N64 RGB mod demonstration

First of all, most of what I say here is repeated in the video, so if you don't feel like reading, just watch the video.

So, in response to the thread I posted a while ago looking for someone to do an RGB mod on my N64, APE did the job. Initially, I had some problems; on the PVM I was using at home (the 13" PVM-1271Q), there was an interference pattern (a fuzzy bar) that appeared only when the audio was plugged in. We thought that the audio was interfering with the image. Perhaps it was, but as it turns out the interference pattern doesn't show up on my other PVM (the 20" PVM-20M2MDU). That means the problem I was having must have been due to either the monitor or the stereo amplifier I was using.

In any case, it's working properly now and it looks amazing. The image is incredibly clear and bright. One thing that I discovered that I didn't know before this mod is that the N64 uses a lot of antialiasing: not just of textures, but also of the edges of polygons. Not all edges of polygons are antialiased, but a lot of them are. It seems that the closer an object is, the more likely it is to be antialiased.

It's really not possible to convey how good it looks through pictures or videos, but it should give you a bit of an idea. Check out the photos and the video below. I hope you enjoy them!

Here's the video (youtube quality is crap, as usual):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAGf-Hcl9pU&list=UUu1zT1VgFdbEHBelky-UUHA

Here are the photos:

 

Damn, makes me wish I had a SCART capable display to have play tested that on.

 

Very interesting. Im considering paying someone to do this for me.

Compared to the composite output, does the rgb look too bright or oversaturated at all? I've seen some other mods that turned out either too bright or too dark.

 

It's very bright and saturated, but not to the point of being excessive. It looks very good to me. It's brighter and more saturated than it appears in these photos.

Mind you, the image from the N64 isn't as clear as my Genesis. So far nothing has beaten my Genesis in terms of image quality. I have no idea why. It still looks very good, though. I plugged in my other N64 the other day to do a comparison between composite and RGB. The difference is pretty huge. The RGB output is better in every way.

 

That can be tweaked with resistors. (in the cable or in the console)

 

What can be tweaked? You mean the brightness and saturation? That's basically what the amp circuit did, right?

 

Nice hori pad controller.

 

Both are related IIRC. The resistors I installed to handle such matters were 75ohm for each color line and should be very easy to swap out. I placed them on the MultiAV side rather than the chip as I didn't like the idea of having something that reluctant to flex near the chip.

 

I really want to do this to my n64. I thought RGB was like the red, blue, and green RCAs on the xbox 360 video cord. Im capable of doing this just need some clarification. How do i go about connecting a SCART cable to an NTSC tv? I have an NTSC n64(correct model) and ntsc tv.

 

The red, blue, and green RCA's from a 360 cord is a component cable - more specifically YPbPr, or maybe YUV if you're in Europe. RGB is similar to those formats in the sense that it is a component video format, but it uses a different colorspace. The general argument is that RGB is ideal because it corresponds to the Red, Green, and Blue electron guns in a CRT - whereas YPbPr needs to be converted.

There are different kinds of RGB, such as RGBS (the kind SCART uses), RGBHV (the kind computer monitors use), and RGsB (sync on green). My N64 is modified to output RGBS - RGB with composite sync.

APE has been working on converting a standard NTSC TV to display RGB video, but I think has not succeeded thus far. I think it's been done before, but it's probably very difficult, and potentially dangerous if you don't have a good understanding of circuits and video equipment.

There are other options but I think I've discussed them enough elsewhere.

 

You will need to buy a scalar of some sort or something that will convert the signal to something accepted by your TV. Currently, I am using and XRGB 2plus ,but prior I was using a a gbs8820. It is discussed here:

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35969

There are many converters and scalars out there, it just depends on what you want and your set up.

Also, check this out. Lots of useful info here.

http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

 

Ah, someone who has both the XRGB and the cheapy scaler...

How much difference is there?

 

Some parts of a CRT run in the kilovolt range, enough to generate X-Rays which is why the tube is lined with lead.

I haven't had much luck but the sole result is visible here somewhere. Probably needed to attenuate the signal a bit but sync and color did work. Others have gotten it to work better but it seems that the ultra cheap Chinese Wal-Mart special TVs work best due to being simplistically designed.

Addendum:

^what I got. You can clearly see a dinosaur (Lost World: Jurassic Park for the Genesis) so sync is functional but the colors are all wrong. That picture above is supposed to mostly be green. I suppose its possible the datasheet wasn't written correctly or I miswired something for the RGB lines. All three colors were visible so I know I didn't screw it up completely.

http://133fsb.wordpress.com/2010/05/22/adding-an-rgb-input-to-a-cheap-generic-ntsc-tv/
^a successful hacking that was my inspiration. I pretty much did the same exact thing they did to a T though I didn't have trouble with the OSD like they did. Then again I seem to recall taking the lessons they learned and simply avoided the problem in the first place.

 

Use a TV you have the service manual for. It should be really easy to do, considering the CRT requires an RGB signal.

Kilovolt range? Try 20-40kV. I would strongly recommend that this is only attempted by an experienced television repair engineer, with a strong knowledge of the theory of operation.

 

Okay so i need this upscaler, a scart cable, and any regular old VGA cable?

Modded N64->Scart cable->8pin RGBS Input-> VGA Out-> LCD TV. That look good? :shrug:

Then i can use this cable on the SNES too?

 

The biggest differences I notice are a cleaner/sharper/more vibrant picture picture and less lag with the XRGB. The gbs8820 also has some screen blanking issues with the SNES and produced more noise. I was able to eliminate most of it with shielding but I still get some occasional flurries in the black areas of games.
The XRGB scanline settings are nice but I never made an SLG3000 for the gbs8820 to compare. Overall, I am glad to have the XRGB because it does handle older game systems better than the gbs8820. Now that the new XRGB Framemeister has been released, you could probably find an the Xrgb2 plus and Xrgb3 at reasonable prices.

Yes and Yes. :thumbsup:

 

I don't have any of the issues you mention and use a SNES with mine?

 

Yeah, I dunno what is up with my setup exactly. The screen blanking only happens on my SNES. I tried a SNES jr and regular, both NTSC, both had the same problem. I also have regular issues going from

scart > vga > gbs8820 > vga

Going scart to vga doesnt always work. Most the time it doesnt, actually. I tried making my own scart to vga as well as buying a scart to vga. Doesn't change. I think I may have a faulty unit. Also, I forgot to mention that I use a scart to YUV converter as a go between my console and gbs8820 because of the previously mentioned problem. That is most likely the source of lag and possibly the screen blanking. Its hard to tell at this point. After I got the XRGB, I quit trying to fix it.

 

well i just bought my scart cable and gbs 8220. It should be here in about in a week or two. Ill let u guys know how it goes.

 

I just put everything together to day it looks good i just thought it would be better. I feel like i hooked something up wrong. What i did was strip down two of the normal red yellow and white conectors that go into the back of the n64. I took the pins that were in one of the connecters and put them in the other so i had extra wires to connect rgb to. Am i supposed to hook up the yellow composite cable to hs and vs on the gbs8220?