Jaguar to SNES Multiout Adapter

[Doomy Doomer]

Hey All. I've been working with a well known custom PCB maker from Sudomod (Minty Pi and Gameboy Zero stuff) named Helder Silva on developing my idea of an adapter that takes the Jag's AV port and converts it to the more common Nintendo Multiout. I chose the Multiout because it carries all the audio video signals needed for composite, s-video, and even RGB all in one port. I wanted to share some footage I took last night of me playing some Jag games with an HD Retrovision component cable upscaled through an OSSC using the final version of the adapter. I recorded this footage using a $20 capture device from Amazon so it's not the highest quality and it introduced lag, which you can see me struggle with in Alien vs Predator and Cybermorph but it get's the job done!

 

 

What the JAG2SNES does:

• Converts the Jag's AV port to the more common Multiout port.
• Allows you to use SNES/N64/GameCube: Composite, S-Video, RGB Scart, and HD Retrovision (what I use) cables with your Jag.

 

What this JAG2SNES doesn't do:

• Upscale. You'll need a scan converter like the OSSC, Framemeister, or GBS for that.

 

If all goes well, it should go on sale sometime today for $25 USD (plus shipping) over at Helder's website and they'll be ready to ship immediately, no waiting list and no lead time to build. They are built. I will post to the buy, sell, trade forums once it's live. 

[Doomy Doomer]

Just a quick update. The adapter is live and for sale on Helder's website!

[RandyFemrite]

OK, I have Jaguar SCART cable from my Jag to JAG2SNES adapter. Now what do I need to hook up other end of JAG2SNES adapter to HDMI on PC monitor?

[Doomy Doomer]

41 minutes ago, RandyFemrite said:

OK, I have Jaguar SCART cable from my Jag to JAG2SNES adapter. Now what do I need to hook up other end of JAG2SNES adapter to HDMI on PC monitor?

Just to make sure I have your setup right: you have a SNES SCART cable connected to the adapter? If so, the SCART would need to connect to a scan converter of some kind like the OSSC to go into an HDMI monitor/TV. 

[RandyFemrite]

My bad; just regular Jaguar cable to JAG2SNES, would like to hook up to my PC monitor via HDMI.

Nothing fancy in between. I guess I am looking for an SNES to HDMI cable?

[Doomy Doomer]

58 minutes ago, RandyFemrite said:

My bad; just regular Jaguar cable to JAG2SNES, would like to hook up to my PC monitor via HDMI.

Nothing fancy in between. I guess I am looking for an SNES to HDMI cable?

Sorry, I'm still not following on your cables. Jaguar cables won't connect to the JAG2SNES. The JAG2SNES connects directly to the Jag's AV port and then you'll need a SNES style cable (AV, S-Video, HD Retrovision Component, etc). In order to use this with a modern TV or Monitor you will need some kind of upscaler/scan converter. The Jaguar outputs 240p signal which most modern screens don't support. The scan converter converts the analog signal to a digital signal newer screen can use (480p+). I use this adapter with HD Retrovision SNES cables, a scan converter: OSSC or RetroTink or my customized GBS, into my 4k LG PC Monitor. When I use the OSSC and its setup right, it is a very nice and sharp picture. 

 

There are straight SNES to HDMI products on the market but there is no guarantee they'll work with this adapter due to the Jaguars limited amperage on the AV port. Some have external power sources but they will introduce signal noise. There's also another product called the Rad2X that doesn't work for this reason. (emphasis added for anyone else reading who's interested in either of these types of products). 

 

TL;DR;

 

Unless using this adapter with an SDTV, you will need some kind of Scan Converter in order to use it on your Monitor. I call this out in my op above in the "What this JAG2SNES doesn't do" line. 

[RandyFemrite]

Thanks. My RetroTink 2 should be here in a week or two.

[UHATEIT]

Has anyone tried this adapter with POUND snes hdmi cables? I see in the posts above that the limited amperage in the Jaguar port may not be enough to output through those types but that you can ad the power adapter to the Pound type cable but it may introduce noise. 

[SoundGammon]

Here's a Genesis to HDMI adaptor.  It should be easy to adapt it to the Jag!

 

They both utilize the same RGB output!

[UHATEIT]

On 7/2/2021 at 9:57 PM, SoundGammon said:

Here's a Genesis to HDMI adaptor.  It should be easy to adapt it to the Jag!

 

They both utilize the same RGB output!

