Trouble with something that should be simple ... SFC with XRGB3

Should be simple.

I have a japanese super famicom.

I connect it to the XRGB3 using the nintendo SCART cable "SHVC-010".

I connect XRGB3 to LCD panel with DVI.

Turn on super famicom, turn on XRGB3.

On-screen I see the xrgb3 flipping between 15 khz / 31 khz / 45 khz ... just randomly going between those messages ... but never shows anything on the screen.

Anyway. What I am doing here is the absolute simplest, no-brainer, no complications setup you can possibly do with an xrgb3.

What in the world is the problem ?

 

Have you checked the caps in the SHVC-010 cable?

 

SHVC-010 uses composite as sync but you need pure c-sync. You have to rewire your cable or use a sync cleaner.

 

Yeah there are a few things I need to rule out now...

First, broken caps in the cable, which I just learned was a problem with these cables...

Second, I need to be in "b1" mode for the SNES, and if you are in b1 mode, you can't use DVI output, so there are some bad combinations that I might have had.

Finally, it's possible my SCART input in the xrgb3 is burned out from using a euro-scart cable in the past. I don't know if I ever did this, but it's possible.

So it turns out it really *is* rocket science. How silly of me to think I would just hook this up and get going last night.

 

Quick question:

It sounds like even if my SHVC-010 is not ruined (bad caps) it probably isn't the best cable anyway, since it doesn't have "pure c-sync".

Can anyone point me to a japanese 21-pin cable, with pure c-sync, that will "just work" ? So, nintendo AV multi-out on one end, and 21-pin on the other ...

I'll just buy three of those and save myself the headaches....

Thanks.

 

You can just rewire your cable, no soldering required, just open it up on the end towards the SNES and change the sync pin from composite to c-sync.

 

If you want to save yourself the headaches then Retro Console Accessories on ebay makes quality cables with C-sync. You may have to message her first though to ask for it to be wired for RGB-21 rather than Euro-Scart.

You might be better off tracking down the problem first though because although C-sync is preferable for the XRGB-3, you should still be getting a good picture using C-video as sync. The only problem using C-video for sync with the XRGB-3 as far as I remember is the occasional loss of sync during bright white backgrounds or flashes in some games.

 

Well, I am worried that I have fried the RGB input by using a euro SCART cable in the past ... I have some other cable lying around and I don't know if it's euro or japanese ...

 

Open the Scart end of the other cable and post a picture so that we can verify if it is Euro or Japanese.

You need to find a way to determine whether it is the SHVC-010 or the GAME IN input at fault. If it turns out to be the GAME IN input then there are options like using the RGB input on the back of the XRGB via a VGA to Scart adapter or replacing the video switch IC to repair the GAME IN input.

 

Ok, I broke open the other 21-pin cable, and it has a resistor in it (from pins 16 to 8).

So that's a EURO SCART, right ? The japanese 21-pin cables don't use the resistor, do they ?