GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

[iceman_451]

What is your source resolution? If you're trying to upscale ps3 outputting at 720p, that's your problem. GBS-C only scales 240p, 480p and 480i (nad PAL coutnerparts), and is capable of passing through up to 720p. 1080p pass through can be problematic and I don't believe it supports interlaced pass-through at all.

But this all also begs the question - why are you using GBS-C for PS3 output at all? Is your 24" monitor VGA in only? If so, you'd be better off getting a simple HDMI to VGA adapter, even a passive one.

Aside from that, make sure you have updated your ODV-GBS-C to the final firmware by rama on his OBS Control github.

Hi, thank you for poiting out what I was missing, didn't know it doesn't accept 720p input. I've tried using a GBS-C because it was the most affordable quickly available option. I wanted to use this to upscale the PS3 output to 1080p in order to get rid of some of the jaggies. I guess I'm going to return it but do you have any suggestion on how to achieve 720p upscale to 1080p on a budget? Thank you

[NoAffinity]

What is your source resolution? If you're trying to upscale ps3 outputting at 720p, that's your problem. GBS-C only scales 240p, 480p and 480i (nad PAL coutnerparts), and is capable of passing through up to 720p. 1080p pass through can be problematic and I don't believe it supports interlaced pass-through at all.

But this all also begs the question - why are you using GBS-C for PS3 output at all? Is your 24" monitor VGA in only? If so, you'd be better off getting a simple HDMI to VGA adapter, even a passive one.

Aside from that, make sure you have updated your ODV-GBS-C to the final firmware by rama on his OBS Control github.

Hi, thank you for poiting out what I was missing, didn't know it doesn't accept 720p input. I've tried using a GBS-C because it was the most affordable quickly available option. I wanted to use this to upscale the PS3 output to 1080p in order to get rid of some of the jaggies. I guess I'm going to return it but do you have any suggestion on how to achieve 720p upscale to 1080p on a budget? Thank you

I'm still struggling to understand why you don't just output 1080p directly from your PS3. If you're trying to get some kind of smoothing in addition to the upscale, the only currently produced devices I'm aware of that will upscale 720p and provide other visual tweaking features are the Retrotink 5x and Retrotink 4K, possibly the OSSC Pro. I'm sure the new RT4K CE will also support these features. Beyond that, some legacy devices like DVDO VP30 and others; there will be trade-offs with these however compared to current-gen, purpose-built hardware. You didn't state what your budget is, but I'm guessing all of these are outside of it.

[iceman_451]

I believe the Morph 4K does that too, on a more minute budget. EDIT: My budget is 300 to 400 euro
I'm looking for a device to upscale the signal because, while the PS3 xbm is displayed at 1080p, most games I own and want to play (just finished GoW Ascension and it's been great) output at 720p. The idea is lock the console output at 720p, upscale and smooth out the edeges.

Thank you for your time

[Konsolkongen]

Yeah the Morph will do that too.

In any case you should be aware that you need some kind of HDCP stripper in between PS3 and your upscaler if using HDMI, otherwise it will not work (This is also the for case for Vita TV).

[strike]

Bit of a longshot but has anyone in the UK used the following RGB SCART cable with their GBS Control?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203593632758

I asked the seller if it would be compatible with my Super Famicom and my GBS Control (Ali express pre built) but they told me they were unfamiliar with the GBS Control.

It should be fine. That guy’s cables are just as good as any of the big brands, he’s been around forever and doesn’t get enough credit. Rob Webb. http://consolegoods.co.uk

If you set your search results to worldwide, the dude has two eBay accounts for some reason & you can get the cables a little cheaper from one of the two accounts. He uses the same photos

Hi man, i have retrotink 4k top upscaler for me.
it's Ahmed on Ebay

[Iraito]

https://github.com/ramapcsx2/gbs-control/issues/595

I opened an issue that multiple people seems to experience with the latest commit, if anybody wants to chime in that's the link.

