Sega 32x Cords?

[King Atari]

Okay, I'm sorry for starting a new topic on this, but I've searched the forums, I've Googled, I've read the manual online, I've even Youtube-watched, and frankly, it's all left my head swimming. I'm usually pretty good at figuring this stuff out, but this time around, I'm lost. Bear with me, please!

 

Here's the scenario: I have a Sega Genesis model 1 hooked up to a spare TV via RF. I've got a Sega CD model 2 hooked up to that; don't care about stereo sound, so the only separate cord there is the SCD power supply. Looks, sounds and plays fine.

 

I now want to take the 32x plunge, and digging through all my crap, I've found the 32x system and the power supply (and I have the metal clips somewhere, though I have no idea where they got to and I don't intend on using them anyway). Near as I can tell, that's all I have 32x-wise. Obviously there's some other cords that go with it, but if I have them, they've become lost in the flood. I'm assuming I don't, either way.

 

I just want to play, hear and see the thing (go figure!). So, in simple terms, what exactly do I need here? I want to hook it up as simply as possible. People start talking about mixing cables and plugging things into the headphone port and getting stereo sound, and then there's apparently an adapter for the Model 1/32x cable, and that's where I just become totally lost. I don't want to run anything from/through the CD, and I don't intend on even having the CD plugged in when/if I get the 32x hooked up. So, if anyone can post pics, or better yet, appropriate eBay links, I'd be sincerely grateful. As I said, all I've got right now is the 32x and the power supply. I don't want to break the bank, especially since there's only a handful of games that interest me for the system, but I also want to get some use out of the thing, you know?

 

Also, in the lot the 32x originally came in, it was a Genesis model 1 set-up, and while I don't think it was complete (I wouldn't have to be asking these questions if it was!), there was inexplicably a Genesis model 2 RF switch included with it. Can that be used with the 32x? It fits, so is it possible to run that from the 32x to my model 1 RF switch that's already plugged into the TV, and then get the other cable that runs from the 32x to the Genesis? Am I good to go after that, is there some other combo, or am I just way off base the whole way around?

 

Thank you in advance, and please go easy on me! The 32x is pretty much new-territory for yours truly right now!

[+-^CrossBow^-]

The bare minimum needed for 32x to play both 32x and genesis games correctly is the following:

 

Need the individual power supplies for each of course.

You need the AV cables designed for the Model 2 Genesis attached on the 32x AV Out to your TV. Might be able to use the RF adapter but I've never tried that.

You will need the model 1 to model 2 male to female adapter cable to go from the AV out of the model 1 into the small cable of the 32x that goes into the AV In on the 32x. This is how the 32x gets the video from the genesis. Without this, you get nothing from the genesis side. Oddly you can plug in a 32x game and still see the 32x graphics without the AV mix cable attached but will have missing sprites, but again this is because many 32x games use both the genesis graphics combined with the 32x graphics to get the complete picture.

 

Here is a pic of my setup, but keep in mind that I am only using video out from my 32x since I s-video modded both my genesis 1 and my 32x. So I replaced the original AV out port on my 32x with an video only s-video out jack. I did this because I noticed that all audio from the 32x games is passed through to the genesis through the cartridge port apparently. So you only need the video out from the 32x and can then use separate RCAs as I have done on my modded Genesis or a cable from the headphone port off the genesis.

 

Edited December 17, 2016 by -^Cro§Bow^-

[King Atari]

The bare minimum needed for 32x to play both 32x and genesis games correctly is the following:

 

Need the individual power supplies for each of course.

You need the AV cables designed for the Model 2 Genesis attached on the 32x AV Out to your TV. Might be able to use the RF adapter but I've never tried that.

You will need the model 1 to model 2 male to female adapter cable to go from the AV out of the model 1 into the small cable of the 32x that goes into the AV In on the 32x. This is how the 32x gets the video from the genesis. Without this, you get nothing from the genesis side. Oddly you can plug in a 32x game and still see the 32x graphics without the AV mix cable attached but will have missing sprites, but again this is because many 32x games use both the genesis graphics combined with the 32x graphics to get the complete picture.

 

Here is a pic of my setup, but keep in mind that I am only using video out from my 32x since I s-video modded both my genesis 1 and my 32x. So I replaced the original AV out port on my 32x with an video only s-video out jack. I did this because I noticed that all audio from the 32x games is passed through to the genesis through the cartridge port apparently. So you only need the video out from the 32x and can then use separate RCAs as I have done on my modded Genesis or a cable from the headphone port off the genesis.

 

32x&Gen1_detail.png 32x&Gen1_cabled.png gen1_32x_VidMix_cables.png

THANK YOU!!

 

Okay, so I'll go ahead and assume that the model 2 RF was intended for the 32x originally. Oddly enough, I don't think I currently have any model 2 AVs, but those are easy enough to find, if necessary.

