Very thorough. Also appreciated the mention of that external jungle board as I could have used that when rgb modding a 1988 Panasonic. For some reason they used nonstandard rgb voltages until some point in the mid-90s. 7vpp 🤷♂️ Also opens up decent mods on vintage-looking but jungle-lacking 80s woodgrain knobby boys.
I would love to know if anyone’s tried the external jungle mod. The only concern about the older sets are live chassis but adding a jingle chip would be amazing to breathe new life into an older tube
@@MarcoRetro316 did you find any documentation on output voltages for that external jungle? Without your video, I wouldn’t have even understood what the device did from the AliExpress page.
Nah nothing, I don’t even know what jungle chip it is. But it has RGB trimmers which should increase compatibility for most neck boards. The only way to find out is to ask the seller or purchase one and hope they don’t scrub the chip’s ID. Otherwise you’d have to beep out the board to see what’s what
@@Flavorwave_Turbo thanks so much for letting me know! It’s more an RGB amplifier than a jungle chip seeing it doesn’t decode composite video. That’s awesome and thank you for sharing! Knowing the chip model and looking up the datasheet more makes it much easier for routing the pinout for anyone reading this comment thread. What do you plan on installing it in?
Really comprehensive, well done. RGB modding information has been a bit scattered across the internet, and that shmups thread isn't exactly the easiest to search, so having a video like this that covers so much is extremely helpful. There are many other videos out there that show someone modding a specific TV, but understanding the theory behind the mods is really useful
That was the sole intention, to lay out the theory and steer those looking to mod to the right resources. Thank you for the kind comment and I’m glad I could finally put this video together
This is the most comprehensive mod guide ever, I've never seen anybody talk in such detail and explain so clearly all the ways to mod and research how to mod various types of crt's. My biggest regret is camping when you released this video.
Thanks Petey! No ragrets, the vids can wait and camping would have been much more fulfilling. I’ve wanted to make this video for a while and hopefully it gives the inquisitive CRT tinkerer that bit of knowledge to modify their set.
@MarcoRetro316 it certainly will help me, I just scored a 34" konka for cheap with s video that I want to try rgb modding. Then I want to try that g1 mod and make it into a pseudo pvm
Best creative comment. 🤣🤣 Cries in Australian for all the PAL sets without scart. Cries even harder in Sicilian because Nonno gave up scart for a better life
@@joveaaron-real Game optimization to 50Hz,which was rarely done if not at all, is one story. More important for me is that 60Hz is much easier on my eyes.
That was amazing. Just successfully installed a sunthar mux board last weekend. So you just kick started my knowledge big time. Loved the ending too. If it wasn't for people like you putting out guides, I would be nowhere on this topic. Thank you.
@@albinobeau2 thank you so much for the comment, hearing first hand about others successfully implementing an RGB mod is really awesome. CRT Jesus is shining down lol, keep up the mods!
That neck board mod looks promising. Would love to see more kits hit the wild to turn old perfectly good CRT TVs into arcade monitors for old JAMMA boards.
You are the first reviewer I have seen to put this much praise on the power requirements and weight of the card, to this degree. This review has me thinking this might be the best card on the market from a bang for the buck standpoint.
This is Stephen from Frankencade. For the RGB/Video-amp mentioned (about 25:00 mark), one can keep all the original set functionality (OSD, etc.) if neck tube cable is affixed with a 4-Pole, Double-Throw switch with the other poles attached to the original neck tubes inputs/wires. The brightness can still be controlled with the screen/flyback as well as the RGB Amp voltage input and the contrast/colors can be adjusted via the POTs.
Hi Stephen, thanks so much for taking the time to comment! The main obstacle I can think of with a 4 pole switch to use the set in tandem as factory and external amplification is finding the balance of factory chassis adjustments and external amplification for those adjustments like G2 voltage. Otherwise I think it’s a fantastic option for a standalone input and perfect for an arcade with a dedicated PCB. Hopefully it saves a lot of sets that otherwise have intact bare essentials to drive a CRT from being dumped
13:32 Advice passed onto me from MarkOZLAD: A voltage divider with 24R/51R is a better method for 0.5vpp RGB and ensures proper 75R termination. Thanks Mark!