[traka-ar]

And this is the result:



I removed the VGA and Component inputs since I don't use them and only left one video output using HDMI.
Very pleased with the results even though there are still some things to fix on this PCB.

This looks great. Would you be willing to sell one when ready?

[jackhicks121]

Here is a project that I've been working on for the GBS scaler boards. I'm not well versed in posting these kinds of things, so this could be a bit confusing for the moment. I'm also new to the forums but have been reading a lot of information on here and getting into CRT retro gaming as I mentioned in the introduction thread.

Small Summary: I have created some code for a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian to interface with any GBS board (8200 or 8220). This programs the register settings in the scaling chip, the TVIA Trueview 5725, directly via I2C at 3.3V. The onboard MTV230GMV microcontroller, sometimes going by rebadged labels such as GBS800MV, is bypassed by shorting the jumper on Port 8 (P8). This puts it into In System Programming (ISP) mode, which means it can't interfere with the custom settings being programmed.

Improvements thus far:

Pure line double mode

YPbPr component output with Sync on Luma

Resolution changes, including 576p50Hz

Correct 50Hz input

Finer control of scaling and image position

Control of image processing chain

Oversampling of the output using 4x oversampling of the pixel/dot clock

I have created some python and bash scripts allowing for a black and white interactive menu from the Raspberry Pi's composite acting as pure Luma. This allows saving and recalling settings for various RGB to YPbPr conversions. I'm documenting my code for posting on GitHub. In the meantime, I'll post more information to see what interest others have in this work.

In addition, for those seeking reliable storage for their projects, consider using Solid State Drives like the SATA 3GBPS SSD https://serverorbit.com/solid-state-dri ... gb-2-5inch with 400GB-2.5Inch capacity. This could greatly enhance the performance and reliability of your setup.

Looking forward to feedback and suggestions from the community!

[NoAffinity]

Here is a project that I've been working on for the GBS scaler boards. I'm not well versed in posting these kinds of things, so this could be a bit confusing for the moment. I'm also new to the forums but have been reading a lot of information on here and getting into CRT retro gaming as I mentioned in the introduction thread.

Small Summary: I have created some code for a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian to interface with any GBS board (8200 or 8220). This programs the register settings in the scaling chip, the TVIA Trueview 5725, directly via I2C at 3.3V. The onboard MTV230GMV microcontroller, sometimes going by rebadged labels such as GBS800MV, is bypassed by shorting the jumper on Port 8 (P8). This puts it into In System Programming (ISP) mode, which means it can't interfere with the custom settings being programmed.

Improvements thus far:

Pure line double mode

YPbPr component output with Sync on Luma

Resolution changes, including 576p50Hz

Correct 50Hz input

Finer control of scaling and image position

Control of image processing chain

Oversampling of the output using 4x oversampling of the pixel/dot clock

I have created some python and bash scripts allowing for a black and white interactive menu from the Raspberry Pi's composite acting as pure Luma. This allows saving and recalling settings for various RGB to YPbPr conversions. I'm documenting my code for posting on GitHub. In the meantime, I'll post more information to see what interest others have in this work.

In addition, for those seeking reliable storage for their projects, consider using Solid State Drives like the SATA 3GBPS SSD https://serverorbit.com/solid-state-dri ... gb-2-5inch with 400GB-2.5Inch capacity. This could greatly enhance the performance and reliability of your setup.

Looking forward to feedback and suggestions from the community!

I've got a pi zero which currently has no purpose, very interested in your project and driving the gbs with it. Looking forward to more info.

[Gunstar]

Here is a project that I've been working on for the GBS scaler boards. I'm not well versed in posting these kinds of things, so this could be a bit confusing for the moment. I'm also new to the forums but have been reading a lot of information on here and getting into CRT retro gaming as I mentioned in the introduction thread.

