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    Saturn RGB scart problem....

    Hey guys, I know this has been asked before, but none of the previous posts helped!

    Anyway, I bought an RGB scart cable for my PAL Saturn the other day. It turned out to be identical to the one that came with the Saturn in the first place. I can't get a picture when I connect it to my TV's RGB socket, but I get a flash when I switch the Saturn off. I do however get a composite picture when connected to the 2nd scart socket.

    I opened up the scart lead and there is not a resistor on pin 16. The pins connected are as follows:

    2: Orange
    4: Purple (connected from pin 18 )
    6: Brown
    7: Blue
    11: Green
    15: Red
    16: Yellow
    18: Black (and the purple wire which goes to pin 4)
    20: White

    Now I've made sure the lead was plugged into the TV and Saturn securely. I've tried to manually select the AV channel.

    Consoleplus.com have assured me the cable they sent is RGB.

    My TV is a Sanyo, it does RGB (and 60hz / NTSC etc) no problem with my other consoles.

    Any ideas?

    #2
    The Saturn has a weedy 5V voltage and won't switch some TVs. Sanyo TVs are quite rubbish when it comes to switching to RGB if the voltage signal is quite weak (I couldn't get a Saturn to work in RGB on a 14" TV...)

    Basically you can buy a small regulated 300ma PSU, cut the lead, find out which is the positive and negative wire using a multimeter and wire a 1K resister between the PSU positive wire and Pin 16 and the negative wire to Pin 20, select 4.5V and that should work. Although you do this at your own risk.... ^_^;

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      #3


      Cheers mate. Maybe I'll track down an S-video lead instead!

      Comment


        #4
        There's another less graceful solution.
        If you have an argos switch box, plug in the saturn and a scart cable from a console which CAN switch your tv to RGB. Select the saturn scart on the box and turn both consoles on. It seems the switching pin from each input is always connected to the output cable, so it'll switch. I had to do this with my Xbox. I used my snes with no cart in.

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          #5
          Firsty, you're a frickin' genius! If only I'd known this last year then I wouldn't have sold my old (rare) JP Saturn.

          I recently bought a Derby Stallion model and it wasn't outputting RGB on either of my Scart cables so I was getting ready for another sale when I tried this with my Xbox hooked up to the switcher and bingo! full colour RGB!

          Comment


            #6
            Hey, time to resurrect this old thread with some new questions!

            I'd given up on trying to get an RGB picture on my old telly, but I've recently got 2 new TVs.

            The first new telly is a nice Toshiba 32WL48. The RGB picture from the Saturn is very unstable, not practical for playing games with. The composite is however, as reliable (and fuzzy) as ever. I've tried 2 official Saturn Scart leads.

            Telly number 2 in my parents's old Sanyo 21" which I played my original Saturn on when I was a kid, through RGB - so it should work! Nope! No picture at all. Damn!!!

            Anyway, it must be the console itself....? Is this fixable or should I just chuck it and get another Saturn off Fleabay?


            Oh, and Happy New Year guys!!!!!

            Stu

            Comment


              #7
              I'm bumping this thread because I have a (I know, yet another!!) question about Saturn/RGB etc.

              I have a PAL Saturn with an RGB SCART lead - its works fine on my old 4:3 Panasonic on SCART socket 1 giving me a lovely (if letterboxed) crisp image. (socket 2 gives me a fuzzy composite picture).

              I have bought a white Japanese Saturn. It came with a composite cable which I ignored and tried using my RGB lead with it. I get a black and white image.

              This is exactly the same problem I had with my PAL PS2 when I selected a game's 60Hz option until I got a "genuine" RGB SCART lead for my PS2.

              Anyhow - I read on a site (which I won't mention as they are being helpful and nice to me at present) that the Japanese Saturn requires a different RGB SCART lead as it is wired differently.

              Sent away for one of those and I have the same problem with it - a black and white image.