I'm in NTSC land but still think SCART is neat.🙂 I appreciate how it didn't treat consumers like a dumb peasant by including all the pins involved in analog video, compared to the RF port that didn't Ie. "Video(Y), Audio Left(W), Audio Right(R), stop I'm getting confused.".😄 Quite a few port standards have a lot of ground pins like SCART, Game Port, and even S-video has two distinct ones. Seems redundant until you learn how dirty power is and how much signal noise electronics spew outwards. Like I thought stereo speakers and headphone jacks were trivial to add to CRTs but it is actually non-trivial because it can get costly to shield and or filter the additional parts from signal noise coming from the internal hardware itself. So weird when you see empty spots on the main CRT video board and shell for better AV connectivity, how much money could that have saved in component margins? Even the option of using the empty spots later, when TV repair shops existed maybe the could add the RGB in. Not really sure what the SDTV industry had in mind long term, in my experience they got bigger but there wasn't much if any push for improving AV connection quality until the tail end of CRT manufacturing when LCD TVs came up.🤔 Long story short, if the AV port is on the SDTV people will use it, if it isn't there they won't Eg. RF only TVs. Which is kind of what I like about SCART Ie. let's just do all the AV standards in one port.😁
All great points my friend. I assume the manufacturers would save a few dollars per set on a mass produced run. They would have never thought in hindsight that us nerds would be reverse (or forward 🤔) engineering these TV’s 30+ years later. I’m impartial to scart more so that it fits my ecosystem of cables and switches and it ‘just works’
Hey There!! It's Keith from Arcade Laboratories. I only have one question..you guys really know who Jeramiah Johnson is down under, lol! No seriously though, thank you so much for the shout out in your video. Both me and Steve at Frankencade, got a huge kick from you spotlighting the RGB Amp. I didn't even know about your channel until Monday and glad I found it. Your videos are ace!! I love your content and your editing! In my mind that's how I want my videos to look. You are on point with your schematics and circuit highlighting. LOL I about fell out of my chair when you were talking about having to grow some ball when you first started working on CRT's because I can relate!! I actually built a 4 foot long insulated discharging tool when I started. Now I'm down to a 6 inch straight screwdriver with alligator clips. That Samsung in the RGB Vid with the RGB Amp was the worst one, I got shocked 3 times because it was holding capacitance like crazy. That set had other issues and it now sits at a nearby Buddhist Temple that collects vintage electronics. I will make it through the rest of your vids for sure. Living in Thailand has been a great learning experience with CRT's because there are so many PAL and NTSC sets here, kinda weird especially for an American. Drop me a line at me email and we'll have some back and forth. arcades.laboratory@gmail.com
Hi Keith! Jeremiah Johnson only exists as the nodding meme to me but I’ll have to give it a watch to see if the movie outshines the meme 😆 I’m glad you featured the Frankencade, otherwise DJCalle might not have passed onto me it’s existence. I appreciate Steve’s feedback that he commented separately about using a 4 pole double throw switch to retain usability of the chassis, my neck mod segment was a little hasty as your video did a great job at showcasing it usability for a single source scenario. My videos take me sooo long to create in its current format, but it’s how I operate and I’m usually happy with how they turn out. I feel like I’ve gathered my rhythm compared to some of my earlier videos. Would you believe… it’s all shot and edited on my iPhone! If I were any better at ad libbing then it would make the process a hella lot easier. Go with whatever format works for you as doing all of the post processing of animations and timings etc is very laborious. That big balls segment has a healthy spike in the viewership graph lol. As you said, the first time discharging or working on a live CRT brings out that manly machismo. Probably half of my videos have focused on downscaling and I’m going for full completion of all 240p downscalers at this stage with a finish line in sight, so there’s a few more devices to showcase. I had no idea you were in Thailand. Lovely country. I’ll drop you an email shortly. Thanks for the technical depth that goes into your videos and for the kind comment!
There's also the option of buying one of those universal arcade chassis and connecting your tube to it. It opens up a whole other can of worms, though. Making sure you get the right one for your tube's size/connector, and possibly needing to mod or replace the deflection yoke. And you might get one that only does 24khz which would require even more modding to get 15khz signals to work properly... It's *an* option, but maybe not a *good* option. Probably best left to people who just want to connect up a consumer tube to an arcade machine. But I've got the parts to do one, just haven't gotten around to it.
Also a good alternative for the learne experienced modder. I bought an Aliexpress TV chassis but haven’t hooked it up yet as the neck connector did not match the CRT. It only has composite input but the jungle chip allows for component. It’s there for a rainy day
Bless those people for working out how to have RGB and OSD on at the same time. I figured it was possible Eg. PC monitors, but did not have the knowledge to implement and prove it. In hindsight SDTV manufacturers were kind of weird "We can make an OSD by way of RGB." , "Hey why don't we add an RGB video port at the same time?" , "No!".🤪 I think people will get the hang of the Mux-Mod eventually, be a lot less holes drilled heh. Always some growing pains Eg. early Genesis/Jaguar/TG-16 S-Video port mods that weren't actually necessary. Neck board mods sound interesting, could be the path needed to mod CRTs without jungle chips etc.. 26:50 Again growing pains lol.
Mux is such a cool implementation. I feel like neck mods will gain some traction for really old sets and arcade CRT’s with the availability of Frankencade’s RGB amplifier and the Aliexpress jungle on a chip.