Small Summary: I have created some code for a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian to interface with any GBS board (8200 or 8220). This programs the register settings in the scaling chip, the TVIA Trueview 5725, directly via I2C at 3.3V. The onboard MTV230GMV microcontroller, sometimes going by rebadged labels such as GBS800MV, is bypassed by shorting the jumper on Port 8 (P8). This puts it into In System Programming (ISP) mode, which means it can't interfere with the custom settings being programmed.

Improvements thus far:

Pure line double mode

YPbPr component output with Sync on Luma

Resolution changes, including 576p50Hz

Correct 50Hz input

Finer control of scaling and image position

Control of image processing chain

Oversampling of the output using 4x oversampling of the pixel/dot clock

I have created some python and bash scripts allowing for a black and white interactive menu from the Raspberry Pi's composite acting as pure Luma. This allows saving and recalling settings for various RGB to YPbPr conversions. I'm documenting my code for posting on GitHub. In the meantime, I'll post more information to see what interest others have in this work.

In addition, for those seeking reliable storage for their projects, consider using Solid State Drives like the SATA 3GBPS SSD https://serverorbit.com/solid-state-dri ... gb-2-5inch with 400GB-2.5Inch capacity. This could greatly enhance the performance and reliability of your setup.

Looking forward to feedback and suggestions from the community!

I've got a pi zero which currently has no purpose, very interested in your project and driving the gbs with it. Looking forward to more info.

I thought this was something new too but it's spam, looks like a bot trying to get you to buy an SSD, text is from the first post in this thread.

[NoAffinity]

Haha, guess we came full circle and didn't realize it. Maybe an admin can delete the post and related replies.

[Gunstar]

Haha, guess we came full circle and didn't realize it. Maybe an admin can delete the post and related replies.

It's been so long that I completely forgot this whole thing started with a Pi!

[NoAffinity]

Haha, guess we came full circle and didn't realize it. Maybe an admin can delete the post and related replies.

It's been so long that I completely forgot this whole thing started with a Pi!

Yeah, Im always on the lookout for anynnew developments with this project but think it's about as mature as it's going to get. I read the "new featuress" noted in the post and wasn't really sure how that differed from what is already supported.

This did give me incentive to pull out my old trusty gbs and play some ps1 scaled to 480p on a trinitron vga crt. It really does do a great job for what it is, and getting those very fine native scanlines that are produced by this monitor at it's lower supported resolutions really is a treat.

[Gunstar]

Yeah, Im always on the lookout for anynnew developments with this project but think it's about as mature as it's going to get. I read the "new featuress" noted in the post and wasn't really sure how that differed from what is already supported.

This did give me incentive to pull out my old trusty gbs and play some ps1 scaled to 480p on a trinitron vga crt. It really does do a great job for what it is, and getting those very fine native scanlines that are produced by this monitor at it's lower supported resolutions really is a treat.

EDIT: Looks like it was reverted, patch notes have gone, weird

Heh well looks like something new was posted 12hrs ago but seems to be only for the 'ODV' model? https://github.com/mpalpha/gbs-control

ODV-GBS-C Control
Latest Enhancements
Enhanced resolution support including 1024x768 and improved resolution switching
Full-height display mode for maximum vertical resolution utilization (especially for 1920x1080)
Improved video quality with enhanced deinterlacing and motion adaptive processing
Better color accuracy and YPbPr signal handling
Advanced ADC calibration for optimal image quality
Customizable scanline implementation with adjustable strength
Enhanced HDMI sync compatibility
Improved RGBHV scaling options
Better stability and sync handling across different inputs
Enhanced web interface with improved preset management
More reliable WiFi connectivity and OTA updates

I mainly use GBS-C for downscaling but does this stuff looks like it's new or is it just bringing these up to par with the DIY boards?

[AGCRetrogaming]

I wish this board could have on the menu an options to flip image horizontal like a mirror and also rotate 90º

Here is a project that I've been working on for the GBS scaler boards. I'm not well versed in posting these kinds of things, so this could be a bit confusing for the moment. I'm also new to the forums but have been reading a lot of information on here and getting into CRT retro gaming as I mentioned in the introduction thread.

