Renamed: Panasonic Q RGB question - Auto-switching problem.

[Stroker Ace]

Okay, so I've got a new gaming setup, and while moving the consoles around I figured that I may as well go with RGB cables for all my consoles - and about time, too.

My TV accepts RGB just fine, and when I plug my Dreamcast or Playstation into the RGB socket, I get a lovely, juicy, crispy picture - just as intended.

It's with the other consoles where the problems begin.

I had to sell my XBox some time ago, so that can be left out of the equation. I'm currently working with the following as the problem units:

PAL Saturn
NTSC Gamecube
Panasonic Q with modified RGB cable

With all three of these consoles, I'm getting no picture at all through my RGB socket. To break it down more clearly:

Saturn: Totally black screen through RGB - (can't even view on-screen displays), clear sound, though. Works fine when used as a regular scart lead in the regular scart socket, though - Just no benefit of a better picture.

Gamecube: No sound, no picture - Totally black screen. (Again - can't even view on-screen displays). This is being tested with the Q RGB cable, which as I understand it should work.

Panasonic Q: Right, more interesting because of the two sets of plugs - It'll output through the AV connection just fine through either scart plug, but as soon as I plug in the digital RGB connection, it'll give the aforementioned black screen - but, I'll still get sound because the AV leads are connected. Trying to run the GC without the AV leads will obviously result in the black screen/no sound/no picture that I got with the GC.

Okay, then - My theory is this, but feel free to **** on it from a height if you know better: The Dreamcast works fine because the TV is auto-detecting it as RGB, with the Saturn and Q cables, it isn't.

Am I even close?

I need help! Save me.

[Kirby]

Strange, usually sound + no picture = No RGB Support, but your DC works.

Sounds like you could be right in that either the TV isn't auto switching to RGB or the consoles aren't.

Sometimes when the RGB signal isn't auto sent you have to reselect the TV channel. On my dads crappy Goodmans TV if i turn the DC on then the TV switches to AV1 but i get no picture, or a rolling picture. I have to then manually cycle through the channel list to AV1 before the picture will appear.

[Stroker Ace]

The Plot: It Thickens.

Okay, so now I can get the Saturn working RGB perfect so long as I run it through my Argos switchbox first. I have no such luck with the Q.

My TV is this piece of ****, by the way: http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/2/2...05_dfu_eng.pdf

Let's have none of this 'buy a better TV' lark - Like I said, it's handling the RGB signal fine from every machine bar the Q. The Q lead is definitely working - The signal is there, I can see that because it's blocking out any attempts to bring up on-screen displays and such, just as the Saturn did when not connected through the switchbox.

With the Q, it'll output fine as a regular AV signal, but as soon as I hit that 'RGB' button on the switchbox, it buggers off.

Also, hows about this for something weird? If I click the 'text' button on my TV remote, it'll detect the RGB signal for the briefest moment as it switches between the signal and the Text - It's clearly RGB, too - It's more vibrant and more sharp than the regular signal. The TV can interpret it, it just doesn't want to.

That's three out of four. Just need help to get that GC running. How can I force the TV to auto-detect the RGB signal?

[polarbear]

It sounds like your modded RGB cable isn't set up for auto switching.

Pin 16 on Scart controls the "auto switching to RGB" mode and it needs to be between 1 and 3 V. this isn't normally supplied by the GC so you'll have to pull it off another pin.

See:

http://www.rgbcube.co.uk/Main.html

[Stroker Ace]

That would make a lot of sense - especially since the website singles that out as a specific problem if your TV doesn't have manual switching.

So, now my request has changed - Can anyone easily modify the fully-constructed cable?

[quirky]

Your TV might have a user-selectable RGB channel though, which would be handy for testing. On my TV, you can select RGB scart input by getting a little "E2" in the display panel for the cheannel. You get there by pressing a button that looks like an empty TV screen on the remote control... quite a few remotes have this button, it's usually next to the teletext one. Time for you to whip out the user manual (though don't expect much detail )

[MD]

Its because your consoles are giving out weedy switching signals. :O Your TV is probably a Sony (b*tches). Polarbear was nearly correct in what he said, but Pin 16 should have 12V+, most consoles don't give this.

The Saturn is easy to do, open up the scart plug and there should be a resistor either between the wire and the pin, if this is the case. Twist the resistor around so it's legs touch (or even remove it completely) and you should find you get a picture now.

You could try the same thing with the GC SCART lead as I know for a fact that gives a weedy signal if they wired it to the wrong place.

[Stroker Ace]

Your TV might have a user-selectable RGB channel though, which would be handy for testing.

Sadly, no. Mine does not.

I really need to get that auto-detect going on the cable.

[polarbear]

Ah MD thats not quite true.
Pin 8 needs 9.5-12V for auto switching to 'AV' mode, and Pin 16 needs 1-3V signal to tell the telly to use the signals from the R, G and B pins rather than the composite pin.
Its true that the GC doesn't output 12V, but if Stroker Ace's TV lets him select AV manually then that's not a problem, so pin 8 doesn't need to be touched.
The best way to get a signal you can use is to use the N64 or UK GC SCART cable and just make use of the audio wires and 5V wire, as groundy suggests in the link I posted earlier.
When I first made up my cable I couldn't get one of those, so i just used a normal AA battery wired up to one of the SCART grounds and pin 16. Works fine for a temp fix.
If you do use the UK GC SCART cable, you may need to hook the 5V up to pin 16 with a resistor to bring it down to the 1 to 3V threshold.


hope that helps
pb

[MD]

Read it wrong, my mistake. :P

Although the voltage across pin 16 may be reading 3v or greater. If there isnt enough current (generally cut with the resister) then it may not switch to RGB correctly. Most Sony TVs are like that. :/

[ucci]

Stroker Ace did you ever sort out this problem? I have the exact same TV and when I hook it up to the Q I just bought, I get a black picture! Its an old thread but I got the impulse chargers, one, two, three, clear........

[vertigo]

Yes, this is an old thread
OK.
On a SCART lead, pin 8 controls the mode switching (forcing into AV mode) and you need 12 volts from that to make it work. Pin 16 controls the switch to RGB mode. To get a switch to RGB mode you're going to need to run a 75ohm resistor between pin 8 and 16 in the SCART end, so that pin 16 outputs 2 volts (or slightly more). As a side note, if you run 8v through pin 8 instead of 12v, you get an auto-switch to 16:9 instead of 4:3.

To get your NTSC Gamecube/Q to auto-switch to AV you're going to need to connect the very thin black wire that's present inside the digital cable to pin 8 (where you've attached the resistor), because that's the only place you're going to get 12v off a Gamecube.
So if your thin black wire isn't connected already, you're going to need to pull off (wahey!) the digital cable wiring from the SCART end (you can leave the composite stuff - sync, sound, etc - where it is) and strip the end of the cable so that the thin black wire's exposed, then rewire. That's where you get 12v off a Gamecube/Q digital cable to auto-switch to AV mode, don't forget the 75Ohm resistor to pin 16 for your RGB mode.

You have a Q, have you made sure to connect the phono cable ends too, so that you're getting your sync and sound signals? If you have no sync, you get no picture