Retro AV |OT| RGB, CRTs, Upscalers, and more

Dual/multi output is certainly very useful. Selling that gcomp would probably net you some decent cash too, enough for two Monoprice switches!

My setup includes 7 displays right now, which means daisy-chaining and quality loss. I use two switches, decent quality cables with reasonable runs, and a splitter to minimize this, but it’s still there. It’s mostly noticeable as checker-boarding and color loss, I can show a comparison if anyone wants it.

As I look to add a flat panel for PS360 in my retro setup, I’ve been looking hard at a Crosspoint 12x8 unit. That would solve all of my issues but cost me a bit to initially set up along with adapters, and I’d have to jiggle things around to make room. I’m just gonna have to bite the bullet.

I also wish I could find short component and S-video cables (12-18") that weren’t the 1/2" thick Monoprice lines. I think I’ve damaged one of my switches with an overly built component cable that has put stress on the connector.

7 displays :flushed:

I can stop any time I want, okay!? It’s more like 6 screens anyway since the 7th is a VGA monitor that is only connected to a Pi3 and an old PC.

@SAKY Please let us know how the DIY CSR6 cables turned out. Looking at those Crosspoint units and it’d sure be nice to have audio ran through as well! I’ll have to look into where I can get the connectors and cabling on the cheap. It looks pretty easy to make too.

I won’t be able to work on that for a while I think. :frowning: I have too much on my plate for the foreseeable future.

Oh, if we’re counting computer screens then I have 7 as well :confused: (6 CRTs)

  • 21" 2048x1536 for the massive res on modern PC games and WinXP PC games
  • 17" 1024x768 for the DOS / Win9x PC
  • the original 14" that came with the Amstrad CPC, now in storage. I just don’t want to throw it away!
  • 21" CRT TV, all around purpose for now but to be used as CGA/EGA/RGB monitor for non-IBM computers (Amstrad, Tandy, Amiga)
  • 29" 4:3 trinitron TV where the consoles are played. The picture is so nice, and you can sit across the room.
  • a 32" widescreen HD CRT for the Wii, PS2, etc. Same use as the previous one, but widescreen and HD. Also great for DVDs.
  • a modern large 1080p computer display that I used when I was in school. Now in storage, I’m not sure what to do with it. Modern gaming I suppose?

Everything is compartmentalised though, so I don’t need any split AV out. That may change if I add a dedicated Tate CRT into the mix.

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Man, that sounds like a sweet spread! Vintage PCs is a rabbit hole I’ve never gone down just because it seems like so much of a headache. I watch LGR and I’m in awe of those NIB finds he makes.

@SAKY I feel you man, hope everything is okay and you have time to pursue whatever projects you want soon!

Here is an example of the signal degradation that can happen when daisy-chaining displays and using sub-par cabling. To be fair this is mostly due to cheap cables, but in each set is a slight step down. Since this pic I added a splitter so that there are only up to 3 steps in the chain, which along with better cables pretty much cleared things up. I still want to consolidate things with a Crosspoint though.

First step in the chain, a JVC TM-150CG

6th step in the chain, an Oly OEV134

Ugh, but how do you even get to six steps? You need to put them in parallel, not in serial. Two, at worst three steps should be the max?

edit: oh, you did. That was a bit strange to imagine.

What cables were you using to chain them? I feel like this degree of degradation is very high even for 6 screens.

You’re absolutely right, this was my first proof-of-concept attempt, since then I’ve added a splitter so that the maximum number of steps is limited to three.

The S-video cables were just what I had on hand around the house. They were very cheap, thin cables that I have replaced with thicker, gold-plated cabling from my local Radioshack as it was going under.

Which, I feel I should mention. My local RS has been going down for a while and recently began ‘final clearance’. This meant that everything in the store were 25-75%. The store was converting to a hardware store, so retro cables and other A/V equipment had no place there and was all 50-75% off. I grabbed a few nice S-video and component cables, an A/V switch, and a splitter all for about $30. If you are looking to get some good quality cabling on the cheap and still have a Radioshack near you, jump on those deals quick.

I miss my Radio Shack and deeply regret all the years I referred to it as the “rat shack.”

“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…”

RadioShack was both a dump and a palace.

My local 'Shack was pretty small and bare-bones. About 8-10 years ago they severely cut back on electronics and A/V stuff, became a cell phone seller primarily, and prices went up.

In the last 5 years, I’d probably gone there 3 times to grab some things that I didn’t want to wait to ship. Without those steep discounts, I wouldn’t have given them a second thought.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a component video splitter? I would like to have:

SCART -> Component -> CRT TV & Projector

Nevermind it looks like I should use this:

https://www.cablestogo.com/product/40697/6x2-component-video-stereo-audio-toslink-digital-audio-matrix-selector-switchstrong text

Here are a couple more options:

Very Cheap, decent reviews, used it before myself for a job at work, seemed to work fine but I didn’t give it a lot of scrutiny. Would probably be okay for short runs.

A step up in price, I considered this one myself at one point, but the reviews are mixed.

There’s another one on Amazon that is similar with more ports, but it’s $129 and overkill think.

@Bozo_CyborgI am actually looking for something similar for audio. I need to make 1 in to 2 out. That 1x 4 would do it, but its overkill. It sucks so much that Nintendo didn’t put toslink on the Wii & Cube because I would just use the optical cable out like I do with my PS2.

Oh yeah, that is an issue I didn’t consider with the audio. It’s a shame that an $80 switch is the cheapest decent option. I have always been into switchers/splitters for NTSC stuff because it seems so hard to find anything of quality for a reasonable price. I will poke around when I get home this evening and see what I can find.

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Thanks! I might go with the monoprice one as all I need is video.

Awesome! I hope it works well, it seemed to do fine splitting the output of a DVD player at work.

@Kawika It looks like the best options for a component switch with audio and multiple outputs is either that C2G model or the ShinyBow 4x2 units, like this one. Shinybow is more expensive, of course.

Edit: Had a lowball offer accepted for a 12x8 HVA Crosspoint, I’m pretty pumped. Now to figure out the best way to get the Phoenix cables wired and track down some S-video>RCA Y/C adapters.

Edit2:

Received my switch yesterday, I’m surprised at how light it is. A few BNC connectors were bent, I’m gonna bend them back into shape and see if they work, then request a refund if they don’t.

I’m debating now how to hook it up. My initial plan was to use a bunch of RCA>BNC connectors for both in and out, utilizing my existing cabling. I’ve been entertaining the thought of getting some M>M BNC cables for the output to the PVMs though. I’ll probably go with option one uunless someone has a lead on cheap, high quality BNC cables.

Also, I’ve been thinking about audio. Premade RCA>Phoenix cabling looks overpriced and I don’t have a way to make the DbE PCB solution. I was thinking of getting a bunch of these and some phoenix or 2-pin blocks and just running speaker wire to the appropriate inputs. Would that work?

Edit: Looked up a few more things online and I found out what I needed to wire up the Crosspoint audio, and…

It seems to work! I applied jumpers to the appropriate pins and I’m getting good strong audio from two seperate sources with no issues. I just used cheap speaker wire for the connections, and I definitely have to get a better wire stripper soon, but here are my franken-audio connectors!

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