JagChris Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Im getting a CGA connector for the Jag that I'll then upscale to true VGA so I don't need this anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightbit Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) In my previous post I meant to say "HDRetrovision RGB to component cables". Can't edit the post Edited June 18, 2020 by eightbit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGraham Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 1 hour ago, JagChris said: Im getting a CGA connector for the Jag that I'll then upscale to true VGA so I don't need this anymore. Interesting! Please could you link us to the CGA connector you're referring to, then tell us how you will upscale the CGA signal to true VGA. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 It's a custom job, a one off but it will use an Ambery upscaler. http://www.ambery.com/analogvideotovgaconverters.html I'm actually wondering if I can get a vga-> hdmi thingie. Since I can select from multiple hdmi ports on my TV it would help with clutter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 29 minutes ago, JagChris said: It's a custom job, a one off but it will use an Ambery upscaler. http://www.ambery.com/analogvideotovgaconverters.html I'm actually wondering if I can get a vga-> hdmi thingie. Since I can select from multiple hdmi ports on my TV it would help with clutter... Ambery are not exactly known for great "gaming" upscaling. I got one myself for downscaling VGA to component/S-video, the jury is still out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Well I got one for my 3d0, NES, Jag, DVD etc composite to VGA and the difference is drastic. But I don't have any experience with other things of this nature so... I admittedly have nothing to compare it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 well you're upscaling, which most devices do without being horrendous. downscaling is another story! I invested bigtime in SCART then HD Retrovision so I was happy to get the SNES2JAG for that end. I'm tired of buying new cables! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGraham Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, JagChris said: It's a custom job, a one off but it will use an Ambery upscaler. http://www.ambery.com/analogvideotovgaconverters.html I'm actually wondering if I can get a vga-> hdmi thingie. Since I can select from multiple hdmi ports on my TV it would help with clutter... I bought an Ambery for my Jag too, in one of my early attempts to get a decent picture on my NEC Multisync 1970NXp (15Khz compatible) screen. I had no joy with it whatsoever, just a really really grainy horrible picture. Not sure what I was doing wrong. I also (somehow) bought a CatBox too with similarly poor results. More recently I bought Arananet's 'Jag Video Adapter which was also meant to provide the output that my monitor could display. However it produced no picture whatsoever on my NEC Multisync. The only video adapter I've ever had any joy with whatsoever is the common (but widely despised) 'HD Video Converter' which is a very early basic and widely available upscaler from Ebay. The picture is reasonable but not perfect and annoyingly not centred correctly on the screen. I then turned my attention to the (very expensive) Kitty Box but stock ran out just as I was about to place my order. I then found myself here and the 'Rad2X + SNES2JAG' solution... and then ultimately to the 'RetroTINK 2X Scart' which is due to arrive imminently which might just finally bring my long search to an end! I'd be really interested to hear from anyone who's had better luck than me with any of the adapters I've mentioned above. I can only assume that the NEC Multisync monitor I'm trying to connect to is where the difficulty lies. Edited June 18, 2020 by GoldenGraham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 You can't go wrong with RetroTINK, particularly if you've got SCART cables. After my upscaler died, I was gonna get one but I'm holding off for the OSSC Pro whenever that comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Yeah well that's the thing. I'm just using something I have no experience with. What I'm getting which is tons better than straight composite into my TV you might take one look at it and consider that to be 'no joy'. I watch Barney Miller on DVD without it and they all look like they're melting. ? Trying to play Mule on the NES without it is not good. Can't read the text etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 @GoldenGraham I'm not sure but does a 15khz monitor need a upscalar? I thought that would take the straight vga signal from the Jag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamm Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Those of you with SCART adapters and cables are all set. Not all of us have SCART adapters, converters, cables, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 I gotta be honest, you don't gain all that much via component than S-Video, particularly on a CRT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGraham Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 10 hours ago, JagChris said: @GoldenGraham I'm not sure but does a 15khz monitor need a upscalar? I thought that would take the straight vga signal from the Jag? That's right... a 15Khz monitor SHOULD NOT need an upscaler at all, that's why I was looking at things like Catbox and Amberry adapters initially, but the picture was terrible, totally unplayable. I can only assume that my NEC Multisync monitor is not 100% 15Khz compatible, despite being included on all of the lists of 15Khz compatible monitors (e.g. http://15khz.wikidot.com/) My NEC Multisync 1970NXp works fine with the 15Khz signal from my Atari ST... but strangely it's terrible with the 15Khz video signal from my Jaguar (what is the difference though?). Does anybody else have one of the monitors from the NEC