XRGB-mini Framemeister

[opt2not]

Hey FBX, do I need to have the other folders on my microsd card? Or can I just have the EEPData folder there by itself for these profiles to still work?

[FBX]

Hey FBX, do I need to have the other folders on my microsd card? Or can I just have the EEPData folder there by itself for these profiles to still work?

No, your card should already have all the firmware folders already on it. If you deleted them, put them back on there. The profilles go in the EEPData folder, which itself is in the XRGBmini folder. Also remember you can only browse 20 profiles in the Framemeister, so pick the 20 you want and save the rest on your computer or other storage device.

[austin532]

Hello everybody! First post in the forums, I have around 1 week with my XRGB mini and I'm totally loving it! It certainly is a fantastic piece of hardware. Playing Final Fantasy VI on that thing is beautiful! Anyway, yesterday I was trying out some PS1/PS2 physical games on a PS2 as well as some PS1/PS2 digital classics on a PS3 and decided to finish up with a playing session of MegaMan X on Wii VC. After turning the mini off, I noticed that the red stand-by light was pulsing slowly instead of staying solid red.

I tried to do some research on internet but couldn't find anything, I also tried looking for a setting in the mini menu that I may have accidentally changed that is affecting this but couldn't find anything either. I also tried "reading" the instructions manual that came with the mini through the google translate app, you can imagine the outcome of that, I failed miserably.

I'm thinking in restoring factory settings of the mini to see if that fixes it but wanted to post in here first and see if any of you guys have had this occurrence in the past that can help me or share more information.

Thanks in advance guys!

This is perfectly normal. The pulsing just means it's in standby. I don't think there is anyway to completely turn it off besides unplugging it.

Oh, and welcome to the forums.

[austin532]

That happens with the Framemeister in any system that switches resolutions on-the-fly. For example on the Genesis, Castlevania: Bloodlines makes use of the 256x224 mode intermixed with 320x224 gameplay. Every time it does this, there's a couple seconds of blackout while the Framemeister adjusts to this change.

Yeah this is probably the mini's biggest (and only?) flaw, takes way too long / too distracting to be usable (those 2-3 seconds of black screen).

The mini's biggest flaw? Yes. The only flaw? No. There are several other minor flaws with the mini that probably won't be fixed anytime soon or ever.

In a huge proportion of playstation games, ingame is 240p and menus/interface at 480i, the constant switching is annoying QUICK. Trying the AC3 translation atm and going to hook up the playstation to BVM and be done with psx on the Mini for good.

Trust me, after testing roughly 1/4 of the PS1 library I know how annoying it can be and how many games do it. You can get around this in some games by setting the sync time to 100 which gives you about 3 seconds before it switches over from 240p to 480i. In Dino Crisis for example this gives you just barley enough time to take a quick look at the map or very quickly equip something without making the mini go through the switching over process.

[opt2not]

Hey FBX, do I need to have the other folders on my microsd card? Or can I just have the EEPData folder there by itself for these profiles to still work?

No, your card should already have all the firmware folders already on it. If you deleted them, put them back on there. The profilles go in the EEPData folder, which itself is in the XRGBmini folder. Also remember you can only browse 20 profiles in the Framemeister, so pick the 20 you want and save the rest on your computer or other storage device.

Alright then, thanks. I'm pretty OCD when it comes to organizing folders, so I figured if the other folders weren't being used I was just going to delete them. But I guess they're not hurting anything being there.

[Valandil]

Hello everybody! First post in the forums, I have around 1 week with my XRGB mini and I'm totally loving it! It certainly is a fantastic piece of hardware. Playing Final Fantasy VI on that thing is beautiful! Anyway, yesterday I was trying out some PS1/PS2 physical games on a PS2 as well as some PS1/PS2 digital classics on a PS3 and decided to finish up with a playing session of MegaMan X on Wii VC. After turning the mini off, I noticed that the red stand-by light was pulsing slowly instead of staying solid red.

I tried to do some research on internet but couldn't find anything, I also tried looking for a setting in the mini menu that I may have accidentally changed that is affecting this but couldn't find anything either. I also tried "reading" the instructions manual that came with the mini through the google translate app, you can imagine the outcome of that, I failed miserably.

I'm thinking in restoring factory settings of the mini to see if that fixes it but wanted to post in here first and see if any of you guys have had this occurrence in the past that can help me or share more information.

Thanks in advance guys!

This is perfectly normal. The pulsing just means it's in standby. I don't think there is anyway to completely turn it off besides unplugging it.

Oh, and welcome to the forums.

Thank you for the response and the welcome man! I've been reading a lot in the shadows learning from all of you . So you mean yours also pulsates when in stand-by? This is weird as mine used to stay solid red, when I updated the FW it also pulsated to indicate it has finished updating but after that it was always a solid light.

[MMJuno]

Thank you for the response and the welcome man! I've been reading a lot in the shadows learning from all of you . So you mean yours also pulsates when in stand-by? This is weird as mine used to stay solid red, when I updated the FW it also pulsated to indicate it has finished updating but after that it was always a solid light.

As far as I recall, mine always pulsed as well, even before any firmware updates.

