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Retro Scaler A1

@invzim is super fast at making updates, and 3 updates later things are looking GOOD for x68k.

Almost there.

You should have an email with another debug log and a youtube video whenever it finally uploads...
 
Indeed, I found I can replicate the bug by toggling naomi dip switch and going in/out of test mode so should come up a solution for the last issue shortly.

Edit: Firmware for testing mailed :D

Edit2: fix one error, discover another one even more subtle ?(
 
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I'm considering ordering one of these so I can use my X68000 computers with a PC CRT VGA monitor. It looks like the latest firmware handles both of the X68000's 15khz and 31 khz resolutions properly. What about 24 khz? Not many games use it but I'm curious.
 
ShootTheCore said:
What about 24 khz? Not many games use it but I'm curious.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure. I helped with the testing for the 15/31 switching on x68k. If you can tell me how to boot a few of the 24k games in 24k mode I'll give them a shot.
 
Here's what I've found with 24 khz according to the always-accurate Internet.

These games are 24 khz native, but will let you swap to 31 khz in the options:
Xak II
Carat
Dragon Knight 3
Dragon Knight 4
Wordsworth

These games start at 31khz but allow you to choose 24 khz as an option:
Baradkue (Press HELP to switch resolutions)
Marble Madness
Fantasy Zone (Press HELP to switch resolutions)
Dragon Buster (Press HELP to switch resolutions)
Libble Rabble (Press HELP to switch resolutions)
Quiz Torimonochou
Xenon 2 (Press HELP to switch resolutions)

These games require 24 khz:
True Ys 1 (doujin improvement of the original NEC Ys 1 port to increase accuracy)
True Ys 2 (doujin improvement of the original NEC Ys 2 port to increase accuracy)
 
Thanks for the info! Definitely not a dealbreaker since so few games use 24 kHz. As I said, I was just curious. I’ll probably pick one up in a week or so. :D
 
I received my Retro Scaler A1, but I’m experiencing an odd quirk with it.

I’m using the Chipnetics SyncSlayer II to convert the SCART signal from my retro consoles and HAS SuperGun to VGA, which I then feed into the Retro Scaler. The SyncSlayer has several jumper options for choosing Csync vs true horizontal sync, as well as TTL vs 75 ohm for h-sync, v-sync and c-sync.

I’ve tried a variety of SyncSlayer settings, making sure to match the Retro Scaler’s SYNC setting on the SD card when switching between TTL and 75 ohm sync. But no matter what I try, the Retro Scaler’s output has a horizontal slant on the first few lines. The amount of slant varies by the input device-for example, it’s minor with a Sega Genesis but severe with a Zero Wing arcade board. The output image also has a green tint, but I can accommodate for that in the monitor settings if need be.

Any suggestions on what to do? I updated the firmware on the Retro Scaler just to be sure it was the latest. Also, out of curiosity, how are other Retro Scaler folks adapting console SCART to VGA?

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@ShootTheCore funny enough, thus far I've mainly been using my own Retro Scaler A1 for consoles only, upscaling 15khz RGB. In my case, it was an easy setup, since I have the older gscartsw which included the VGA style port for its second output. Plugged that straight into the scaler and the output was good - it's going into a VGA CRT monitor in my case. No wavy image, slant or any of that on my end. Worse that I've seen so far is an offset horizontal position, which is easily compensated by the monitor settings.

I haven't done much with arcade boards as of yet but I did try to test with Tekken Tag Tournament, as that game has a VGA style port which outputs 15khz. That didn't work for me, but I've been lazy and have not upgraded my firmware, so who knows what the current status for this board's compatibility really is currently.
 
ShootTheCore said:
I received my Retro Scaler A1, but I’m experiencing an odd quirk with it.

I’m using the Chipnetics SyncSlayer II to convert the SCART signal from my retro consoles and HAS SuperGun to VGA, which I then feed into the Retro Scaler. The SyncSlayer has several jumper options for choosing Csync vs true horizontal sync, as well as TTL vs 75 ohm for h-sync, v-sync and c-sync.
Click to expand...
Try without the SyncSlayer - you don't need it, and the sync will be double-processed which may cause issues. The A1 has an onboard sync processor like the SyncSlayer

https://irkenlabs.com/retro-scaler-a1/detailed-mode-of-operation
 
@invzim how do you recommend I go from SCART to VGA input for the Retro Scaler? Should I make my own custom cable with a female SCART connector and a VGA male breakout shell? If so, I assume that I wire Composite Pin 20 on the SCART header to VGA Pin 13 for the CSYNC input? It doesn't look like VSync is a separate signal with SCART, so I assume I'd leave the VGA pin 14 empty.

EDIT: I did find this SCART to VGA cable that looks like it would work for my purposes if I paired it with a female-to-female SCART coupler.
https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/analogue/analogue-nt-mini-rgb-scart-cable-packapunch
 
Like @BroadwayJose, I have a gscartsw with VGA output on my downstairs setup, so I hauled it to my workroom for some testing. For me, it’s behaving identically to the SyncSlayer, with the same amount of horizontal slant. Changing between HSync and CSync output didn’t make any difference, but I did notice that the picture will occasionally roll if the gscartsw is set to CSync with the sync stripper disabled.

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If you want something ugly you can do a chain like mine :D

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If you want to be lazy about it you can use a scart to bnc and then bnc to vga. This also includes a converter to get to jp21 for a computer I was using (FM77AV) but basically what I did was move composite video cable to csync and then plugged into the H? sync pin on the vga connector.

Edit: also don't add FM77AV to the list yet, mine came dead so I haven't confirmed it works
 
Hey @ShootTheCore & @rewrite - looking at purchasing one of these for my X68000 (and other classic consoles / arcade PCBs), but specifically, how is X68K support with the latest firmware? Thanks guys! :D
 
I haven't tried my X68000 with it yet - I'll try it out in the next day or two and will report back.

As for console and arcade PCB compatibility, once I got a good connection solution in place for it the Retro Scaler A1 has handled nearly everything I've thrown at it without issues - it looks great and doesn't introduce any lag. The only glitch I've seen is that when I run Sega Master System games through a Model 1 Sega Genesis, there is occasional vertical roll. I haven't dug into that further to see if it's something specific to my Genesis console, but the native 16 bit games all work fine with it.
 
X68000 works fine with the scaler firmware, the only "gotcha" is the auto-sensing can get confused if you are flipping between 15k/31khz really fast repeatedly. If it's just a game that does a normal resolution switch it's fine.

I have quite a sizable collection of boards, computers and consoles and based off all the hardware I've tested the scaler works with almost all. The only problem children I have come across are my MSX2+ and FM77AV20. Both of them appear to have weaker sync signals when placed on a scope so I don't really fault the scaler.
 
Double-post because the other one's old however you can add Big Buck Hunter to the supported list :D

Unfortunately the gun doesn't work right which I suppose isn't shocking, but at least good to know?
 
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