Bitfunx Dreamcast Component Cables

[kitty666cats]

It would be nice if there was a VGA-style cable (wired for RGBS) with a 480i/480p switch. If you were using 480i on a SD PVM (and either 480i or 480p on a multiformat PVM), you could just stick on a VGA to BNC cable on the end. Then, if you wanted to use it on a PC CRT or w/e, you're good with that too. Almost every single PC CRT has no problem with RGBS, so using that instead of RGBHV wouldn't be an issue. All these 480p SCART cables are kinda silly to me, I guess a lot of people use then for line doubling to 960p on things like the OSSC though.

There is the Kuro that BeharBros makes, which is basically the same idea... except it's a box instead of a cable. thefoo.83 used to make a cable like this - but, what was really cool about it is that it came with a (RGBS) VGA to SCART breakout cable on the end of the 480i/480p VGA cable, so it was a 2-in-1 SCART and VGA cable capable of all resolutions.

Sadly, he's got a lot of family stuff going on and other work to do, so he likely won't return to making cables (I speak with him once or twice a year). He was also the first guy making Dreamcast component cables, but COVID hit IMMEDIATELY after he started making/selling them

[Virtual_Tintin]

They are impossible to get hold of

what do you mean ? I just went to retro access website, and it's available, in scart or bnc, except 6ft length which seems to be the most requested. afterwards, of course there is a significant delivery time, but it doesn't matter since you'll get it anyway

[RebeL9]

Sadly, he's got a lot of family stuff going on and other work to do, so he likely won't return to making cables (I speak with him once or twice a year). He was also the first guy making Dreamcast component cables, but COVID hit IMMEDIATELY after he started making/selling them

Do you have a pic of that cable? Sounds awesome!

[Virtual_Tintin]

The pictures I took show a clearer image with the bitfunx cable, albeit minor enough I cannot tell with the naked eye. The image is also properly centered.

but I thought the pictures you took were with retro gaming cables one, not with retro access one

Either way availability is the biggest thing here, and having something readily available means a lot. I was happy to buy my retro access cable and the company has great support, even setting aside a cable from a cancellation after I missed the launch day. Both cables perform well enough I'd highly recommend them.

I understand your point, but as it still available at regular periods, that's not a problem for me. the only thing is the delivery time, especially for those who live in europe, as me, because I had to wait almost 2 months between my order and delivery

I didn't know the one from beharbros, it looks very qualitative, but since I play on bvm, I prefer to have a cable which has direct bnc connectors, rather than scart.

[RebeL9]

Holy shit. The shipping cost for a cable from Retro Access is crazy. That’s some crazy ass expensive prices.

[TheRetroCarrot]

The pictures I took show a clearer image with the bitfunx cable, albeit minor enough I cannot tell with the naked eye. The image is also properly centered.

but I thought the pictures you took were with retro gaming cables one, not with retro access one

Either way availability is the biggest thing here, and having something readily available means a lot. I was happy to buy my retro access cable and the company has great support, even setting aside a cable from a cancellation after I missed the launch day. Both cables perform well enough I'd highly recommend them.

I understand your point, but as it still available at regular periods, that's not a problem for me. the only thing is the delivery time, especially for those who live in europe, as me, because I had to wait almost 2 months between my order and delivery

I didn't know the one from beharbros, it looks very qualitative, but since I play on bvm, I prefer to have a cable which has direct bnc connectors, rather than scart.

EDIT: I can't read, I've only ever meant to discuss the RGC cable, I have no experience with the retro access cable at all.

[Link83]

TheRetroCarrot I'm totally confused if your comparisons are for the Bitfunx and RGC Component cables, or the Bitfunx and Retro Access 480p SCART cable? Your posts seem to alternate between mentioning both RGC and Retro Access as if they are the same?

[TheRetroCarrot]

TheRetroCarrot I'm totally confused if your comparisons are for the Bitfunx and RGC Component cables, or the Bitfunx and Retro Access 480p SCART cable? Your posts seem to alternate between mentioning both RGC and Retro Access as if they are the same?

Oofffffffff, ya that's my bad, I'm talking about the RGC component cables the entire time, I mixed up the company when someone mentioned retro access.

[TooBeaucoup]

Holy shit. The shipping cost for a cable from Retro Access is crazy. That’s some crazy ass expensive prices.

Is it? I get these 3 options when choosing shipping in the United States.

- Ground Advantage at $6.44 USD
- Priority mail flat rate at $8.95 USD
- Priority Mail at $9.95 USD

[Virtual_Tintin]

Oofffffffff, ya that's my bad, I'm talking about the RGC component cables the entire time, I mixed up the company when someone mentioned retro access.

aha, that's what I thought no worries

and for those who have bvm d-series, I can confirm I have no problem using rgb bnc dreamcast's cable by retro access on mine.