[Valandil]

Thank you for the response and the welcome man! I've been reading a lot in the shadows learning from all of you . So you mean yours also pulsates when in stand-by? This is weird as mine used to stay solid red, when I updated the FW it also pulsated to indicate it has finished updating but after that it was always a solid light.

As far as I recall, mine always pulsed as well, even before any firmware updates.

Hmm interesting, I wonder why the stand-by lights in some minis are solid and others pulsate. I was wondering if it actually means something. Thanks for the response, it'll be interesting to know what kind other users have.

[enigmaxtreme]

PAL Gamecubes support RGB, the N64 however doesn't (at least not natively). I very much doubt the SCART cable in question is even fully wired for RGB.

My N64 has been RGB-only modded

[FBX]

You can get around this in some games by setting the sync time to 100 which gives you about 3 seconds before it switches over from 240p to 480i. In Dino Crisis for example this gives you just barley enough time to take a quick look at the map or very quickly equip something without making the mini go through the switching over process.

Be warned setting sync time to anything other than "3" will cause the forced sync mode to switch to frame-skipping. It's a peculiar drawback that can be highly annoying, so I don't recommend messing with sync time as a result.

[FBX]

Another package update:

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Profiles for 5x Genesis/Mega Drive have been refined to completely mask horizontal overscan for 320x224 mode (i.e. no more colored borders for 5x profiles).

I also refined the square pixel width to be more accurate (was set to 27 and now set to 30).

Of course remember that the Genesis 256x224 mode is shifted to the left a few pixels, so when that mode gets used by whatever game you're playing, you're going to see possibly a colored border on the right edge of the screen. Thankfully most games predominantly use 320 mode, so this is only a minor nag.

Now if only Micomsoft would add in a user defined mask...

[austin532]

Now if only Micomsoft would add in a user defined mask...

Mask? Do you mean as in a shadow mask? Yes the mini could really benefit from having some kind of CRT filter like a shadow mask, aperture grille, or slot mask especially for 480i games since they don't rely on scanlines and using scanlines on them looks not so good.

[FBX]

Now if only Micomsoft would add in a user defined mask...

Mask? Do you mean as in a shadow mask? Yes the mini could really benefit from having some kind of CRT filter like a shadow mask, aperture grille, or slot mask especially for 480i games since they don't rely on scanlines and using scanlines on them looks not so good.

Actually I meant a mask that is image-defined by the user putting a mask image on the microSD card. For example, I put a 1920x1080 image that has a white area that blocks off any graphics from showing through it, and then a black area that defines what I want graphics to show through. That kind of mask (which one could also use to make custom scanlines).

[Fudoh]

Overlays. Extremely easy to do with alpha channels. They basically have the function already built into the Mini - otherwise they couldn't do semi-transparent menus. If they wanted, they could include this in a heartbeat.

I would love to see this for vertical scanlines on 720p content.

[lilralphie]

Actually I meant a mask that is image-defined by the user putting a mask image on the microSD card. For example, I put a 1920x1080 image that has a white area that blocks off any graphics from showing through it, and then a black area that defines what I want graphics to show through. That kind of mask (which one could also use to make custom scanlines).

Does anyone regularly communicate with them? The addition of profiles with their last firmware update was obviously a HUGELY desired feature...

[jamisonia]

My understanding is that Micomsoft doesn't really consider any non Japanese users of this device. I don't believe you can even officially buy this unit with any support from Micomsoft outside of Japan.

[Fudoh]

that's not right. They're very well aware, especially with Solaris moving a HUGE portion of all units made. Sales outside Japan are considerably higher than sales inside of Japan. They even give you support - you can send in your unit from outside of Japan just fine. As long as you can manage the communication that is - - - but Google translate isn't too bad after all.

[opt2not]

My understanding is that Micomsoft doesn't really consider any non Japanese users of this device. I don't believe you can even officially buy this unit with any support from Micomsoft outside of Japan.

Both of these sentences are false.

[lilralphie]

It would seem that the English language support provides some level of evidence that the product is valued outside of Japan...

[pyrotek85]

that's not right. They're very well aware, especially with Solaris moving a HUGE portion of all units made. Sales outside Japan are considerably higher than sales inside of Japan. They even give you support - you can send in your unit from outside of Japan just fine. As long as you can manage the communication that is - - - but Google translate isn't too bad after all.

I'm not surprised. Since buying one myself, I've noticed a greater awareness of the xrgb mini in the gaming community that at the time when I was originally researching them and other scalers. It's not mainstream or anything, but it doesn't seem as niche as before, which is good I think. I hope that when/if they make a new model, they take the great amount of user feedback into account.

[FBX]

Even Mike Matei over at Cinemassacre.com was talked into buying one for his setup, and he was instantly impressed when Bootsy could beat Battletoads without continuing through it. Unfortunately they are still using substandard video output for most of their systems. Trying to get them to look into RGB is like pulling teeth, but at least getting the Framemeister was a step in the right direction.

I was thinking we should collaborate on an email to Micomsoft detailing the things we want fixed and the features we want added to the Framemiester. I've got a laundry list of things for both categories in my head right now, and I'm thinking about getting them all written down in detail to fire off.