              I have experimented with my DVD player on my TV (this player lets me select PAL/NTSC and composite/RGB as output). It seems my TV will display an NTSC signal in black and white if it is composite but will give me a colour NTSC display if it is RGB.

              So I know I need a "true" RGB cable with an NTSC console.

              (This backs up my discovery with my PS2 which outputs NTSC when 60Hz is selected on game bootup).

              Remember that my PAL Saturn displays a nice crisp RGB image so I don't think that the RGB switching is a problem.

              I have tried the white Saturn with both cables on newer TVs and I get a fuzzy composite colour picture (quite unstable on one of these newer TVs)

              I also get a black and white image using the composite cable that came with the console but that is to be expected as my TV needs an RGB signal to display NTSC.

              So in summary:

              TV displays colour NTSC over RGB.
              PAL Saturn with RGB creates crisp RGB image.
              White Saturn with PAL RGB gives me black and white image
              White Saturn with new RGB cable gives me black and white image
              White Saturn with both cables on other "newer" TVs gives me colour composite image.

              So either the new cable isn't what it is supposed to be (Japanese RGB SCART), or is faulty, or the Saturn is faulty (unlikely given that is seems to show a colour picture in composite and plays games fine?)

              I'm going nuts - I've returned the cable to the suppliers to check it out (and again they are being very helpful and seem to care about my plight).

              Any suggestions?
              Last edited by davyK; 16-07-2007, 16:31.

              Comment


                #8
                Theres no such thing as a "Japanese" Saturn RGB Scart Cable. You've been duped.. the Saturn RGB Scarts I have here work just fine with PAL Saturns, White NTSC Saturns, Grey NTSC Saturns etc.

                Since the cable isn't in your posession any more I doubt there is much advice anyone can offer. I would of suggested using a multimeter (cheap 5 pound one off ebay would of done) to measure the voltages and amps on various SCART pins as well as making a pinout of this so-called "Japanese" cable..

                Comment


                  #9
                  If that is the case then the outlook is bleak as I can't get a colour picture with the lead I have (which does give me a crisp colour picture with my PAL machine). I was beginning to have my suspicions after finding a web page that details pin outs for consoles and while it pointed out regional differences in some consoles (SNES, Gamecube for example) it did not do this for the Saturn.

                  This solves the mystery of why the lead I been using with my PAL machine produced the same result as the new one on different TVs.

                  It may mean that it is the Saturn that is at fault - perhaps it isn't generating the voltage required to make the TV switch to RGB or there's a duff connection somewhere.

                  For the record, I bought this lead from Raven games. They list PAL and NTSC RGB cables as different items and are priced the same - so I don't think they are trying to con anyone. We will see...

                  Quote from www.ravenonline.co.uk

                  "RGB Scart lead for Sega Saturn Japanese & USA machines (inc White version & any other special edition Sega Saturns). Please note that these do not work on UK Pal European Sega Saturn machines as they are wired up differently, we do sell RGB leads for these machines listed below. "


                  Maybe their Japanese SCART leads have different voltages coming from some pins? That would point to a RGB switching problem - but I can't see any other reason for this!
                  Last edited by davyK; 17-07-2007, 08:55.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I feel your pain, mate.

                    Looks like my problem (RGB switching) is the fault of my new telly - I tried the Saturn on a 14" portable and the RGB came through fine.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by davyK View Post
                      If that is the case then the outlook is bleak as I can't get a colour picture with the lead I have (which does give me a crisp colour picture with my PAL machine). I was beginning to have my suspicions after finding a web page that details pin outs for consoles and while it pointed out regional differences in some consoles (SNES, Gamecube for example) it did not do this for the Saturn.
                      AFAIK its only Nintendo that did oddball pinouts, ALL the Sega stuff and I mean ALL is identical.. take the AV connector on the Master System 1, this is identical across regions, Euro, USA, Japan, also identical for Mark III, Megadrive. Take Megadrive II, Genesis II, Genesis III, Nomad, 32x, etc all identical pinouts.