Thanks Paisano! I’ve got DJCalle to thank for his collaboration and mentoring. Hopefully this keeps the chain of knowledge snowballing for anyone with the skills to turn a vanilla CRT into something special
My Australian delivered Mitsubishi 78cm DIVA CRT also missed out on the SCART (with RGB) which it came with on UK and German PAL models, in favour of composite and S-Video only on its three AV inputs. I would love to have it RGB modded, and have watched hundreds of videos on RGB modding, but I simply don’t have the skills/confidence.
Really great videos, just watched most of the Downscaling chronicles videos and they were awesome for someone new to CRTs and downscaling. I recently impulse bought a Sony PVM-14M2MDU after buying a PSP and getting into some retro games. I hope to use the PSP to play PS1 games at 240p while also using a HDMI to component converter to allow me to use it as a second monitor for my 4:3 laptop. I am curious if it makes the most sense to just use a $50 HDMI to component that scales to 480i or to go for a better more expensive downscaler for my computer that scales to 240p. I do not plan on doing much gaming from my computer to the PVM, more watching content or possibly playing 3D games. You are the most knowledgeable person I've found on this topic recently and would really appreciate your input
@@owenpalmer6461 Hey Owen, thanks for watching and for the comment. Amazing PVM you have there. You might be able to use CRTEmudriver to output 480i via VGA if it’s an older laptop. I haven’t ventured into this yet but I plan on making a video sometime soon. If it’s for video and 3D games then 480i will look vastly better than 240p and a $50 HDMI to component scaler is definitely the cheaper option than most of the Downscalers I’ve featured. There aren’t too many cheap units that scale down to 480i anymore, as most only go as low as 480p but if you can find one then it’ll definitely suffice. If you had the extra money to spend on a unit that will give you more resolution flexibility and picture adjustments then I’d recommend a compatible tvONE Corio2 scaler or the OSSC Pro.
@@MarcoRetro316 Thanks for the reply, that is pretty much what I understood from the research I did and from your videos. really appreciate the conformation though as I have not seen much about PC to 15kHz CRT outside of gaming at 240p. Will continue to enjoy the downscaling chronicles and possibly upgrade if I want to try games other than the PS1 in 240p👍
Thank you very much for this guide to figuring out my OWN mod for once. I have a very nice late era Sony Trinitron based TV I'd love to take further from it's already amazing component to pure RGB. That said, that last bit of the video got me curious. Is there any chance there may be replacement "junglechips" coming along that could add progressive scan to a previously interlace-only TV? That'd be the dream, to allow full 480p from my Gamecube/PS2/XBox to this lovely 24" box.
Well done on doing your own mod work! It’s always satisfying solving it yourself without a step by step guide. I haven’t used the Aliexpress jungle chips but they’d be for 15KHz use and they won’t convert the scan rate and won’t de-interlace to progressive 480p. Turning a 15KHz chassis into 31KHz is a lot more involved but can be done: th-cam.com/video/n0d5gXI7jPg/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared th-cam.com/video/W98LWPljy1U/w-d-xo.html avtomitom.hatenablog.com/entry/2022/05/13/091216 You’d be better off finding an HD CRT or PC CRT
@@MarcoRetro316 I do in fact have an HD CRT (in 1080i wide screen), though it's got some bad geometry issues and is in that digital processing era that adds a chunk of latency to the image. Thank you for the links! It doesn't look like that's for the faint of heart, so I'll be saving that until I feel more confident with something like this. At the very least, my technique is pretty reliable these days to the point I can get VERY tiny wires soldered into place on tiny chip pins.
Great video! What about S-video mod? I have a BA-1 chassis that I know can relatively easily be RGB modded, but it would also be cool to take on the challenge of an S-video mod on it since I already have consoles with S-video cables. I just can’t find any guide on this chassis for that.
Thanks! S-video doesn’t have the same universal approach as RGB but I did find a guide for the BA-1 chassis. It seems a bit involved and according to the OP, they figured a way to add S-video without disabling RF and composite shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=65583&start=120
Hey Marco, have you ever looked into the NEC N-4858? It has the Nec Tokyo address on the back sticker not a NEC Australia set. Can't find any schematics and wondering if its another daewoo. I haven't bought it yet.
I only know it uses an MM4 chassis and AFAIK only the smaller N-3458 shares the same chassis though I can’t find anything on them so it’s a gamble at this point if it’s moddable
i have an Aiwa 14" Combo CRT tv which has the same Jungle Chip (TB1226CN/DN) but i am a bit confused with the installation part, Can i reach out to you for help ?