Multisync range with experiences of using it with the Jag that they can share...? Anyway, a year or so ago I finally gave up with the 15Khz approach.... and started looking at the upscaler approach. It's a shame because I'd much prefer to not have to use an upscaler at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightbit Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) 14 hours ago, jamm said: Those of you with SCART adapters and cables are all set. Not all of us have SCART adapters, converters, cables, etc. Not very hard. Just buy a Jaguar SCART cable and a RetroTink 2X SCART. The cable will run you $30-$40 max. They are readily available from Retro Access, RGC, and other places I have seen online. I have one for sale right now as a matter of fact. Then buy the 2x scart: https://www.retrotink.com/product-page/retrotink-2x-scart Done. With this combo you will have perfect quality RGB from your Jaguar right to HDMI on your modern TV with ZERO lag. The box also does nifty things like scanlines, smoothing, and some other filters. It gets firmware updates too. So, at the end of the day you can get the SCART cable and this box and be set back around $140. Or you can wait for one of these adapters for around $30 or so and try to get your hands on an HDRetrovision cable that runs you $70, and you still need a way to upscale the image if you want to use a flat screen. Your choice...but the 2X SCART way is just a better solution in my book. Edited June 19, 2020 by eightbit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightbit Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, GoldenGraham said: That's right... a 15Khz monitor SHOULD NOT need an upscaler at all, that's why I was looking at things like Catbox and Amberry adapters initially, but the picture was terrible, totally unplayable. I can only assume that my NEC Multisync monitor is not 100% 15Khz compatible, despite being included on all of the lists of 15Khz compatible monitors (e.g. http://15khz.wikidot.com/) My NEC Multisync 1970NXp works fine with the 15Khz signal from my Atari ST... but strangely it's terrible with the 15Khz video signal from my Jaguar (what is the difference though?). Does anybody else have one of the monitors from the NEC Multisync range with experiences of using it with the Jag that they can share...? Anyway, a year or so ago I finally gave up with the 15Khz approach.... and started looking at the upscaler approach. It's a shame because I'd much prefer to not have to use an upscaler at all. That is correct. If you have a monitor that can handle 15Khz signal you do not need an upscaler. But, that would mean you need to use some old CRT VGA monitor or some unique flat panel that support that frequency. As for upscalers, I have tested nearly every upscaler known to man. Everything from those el-cheapo boxes you find on Amazon to boxes costing quite a penny. And my conclusion is that they all pretty much suck. All have issues in my experience...especially in the lag department. That is why you do not want a basic "upscaler". You want a line doubler. That is what the Retrotink and OSSC do. They line double the image (and in the case of the OSSC, 3x, 4x and even 5x!) to bring it to a resolution that modern TV sets and modern monitors like and without lag. I went down a very long road in my attempts of getting classic consoles to look great and work lag free before I came to that conclusion. Edited June 19, 2020 by eightbit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGraham Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 3 hours ago, eightbit said: That is correct. If you have a monitor that can handle 15Khz signal you do not need an upscaler. But, that would mean you need to use some old CRT VGA monitor or some unique flat panel that support that frequency. As for upscalers, I have tested nearly every upscaler known to man. Everything from those el-cheapo boxes you find on Amazon to boxes costing quite a penny. And my conclusion is that they all pretty much suck. All have issues in my experience...especially in the lag department. That is why you do not want a basic "upscaler". You want a line doubler. That is what the Retrotink and OSSC do. They line double the image (and in the case of the OSSC, 3x, 4x and even 5x!) to bring it to a resolution that modern TV sets and modern monitors like and without lag. I went down a very long road in my attempts of getting classic consoles to look great and work lag free before I came to that conclusion. Thanks @eightbit and apologies if I referred to the 'RetroTINK 2x Scart' as an upscaler rather than a line doubler. Having received my 'RetroTINK 2x Scart' this afternoon I can totally agree with you, the picture it amazing, the best I've ever seen from my Jag, and so much better than the 'el-cheapo' adapter I was using until now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 I'll buy one of these line doublers as well. Will it work with a vga connection or do I need one of these Scart connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 @GoldenGraham is it possible there was a faulty connection in the Jaguar or connectors somewhere causing the issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cubanismo Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 On 6/18/2020 at 3:11 PM, GoldenGraham said: I bought an Ambery for my Jag too, in one of my early attempts to get a decent picture on my NEC Multisync 1970NXp (15Khz compatible) screen. Note you can plug the jaguar more or less directly into these. See my post here If others are interested, I can hack up a couple of these cables and try to figure out some kind of housing for the edge connector so they're actually consumer-ready. I just figured it was so niche that no one would care beyond the technical details of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGraham Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 8 hours ago, cubanismo said: Note you can plug the