                      I think Sega take a more standardised approach with their AV outs..

                      It may mean that it is the Saturn that is at fault - perhaps it isn't generating the voltage required to make the TV switch to RGB or there's a duff connection somewhere.
                      Theres a couple other threads where this is discussed at length (mostly me talking to myself) it can be a strange problem but im not really inclined to think theres much difference on the AV connectors themselves.. perhaps on the TVs!

                      For the record, I bought this lead from Raven games. They list PAL and NTSC RGB cables as different items and are priced the same - so I don't think they are trying to con anyone. We will see...
                      Hmm yeah and they also state on their site www.ravengames.co.uk that you cannot fit an RGB amp in a white PCE / Core Grafx, which as a couple of forum members here will know, is utter dross, yeah its a bit fiddly but I find it a snug fit.. IMO a "Colour Booster" is just blatant profiteering..

                      IIRC I have also seen a French site selling a different cable for Euro / JPN machines.

                      Do you have access to a multimeter mate? Let's try and solve the Saturn AV mystery once and for all

                      In a few weeks I will be getting some 10 pin mini din connectors to make a few of my own Saturn scart cables so I actually have a vested interest in debunking the myth!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Hi choaticjelly,

                        I ordered an RGB scart cable for my white JP Saturn last year from www.ravenonline.co.uk and the site said that it was for both grey and white models. When it arrived it didn't work. I tested it on a pal machine to make sure they hadn't sent a UK one and it didn't work on that either.

                        I called them and spoke to Jason who told me that very late model white consoles were wired slightly differently. He said he would have to get his engineer to make one up for me. I sent it back and about 3 weeks later got a replacement that worked just fine.

                        Raven games are definitely not afraid of profiteering and they never have been. They didn't try to charge me anything extra for the 'special' lead.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          That is encouraging hearing about getting a lead made up. My white Saturn has the 1.01 bios so maybe it is a later model too..

                          My consoles, DVD etc are all connected to SCART1 on my TV through a SCART block and as suggested in an earlier post I switched on both the Saturn and an RGB source that I know works to see if that will force switching.

                          Its interesting - I switch on my DVD player and Saturn and I get both images together (DVD menu display and Saturn display) - BUT - get this - the Saturn display is in colour - however its is horizontally wrapping and mixed with the DVD menu so is obviously useless. I can see that its quite clear too - I can make out the pixels making up the Japanese characters so I know its a crisp RGB image. This proves my Saturn is generating a colour RGB picture - just that it isn't causing the TV to switch to RGB mode on its own.

                          Remember I'm getting this with my PAL RGB SCART lead - I have returned the new lead to Raven.

                          Maybe I have been sent the wrong (pal?) cable which passes a lower voltage to switch to RGB (remember my PAL Saturn makes the TV switch to RGB).

                          There's still hope!
                          Last edited by davyK; 17-07-2007, 22:15.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            The "Japanese" Scart cables are actually RGB21 cables. They look exactly like RGB Scart CELENEC standard cables, but they are wired totally differently.
                            Kept you waiting, huh?

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by chaoticjelly View Post
                              Do you have access to a multimeter mate? Let's try and solve the Saturn AV mystery once and for all

                              In a few weeks I will be getting some 10 pin mini din connectors to make a few of my own Saturn scart cables so I actually have a vested interest in debunking the myth!
                              I would be game to get a multimeter (I understand they aren't expensive) if you post instructions - but I've no electronic skills and very little knowledge.

                              I'm convinced this problem is to do with the voltage being sent to the pin that switches the TV to RGB.

                              EDIT: I'm encouraged even more by Joe_Musashi (see above) - maybe I have just been sent the wrong cable.

                              My head hurts.
                              Last edited by davyK; 17-07-2007, 22:16.

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