@@aetheralmeowstic2392 a jungle of signals maybe? I could be wrong but I believe that was Sony’s term and most other companies called them the Y/C or video IC, and we tend to call them all jungle chips
@@gabrielv.4358 RGB is universal and you don’t need to feed a particular type of PAL or NTSC signal for sync. As long as there’s sync then the CRT will operate at that vertical frequency
Nah it’s not as bad as working on vacuum tube equipment. I know a couple of old tv techs that have been shocked by a crt, it’s more of just an annoyance.
glad to live in europe where almost all tvs had scart and supported 50 or 60 hz rgb. it's a shame the snes came with a shitty composite cable. we all didn't know what we missed and was always available.
@@larsihasi1986 the whole world is jealous haha. We had very few TV’s with Scart here in Australia, they were either in the high-end German TV’s, or lower-tier brands like TEAC. We never skip on any TV with Scart
we already have SCART on CRTs here in Slovakia on old CRTs either RF only, or RF and SCART newer CRTs also got Composite and maybe Component (not couting monitors)
My only tiny gripe with RGB is how Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn (and maybe PS1 to a lesser degree) were very specifically designed around composite’s output on a CRT - note the water in Sonic 1 or really any “transparency” effects - they’re non-transparent checkerboard mesh assets that composite on CRT hides an makes a uniform transparent element, while said solid meshes become apparent through RGB on CRT (or in any output to LCD/OLED). The same goes double for dithering (visible at 14:53 in the Sonic 3 title screen). It was prevalent on consoles as recent as the PS2 with games as recent as 2008’s Sonic Unleashed, as composite hides dithering and convincingly makes limited consoles appear to have far more color depth than they actually did That said, I’d *love* to see N64, Dreamcast, and GameCube SCART output on a modded CRT like this
I see the authenticity side but I personally prefer RGB over composite even if there’s nasty checkerboard dithering. The Mister FPGA kinda solves this in some cores that have composite video blending for assets like Sonic’s waterfall as if it were composite video. Nothing wrong with composite though, I’m just acquainted to RGB
Interestingly the Saturn came standard with an rgb scart cable in europe, so one could argue that was the intended look the manufacturer wanted (of course, it could just have been a logistics/budget matter). The Dreamcast on the other hand came with RF only 🤮 Between that and no built in save memory, it felt like a huge downgrade coming from a Saturn.
@@MarcoRetro316 I still remember that hype, when people started dismantle microwaves to get transform for woodburn projects. And some kids has accidents of PC power supply when they convert it to "voltage supply"
11:10 Ive never in my life heard from a Scart connection slipping out! Usually they are so tight that you smash your 50kg TV to the ground trying to pull it out without having hour other hand pushed against the television! This is a myth from people who never ever witnessed the sheer superiority of Scart. Usually Americans who feel inferior and must compensate for that big time.
@@rolux4853 I’ve only had cheap-o cables slip out but that’s also partly due to the rats nest of wires all tugging on each other. In normal circumstances though there’s enough mechanical support that it doesn’t just magically slip out. Thank you for the comment, much appreciated!
IME S-video is superior to RGB/Component for 480i consoles like PS2. RGB fails to blend the shading into a gradient, as a result, RGB looks oversharpened and pixelated, where S-video looks clean and natural.
Yeh the effect of dithering gradients do get lost in RGB. I’ve become accustomed to it but appreciate both looks. I turn on the composite video blending option where I can if playing on the MisterFPGA to get the best of both
I only use rgb scart on a newish led tv but its much better than any other input.. Besides 5 cable component. I had a pokish contact and he made me rgb cables for snes saturn and the wii. But the last one is the component console 😅
@@Nordlicht05 Just before I hopped back into CRT’s I was doing the exact same thing on a 480p panel. Apart from the slow pixel refresh, it looked awesome
@@MarcoRetro316 that’s horrible. Here in Europe I remember we had Scart since the 80s. I remember buying the RGB Scart for my PS1 in 1996 to hook up to my Sony Trinitron. The difference in colour was day and night compared to composite.
Soo lucky, you were playing prime RGB long before most of us born-again CRT gamers. Only a few of our sets had scart, either expensive German brands or the cheaper stuff, not much in between
@@MarcoRetro316 hence why the whole “Mod CRT to output RGB” fad feels so weird to us. Heck many consumer sets even had two or three Scart outputs. It’s very weird how the industry evolved in different parts of the world.
Thank you! An RGB mod really elevates a composite-only set. All the best if you go ahead with an RGB mod, be safe and you’ll have some amazing results for sure
Im just ganna be that person because i can.. I dont care for RGB.. i am a composite/RF only and looks how the developers ment it look (and it looks great).. sorry not sorry... RGB analog for console is overrated (VGA is a different story)
No need to be sorry at all, that’s your preference and there’s nothing wrong with it. While RF/CVBS is objectively less sharp than RGB there’s definitely an authentic charm to composite on a CRT and it’s how the majority of us, me included, enjoyed our games without complaints. Honestly, thanks for respectively being ‘that person’ lol.
