Which Scart Cables will work on my RGB modded N64?

Which Scart Cables will work on my RGB modded N64?

For the last few months I've been doing some research into which SCART cables you can use with the N64RGB board and i was surprised by how many cables it can support depending on how you wire the system up.

The N64RGB board is a very important mod as it allows all N64s from around the world to be modded and not just early model NTSC units. And it allows the same DE-blur feature used in the UltraHDMI and allows you to stack that with the rounded pixels of a PVM, the FirebrandX profiles of the Framemeister or the 5X scaling of the OSSC.

I have spoken to both Rob Fletcher from Retro Gaming Cables and Tim Worthington to gather this information and i want to thank them both for all their help.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BUY SCART CABLES FROM A REPUTABLE CABLE MANUFACTURER.

The N64RGB board is setup to use NTSC SCART cables by default, however shorting jumpers 1-3 on the board will allow you to use PAL SCART cables.

You then have to wire either the 75ohm CSYNC (CS75) output or the 5Volt TTL CSYNC (CS#) output on the N64 RGB board to the correct pin of the multi-out depending on which sync type you are using and whether or not your cables have a resistor on the sync line.

 

If you have a modded NTSC N64 (Japanese or North American, it does not matter) then you can use the N64 RGB SCART cables sold by Retro Gaming Cables (either the CSYNC or the Sync-on-Luma) and they will work perfectly (I use the Sync-on-Luma one myself) NTSC N64s already have S-Video traced out to the multi-out of the console.

 The CSYNC cable takes Sync-on-CVBS (Composite Video from pin 9) and cleanly extracts the CSYNC signal from it with an LM1881 and a 470ohm resistor. The composite video signal is grounded with a resistor in the multiout so that it does not travel up the wire to the scart head, which avoids coupling and gives you a cleaner image. As long as you have Composite video you will be able to use this cable.

NTSC SNES/SFC cables should also work on both regions of console provided you do not short any of the jumpers and you wire the CS# output to pin 3 of the multi-out connector. RGC's NTSC SNES/SFC cables have a resistor on the sync line to turn the 5 volt TTL Sync signal into a 75ohm compliant signal. You MUST use the TTL output for that cable. You can safely use the Sync-on-Luma cable for the NTSC SNES 1Chip-03 console, but you need to run a wire from the CS75 pad to pin 7 of the multi-out if you are using a PAL N64 console.

 If you want to use the NTSC N64 CSYNC SCART cable on a PAL N64, then you DO NOT bridge any jumpers and the cable will extract the CSYNC signal from the Composite video signal (CVBS).

 If you want to use the NTSC N64 Sync-on-Luma cable on a PAL N64, then you DO NOT bridge any jumpers and you wire the CS75 Output to pin 7 of the multi-out. (PAL Consoles do not have S-Video natively, so you must run this wire to pin 7 or the cable will not work.)

If you want to use a PAL GameCube SCART cable on a PAL N64 then you ask your modder to short jumpers 1-3 and nothing else. I do not recommend using anything other than the fully shielded PACKAPUNCH cables for GameCube (or their equivalent from Retro Access) as this signal will be very noisy (Unless you cut the trace for composite video on the motherboard and wire CS75 to pin 9).

If you want to use a PAL SNES SCART cable on a PAL N64, then you ask your modder to bridge jumpers 1-3 and run a wire from the CS75 output pad to Pin 7. 

And finally the HD Retrovision component cables work with both regions consoles and will take whatever type of Sync you throw at them. 

I hope this helps you find the right cables for your needs.

Video Upscaler Input Lag Comparison - Framemeister, OSSC & HD Video Converter

Video Upscaler Input Lag Comparison - 

Framemeister, OSSC & HD Video Converter

 

This is a quick article to compare input lag using three different upscalers The Framemeister, The OSSC and the HD Video Converter. This article is not really setup for the newcomer, so if you want the basics please lookup RetroRGB and My life in gaming on you tube for an introduction to the subject.
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The Contenders

 

The XRGB Mini "Framemeister" by Micomsoft sold by Solaris Japan for ¥37,590 (plus postage)

 

 

The Open Source Scan Converter "OSSC" Version 1.6 developed by Marqs and sold by Video Game Perfection for £162.00 (plus PSU, remote and postage)

 

 

The HD Video Converter - SCART to HDMI purchased from Ebay for $45 AUD

 

 

The Setup used for this test

 

Sony PVM 14M4A from Gumtree (similar to Craigslist)

 

Dell SE2417HG PC Monitor from JB HIFI

 

SCART cables and BNC adapters from Retro Gaming Cables

 

3m Sony male to male SCART cable sold by the Behar Bros.

