering up and running. Thanks a bunch for all this work you put into these!

[superg]

I'm having an issue with the VGA out with interlaced video, I was curious what specifically the VGA outputs. Currently I'm using just a straight out VGA cord of good quality to a PEXHDCAP60L to a DVI-I plug VIA an adapter. I've read that the C-sync switch doesn't affect VGA so I installed a LM1881 sync stripper into the cable leading to the GSCARTSW to little to no effect. 240P video to the capture card looks fantastic. But with interlaced video the best way I can describe it is the fields don't line up close enough for de-interlacing to correct it. I'm just hoping someone knows something I can do after it leaves the GSCARTSW but before it enters the capture card to mitigate or remove this, as well as more detail on the VGA output.

http://imgur.com/a/rueLE
An Album with the issue, The ps2 images are all "High motion" as that looks the best and I kept it consistent on the composite, though bob looks better. When I got to N64 just did all the deinterlace methods for both.

C-sync doesn't affect VGA mode - true, but the reason is that VGA always has clean sync as it always go through sync stripper circuit in gscartsw. That means that you didn't have to add another sync stripper before gscartsw, it's not needed. VGA outputs the same RGB lines it gets from the input (just amplified). Now I suppose that you use VGA in "HV" mode, am I correct? Actually it's likely that your monitor just doesn't like lowres interlaced signal. I've seen all sorts of issues when feeding low resolution to VGA monitors.

[mtn360]

@superg: Excuse my ignorance, but will pre-orders be announced in this thread? Is there a waiting list already? Any other way to sponsor your awesome work like Patreon or similar?

[mjs0686]

Side question, anyone know of a good quality male euro-scart to RGBS BNC + 2 RCA audio Cable that is at least 4-6 feet? To hook up the gscartsw lite to a monitor?

Having trouble finding one, for some strange reason, I thought they'd be quite popular.