Tinkering with CRT is a waste of time, You will never get the quality you desire due to flickering and pixel shifting. Get yourself a mid 2000 videophile video scaler or one of the modern retrotink video processors and use it with an OLED panel, That's where the fun is. For the record home VCRs don't have RGB output active, only Y-C (S-VHS machines) or CVBS.
@@Capturing-Memories Tinkering with a CRT is a waste of time *for you*. Nothing wrong with CRT’s or upscaling either, just preference. Myself and plenty of others are happy with our niche
You say tinkering with crts is a waste of time, I say retrotink is both absurdly overpriced and fails to capture the authentic experience provided by period correct hardware
Holy fuck so on 24/8/2001 you got your own crt tv. Oh man 2001 doesn’t seem that long ago, i remember like yesterday when sega was still in the console business before they pulled the plug in late march of 2001 and after that things were never gonna be the same again🥲
Very thorough. Also appreciated the mention of that external jungle board as I could have used that when rgb modding a 1988 Panasonic. For some reason they used nonstandard rgb voltages until some point in the mid-90s. 7vpp 🤷♂️
Also opens up decent mods on vintage-looking but jungle-lacking 80s woodgrain knobby boys.
I would love to know if anyone’s tried the external jungle mod. The only concern about the older sets are live chassis but adding a jingle chip would be amazing to breathe new life into an older tube
@@MarcoRetro316 did you find any documentation on output voltages for that external jungle? Without your video, I wouldn’t have even understood what the device did from the AliExpress page.
Nah nothing, I don’t even know what jungle chip it is. But it has RGB trimmers which should increase compatibility for most neck boards. The only way to find out is to ask the seller or purchase one and hope they don’t scrub the chip’s ID. Otherwise you’d have to beep out the board to see what’s what
@@MarcoRetro316 I bought this and the IC is a National Semi LM1203N RGB Amp. I have a link to the docs if you are interested.
@@Flavorwave_Turbo thanks so much for letting me know! It’s more an RGB amplifier than a jungle chip seeing it doesn’t decode composite video. That’s awesome and thank you for sharing! Knowing the chip model and looking up the datasheet more makes it much easier for routing the pinout for anyone reading this comment thread. What do you plan on installing it in?
Really comprehensive, well done. RGB modding information has been a bit scattered across the internet, and that shmups thread isn't exactly the easiest to search, so having a video like this that covers so much is extremely helpful. There are many other videos out there that show someone modding a specific TV, but understanding the theory behind the mods is really useful
That was the sole intention, to lay out the theory and steer those looking to mod to the right resources. Thank you for the kind comment and I’m glad I could finally put this video together
"that shmups thread isn't exactly the easiest to search" you're not kidding. Have to go through 10 pages just to see if the mod even worked.
This is the most comprehensive mod guide ever, I've never seen anybody talk in such detail and explain so clearly all the ways to mod and research how to mod various types of crt's. My biggest regret is camping when you released this video.
Thanks Petey! No ragrets, the vids can wait and camping would have been much more fulfilling. I’ve wanted to make this video for a while and hopefully it gives the inquisitive CRT tinkerer that bit of knowledge to modify their set.
@MarcoRetro316 it certainly will help me, I just scored a 34" konka for cheap with s video that I want to try rgb modding. Then I want to try that g1 mod and make it into a pseudo pvm
@@GeneralPetey that sounds like an awesome project!
*Laughs in European, where CRTs almost always have RGB out of the box*
*cries in PAL 50Hz*
Best creative comment. 🤣🤣
Cries in Australian for all the PAL sets without scart. Cries even harder in Sicilian because Nonno gave up scart for a better life
why cry 50Hz? all scart devices supported 50hz anyways
_be proud,_ americans have to risk their lives opening up a crt just to add RGB lol
@@joveaaron-realI assume because most 50Hz games are slowed from the 60Hz originals.
@@joveaaron-real Game optimization to 50Hz,which was rarely done if not at all, is one story.
More important for me is that 60Hz is much easier on my eyes.
Cries in Brazil. The tv's here never ever seen "scart" thing, that looks like a 90s computer thing.
That was amazing. Just successfully installed a sunthar mux board last weekend.
So you just kick started my knowledge big time. Loved the ending too. If it wasn't for people like you putting out guides, I would be nowhere on this topic. Thank you.
@@albinobeau2 thank you so much for the comment, hearing first hand about others successfully implementing an RGB mod is really awesome. CRT Jesus is shining down lol, keep up the mods!
One of the best guides by far! I have watched this four to five times in full and skipping around. Great video👍
Thank you Mr Chicken! I’m glad it was helpful, even if not used to assist with the application of an RGB mod it’s nice to know how the sausage is made
That neck board mod looks promising. Would love to see more kits hit the wild to turn old perfectly good CRT TVs into arcade monitors for old JAMMA boards.
You are the first reviewer I have seen to put this much praise on the power requirements and weight of the card, to this degree.
