S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

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Kakemoms
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by Kakemoms »

I would like one! PM me for paypal and confirmation :)
Boray
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by Boray »

Mine is now installed on my socketed CR Vic-20. Look at these before and after pictures: :D
http://museum.boray.se/#!album-15

This one now suddenly became my best displaying Vic-20 without having to do any alterations to it.

My worst displaying CR Vic-20 isn't socketed, so I think I will mod that one some day.

I will not touch my 9V Vics. They are good enough without S-Video, as you can see here:
http://museum.boray.se/#!album-13
PRG Starter - a VICE helper / Vic Software (Boray Gammon, SD2IEC music player, Vic Disk Menu, Tribbles, Mega Omega, How Many 8K etc.)
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mrr19121970
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by mrr19121970 »

Looks great
Kakemoms
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by Kakemoms »

Well, I finally got around to install it on a 1983 Vic-20 I bought from Italy that has WG C serial and a socket on the VIC chip.

I also have another 1983 model without serial that doesn't have a socket.. quite strange. Both machines are PAL, but the WG C has a "thinner" VIC 20 on its logo.

Anyway, the picture is perfect but only black, gray and white. What is wrong?

And yes, I connected it to a 1084 monitor through a S-VHS to Scart plug.
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eslapion
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by eslapion »

Kakemoms wrote:Anyway, the picture is perfect but only black, gray and white. What is wrong?
Chroma not connected
Be normal.
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mrr19121970
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by mrr19121970 »

My 1084 has the same issue. The scart is not wired for chroma luma. Only rgbi and composite. I will send you a new cable for monitor only.
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mrr19121970
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by mrr19121970 »

Kakemoms wrote:Both machines are PAL, but the WG C has a "thinner" VIC 20 on its logo.
Will you please post pics of the logos?
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tokra
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by tokra »

mrr19121970 wrote:My 1084 has the same issue. The scart is not wired for chroma luma. Only rgbi and composite. I will send you a new cable for monitor only.
This is not an "issue", but the normal connectivity for SCART. S-Video through SCART is just an afterthought and has to be supported by the connection. You can only have either RGB or S-Video, and RGB is the standard. Some devices can switch the SCART between the two or have two different plugs, one for RGB, one for S-Vdeo.
Kakemoms
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by Kakemoms »

mrr19121970 wrote:
Kakemoms wrote:Both machines are PAL, but the WG C has a "thinner" VIC 20 on its logo.
Will you please post pics of the logos?
Here they are:
Thin Vic-20 logo
Thin Vic-20 logo
Thick Vic-20 logo
Thick Vic-20 logo
Edit: Both machines are CR PAL machines with chips dated 1983. The thin-logo machine has a serial starting with WG C and sockets on most chips. The thick-logo machine has no sockets, all soldered. I don't know what is considered "normal" for late Vic-20's, but I would expect a CR version to come without sockets. No idea why they chose to fit in all those sockets (poor yield? Non-qualified chips?).

As for the S-VHS/scart, I can use the cable on my non-modified Vic-20 and it gives color through that plug. There is something with the cable though as the picture blacks out if I move on the cable near its vic-20 plug.
Last edited by Kakemoms on Fri Jun 03, 2016 4:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Mike
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by Mike »

Kakemoms wrote:As for the S-VHS/scart, I can use the cable on my non-modified Vic-20 and it gives color through that plug.
That's quite clear: on a non-modified VIC-20, the composite pin on both SCART plug and VIC-20 video socket carries both luma and chroma signal. When the VIC-20 is modded for S-Video, that pin carries the luma information alone, and chroma goes another way - in your case, over an extra wire onto the G(?) pin of the SCART plug (in the hope the TV/monitor recognizes the chroma of the S-Video input on that SCART pin), in my case (VIC-20CR) I separated pins 4 and 5 of the video plug, left luma on pin 4, internally wired chroma to the now available pin 5, and now use a DIN-RCA breakout adapter and an AV-cable to do the job.

When I recorded a game of Mah Jongg for my entry on Revision 2016 (I brought my VIC-20 along), the orga team still had some trouble to get the video signal into professional recording equipment, as they expected a S-Video plug, not Luma/Chroma on RCA (even though the latter was commonly used with the C64 and monitors and I told them beforehand), so we had to build yet another adapter. :mrgreen:
There is something with the cable though as the picture blacks out if I move on the cable near its vic-20 plug.
SCART *is* flaky, anyhow.
Kakemoms
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by Kakemoms »

My 1084 model looks like number 7 from the left on the list here ("Commodore 1084" PAL). I bought it in Norway in 1987 or 1988.

The only difference is 4+ RCA plugs. I can't remember any DIN plug though (will check when i get home).
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tokra
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by tokra »

Mike wrote:When I recorded a game of Mah Jongg for my entry on Revision 2016 (I brought my VIC-20 along), the orga team still had some trouble to get the video signal into professional recording equipment, as they expected a S-Video plug, not Luma/Chroma on RCA (even though the latter was commonly used with the C64 and monitors and I told them beforehand), so we had to build yet another adapter. :mrgreen:
For that problem I have a few of these at home - a simple plug-converter for Luma/Chroma by cinch to S-Video:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/HOSIDEN-Y-ADAPTE ... SwY45URpO6

Also available as a cable:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/S-VIDEO-PLUG-P ... B0018D00MG

Sometimes I have a need for this as well - converts S-Video to Composite and vice-versa (with quality loss of course):

http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.p ... ts_id=6584
chicgamer
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by chicgamer »

I installed my mod tonight and made a video of the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2RaYIML7As
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mrr19121970
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by mrr19121970 »

chicgamer wrote:I installed my mod tonight and made a video of the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2RaYIML7As
Very good, 2 obeservations from me:

. Maybe just the camera, but the white is too dark. You can adjust RT7 anticlockwise to improve this
. The mod wire needs to come out of the RF tin shield and out of the case. I allow this to come out of the front, loop around the back and neatly put between the tin and the capacitors on the back. Finally the end with the DuPont leaves the case at the cassette port, on the PAL mainboard there is an unused screw hole which I use to fasten the cable to the mainboard.

Here is a pictorial 'step by step' from Sven. The pic Insert IC: you can see the hole in the mainboard I mentioned above.
chicgamer
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Re: S-Video conversion possible as plug-and-play solution?

Post by chicgamer »

Thanks for the info! Someone else also pointed out that the white was too dark. I'll try adjusting R7.
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