Is it? I get these 3 options when choosing shipping in the United States.

- Ground Advantage at $6.44 USD
- Priority mail flat rate at $8.95 USD
- Priority Mail at $9.95 USD

that's by far more expensive for europe, and we have only 2 options.
for instance, for a single dreamcast cable, there is usps first class package international for ~$30, and usps priority mail international for ~$68, which is almost... the same price as the cable itself
well, personally, I choose usps first package, I'm not in a hurry aha.

[TheRetroCarrot]

Canada's $18 CAD which is actually pretty cheap considering I can't ship a DVD case to my neighbor for anything less than $25 tracked packet. (Mind you I can ship to the states for $8, Canadians like to screw Canadians because we're used to it)

[TooBeaucoup]

Oofffffffff, ya that's my bad, I'm talking about the RGC component cables the entire time, I mixed up the company when someone mentioned retro access.

aha, that's what I thought no worries

and for those who have bvm d-series, I can confirm I have no problem using rgb bnc dreamcast's cable by retro access on mine.

Is it? I get these 3 options when choosing shipping in the United States.

- Ground Advantage at $6.44 USD
- Priority mail flat rate at $8.95 USD
- Priority Mail at $9.95 USD

that's by far more expensive for europe, and we have only 2 options.
for instance, for a single dreamcast cable, there is usps first class package international for ~$30, and usps priority mail international for ~$68, which is almost... the same price as the cable itself
well, personally, I choose usps first package, I'm not in a hurry aha.

Well, sure, international will always be more. I thought that was a given. LOL! Any time I order anything from overseas, I'm stuck paying $30-$40 USD. I always try to order multiple items if I'm stuck buying from somewhere overseas, makes me feel like it's more worth it.

[Virtual_Tintin]

Well, sure, international will always be more. I thought that was a given. LOL! Any time I order anything from overseas, I'm stuck paying $30-$40 USD. I always try to order multiple items if I'm stuck buying from somewhere overseas, makes me feel like it's more worth it.

yes, it was obvious lol.
I realized I've diverted this topic from its initial subject, so I stop here. sorry

[kitty666cats]

Sadly, he's got a lot of family stuff going on and other work to do, so he likely won't return to making cables (I speak with him once or twice a year). He was also the first guy making Dreamcast component cables, but COVID hit IMMEDIATELY after he started making/selling them

Do you have a pic of that cable? Sounds awesome!

Very sad these dual VGA SCART ones aren’t available anymore… but it’s a genius idea for a cable and someone else should DEFINITELY use the design as inspiration. If I didn’t sell my GDEMU’d DC ages ago, I totally would have bought the cheaper version of this without the SCART attachment





Here’s the pic of his Dreamcast YPbPr that came out far before all others DC YPbPr cables - just released at a horribly unfortunate time, sooo short before COVID. Pic is from a thread I posted years ago, surprised it is still hosted/appears when you search his username along with ‘Dreamcast’.

[Dr. Claw]

It would be nice if there was a VGA-style cable (wired for RGBS) with a 480i/480p switch. If you were using 480i on a SD PVM (and either 480i or 480p on a multiformat PVM), you could just stick on a VGA to BNC cable on the end. Then, if you wanted to use it on a PC CRT or w/e, you're good with that too. Almost every single PC CRT has no problem with RGBS, so using that instead of RGBHV wouldn't be an issue. All these 480p SCART cables are kinda silly to me, I guess a lot of people use then for line doubling to 960p on things like the OSSC though.

There is the Kuro that BeharBros makes, which is basically the same idea... except it's a box instead of a cable. thefoo.83 used to make a cable like this - but, what was really cool about it is that it came with a (RGBS) VGA to SCART breakout cable on the end of the 480i/480p VGA cable, so it was a 2-in-1 SCART and VGA cable capable of all resolutions.

Sadly, he's got a lot of family stuff going on and other work to do, so he likely won't return to making cables (I speak with him once or twice a year). He was also the first guy making Dreamcast component cables, but COVID hit IMMEDIATELY after he started making/selling them

I''m pretty sure Retro Access makes a cable like this, because I bought one. It worked just fine in 480p mode on "PC" inputs (like PC CRTs, or flat panels with a "PC/VGA" input). There was a breakout for audio on this cable as well. I also had thefoo's component cable and commented about it here sometime ago.

However, I think the RGC cable (as far as component is concerned) will be the best you can get unless we ever see a HD Retrovision version. I have to believe that HDR had something going on more complicated than using the Dan Kunz circuit for 15/31Khz= -- like somehow handling the edge case of unpatched Dreamcast games that will not run in 15Khz RGB (Capcom was notorious for this with some of their titles -- really an issue with CRT usage).