 

4K Compatible HDMI cables from Ebay

 

The Gscart Lite SCART switch from Gretro Stuff 

 

A North American Super Nintendo Mini, RGB modded with Borti's THS7374 Board. Modded by RGB Rob.

 

The Super UFO Pro 8 Rom Cart (Not the best, but it can run the software I'm using.) from Amazon

 

The 240p Test Suite software by Artemio Urbina. free from sourceforge

 

 

How to measure lag using the 240p Test Suite

 

 

This piece of software allows me to run two tests for this experiment. The Manual Lag Test where i have to press a button on my Super Nintendo controller when i see two star shapes line up on top of each other on the screen. THIS TEST IS SUBJECT TO HUMAN ERROR. But it does spit out the number of frames of lag between the stars aligning and you pressing the button.

The Video Lag Test (labelled as Lag Test on the menu screen) requires you to split your RGB Scart signals from your console to both a CRT and through an upscaler into a flat screen. It shows a white screen with a digital clock counting up from zero seconds until you stop the test. It also has flashing circles to show which frame is on screen. You have to film both screens with the same video camera and play back the footage in slow motion to see if the numbers on each screen matches. If the counter does not match then you have input lag.

The input lag can come from ANY device in your video chain so be sure to test them all.

The Results

The OSSC 

 

The OSSC came in at 0.51 frames of Lag on the manual test and the video lag test seems to be around 1 frame.

I spoke with Matt Buxton from Video Game Perfection and he said that the OSSC is essentially Lag free, and that the lag is likely being introduced by the monitor itself. Considering its a consumer grade monitor and not a digital PVM he is most likely correct.

I don't think any of us can afford a ten thousand dollar professional flatscreen monitor, so we may just have to live with a frame of lag. Just make sure your TV or monitor is in "Game Mode" to minimize the lag.

To summarize: OSSC is Lag Free, TV is NOT!

Manual Lag Test 

You can view the  Video Lag Test Below to compare for yourself

Video Lag Test

The Framemeister

 

 The Framemeister came in at a very respectable 0.8 frames of lag on the manual test, but the video lag test indicates lag of about 2 frames.

Manual Lag Test

Video Lag Test

The HD Video Converter - SCART to HDMI

 

This Budget entry came in at 3.3 Frames of Lag in the manual test although the video lag test gives me six frames of lag. It also shifts the picture to the left of the screen.

 Manual Lag Test 

Video Lag Test

Pros & Cons

OSSC Pros

Medium Price

Lowest Lag

allows for true 5x scaling (Line Quintuple)

Supports Sync on green (480p RGB over SCART)

OSSC Cons

Pre order only

Not compatible with all TVs in all modes (480p only works-

on my monitor in pass through mode, not 2x)

Extra cable needed to run RCA audio from component 

consoles to the 3.5mm V2 audio input jack on the OSSC

Audio compatibility issues with my SNES mini in 3x, 4x & 5x 

Short pause in video output when switching resolutions

Best For

Shoot-em-ups, rhythm games & platformers.

Framemeister Pros

Full Compatibility with all TVs (AFAIK)

Zoom Options

Firebrand X Profiles

In Stock

Framemeister Cons

Most Expensive

Need to buy adapters for video inputs (D terminal to component & euroscart to mini din 8)

2 Frames of lag

Only offers line doubling to 480p which is then stretched to higher resolutions (source: Phonedork)

Long pause in video output when switching resolutions

Best For

PSP, Super Game Boy & Gameboy Player.

HDVC Pros

Full compatibility with TVs (AFAIK)

Widely Available

Least Expensive

Overcomes issues when switching between 240p & 480i in some games

HDVC Cons

Six frames of lag

Stretches image from 4:3 to 16:9

Misinterprets 240p as 480i

Ringing and saturation issues
just stretches 480i to higher resolutions

Shifts image to the left

Best For

Streamers using a CRT to game with, capturing footage and people playing Silent Hill or Chrono Cross.

If you are on a very low budged then you are better off using the HD Retrovision Component Cables than the cheap upscaler.