Superior Video Format?

Thanks for the info. Well, I already have a few power supplies sitting around and the games I want to play only use 3 buttons. The only thing that might be a problem is a video encoder.

Also, I'm not sure what you said about the audio means. Do you mean that JAMMA uses a different standard audio level and the resistors decrease it to the standard for stereo equipment? Is there something bad about that? I am also somewhat concerned that the description says you need "passive" speakers to connect to the "Supergun" (or red... PCB thingy). I see no reason why the speakers couldn't be powered, but maybe I'm missing something.

 

I have pretty much given up on finding a RGB SCART to VGA cable; the ones I've found are way too expensive.

However, I have another question for everyone; would something like this work with an RGB signal sent through a SCART cable from a supegun like this? I was led to believe that the format that S-VIDEO typically handles (with TV's, anyway) is not RGB, so I cannot see how a simple connector could handle this. Wouldn't that require a large box, probably powered, to convert the signal? I think this thing only converts RGB SCART to RGB S-VIDEO or something like that. Am I right?

 

That convertor has nothing to do with RGB. SCART can carry combinations of:
Composite only
RGB only
S-Vid only
Composite+S-Vid
Composite+RGB

This adaptor deals with scart in its composite+S-vid state

 

So I thought. Any idea where I could get one that would convert RGB from a SCART cable to S-VIDEO in an S-VIDEO cable?

 

As far as I understand it, that'd require a pricy transcoder of some kind. In most cases it'd be easier to get an S-Video signal from whatever device in the first place.

I assume you're trying to hook up a cheapish SCART-RGB "supergun" to a TV that doesn't support it. Might be better to get a supergun that supports a variety of video output methods. It will cost more, obviously.

As an outside chance, you might find that a device you already own is capable of taking SCART-RGB and transcoding it to something else like composite. Not as good quality obviously, but certainly the cheapest option. Check your VCR/DVD players.

 

Speaking of Laserdisc earlier in the thread.....do the euro players with scart connections only output composite over it?

Considering Laserdisc is encoded in composite like.......

I think that Hi-def malarkey is for the MUSE players innit.

 

You mean something like this?

http://www.jrok.com/hardware/RGB.html

There might be plans to make something similar out there...

As arcade boards output RGB, the only way to output composite/svideo is to buy a convertor somehow. Whether it's built into the super gun or not.

I have never heard of anyone saying a supergun has to output either composite or svideo. That might be what the original ones did, but I don't know anyone that has one of those. Everyone I know with one ( myself included ) actually made their own. So RGB is the norm.

Old Amiga monitors are pretty standard ( my super gun has an Amiga D23 video port right now ).

If you're playing modern games on it then a pc power supply, some wire and a jamma connector ought to get you going. You need a pad or joystick, but just hack up a console one ( I have an old control panel from an arcade machine I got for a fiver ).

You can't go wrong with a pc power supply, when you do something bad with them they generally shutdown. Older games prefer linear power supplies to switched. But they probably won't work with your tv anyway.

Sound is the biggest problem. You really ought to run the sound straight to a speaker. Some people want it going through their TV. Just remember that arcade boards almost always have amplifiers and your TV is expecting a nice low voltage input. You can end up with a lot of unwanted sound and then silence....

The voltage is different for the RGB on SCART and Arcade monitors, the colours will look washed out on most TV's unless there is something converting the levels.

smf

 

I was wondering about that. Is there a way to, er... de-amplify it? What I am wondering is if it is possible to remove the extra voltage from the arcade board so that the audio signal would be the same as, say, an audio signal coming out of a videogame console or a DVD player.

 

Yep, just use either a potentiometer or a potential divider. Or, if you feel clever, just use a simple op-amp as an inverting amp with Rin>Rf (i.e. Vgain <1). You would need to find the levels coming out of the board and the levels the TV is expecting though

 

Yes I do mean something like that, and if you follow the link a shop is selling them for $90, which seems a bit of a tall order considering it represents a drop in visual quality. I'd assume they'd be cheaper to make yourself if you're ok dealing with the level of electronics involved.

 

I found a RGB SCART to VGA adapter, but the people who are selling it tell me that the input needs to be progressive scan. That seems like bullshit to me because I have a device that does the same thing for composite and S-VIDEO inputs and they don't need to be progressive scan. Here is the link: http://www.beststuff.co.uk/specialist_rgb_leads.htm (the cheaper one near the bottom). Any idea what the deal is with that? I am pretty sure arcade pcb's do not output progressive scan video.

 

maybe they mean 30hz instead of 15?

Many computer monitors will not accept a progressive scan signal, so it would be best to check this before buying, if you are planning to use this lead with a computer monitor.

Yea, computer monitors made 20 years ago maybe. ALL computer monitors accept -p signal natively as graphics cards don't need to support interlaced modes. The only difference is that unlike component-RGB (where HV sync is on green) computers (VGA D-Sub 15pin) use RGBHV, carrying Horizontal and Vertical sync in different cables (For a total of 5 instead of 3 as in component)

- well it depends what arcade machine you're talking about. If it's Chihiro or Triforce (or maybe even Katana boards, I don't personaly have knowledge on this) then yes, they can output -p signal. If on the other hand it is megadrive-class arcade for example, I doubt it would. In the ole' days interlacing was used to do all sorts of video tricks.

 

I know that, but I got an e-mail from the people who run that website saying that whatever you are connecting to the monitor (in this case, a supergun) also needs to be progressive scan, and that doesn't seem right to me.

 

Sounds like "dry" salesman talk to me, without any actualy knowledge of what the hell progressive scan essentialy is.

although i m not the inventor of the supergun or anything, i dont *think* that it would mind being in interlaced or progressive scan, since it tries to spot the "white dots" without any kind of physical contact with the screen. Feel free to correct me if anyone thinks I m mistaking please

 

Problem is most VGA inputs expect a 30khz progressive signal, rather than 15khz as produced by most SCART devices - this is probably what they are warning of. However I know of absolutely no SCART devices outputting anything but either 480i or 576i. I'd expect most TV's will only expect this too

Basically, if you want a cheap supergun, ebay/flea market a commodore 1084 monitor, which will take RGB at 15khz, and then one of these cheap superguns. In transcoding the signal you will lose most cost benefits.

 

Hm... that would work, but I would still need a SCART to 9 pin RGB connector, and those monitors aren't too easy to find.