Small Summary: I have created some code for a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian to interface with any GBS board (8200 or 8220). This programs the register settings in the scaling chip, the TVIA Trueview 5725, directly via I2C at 3.3V. The onboard MTV230GMV microcontroller, sometimes going by rebadged labels such as GBS800MV, is bypassed by shorting the jumper on Port 8 (P8). This puts it into In System Programming (ISP) mode, which means it can't interfere with the custom settings being programmed.

Improvements thus far:

Pure line double mode

YPbPr component output with Sync on Luma

Resolution changes, including 576p50Hz

Correct 50Hz input

Finer control of scaling and image position

Control of image processing chain

Oversampling of the output using 4x oversampling of the pixel/dot clock

I have created some python and bash scripts allowing for a black and white interactive menu from the Raspberry Pi's composite acting as pure Luma. This allows saving and recalling settings for various RGB to YPbPr conversions. I'm documenting my code for posting on GitHub. In the meantime, I'll post more information to see what interest others have in this work.

In addition, for those seeking reliable storage for their projects, consider using Solid State Drives like the SATA 3GBPS SSD https://serverorbit.com/solid-state-dri ... gb-2-5inch with 400GB-2.5Inch capacity. This could greatly enhance the performance and reliability of your setup.

Looking forward to feedback and suggestions from the community!

[Trevor spencer]

I wanted to build one of these but ive followed the guide and im having trouble flashing the ESP8266 i keep getting this error


Compilation error: call of overloaded 'getParam(int)' is ambiguous

Also im finding it difficult to know if the board is actually connected , when i plug it into my computer it breifly flashes blue then there is no light , i have the Micro B USB version , am i meant to be able to see anything next to the COM port in arduino or do i just select the one that say USB next to it ?

https://ibb.co/VcW4kNwK

Thanks

[NoAffinity]

I wanted to build one of these but ive followed the guide and im having trouble flashing the ESP8266 i keep getting this error


Compilation error: call of overloaded 'getParam(int)' is ambiguous

Also im finding it difficult to know if the board is actually connected , when i plug it into my computer it breifly flashes blue then there is no light , i have the Micro B USB version , am i meant to be able to see anything next to the COM port in arduino or do i just select the one that say USB next to it ?

https://ibb.co/VcW4kNwK

Thanks

There may be drivers needed for your specific esp8266. It'll usually be noted where to find them in the sale thread (on Amazon or ebay for instance), if you haven't already loaded them.

The com port should be identified in the arduino ide pull down menu (for example, com port 5).

Some esp's are just defective out of the box. Hopefully you ordered more than one and can try another one.

And of course standard diy best practices - check all your handiwork, make sure things are connected correctly, no shorts, the board is shielded from shorting to something unintentionally.

Blue light on momentarily at power up and then off until a good signal is present is normal.

Make sure you're giving it 5v power. The gbs boards are tolerant up to 9v i believe but esp's will fry above 5v.

[Trevor spencer]

I wanted to build one of these but ive followed the guide and im having trouble flashing the ESP8266 i keep getting this error


Compilation error: call of overloaded 'getParam(int)' is ambiguous

Also im finding it difficult to know if the board is actually connected , when i plug it into my computer it breifly flashes blue then there is no light , i have the Micro B USB version , am i meant to be able to see anything next to the COM port in arduino or do i just select the one that say USB next to it ?

https://ibb.co/VcW4kNwK

Thanks

There may be drivers needed for your specific esp8266. It'll usually be noted where to find them in the sale thread (on Amazon or ebay for instance), if you haven't already loaded them.

The com port should be identified in the arduino ide pull down menu (for example, com port 5).

Some esp's are just defective out of the box. Hopefully you ordered more than one and can try another one.

And of course standard diy best practices - check all your handiwork, make sure things are connected correctly, no shorts, the board is shielded from shorting to something unintentionally.