 

Now, with your set-up, do you have anything RF or AV coming from your model 1 itself, or is that handled entirely through the 32x? I'm looking at 3rd party cables on eBay that are modified with one side for the model 1, one for the 32x (bypassing the adapter entirely, near as I can tell), so if I got one of those, hooked the 32x and the model 1 together, and then just had the RF (or AV, if need be) coming solely from the the 32x, would that do the trick?

 

Thank you again!

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Yes is the answer here.

 

If you get a 3rd party cable that goes from the model 1 AV out to the 32x AV in (and make sure it is a male to male on both ends!), that you only need a genesis 2 AV cable or the Genesis 2 RF output from the 32x to your TV. Though if you are using the 32x I would advise you to use the genesis 2 AV for composite to your TV at bare minimum. Also you still have to run the audio separately from your genesis headphone jack in the front because the audio out from the genesis 1 is mono only and I'm not sure that is even passed through the adapter. If it is, it would result in mono only audio out from the genesis+32x combo. Then again, if you have to use RF you are only getting mono audio anyway.

[King Atari]

Yes is the answer here.

 

If you get a 3rd party cable that goes from the model 1 AV out to the 32x AV in (and make sure it is a male to male on both ends!), that you only need a genesis 2 AV cable or the Genesis 2 RF output from the 32x to your TV. Though if you are using the 32x I would advise you to use the genesis 2 AV for composite to your TV at bare minimum. Also you still have to run the audio separately from your genesis headphone jack in the front because the audio out from the genesis 1 is mono only and I'm not sure that is even passed through the adapter. If it is, it would result in mono only audio out from the genesis+32x combo. Then again, if you have to use RF you are only getting mono audio anyway.

 

Terrific! Thank you! Here's what I'm looking at. So, if I'm on the right path, I can run that from the AV in/out ports on my 32x/model 1, unplug my model 1 RF from the TV completely, use the model 2 RF (or AV, if necessary) from the 32x to the TV only, and be good to go.

 

Now, last question: What cable exactly do I need to run from the headphone jack, and where do I run it to? I don't mind if audio is mono only, but I don't want to have zero audio, of course.

 

Thanks again for all your help! I think I'm finally getting a handle on the situation!

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Yes that cable looks to do the business just fine and more elegant the original cable assembly that came with the 32x for attaching to the Genesis model 1.

 

As for the audio if you using the RF adapter from the 32x AV out to your TV you should be fine. Again Mono only audio of course.

 

You only should have to use the headphone jack for audio out if you want true stereo sound. However using an external cable will require you to connect it to your TVs AV input or an audio receiver to external speakers...etc. However, if you use your TVs av inputs for the sound, then you will have to use the composite because most TVs don't allow to select the audio externally from the video at the same time.

 

Anyway, to run the audio to an external source you need something like this:

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/3.5mm-Headphones-Plug-Jack-to-2-RCA-Audio-Cable-Cord/46017784

 

[King Atari]

Yes that cable looks to do the business just fine and more elegant the original cable assembly that came with the 32x for attaching to the Genesis model 1.

 

As for the audio if you using the RF adapter from the 32x AV out to your TV you should be fine. Again Mono only audio of course.

 

You only should have to use the headphone jack for audio out if you want true stereo sound. However using an external cable will require you to connect it to your TVs AV input or an audio receiver to external speakers...etc. However, if you use your TVs av inputs for the sound, then you will have to use the composite because most TVs don't allow to select the audio externally from the video at the same time.

 

Anyway, to run the audio to an external source you need something like this:

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/3.5mm-Headphones-Plug-Jack-to-2-RCA-Audio-Cable-Cord/46017784

 

3779451f-e805-41cd-b24e-1aa041d0599c_1.fdd2b65b6273a79136a4ac775c9d9ce3.jpeg

 

Excellent! Just ordered the cable; I'll get everything up and going when it arrives, and upgrade to any AV cables if necessary afterwards.

 

See, in the room where I have this Genesis hooked up, I try to only have one console going, mostly to avoid clutter. Even though I'm kinda pushing the "clutter" thing with all these add-ons, it's still essentially only one system; I can deal with the extra power supplies, as those are pretty much out of my way; it's mostly a tangle of other controllers and cords for other systems that I'm trying to avoid. And so far, things have remained (fairly) clean and concise. I'll do a little fiddling with the RFs and whatnot, so there's as little unhooking as possible whenever I want to plug in my Power base Converter (which I know will not run through the 32x - ). I guess all that's left is to pick up a few cheap 32x games later tonight! Luckily, I know just where to go locally, and as I recall it, they have (or had) all or most of my 32x "wants" for like $5 apiece.

 

Thank you very, very much for all your help! I think where I was getting really tripped up was with the link cable adapter, and the stereo sound aspect. But, I'm pretty sure I have a handle on things now. So, thank you again!

Edited December 17, 2016 by King Atari