I actually just got this hyperkin adapter for my Genesis/32X/CD. It converted my Genesis to HDMI and seems to upscale it. Holy crap it makes the Genesis look gorgeous on my LCD TV!

 

I know there is a Jag 2 Gen adapter and am thinking about using one of these cables. Any clie it that will upscale the Jag or what exactly is the max a Jag would output?

[Doomy Doomer]

I can't speak to the Hyperkin cable but I actually have a similar Genesis to HDMI adapter from LevelHike. All three of these HDMI adapters (Pound, LevelHike, Hyperkin) appear to use the same scalers. In fact, if you don't plug the Genesis into them, they all have the same "No Input" bug that moves around the screen. The LevelHike adapter darkens both my Genesis and Jag a bit requiring me to adjust brightness on the display. Not a deal breaker but worth noting. Apparently the Hyperkin does the same while the pound brightens the picture a bit.

 

Below is a YouTube vid from Adam Koralik covering the POUND and Hyperkin Genesis cables to give you an idea. You should expect to see similar output from the Jag through the Jag2GEN adapter but possibly a little darker/brighter depending on which you choose.

 

Maybe one of these days I'll be able to get my hands on a Rad2X to test with the Jag2GEN.

 

 

[UHATEIT]

1 hour ago, Doomy Doomer said:

I can't speak to the Hyperkin cable but I actually have a similar Genesis to HDMI adapter from LevelHike. All three of these HDMI adapters (Pound, LevelHike, Hyperkin) appear to use the same scalers. In fact, if you don't plug the Genesis into them, they all have the same "No Input" bug that moves around the screen. The LevelHike adapter darkens both my Genesis and Jag a bit requiring me to adjust brightness on the display. Not a deal breaker but worth noting. Apparently the Hyperkin does the same while the pound brightens the picture a bit.

 

Below is a YouTube vid from Adam Koralik covering the POUND and Hyperkin Genesis cables to give you an idea. You should expect to see similar output from the Jag through the Jag2GEN adapter but possibly a little darker/brighter depending on which you choose.

 

Maybe one of these days I'll be able to get my hands on a Rad2X to test with the Jag2GEN.

 

 

Do you know if this Jag 2 Gen adapter with a cable would actually upscale in any way (like the genesis does) or does it just allow me to use a different cable? the Hyperkin genesis cable makes the genesis look gorgeous on my TV, literally no artifacts or any of that business. But the Jag with even OEM AV cables still looks pretty bad on my LCD. Im honestly just worried that if I buy the Jag 2 Gen adapter it wont look any nicer than OEM AV cables

[Doomy Doomer]

16 minutes ago, UHATEIT said:

Do you know if this Jag 2 Gen adapter with a cable would actually upscale in any way (like the genesis does) or does it just allow me to use a different cable? the Hyperkin genesis cable makes the genesis look gorgeous on my TV, literally no artifacts or any of that business. But the Jag with even OEM AV cables still looks pretty bad on my LCD. Im honestly just worried that if I buy the Jag 2 Gen adapter it wont look any nicer than OEM AV cables

The Jag2GEN is just a passthrough for the RGB, Audio, and CBVS signals (these adapters don't appear to use csync but rather composite as sync). Those signals will be upscaled to whatever the Hyperkin/Pound/LevelHike upscales to. The picture should look better than composite and comparative to your Genesis. 

 

Here's how it looks through my 4K monitor using the Jag2GEN through the LevelHike HDMI adapter with my monitor's brightness boosted:

 

[UHATEIT]

Wow that looks fantastic! I'll surely buy this from you (or the seller in your link it's probably the same) and then buy another one of the Hyperkin Genesis adapters and see how it goes. Since it sounds like since the Jaguar does output RGB naturally with no mod that this Hyperkin once plugged into the Jag 2 Gen adapter will probably upscale it just like it did for the Genesis that i will be very happy!

 

The Jaguar in its current state with the OEM AV cables (Ive tried OEM Svideo, aftermarket Svideo, aftermarket combo av/svideo and they all give me rainbow type blur around the edges and tons of nasty artifacts and no sharpness to the edges). If this works out as good as I'm hoping I'll by all means vouch for how well this product and the combo is for sure!

[UHATEIT]

BTW Just bought the adapter and then the front controller port cover as well! Hopefully you're in the USA, so I can get it nice and fast and see how well it works!