This review has me thinking this might be the best card on the market from a bang for the buck standpoint.
Is this comment really on this video? This was for a Jays2centz video on Battlemage.
Stupid TH-cam app
This is Stephen from Frankencade. For the RGB/Video-amp mentioned (about 25:00 mark), one can keep all the original set functionality (OSD, etc.) if neck tube cable is affixed with a 4-Pole, Double-Throw switch with the other poles attached to the original neck tubes inputs/wires. The brightness can still be controlled with the screen/flyback as well as the RGB Amp voltage input and the contrast/colors can be adjusted via the POTs.
Hi Stephen, thanks so much for taking the time to comment! The main obstacle I can think of with a 4 pole switch to use the set in tandem as factory and external amplification is finding the balance of factory chassis adjustments and external amplification for those adjustments like G2 voltage. Otherwise I think it’s a fantastic option for a standalone input and perfect for an arcade with a dedicated PCB. Hopefully it saves a lot of sets that otherwise have intact bare essentials to drive a CRT from being dumped
13:32 Advice passed onto me from MarkOZLAD: A voltage divider with 24R/51R is a better method for 0.5vpp RGB and ensures proper 75R termination. Thanks Mark!
@@syntaxzedex4316 hey thanks for commenting Syntax. Is OSD at 6.9vpp well above what the jungle will safely handle?
Jungle chip can handle 5v max if its a 5v chip. So safe :)
OSD outputs rgb at 5v, your console at 1.4 before termination.
Great info, lovely editing, wonderful humour. What more could a new viewer ask for? Finally YT suggested me a good channel.
@@bradriley9777 the YT algorithm gods have spoken. Thank you for the kind comment 😁
WOW! This must be the best and most complete video about RGB modding a CRT TV. Thank you very much Marco.
@@joelbetancourt8359 Thanks Joel! Hope it serves the community as well as they have served me
Those info about the rgb amplifier rose me the will to try again in my mix unable tv set!
@@MrMacabreu let me know how it turns out! Be safe
Well done! Lots of great information. Does a great job of breaking down the processes.
Thanks mate!
Awesome video! Would love to see more rgb adventures, great seeing a in depth explanatory rgb modding video.
@@Miketage thanks Mike!
Hands down best explanation of RGB mods. This video will be standard go-to tutorial.
@@A_Nerds_Paradise wow thank you!
The composite video input remind me the scart connector so should be easy
I'm in NTSC land but still think SCART is neat.🙂 I appreciate how it didn't treat consumers like a dumb peasant by including all the pins involved in analog video, compared to the RF port that didn't Ie. "Video(Y), Audio Left(W), Audio Right(R), stop I'm getting confused.".😄
Quite a few port standards have a lot of ground pins like SCART, Game Port, and even S-video has two distinct ones. Seems redundant until you learn how dirty power is and how much signal noise electronics spew outwards.
Like I thought stereo speakers and headphone jacks were trivial to add to CRTs but it is actually non-trivial because it can get costly to shield and or filter the additional parts from signal noise coming from the internal hardware itself.
So weird when you see empty spots on the main CRT video board and shell for better AV connectivity, how much money could that have saved in component margins? Even the option of using the empty spots later, when TV repair shops existed maybe the could add the RGB in. Not really sure what the SDTV industry had in mind long term, in my experience they got bigger but there wasn't much if any push for improving AV connection quality until the tail end of CRT manufacturing when LCD TVs came up.🤔
Long story short, if the AV port is on the SDTV people will use it, if it isn't there they won't Eg. RF only TVs. Which is kind of what I like about SCART Ie. let's just do all the AV standards in one port.😁
All great points my friend. I assume the manufacturers would save a few dollars per set on a mass produced run. They would have never thought in hindsight that us nerds would be reverse (or forward 🤔) engineering these TV’s 30+ years later. I’m impartial to scart more so that it fits my ecosystem of cables and switches and it ‘just works’
This is the level of detail I love! Very nice video.
@@sushpants thanks!
This video was an eye-opener! Awesome work!