jaguar more or less directly into these. See my post here If others are interested, I can hack up a couple of these cables and try to figure out some kind of housing for the edge connector so they're actually consumer-ready. I just figured it was so niche that no one would care beyond the technical details of it. Hi @cubanismo, very interesting thread, many thanks. If only I'd had that resource when I was trying (unsuccessfully) to butcher together a similar 'direct' (Jag to NEC Multisync monitor) cable of my own. So what stage are you at with this 'direct' cable right now? Are you just trying to figure out the v-sync still? Or do you think it's fine without the v-sync and just needs housing to complete? I think you're probably mistaken about this 'direct' cable solution being a niche market. The retro gaming scene seems to have exploded in recent years so there's a lot of people looking for ways of attaching their old consoles to modern screens. That includes us Atari/Jag folks. I think this solution consisting of a second hand (readily available) 15khz monitor (I found mine a few years ago easily on Ebay for £30), plus your custom Jag-VGA cable would be a really attractive, 'clutter free' and affordable solution. Especially if your cable provides a similar quality picture to the RetroTINK line doubler adapters, and if you can produce them for a relatively low price. I would buy one of your cables even though I've just spent over £100 on a RetroTINK (which gives perfect picture). I think the big advantage your direct cable would have over any line doubler or upscaler is that it's a simple/direct cable and doesn't involve an extra adapter/box which itself requires an additional power supply. All your cable would need is a particular type of (readily available) monitor. I'd be really interested to see close up video footage of your direct cable in action. Also, yes please put me top of your list for a 'customer-ready' version. I'm happy to 'test' prototypes for you too on my NEC 1970NXp. I've had 2 kids since I last tinkered with making cables like this so I don't think I'd have time to make one myself. Love the audio-out you've added too btw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walter_J64bit Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) I've been looking for a Jag-VGA cable for some time now, I all ready have the NEC Multisync monitor that I use for my STE at this time. Edited June 20, 2020 by walter_J64bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cubanismo Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 9 hours ago, GoldenGraham said: So what stage are you at with this 'direct' cable right now? Are you just trying to figure out the v-sync still? Or do you think it's fine without the v-sync and just needs housing to complete? I was going to give the suggested xor circuit a try, yes, as I figure that might result in a more stable signal and/or wider monitor support. I'm rather surprised the monitor syncs to composite sync on the hsync pin personally. And then yes, it needs some sort of housing. Right now I can barely pull it off the Jag without using pliers, and I've already ripped one of the wires off once while testing. The problem is people don't usually use edge connectors with cables. They're for plugging in PCBs to other PCBs ?, so I'm having trouble finding ready-made solutions for a case. The composite video cable that came with my system when I got it on eBay is clearly home-made, and uses a dsub housing that fits almost perfectly, though on closer examination I realized they'd Dremeled it a bit. I can't use that with the edge connectors I have now though because they're too skinny. The one on that composite cable is bulkier and hence fills a regular height dsub housing. The other cable I have is an aftermarket svideo one, and that has a very professional looking molded housing, including the little guides on the bottom to ensure it isn't plugged in upside down. I assume this was 3D printed or otherwise custom made, and that's far beyond my abilities right now. Not trying to put that kind of effort into the project. Anyway, if there's interest, follow the other thread. I'll keep it updated. I have two young daughters, SW hobby projects, and, thankfully, still have my day job as well, so no promises whatsoever, but as of now I'm still tinkering with the cable project. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judas-Prime Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 I have scheduled the listing on eBay for 40 SNES2JAG units. Scheduled eBay Listing goes live this Friday, June 26, 2020 01:00:01 PM PDT. My eBay storefront is https://www.ebay.com/usr/unclejody My twitter is https://twitter.com/Uncle_Jody LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER I will be enforcing a limit to one item per customer, duplicate/multiple orders will be canceled. I am committed to making sure that each person can get a SNES2JAG if they want one...please respect this policy and your fellow Jag enthusiast. I expect these to all sell out so please set a reminder on your calendar, follow my eBay store, turn on notifications, I made more than my current known demand requires, but there seems to be way more Jag users today than there was a few months ago... good luck everyone! Thanks for all the patience and interest in this project. It's been really rewarding to be able to make something that so many people enjoy. Scheduled eBay Listing goes live this Friday, June 26, 2020 01:00:01 PM PDT. Cheers Jody 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cubanismo Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 OK, I've gotta ask based on the discussion above now: @Judas-Prime, how do you make these casings? 3D-printed, are these something off-the-shelf or lightly modded, or do you just do a custom order from some manufacturer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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