[Doomy Doomer]

22 minutes ago, UHATEIT said:

BTW Just bought the adapter and then the front controller port cover as well! Hopefully you're in the USA, so I can get it nice and fast and see how well it works!

Awesome. I'll get the controller port cover printed up and shipped out ASAP with the Jag2GEN. Thanks for the purchase!

[UHATEIT]

2 hours ago, Doomy Doomer said:

Awesome. I'll get the controller port cover printed up and shipped out ASAP with the Jag2GEN. Thanks for the purchase!

You rock dude! I just realized all these comments were in the Jag 2 SNES thread not the Jag 2 Gen thread. I think because someone had posted the Hyperkin cable I have in this thread. 

 

I do like in your picture that with brightness boosted it looks crip around the edges. When my OEM av cables are plugged in and if I mess with the brightness it just makes everything bleed, especially red. Then I get rainbow blur and artifacts around the edges. The Hyperkin Genesis cable got rid of all that same type of nastiness on my genesis so hopefully it will do the same to the Jag 

[Doomy Doomer]

8 hours ago, UHATEIT said:

You rock dude! I just realized all these comments were in the Jag 2 SNES thread not the Jag 2 Gen thread. I think because someone had posted the Hyperkin cable I have in this thread. 

 

I do like in your picture that with brightness boosted it looks crip around the edges. When my OEM av cables are plugged in and if I mess with the brightness it just makes everything bleed, especially red. Then I get rainbow blur and artifacts around the edges. The Hyperkin Genesis cable got rid of all that same type of nastiness on my genesis so hopefully it will do the same to the Jag 

It's all good. Both the Jag2Gen and Jag2SNES use similar circuits, so this info works on either thread  

[UHATEIT]

2 minutes ago, Doomy Doomer said:

It's all good. Both the Jag2Gen and Jag2SNES use similar circuits, so this info works on either thread  

Initially I was going to try the Jag 2 SNES because I could get the Snes hdmi cable cheaper. But I bought both the SNES and Genesis Hyperkin cables and the Snes one did nothing really (at least on my N64) just made the picture brighter whereas the Genesis was a complete night and day difference. So I decided to go with the Jag 2 Gen adapter hoping it will give me a better picture since the Genesis HDMI was such a noticeable difference. Excited for this one man, we shall see how this goes!

[qrysdonnell]

I have the Jag2SNES running through a Levelhike SNES to HDMI adapter (which uses RGB, have to make sure you don't get the N64 one which uses S-Video) and I'm happy enough with the result. My Retrotink 2X-Pro doesn't do some smoothing that these Levelhike cables do, but my goal was to have 20 systems hooked up at once and easily switchable by 'normal people' so keeping things affordable helps. (I didn't do a ton of tests regarding screen brightness or anything, but I didn't notice anything amiss.)

 

(I do have a RAD2X for my SNES and it's a great cable. If they were easier to come by I'd use them wherever possible.)

[UHATEIT]

57 minutes ago, qrysdonnell said:

I have the Jag2SNES running through a Levelhike SNES to HDMI adapter (which uses RGB, have to make sure you don't get the N64 one which uses S-Video) and I'm happy enough with the result. My Retrotink 2X-Pro doesn't do some smoothing that these Levelhike cables do, but my goal was to have 20 systems hooked up at once and easily switchable by 'normal people' so keeping things affordable helps. (I didn't do a ton of tests regarding screen brightness or anything, but I didn't notice anything amiss.)

 

(I do have a RAD2X for my SNES and it's a great cable. If they were easier to come by I'd use them wherever possible.)

This is probably off topic but what do you mean by don't get the N64 one. Isn't the cable for the N64 thing same as the one gor the N64?

 

Reason I ask is because I bought an N64 to HDMI adapter and all it did was brighten the color, didn't do anything to upscale the image. But I think the N64 pulls from the svideo as it's not RGB naturally. I'd love to upscale my N64 if I can and have it look nicer. 

 

I bought a Hyperkin Genesis cable and it made a massive upscale upgrade on my Genesis, 32x, CD. So I decided to buy the Jag2Gen adapter and a second Hyperkin cable hoping it will upscale the Jag visuals since the Jag can output RGB naturally like the Genesis can if that makes sense. 

 

I didn't get the Jag2SNES adapter because I thought that if I used that N64 hdmi adapter since it's the same plug as the SNES that it wouldn't upscale the Jag at all. But that could be due to the differences in the Jag pulling RGB whereas the N64 doesn't naturally.