Thanks! I’m glad you got something out of it
Hey There!! It's Keith from Arcade Laboratories. I only have one question..you guys really know who Jeramiah Johnson is down under, lol! No seriously though, thank you so much for the shout out in your video. Both me and Steve at Frankencade, got a huge kick from you spotlighting the RGB Amp. I didn't even know about your channel until Monday and glad I found it. Your videos are ace!! I love your content and your editing! In my mind that's how I want my videos to look. You are on point with your schematics and circuit highlighting. LOL I about fell out of my chair when you were talking about having to grow some ball when you first started working on CRT's because I can relate!! I actually built a 4 foot long insulated discharging tool when I started. Now I'm down to a 6 inch straight screwdriver with alligator clips. That Samsung in the RGB Vid with the RGB Amp was the worst one, I got shocked 3 times because it was holding capacitance like crazy. That set had other issues and it now sits at a nearby Buddhist Temple that collects vintage electronics. I will make it through the rest of your vids for sure. Living in Thailand has been a great learning experience with CRT's because there are so many PAL and NTSC sets here, kinda weird especially for an American. Drop me a line at me email and we'll have some back and forth. arcades.laboratory@gmail.com
Hi Keith! Jeremiah Johnson only exists as the nodding meme to me but I’ll have to give it a watch to see if the movie outshines the meme 😆 I’m glad you featured the Frankencade, otherwise DJCalle might not have passed onto me it’s existence. I appreciate Steve’s feedback that he commented separately about using a 4 pole double throw switch to retain usability of the chassis, my neck mod segment was a little hasty as your video did a great job at showcasing it usability for a single source scenario. My videos take me sooo long to create in its current format, but it’s how I operate and I’m usually happy with how they turn out. I feel like I’ve gathered my rhythm compared to some of my earlier videos. Would you believe… it’s all shot and edited on my iPhone! If I were any better at ad libbing then it would make the process a hella lot easier. Go with whatever format works for you as doing all of the post processing of animations and timings etc is very laborious. That big balls segment has a healthy spike in the viewership graph lol. As you said, the first time discharging or working on a live CRT brings out that manly machismo. Probably half of my videos have focused on downscaling and I’m going for full completion of all 240p downscalers at this stage with a finish line in sight, so there’s a few more devices to showcase. I had no idea you were in Thailand. Lovely country. I’ll drop you an email shortly. Thanks for the technical depth that goes into your videos and for the kind comment!
Man I wish you made this video years ago I had a lot of heart ache to do this to one of my tvs
I was still perfecting the craft back then. As long as you’re safe, getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn
Your videos are so thorough and perfectly paced. Killing it as usual.
@@Scott7789x thanks Scott!
There's also the option of buying one of those universal arcade chassis and connecting your tube to it. It opens up a whole other can of worms, though. Making sure you get the right one for your tube's size/connector, and possibly needing to mod or replace the deflection yoke. And you might get one that only does 24khz which would require even more modding to get 15khz signals to work properly... It's *an* option, but maybe not a *good* option. Probably best left to people who just want to connect up a consumer tube to an arcade machine. But I've got the parts to do one, just haven't gotten around to it.
Also a good alternative for the learne experienced modder. I bought an Aliexpress TV chassis but haven’t hooked it up yet as the neck connector did not match the CRT. It only has composite input but the jungle chip allows for component. It’s there for a rainy day
Bless those people for working out how to have RGB and OSD on at the same time. I figured it was possible Eg. PC monitors, but did not have the knowledge to implement and prove it. In hindsight SDTV manufacturers were kind of weird "We can make an OSD by way of RGB." , "Hey why don't we add an RGB video port at the same time?" , "No!".🤪
I think people will get the hang of the Mux-Mod eventually, be a lot less holes drilled heh. Always some growing pains Eg. early Genesis/Jaguar/TG-16 S-Video port mods that weren't actually necessary.
Neck board mods sound interesting, could be the path needed to mod CRTs without jungle chips etc.. 26:50 Again growing pains lol.
Mux is such a cool implementation. I feel like neck mods will gain some traction for really old sets and arcade CRT’s with the availability of Frankencade’s RGB amplifier and the Aliexpress jungle on a chip.
This is it. THE video people wanting to do this will be using as a reference, well done on another superb entry on the channel.
Thanks Paisano! I’ve got DJCalle to thank for his collaboration and mentoring. Hopefully this keeps the chain of knowledge snowballing for anyone with the skills to turn a vanilla CRT into something special
great video. Thanks for tons of great information. I may try someday :)
Finally someone that can speak makes a guide
This video just earned my like and subscribe!
Thanks Roberto!
Me: watching the video
Also me: looking behind me at my collection of CRTs
@@sleora 🧐 find any with Scart?
1:43 “did you bring your tools, or just happy to see me?”
@@moodwoboo 🤣🤣🤣
My Australian delivered Mitsubishi 78cm DIVA CRT also missed out on the SCART (with RGB) which it came with on UK and German PAL models, in favour of composite and S-Video only on its three AV inputs. I would love to have it RGB modded, and have watched hundreds of videos on RGB modding, but I simply don’t have the skills/confidence.
Best to be safe and enjoy using S-Video. I agree with many that will say S-Video is about 70%(ish) of the way to RGB
What an amazing video for explaining this!
