SNES2JAG AV Converter Official Order List

[+cubanismo]

I got an order in as well.  Even though I'm messing with all the VGA cable stuff, that's mostly about a means to test both 50Hz and 60Hz mode for me.  For actual playing, I want to hook one of these up to a RAD2X for my living room Jaguar use.  Have things hooked up using composite cables in there now, and it's... not the best when sitting 4-5 feet from a 62" display.

 

I'm totally going to do a teardown and look at what components and layout you used for everything though first to help with my own projects, unless you want to save me the time/effort and post some pictures of a disassembled one @Judas-Prime   Either way, thanks for making these.  I know how much time these projects can eat up even when you're making one or two, let alone dozens.

[Judas-Prime]

1 hour ago, cubanismo said:

I got an order in as well.  Even though I'm messing with all the VGA cable stuff, that's mostly about a means to test both 50Hz and 60Hz mode for me.  For actual playing, I want to hook one of these up to a RAD2X for my living room Jaguar use.  Have things hooked up using composite cables in there now, and it's... not the best when sitting 4-5 feet from a 62" display.

 

I'm totally going to do a teardown and look at what components and layout you used for everything though first to help with my own projects, unless you want to save me the time/effort and post some pictures of a disassembled one @Judas-Prime   Either way, thanks for making these.  I know how much time these projects can eat up even when you're making one or two, let alone dozens.

I can save you some time. There are no real components other than a voltage regulator. Other than that its an edge connector from digikey, The SNES AV board from Oshpark and a perfboard for structural / mechanical purposes and lots of tiny wires soldered by hand. This version has a tiny switch that allows you to not use the Jags power source, useful if you want to use the RAD2X...Which you also need to modify by cutting a small plastic piece off to allow external power. Ill post pics of the RAD2X mod to show people what to do. its super easy....

[eightbit]

4 minutes ago, Judas-Prime said:

I can save you some time. There are no real components other than a voltage regulator. Other than that its an edge connector from digikey, The SNES AV board from Oshpark and a perfboard for structural / mechanical purposes and lots of tiny wires soldered by hand. This version has a tiny switch that allows you to not use the Jags power source, useful if you want to use the RAD2X...Which you also need to modify by cutting a small plastic piece off to allow external power. Ill post pics of the RAD2X mod to show people what to do. its super easy....

 

While I am familiar with Mike Chi's other devices, not too much with the RAD2X. I know it has the "hidden" microUSB port in order to apply external power to it if you wanted, but by default the RAD2X operates on the SNES console power without the need for external power as far as I am aware.

 

Basically the question is, is this mod to the RAD2X necessary for the SNES2JAG to function with it? Or is this just for people who *want* to externally power the RAD2X instead of using the Jaguar's power? And out of curiosity, why would someone want to do that anyway?

 

 

[Judas-Prime]

Just now, eightbit said:

 

While I am familiar with Mike Chi's other devices, not too much with the RAD2X. I know it has the "hidden" microUSB port in order to apply external power to it if you wanted, but by default the RAD2X operates on the SNES console power without the need for external power as far as I am aware.

 

Basically the question is, is this mod to the RAD2X necessary for the SNES2JAG to function with it? Or is this just for people who *want* to externally power the RAD2X instead of using the Jaguar's power? And out of curiosity, why would someone want to do that anyway?

 

 

The mod is Necessary as the Jag AV output does not properly power the Rad2x. The power coming out of the Jag's AV edge connector is enough to power the HD Retrovision cables, but not the RAD2X. I included a power switch so users can shut off the Power from the Jag when externally powering their RAD2X or Pound HDMI cable. 

[eightbit]

Just now, Judas-Prime said:

The mod is Necessary as the Jag AV output does not properly power the Rad2x. The power coming out of the Jag's AV edge connector is enough to power the HD Retrovision cables, but not the RAD2X. I included a power switch so users can shut off the Power from the Jag when externally powering their RAD2X or Pound HDMI cable. 

 

 

Gotcha! Thanks for clearing that up!

[GoldenGraham]

For anyone looking to buy the 'rare as hen's teeth' RAD2X to go with their new SNES2JAG adapter, head on over to eBay and grab this one. Only 8 hours left on the auction.  Good luck!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274401167003

 

 

[Judas-Prime]

RAD2X Mod.

 

So in order to use a SNES RAD2XS with your Snes2Jag you will need to Mod the RAD2X. 

 

Simply Pry open your RAD2X with a guitar pick or some other edged item.

 

On  the "Bottom" part of the clear case you will see a small tab. This tab is what covers up the micro USB port. Mine is already modded but you can see where the tab will be, I'm pointing to it with a screwdriver in the third picture below.

 

Using some clippers, snip the plastic tab off of the bottom.

 

Resemble the RAD2X by snapping the bottom back on and you are good to go!

