Arcade Forge MiSTer RGB SCART PCB

[NotTheOriginalCerealDave]

http://arcadeforge.net/Mister-Projects/ ... ::303.html

I received one of these this morning. I regularly use the Pi2Scart, which is also made by Arcade Forge and it works very well (better than the RGB-Pi IMO), so I felt confident going into this.

The good news that there is very little setup involved. I worried that I would have to install a specially configured OS like with the Pi2Scart, but all I had to do was change the Composite Sync to 1 in the config file and plug the PCB into the appropriate slot, and it worked with the regular MiSTer OS that I already set up. And, of course, the picture looks superb.

The bad news is that the audio doesn't work properly, and it's likely I have a defective unit. I can only hear very faint game sound if I pump the volume up to maximum on my TV, and it also buzzes a lot. I've found however, that the DE-10 Nano can output through both HDMI and Scart simultaneously, so rather than going through the hassle of returning the item to a different country for a refund, I will try throwing good money after bad and using a HDMI to VGA adapter with audio breakout.

I will also try to install a fan, as it looks like there is space to install one on top of the hole in the middle.

[Sigismond0]

Unfortunately, it looks like buying an unofficial add-on board hurt you here. It looks like a fine concept, but it doesn't seem to offer any advantage over the official IO board. The IO board would let you output RGB directly to your CRT, and also has a 3.5mm audio jack. Plus it adds LEDs and user buttons on the top, optical audio, and even a serial port to use with original controllers. Not to mention, most cases designed for the MiSTer are based on the IO board.

As for a fan, it looks like this SCART board doesn't have the 2-pin header for the 5v fan power populated, so you'll either have to plug that fan into GPIO pins somewhere on the MiSTer, or solder onto the 5v/gnd spots next to that red jumper.

Anyway, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with this. I hope it works out in your favor though!

[akeley]

Arcade Forge are a trusted seller (I have Pi2SCART and UMCA) but yes, I don't see any advantage in this over the I/O board. Plus, isn't it easier/better to just use Direct Video method anyway? (genuine question as I' will be connecting to a CRT very soon)

[retrorepair]

It's a bit daft having a full size scart on there, a much better idea would be a mini din or psx av socket. I'd miss the other I/O board extras like buttons and user I/O port.

I wonder if they tie the RGB and sync to 75ohms? I've needed to do this for a couple of my TVs.

[Sigismond0]

Arcade Forge are a trusted seller (I have Pi2SCART and UMCA) but yes, I don't see any advantage in this over the I/O board. Plus, isn't it easier/better to just use Direct Video method anyway? (genuine question as I' will be connecting to a CRT very soon)

I don't know if this is still the case, but at least when direct video was first implemented there wasn't 100% core compatibility. I think it's implemented across most things now, but there might be one or two still missing it. Using Direct Video also prevents you from having dual output to an LCD at the same time as your CRT. But if core compatibility is good and you don't need/want HDMI output at the same time, then direct video should be just as good.

The only other time direct video is less than ideal is for anyone using YPbPr, since you have to modify the dongle to make it work. There was also some pretty heated discussion on a thread in the old forums where people were concerned that some HDMI-VGA dongles can harm CRTs. Some dongles default to outputting a blank 1080p signal when there's no input (like when booting, or switching cores), and that signal is way out of range for what a CRT can take. This led to high pitched whines and worrisome flicker. I don't know if a consensus was ever made as to whether this was bad enough to warrant disclaimers, or if there were certain adapters that need to be avoided or what.

[akeley]

@Sigismond0 thanks for you explanation. I don't use LCDs and heard that colour depth is better via DV. Also the I/O board is an extra cost. But I'd like all the cores to be able to output analog...I guess I can always buy one later thou.

It's a bit daft having a full size scart on there, a much better idea would be a mini din or psx av socket.

Around here in Europe Scart-to-Scart is pretty popular. I guess they also have lots of spare ones from their other projects.

[damanloox]

I was going to get one of these for my custom case project but now that you reported it has issues I will probably skip this one...
Did you ask AF why there's problems with it?
And for those who don't see the point of SCART - well... here in Europe pretty much all (higher-end) CRTs (and even early LCDs) have RGB SCART connector and (I'm guessing) every retro-stuff fan has several SCART cables laying around... So SCART is a lot more useful than VGA. Yes - I know there are vga to scart adapters but if I had to choose - SCART on board or VGA+adapter I'd definitely go for SCART..
I hope AF will fix the issue at some point..

[Sigismond0]

here in Europe pretty much all (higher-end) CRTs (and even early LCDs) have RGB SCART connector and (I'm guessing) every retro-stuff fan has several SCART cables laying around... So SCART is a lot more useful than VGA. Yes - I know there are vga to scart adapters but if I had to choose - SCART on board or VGA+adapter I'd definitely go for SCART..

I definitely understand the desire for convenience. But is it worth trading off all the additional functionality you get from the official IO board, plus the peace of mind you get from knowing you have an officially supported device? That's not a trick question, mind you. Just something to think about.

[akeley]

The "officially supported" doesn't really mean that much, to me at least, when you are dealing with other trusted and experienced manufacturers. But it is true that this AF board seems ti be a key to the door which is already open. Its only advantage is that it's a bit cheaper than I/O (which also needs a special cable)...but then now there's Direct Video, which costs onlythe cable, no I/O board needed. I'm pretty sure AF had designed theirs before DV became available. So yes, it is a bit outdated/pointless add on.

[retrorepair]

I wasn't saying scart was a bad choice, just that it's not exactly weildy on MiSTer.

I can't see it being too stable with a massive connector hanging off it like that.

If you like your MiSTer pointing up then fine but I like mine horizontal.