Blue light on momentarily at power up and then off until a good signal is present is normal.

Make sure you're giving it 5v power. The gbs boards are tolerant up to 9v i believe but esp's will fry above 5v.

Hi , thanks , I've ordered another one to try , I've seen on GITHub people are having the same problem as me with the firmware , I tried some suggestions and that didn't work. I'll try the new one out and see what happens.

[NoAffinity]

I wanted to build one of these but ive followed the guide and im having trouble flashing the ESP8266 i keep getting this error


Compilation error: call of overloaded 'getParam(int)' is ambiguous

Also im finding it difficult to know if the board is actually connected , when i plug it into my computer it breifly flashes blue then there is no light , i have the Micro B USB version , am i meant to be able to see anything next to the COM port in arduino or do i just select the one that say USB next to it ?

https://ibb.co/VcW4kNwK

Thanks

There may be drivers needed for your specific esp8266. It'll usually be noted where to find them in the sale thread (on Amazon or ebay for instance), if you haven't already loaded them.

The com port should be identified in the arduino ide pull down menu (for example, com port 5).

Some esp's are just defective out of the box. Hopefully you ordered more than one and can try another one.

And of course standard diy best practices - check all your handiwork, make sure things are connected correctly, no shorts, the board is shielded from shorting to something unintentionally.

Blue light on momentarily at power up and then off until a good signal is present is normal.

Make sure you're giving it 5v power. The gbs boards are tolerant up to 9v i believe but esp's will fry above 5v.

Hi , thanks , I've ordered another one to try , I've seen on GITHub people are having the same problem as me with the firmware , I tried some suggestions and that didn't work. I'll try the new one out and see what happens.

I see rama posted some updates to the github 11 months ago, which I wasn't aware of. I had a bunch of the old firmwares but sadly one night formatted a hard drive with a lot of archived data, believing it was a sd card I was trying to format. Some things have been recovered, but just realized all those old firmware builds were lost.

All that aside, I still have this one date stamped 12/28/2019, if you want to try it. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

[Trevor spencer]

There may be drivers needed for your specific esp8266. It'll usually be noted where to find them in the sale thread (on Amazon or ebay for instance), if you haven't already loaded them.

The com port should be identified in the arduino ide pull down menu (for example, com port 5).

Some esp's are just defective out of the box. Hopefully you ordered more than one and can try another one.

And of course standard diy best practices - check all your handiwork, make sure things are connected correctly, no shorts, the board is shielded from shorting to something unintentionally.

Blue light on momentarily at power up and then off until a good signal is present is normal.

Make sure you're giving it 5v power. The gbs boards are tolerant up to 9v i believe but esp's will fry above 5v.

Hi , thanks , I've ordered another one to try , I've seen on GITHub people are having the same problem as me with the firmware , I tried some suggestions and that didn't work. I'll try the new one out and see what happens.

I see rama posted some updates to the github 11 months ago, which I wasn't aware of. I had a bunch of the old firmwares but sadly one night formatted a hard drive with a lot of archived data, believing it was a sd card I was trying to format. Some things have been recovered, but just realized all those old firmware builds were lost.

All that aside, I still have this one date stamped 12/28/2019, if you want to try it. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Great , Thanks , I'll give it ago when my new D1 Mini shows up.

[NoAffinity]

Hi , thanks , I've ordered another one to try , I've seen on GITHub people are having the same problem as me with the firmware , I tried some suggestions and that didn't work. I'll try the new one out and see what happens.

I see rama posted some updates to the github 11 months ago, which I wasn't aware of. I had a bunch of the old firmwares but sadly one night formatted a hard drive with a lot of archived data, believing it was a sd card I was trying to format. Some things have been recovered, but just realized all those old firmware builds were lost.

All that aside, I still have this one date stamped 12/28/2019, if you want to try it. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Great , Thanks , I'll give it ago when my new D1 Mini shows up.

So, apologies for this, but that link I provided is an empty folder. I went to try to re-flash my GBS with it, to find out there's nothing at that link. A bit embarassed about that.

