Super Nintendo in-store display with odd video circuit board...

In 1994, while working for software etc., I was given the in-store SNES display.

It was a stock, standard SNES, but inside the display cabinet was a very odd circuit board - perhaps 7" long and 3" wide - and a cable that connected the SNES multi-video-out (or whatever it's called) to this odd circuit board.

Then, from the circuit board, were cables (of a type I don't remember) to go to a black, super nintendo branded video monitor. The monitor was a _very nice_ monitor, circa 1994 - it had a totally flat face/tube and seemed to have more lines of resolution than a normal TV. It was much more like a computer monitor than a TV.

Further, that odd circuit board had other outputs on it, IIRC, than the ones that I used to connect it to that monitor - I remember that it seemed there were other things you could connect it to, but were just not part of that display.

So ... I don't have this, I don't want this, and I haven't seen it for 11 years ... but I wonder, has anyone ever seen this piece of equipment and have any idea what that odd circuit board was ? Was it an RGB board ? Or an upscaling board ? Or just something boring ?

 

I'd bet it was for RGB as I'd imagine you'd want your display monitor to output the best possible picture. And maybe the monitor needed seperate H and V sync so maybe that board did the conversion from composite sync or something. Just throwing ideas out there as I don't know.

 

Good Question. I always wanted to ask this myself...
Around a year ago I saw an ebay auction where someone was selling a Store Model SNES system that had only the system, 2 controllers, and that weird Circuit board you are describing. The seller claimed to have just had the SNES, Circuit Board, and the Two controllers left from one of the Store Display Kiosks. No TV or anything.

It confused me. As I looked at the picture he put with it, the Circuit Board didnt look like it belonged there at all. The guy had no clue either.

Always wondered.

I am sure its function is basically what MottZilla said... :nod:
Wish I bought the damn thing...:crying:

 

Anyone have a picture of it?
Do you know something like that?
http://sfc.homepage.t-online.de/H/9.htm

 

No, nothing like that. It was a stock, standard SNES, and just had an odd cable that plugged into the normal connector on the back. The cable then went to this circuit board, which you could then connect to the monitor.

I can't remember, but I think they were RCA connectors that went "out" from the board, so I also wonder if it was RGB ...

 

ah ha - here it is:

http://www.geocities.com/djslacker1/super_nintendo_misc.html

You can't see the circuit board, of course, but that is the demo unit that I am speaking of.

 

Ok, the reason I bring all of this up is, I am planning on buying a new SNES setup and I want to get the best picture possible for displaying to a modern plasma/LCD display.

I know people here are doing RGB mods to their SNES consoles, but I don't know if that quality is as good as this unit was, since, as you say (and I always thought) it was line-doubled/upscaled.

Can you please comment on the eventual signal that comes out the end of that circuit board ? Is it, in fact, RGB, and would it work with normal monitors ? (a normal RGB input on a monitor should accept a upscaled RGB feed just fine ...) Do you think it is of higher quality than an internal RGB mod to a SNES ?

 

You think that will yield a better signal than this demo circuit board that we are discussing here ?

 

And for that matter, why would you recommend a Super Famicom over a US SNES?

 

if you have a tv with SCART, just use a GC rgb cable on you NTSC SNES.

 

interlaced images and non-CRT displays are far from the "best quality" you can get. Do yourself a favour and opt for a contemporary display solution.

 

Unfortunately yes. I was under the impression that both used the same IC.

 

Can you elaborate ?

I am currently planning on using an RGB cable from a PAL gamecube to connect to my plasma TV.

You are mentioning non-CRT displays, which in my mind are not contemporary, but then you recommend opting for a contemporary solution ... please do elaborate, if you have a moment.

 

Oh ok. In that case, yes I agree. My personal unit back in the US was a SFC with a widened cart slot (dust flap still attached).

 

that's terrible. I got myself one of those sfc plastic slot adapters off of ebay so I wouldn't have to ruin the beauty of the original console. Model 1 super famicom/sfc have worse quality composite picture than my model 2 snes. I asked about the rgb mod on the model 2 on gamesx but they said the rgb quality on it is the same as the model 1.....strange that the composite looks much better.....

but yeah currently I'm running my sfc through a rgb to s-video circuit I built (I realize it generates s-video internally, my circuit looks nicer). It's good enough for me.

 

I thought what he said was pretty plain and simple, but I'll make it plainer for you.

LCD and plasma screens have crappy circuitry when it comes to oldschool signals. Therefore, many old consoles look shite on such TVs. Do yourself a favour and get an RGB CRT display (i.e., and I've said this countless times now, an Amiga monitor or a Sony broadcast monitor).