 

  

[eightbit]

On 6/28/2020 at 3:49 AM, GoldenGraham said:

For anyone looking to buy the 'rare as hen's teeth' RAD2X to go with their new SNES2JAG adapter, head on over to eBay and grab this one. Only 8 hours left on the auction.  Good luck!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274401167003

 

 

 

 

That is absurd....not to mention unnecessary. You could simply buy an HDRetrovision SNES cable (which are always available on pre-order and ship every few weeks) and use that with a normal RetroTink2X box and you will get the same result as this RAD adapter...not to mention same a few hundred bucks if that auction is any indication of its "value". And, you would have a RetroTink2X that supports s-vid and composite as well.

 

I would highly advise not to go spending $400-$500 for an adapter that normally costs $60. Either wait for RGC to restock them or go with the HDRetrovision/RetroTink2X combo.

[jamm]

12 minutes ago, eightbit said:

 You could simply buy an HDRetrovision SNES cable (which are always available on pre-order and ship every few weeks)

Small correction: my HDRetrovision SNES cable has been on order since February.  Current estimated delivery is next month, but we'll see.

 

[eightbit]

4 minutes ago, jamm said:

Small correction: my HDRetrovision SNES cable has been on order since February.  Current estimated delivery is next month, but we'll see.

 

I have always placed by orders through Castlemania and never had to wait that long. I received two of these cables in the past few months and have a third pre-ordered. HDRetrovision are really good with keeping up with demand from my past experience.

[jamm]

7 minutes ago, eightbit said:

I have always placed by orders through Castlemania and never had to wait that long. I received two of these cables in the past few months and have a third pre-ordered. HDRetrovision are really good with keeping up with demand from my past experience.

Yup - Castlemania is who I placed my pre-order with.  I assume things are more delayed than usual due to the pandemic, but even when I placed my order in February it wasn't scheduled to be filled until June.

[eightbit]

8 minutes ago, jamm said:

Yup - Castlemania is who I placed my pre-order with.  I assume things are more delayed than usual due to the pandemic, but even when I placed my order in February it wasn't scheduled to be filled until June.

Yeah, it is definitely due to the pandemic. I placed orders in Dec, Jan and Feb and all were on preorder but only took a week or two to fulfill. I am certain Castlemania will have these in July....they are excellent and extremely reliable. I actually sold off my HDRetrovision SNES cables when I got rid of my SNES and modded N64 thinking I would no longer need them. Now here I am

[5200Fanatic]

Any plans for another run? 

[McCarseat]

Got mine yesterday already! Was well worth the wait, finally ditched the S video cable that was falling apart anyways. Looks fantastic on my 36" Trinitron CRT.

 

 

[+cubanismo]

Well that's a bummer.  I didn't realize the RAD2X cables were so rare/out of stock since they look very available until you actually try to checkout on their webstore.  My LCD TV has component input, so perhaps I'll give the HD Retrovision cables a try.  Need to check whether my TV does the low-res modes.  Was hoping to keep things at least kind of reasonable price-wise.  Once we start getting into the hundreds of dollars, I can just get one of those fancy FPGA line doublers and hook it up directly via CGA/VGA cable.

[Greg2600]

1 hour ago, cubanismo said:

Well that's a bummer.  I didn't realize the RAD2X cables were so rare/out of stock since they look very available until you actually try to checkout on their webstore.  My LCD TV has component input, so perhaps I'll give the HD Retrovision cables a try.  Need to check whether my TV does the low-res modes.  Was hoping to keep things at least kind of reasonable price-wise.  Once we start getting into the hundreds of dollars, I can just get one of those fancy FPGA line doublers and hook it up directly via CGA/VGA cable.

What brand is the TV?  Vizio/Sony tended to have issues on 240p over component.  I personally use them on a CRT.  For my HDTV, I had an upscaler driven by SCART cables, though it broke.   I'm awaiting the future OSSC Pro to take it's place.  I already have SCART cables galore, so for me, I don't have a good reason to get individual HDMI's.

[GoldenGraham]

Hey folks.  Does anybody know of a mod to the Jaguar which provides a separate audio output socket on the Jaguar case?

The 'Retrotink 2X SCART' solution and the 'SNES2JAG + Rad2X'  solutions are great if your screen/monitor has speakers or if your screen has an audio output which you can connect to speakers.  However if you have a screen (like the NEC Multisync LCD 1970NXp that I have) then you get no sound whatsoever.  

I'm currently using an older (un-shielded) SCART cable to connect my Jag to my 'RetroTINK 2X' which provides two additional (L+R) RCA audio leads but it's not great because it's an old DIY cable which is un-shielded and so the picture is not as quite good as my standard Jag SCART cable.

 

I would like to be able to connect by Jag to my RetroTINK 2X using my high quality standard SCART cable and then get audio separate audio socket(s) on my Jag, via a custom audio mod of some sort.