[pyrotek85]

Even Mike Matei over at Cinemassacre.com was talked into buying one for his setup, and he was instantly impressed when Bootsy could beat Battletoads without continuing through it. Unfortunately they are still using substandard video output for most of their systems. Trying to get them to look into RGB is like pulling teeth, but at least getting the Framemeister was a step in the right direction.

I was thinking we should collaborate on an email to Micomsoft detailing the things we want fixed and the features we want added to the Framemiester. I've got a laundry list of things for both categories in my head right now, and I'm thinking about getting them all written down in detail to fire off.

Yeah on one hand it's cool that they're using original hardware, but oh dear God do some of the videos look horrible since they're often using composite. They should really invest in RGB mods for their work.

[RGB32E]

I was thinking we should collaborate on an email to Micomsoft detailing the things we want fixed and the features we want added to the Framemiester.

Lol... It sounds like you're the first person to think of this! OMG! English OSD was a community effort from this forum, and it's likely most of your laundry list has already been communicated to Micomsoft (save profiles of course). Micomsoft is aware of this thread. Ever thought of just emailing them yourself, or is this just more grandstanding?

[FBX]

I was thinking we should collaborate on an email to Micomsoft detailing the things we want fixed and the features we want added to the Framemiester.

Lol... It sounds like you're the first person to think of this! OMG! English OSD was a community effort from this forum, and it's likely most of your laundry list has already been communicated to Micomsoft (save profiles of course). Micomsoft is aware of this thread. Ever thought of just emailing them yourself, or is this just more grandstanding?

I'm aware of that, but I was speaking more about current issues like the Sync Time function messing up Sync Mode if you set it beyond the default 3. I was merely suggesting communal input since it would make the list more comprehensive in case something is missed if one person does it by themselves. It wouldn't hurt to keep a running list, and I really don't know why you need to take such tact like that when addressing my post. You've gotten out of line with me before and I can't help but think you want to make this some sort of personal issue. Whatever I did to make you so negative and vindictive, I truly apologize and hope that you can move on from it and be civil in the future.

[RGB32E]

I was merely suggesting communal input since it would make the list more comprehensive in case something is missed if one person does it by themselves. It wouldn't hurt to keep a running list

If that was the cause you could just create and share a document?

Your reply is disingenuous and hypocritical. Sorry, but to characterize me in a negative manner is hardly civil. You're completely overreacting to my statement!

[CkRtech]

Even Mike Matei over at Cinemassacre.com was talked into buying one for his setup, and he was instantly impressed when Bootsy could beat Battletoads without continuing through it. Unfortunately they are still using substandard video output for most of their systems. Trying to get them to look into RGB is like pulling teeth, but at least getting the Framemeister was a step in the right direction.

The irony, of course, is that their forte is video production. The fact Mike acquired a framemeister and is using composite video is a tough pill to swallow. But then, I can see how daunting it is to build your system around composite video and run the wires for so many consoles only to have to flip the switch and start running RGB. Baby steps...hopefully he starts soon if he hasn't already. I think the big turnoff is the lack of easy switching.

[enigmaxtreme]

Ok this is from a previous post that I didn't explain properly. I plugged in my Scart cable into my PAL Gamecube and the Framemeister wouldn't show video, only sound. The cable I used was from my RGB Modded N64 and that works fine

[tacoguy64]

Have any of you guys ever tried using the mini with an OLED tv or a 4k tv?
What are your thoughts on that?

[FBX]

One more profile added:

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GENMSM5X:  (Genesis RGB Master System Mode 5x scale)

This for the original NTSC Sega Genesis console's Master System mode (when using a Power Base Converter or flash cartridge) and is scaled to 5x the original 256x192 resolution via an RGB CSync cable. Suggested display area: -1 (due to the short vertical resolution).

I had to make this profile independent of the other Genesis profiles due to the centering and width timing being different than Genesis games.

[thrash75]

Hi, I'm new here. Please let me know, if this is the wrong place I'm posting this.

A few weeks ago, I received my Framemeister unit. I have only used it with my Commodore 64 so far, and that is primarily what I will be using it for in the future. I have set it up with good settings now, and it gives a great picture! But one problem persists. As some people know, the C64 outputs video at an odd 50.xx Hz (I think it's .13 or .14, not sure), which causes the picture to stutter every 5-10 seconds. Usually it's invisible, but when you look at otherwise smooth scrolltexts, it's annoyingly visible. Weirdly enough, the STATUS page on the XRGB-mini indicates, that the input is at 50.00hz. That is a little puzzling. Anyway..

I HAVE researched a bit myself. Around the net, people talk about "V-LOCK" which, as far as I understand, will cause the input and output rates to match up. So like fx, 50.14 hz s-video in -> 50.14 hz HDMI out.. Am I right? I can see under STATUS, that mine is unlocked ("INP_OUTV: UNLOCK"). But I have been through the menus several times, and I cannot find an option to lock v-sync. Am I blind? I'd really like to try this, to see if that will solve my problem. Can anybody shed some light on this?

Firmware: v2.00a - english.

Thanks so much in advance.

-Brian