But, that said, I was able to flash my GBS with the latest firmware from rama's github. This is the first time I've had the newer UI in place, and it's pretty sleak I must say.

This old GBS is many years old now, as are the esp, clock generator, etc., and it flashed and is working fine with this newest firmware. So, I think that should provide you with some hope for yours.

[Trevor spencer]

I see rama posted some updates to the github 11 months ago, which I wasn't aware of. I had a bunch of the old firmwares but sadly one night formatted a hard drive with a lot of archived data, believing it was a sd card I was trying to format. Some things have been recovered, but just realized all those old firmware builds were lost.

All that aside, I still have this one date stamped 12/28/2019, if you want to try it. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Great , Thanks , I'll give it ago when my new D1 Mini shows up.

So, apologies for this, but that link I provided is an empty folder. I went to try to re-flash my GBS with it, to find out there's nothing at that link. A bit embarassed about that.

But, that said, I was able to flash my GBS with the latest firmware from rama's github. This is the first time I've had the newer UI in place, and it's pretty sleak I must say.

This old GBS is many years old now, as are the esp, clock generator, etc., and it flashed and is working fine with this newest firmware. So, I think that should provide you with some hope for yours.

Ok , thanks , still waiting on my D1 mini so hopefully can get it working , not having much luck with my projects lately

[PhyChris]

How to Update GBS Control firmware over USB now that the ESP8266 wired in?

My ESP8266 is soldered in with its USB port easily accessible, but if I plug it into a USB port on my PC, won't the ESP8266 combined with the GBS-8200 draw too much power and overload the USB port?

[NoAffinity]

How to Update GBS Control firmware over USB now that the ESP8266 wired in?

My ESP8266 is soldered in with its USB port easily accessible, but if I plug it into a USB port on my PC, won't the ESP8266 combined with the GBS-8200 draw too much power and overload the USB port?

Yes. you have to power the gbs first, then connect the the esp via usb.

[PhyChris]

Yes. you have to power the gbs first, then connect the the esp via usb.

Won't I need a diode or something to stop 5v backfeed?

Anyone else do it this way?

[Trevor spencer]

So I soldered the SMD's on fine thinking this would be the hard part but no , it was getting the potentiometer's out and unfortunately I've burned the traces off. Is there any other way to wire these up now ?

https://ibb.co/hRV9hWkc
https://ibb.co/Gf17zKgq
https://ibb.co/XktBN2PT

Thanks

[Syntax]

Yes. you have to power the gbs first, then connect the the esp via usb.

Won't I need a diode or something to stop 5v backfeed?

Anyone else do it this way?

No, You are correct.
Power the ESP by itself USB with the GBS unpowered.

[Syntax]

So I soldered the SMD's on fine thinking this would be the hard part but no , it was getting the potentiometer's out and unfortunately I've burned the traces off. Is there any other way to wire these up now ?

https://ibb.co/hRV9hWkc
https://ibb.co/Gf17zKgq
https://ibb.co/XktBN2PT

Thanks

solder a wire to the top hole, run it thru the burnt hole, and solder it to the correct pin on the bottom of that white plastic 8 pin header.

Next time cut the pots legs with side cutters and desolder each leg separately.

[Trevor spencer]

Great , thanks. I'll pin it out with a multi metre and let you know how it goes

[NoAffinity]

So I soldered the SMD's on fine thinking this would be the hard part but no , it was getting the potentiometer's out and unfortunately I've burned the traces off. Is there any other way to wire these up now ?

https://ibb.co/hRV9hWkc
https://ibb.co/Gf17zKgq
https://ibb.co/XktBN2PT

Thanks

I extract pins from pin headers, which I always have a ton of because they come with things like the esp and I never use them. I bend the pins into a U and then solder in place of the removed pots. I find those solder locations are particularly weak and have to do repairs there as well. The bent pins through the through holes gives you an easier way to repair as well.