The Buttfunx cable is a reverse engineered RGC cable, so it should perform similarly (and can be had for less). I may pick one up just for research purposes (same for Beharbros Mamba, which is SCART).

[WobblingPixels]

When one develops something better than ours, employs many people, invests thousands then he can criticize us but with those simplest boards one doesn't have that right.

I am glad you made it super clear. From this day I will start my own company to sell mid quality products just to earn the right to criticise your products as a customer.

[SGGG2]

The VGA box I had looked sub par on the OSSC so I picked these up. Unfortunately, this isn't any better. No issues with older scalers I've owned, so I'm pretty sure a custom profile is needed. The best I've got is with FBX's 480p Toro profile with upsample 2x on. Lots of temporal noise with full range enabled in my capture software.

[SGGG2]

I've spent some more time setting up the OSSC and can't recommend the Bitfunx cables at all. There's significant temporal noise regardless of settings, direct connection (or not) and scaler used. In addition the image is significantly softer in comparison to the VGA box. Maybe I got a bad cable or there's a ground loop, but I can't be bothered to spend any more time here. A real shame, as I don't like VGA and want to switch everything over to component. Clown Emoiji

EDIT: Sharpness is about the same. I switched capture software while comparing and got mixed up.

[Dr. Claw]

I've spent some more time setting up the OSSC and can't recommend the Bitfunx cables at all. There's significant temporal noise regardless of settings, direct connection (or not) and scaler used. In addition the image is significantly softer in comparison to the VGA box. Maybe I got a bad cable or there's a ground loop, but I can't be bothered to spend any more time here. A real shame, as I don't like VGA and want to switch everything over to component. Clown Emoiji

EDIT: Sharpness is about the same. I switched capture software while comparing and got mixed up.

I also received these cables and can say the same. For as much as they advertise the "individual shielding", there's way too much interference coming out of these cables to be desired. Without it, they would look just fine and these would be a decent alternative to the RGC cables (granted, I still believe Buttfunx ripped them off). To add, the actual plug connector is longer and wider than the RGC cable. Bitfunx QA/testing neglecting this very obvious issue isn't surprising.

On the other hand, I got my hands on the Mamba SCART cable from Behar Bros and I can 100% recommend that. No interference, GREAT colors and picture. I also like that the RGB/VGA switch is on the SCART head rather than on the Dreamcast plug side.
Now granted, my tests only go so far as my setup: SCART cable - > GSCART - > 1) RGB2Comp - > TV 2) OSSC Pro. I do not have any CRTs to test image curl on BVMs/PVMs, etc. But direct to TV via RGB2Comp and in a scaler (in this case OSSC Pro), they are just as good as RGC and Retro Access. AND (for US buyers) you can get this cable from Stone Age Gamer at a decent price. If you have a OSSC, GBS-C, RT5X, OSSC Pro, or RT4K, I would recommend this cable.

[SGGG2]

Tired of waiting on RGC and Retrovision, so I picked up a Mamaba scart cable. Initial impressions are excellent, don't have a single complaint.

[beharius]

Glad that you liked it. Enjoy it!

[RebeL9]

Glad that you liked it. Enjoy it!

Have you tested it on Sony BVM D-series and A-series of monitors?
These monitors are infamous for presenting banding on top of the screen on Dreamcast. That was the case with the RGC Dreamcast Scart cable.

[Markelov69]

I figured I'd give a really quick review of these https://www.bitfunx.com/product/rgbs-vg ... e-console/web

I also own the retrogamingcables cable, which are almost always out of stock. I couldn't find a single review of these cable outside of that "they work". From side by side comparisons I can see absolutely no discernable difference with the RGC cables with 480p output to an HD CRT. No noise, no sync issues, exact same coloration. Greyscale and color bars look identical. The only noticeable difference is the Bitfunx image is properly centered like all my other systems, whereas the RGC cable is offset to the right unfortunately.

Morals aside as I know some people have issues with these aliexpress companies, this is probably the best component cable available for the Dreamcast even if the others were in stock. The cable itself appears to be identical to that used in HD Retrovision cables, I have no doubt it's properly shielded 75ohm cabling. I might actually end up ordering a 2nd cable to replace my RGC cable and have a centered image.

Thanks for your review. After reading your first post, I was going to jump on the train and order a pair, but that scrolling issue worries me. What CRT did you use it on? I have a BVM D24, and I hope they don't have that infamous banding issue in the top screen, which only seems to occur on BVM D series monitors.

[SGGG2]

Unfortunately the Mamba cable I received has excessive line hum. It's much louder than any of my other systems. I tried two different scalers, a ground loop isolator and converting to digital. Could be a defective cable, who knows. I don't understand why the Dreamcast is such a problem. The Bitfunx cables had visual interference, VGA box had issues with pulsating levels and now audio issues here. I'm going to have to HDMI this thing :clown emoji:

[beharius]

Tese cables are tested multiple times individually. Humming is caused by the aged mainboard generally. Time to recap its audio section.