 

Any ideas/suggestions folks?

[+cubanismo]

10 minutes ago, GoldenGraham said:

Hey folks.  Does anybody know of a mod to the Jaguar which provides a separate audio output socket on the Jaguar case?

No, but it should be a pretty easy mod given there are audio left/right/ground signals available on the video edge connector.  Just find a spot on the back panel (or elsewhere) to mount your 3.5mm or RCA audio jacks, check out the schematic to see where the audio traces on the edge connector come from, and find a good point to solder a few wires on to them for the jacks.  Honestly though, probably better to just do it externally with a little edge-connector pass-through board that has two RCA cables or a headphone jack hanging out of it.  That way you don't have to risk butchering your console

[+cubanismo]

45 minutes ago, Greg2600 said:

What brand is the TV?  Vizio/Sony tended to have issues on 240p over component.

My living room TV is an LG OLED65E6P.  The HD Retrovision site lists an easy method to test for 240p component support with any console with a composite cable, so I just need to dig out the extra dongle that makes the shared composite/component port on the TV a component port and run through the test.  I got my other Jaguar out of the closet this weekend and hooked it up out there with composite and it looks... OK I guess.  Good enough that my daughters still think Rayman is gorgeous at least.  The latency is low enough I didn't notice it when I put the TV in its "game" display preset.  I generally play on a terrible 20" CRT from Craigslist in my home office connected with S-Video for that true retro experience, so improving the quality of Jaguar games on the living room TV isn't my highest priority at the moment.

[Judas-Prime]

1 hour ago, GoldenGraham said:

Hey folks.  Does anybody know of a mod to the Jaguar which provides a separate audio output socket on the Jaguar case?

The 'Retrotink 2X SCART' solution and the 'SNES2JAG + Rad2X'  solutions are great if your screen/monitor has speakers or if your screen has an audio output which you can connect to speakers.  However if you have a screen (like the NEC Multisync LCD 1970NXp that I have) then you get no sound whatsoever.  

I'm currently using an older (un-shielded) SCART cable to connect my Jag to my 'RetroTINK 2X' which provides two additional (L+R) RCA audio leads but it's not great because it's an old DIY cable which is un-shielded and so the picture is not as quite good as my standard Jag SCART cable.

 

I would like to be able to connect by Jag to my RetroTINK 2X using my high quality standard SCART cable and then get audio separate audio socket(s) on my Jag, via a custom audio mod of some sort.

 

Any ideas/suggestions folks?

The Audio pinouts are 1a and 1b. If you can grab those signals from the shielded side of capacitor L17 and L18 located right behind the metal shield in the-back of the Jag and wire them up to a 3.5mm stereo jack then grab any ground and you should be good to go. Maybe replace the RF unit with your Audio jack for a nice no-cut mod.

 

Edited June 30, 2020 by Judas-Prime

[Judas-Prime]

Or.... you could make one of these monstrosities and have literally EVERY output you could want.....well except VGA.... I suppose there is still room for that to be added.

[Zerosquare]

[GoldenGraham]

10 hours ago, Judas-Prime said:

Or.... you could make one of these monstrosities and have literally EVERY output you could want.....well except VGA.... I suppose there is still room for that to be added.

Wow, it's certainly 'feature rich'!  Did you make it as a 'one off' yourself?  Do you use it?  Similar outputs to my Catbox which is bulky and weighs a tonne too!

[GoldenGraham]

5 hours ago, Zerosquare said:

Thanks, that looks useful.  I might have a go at this mod if ever I get the time.  I did the 50/60hz switch mod about ten years ago which worked out great so I reckon I could manage this too.  I just need to find a space on the case for the switch as I've already replaced the RF modulator with the 50/60hz switch.

 

Have you any idea what the 'top middle' and 'bottom left' on this diagram refer too?

 

So, should I connect my wires to the top side of those L17 and L18 components or the bottom side?

 

Thanks.

[+cubanismo]

Well, bummers all around.  Looks like the LG OLED65E6P doesn't support 240p over component very well.  I connected the composite video signal to the Y/luminance component and some loose cables to the chroma components as advised for testing on the HD Retrovision page, and it displayed a stable checkerboard-looking black and white image, which looked very promising.  However, once I started running around in Rayman or driving around in Super Burnout for a while, some terrible ghosting started occurring.  Not something I could ignore like a slight image trail, but like flashes of previous frames that would come and go in high-contrast areas of the screen.  For example, it looked like my bike sprite from the last frame would flicker in and out on Super Burnout when I was going through some S-shaped areas of the tracks and leaning back and forth rapidly.  Nearly unplayable.  I tested Battlesphere a bit too and didn't notice this, but perhaps I just didn't get moving fast enough or play long enough to see it.  Battlesphere is a bit on the muddier side color-wise compared to these other titles too, so perhaps that had some impact on the visibility of any ghosting artifacts.