[TooBeaucoup]

Tese cables are tested multiple times individually. Humming is caused by the aged mainboard generally. Time to recap its audio section.

There's countless Twitter and Reddit threads with people complaining about every piece of hardware you make. But, somehow, it's never a problem with your products.

My Toro box never worked right from the day I got it, and the soldering looked like dog shit. I have 3 Dreamcast consoles that I attempted to use it on, and it wouldn't give a stable picture with any of them, no matter what I did. Your guys' response was that my Dreamcasts were the problem, ALL 3 OF THEM!?!? Despite the fact that I now have an RGC Dreamcast Scart cable that works great, and a basic, generic VGA box which functions perfect. It's always someone else's fault when it comes to your shoddy products. Whatev! LOL!

[RebeL9]

I figured I'd give a really quick review of these https://www.bitfunx.com/product/rgbs-vg ... e-console/web

I also own the retrogamingcables cable, which are almost always out of stock. I couldn't find a single review of these cable outside of that "they work". From side by side comparisons I can see absolutely no discernable difference with the RGC cables with 480p output to an HD CRT. No noise, no sync issues, exact same coloration. Greyscale and color bars look identical. The only noticeable difference is the Bitfunx image is properly centered like all my other systems, whereas the RGC cable is offset to the right unfortunately.

Morals aside as I know some people have issues with these aliexpress companies, this is probably the best component cable available for the Dreamcast even if the others were in stock. The cable itself appears to be identical to that used in HD Retrovision cables, I have no doubt it's properly shielded 75ohm cabling. I might actually end up ordering a 2nd cable to replace my RGC cable and have a centered image.

Thanks for your review. After reading your first post, I was going to jump on the train and order a pair, but that scrolling issue worries me. What CRT did you use it on? I have a BVM D24, and I hope they don't have that infamous banding issue in the top screen, which only seems to occur on BVM D series monitors.

I reached out to them and asked them about this issue since I had the issue on the RGC scart cable for DC.
They replied and said that its likely that the issue is there on the Mamba cable.

[Dr. Claw]

Unfortunately the Mamba cable I received has excessive line hum. It's much louder than any of my other systems. I tried two different scalers, a ground loop isolator and converting to digital. Could be a defective cable, who knows. I don't understand why the Dreamcast is such a problem. The Bitfunx cables had visual interference, VGA box had issues with pulsating levels and now audio issues here. I'm going to have to HDMI this thing :clown emoji:

The console itself has way too much variance (across software), to start. But also,the means to thoroughly test each and every edge case just might not be available. Retro Access still has the most optimal SCART option. The RGC Component cable (somehow stricken by parts supply issues) is No. 2 in that regard. Everything else (including 2 RetroTink scalers) have hit the market before HD Retrovision....

[TheRetroCarrot]

I figured I'd give a really quick review of these https://www.bitfunx.com/product/rgbs-vg ... e-console/web

I also own the retrogamingcables cable, which are almost always out of stock. I couldn't find a single review of these cable outside of that "they work". From side by side comparisons I can see absolutely no discernable difference with the RGC cables with 480p output to an HD CRT. No noise, no sync issues, exact same coloration. Greyscale and color bars look identical. The only noticeable difference is the Bitfunx image is properly centered like all my other systems, whereas the RGC cable is offset to the right unfortunately.

Morals aside as I know some people have issues with these aliexpress companies, this is probably the best component cable available for the Dreamcast even if the others were in stock. The cable itself appears to be identical to that used in HD Retrovision cables, I have no doubt it's properly shielded 75ohm cabling. I might actually end up ordering a 2nd cable to replace my RGC cable and have a centered image.

Thanks for your review. After reading your first post, I was going to jump on the train and order a pair, but that scrolling issue worries me. What CRT did you use it on? I have a BVM D24, and I hope they don't have that infamous banding issue in the top screen, which only seems to occur on BVM D series monitors.

I'm using a Loewe Planus. I can't speak on the BVM, but what I will say is it's an aliexpress product, if it doesn't work it won't be hard to get your money back and they won't just tell you it's your fault.

To follow-up after using these for quite some time. I still haven't noticed any noise or image quality issues with these cables, work the same as RGC for me. I don't doubt the reports in this thread saying they did have noise, but I haven't seen any and the image is slightly sharper than my RGC cables. Also the image is properly centered. The only time I had noise was as I mentioned the first day I used them, and after reseating the cable it never returned. I'd be curious what these look like opened up, if anyone with noise issues doesn't intend to use them ever again it'd be interesting to see the shielding.