@@MissNorington thank you Signorina Norrington :)
Really great videos, just watched most of the Downscaling chronicles videos and they were awesome for someone new to CRTs and downscaling. I recently impulse bought a Sony PVM-14M2MDU after buying a PSP and getting into some retro games. I hope to use the PSP to play PS1 games at 240p while also using a HDMI to component converter to allow me to use it as a second monitor for my 4:3 laptop. I am curious if it makes the most sense to just use a $50 HDMI to component that scales to 480i or to go for a better more expensive downscaler for my computer that scales to 240p. I do not plan on doing much gaming from my computer to the PVM, more watching content or possibly playing 3D games. You are the most knowledgeable person I've found on this topic recently and would really appreciate your input
@@owenpalmer6461 Hey Owen, thanks for watching and for the comment. Amazing PVM you have there. You might be able to use CRTEmudriver to output 480i via VGA if it’s an older laptop. I haven’t ventured into this yet but I plan on making a video sometime soon. If it’s for video and 3D games then 480i will look vastly better than 240p and a $50 HDMI to component scaler is definitely the cheaper option than most of the Downscalers I’ve featured. There aren’t too many cheap units that scale down to 480i anymore, as most only go as low as 480p but if you can find one then it’ll definitely suffice. If you had the extra money to spend on a unit that will give you more resolution flexibility and picture adjustments then I’d recommend a compatible tvONE Corio2 scaler or the OSSC Pro.
@@MarcoRetro316 Thanks for the reply, that is pretty much what I understood from the research I did and from your videos. really appreciate the conformation though as I have not seen much about PC to 15kHz CRT outside of gaming at 240p. Will continue to enjoy the downscaling chronicles and possibly upgrade if I want to try games other than the PS1 in 240p👍
This is the most clear and concise breakdown of the mod I've ever come across, I'll actually give it a go, Thank you
Thank you! Be safe
Thank you very much for this guide to figuring out my OWN mod for once. I have a very nice late era Sony Trinitron based TV I'd love to take further from it's already amazing component to pure RGB. That said, that last bit of the video got me curious. Is there any chance there may be replacement "junglechips" coming along that could add progressive scan to a previously interlace-only TV? That'd be the dream, to allow full 480p from my Gamecube/PS2/XBox to this lovely 24" box.
Well done on doing your own mod work! It’s always satisfying solving it yourself without a step by step guide.
I haven’t used the Aliexpress jungle chips but they’d be for 15KHz use and they won’t convert the scan rate and won’t de-interlace to progressive 480p. Turning a 15KHz chassis into 31KHz is a lot more involved but can be done:
th-cam.com/video/n0d5gXI7jPg/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
th-cam.com/video/W98LWPljy1U/w-d-xo.html
avtomitom.hatenablog.com/entry/2022/05/13/091216
You’d be better off finding an HD CRT or PC CRT
@@MarcoRetro316 I do in fact have an HD CRT (in 1080i wide screen), though it's got some bad geometry issues and is in that digital processing era that adds a chunk of latency to the image.
Thank you for the links! It doesn't look like that's for the faint of heart, so I'll be saving that until I feel more confident with something like this. At the very least, my technique is pretty reliable these days to the point I can get VERY tiny wires soldered into place on tiny chip pins.
Great video! What about S-video mod? I have a BA-1 chassis that I know can relatively easily be RGB modded, but it would also be cool to take on the challenge of an S-video mod on it since I already have consoles with S-video cables. I just can’t find any guide on this chassis for that.
Thanks! S-video doesn’t have the same universal approach as RGB but I did find a guide for the BA-1 chassis. It seems a bit involved and according to the OP, they figured a way to add S-video without disabling RF and composite
shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=65583&start=120
@@MarcoRetro316 Thanks a lot! I’ll check it out anyway.
Hey Marco, have you ever looked into the NEC N-4858? It has the Nec Tokyo address on the back sticker not a NEC Australia set. Can't find any schematics and wondering if its another daewoo. I haven't bought it yet.
I only know it uses an MM4 chassis and AFAIK only the smaller N-3458 shares the same chassis though I can’t find anything on them so it’s a gamble at this point if it’s moddable
@MarcoRetro316 thought the same. If it was a freebie I'd just open it up and research from there but it would be a $100 gamble.
i have an Aiwa 14" Combo CRT tv which has the same Jungle Chip (TB1226CN/DN) but i am a bit confused with the installation part, Can i reach out to you for help ?
Yeh sure I’m always happy to help
Do one for tvl 1000 mod
Now I'm wondering _why_ it's called the jungle chip
@@aetheralmeowstic2392 a jungle of signals maybe? I could be wrong but I believe that was Sony’s term and most other companies called them the Y/C or video IC, and we tend to call them all jungle chips
IS RGB Universal? What differs from normal composite?? Is Pal-M Needed to make that mod? Thanks for answering!
@@gabrielv.4358 RGB is universal and you don’t need to feed a particular type of PAL or NTSC signal for sync. As long as there’s sync then the CRT will operate at that vertical frequency
@@MarcoRetro316 Ah, ok, well, thanks again!
1:39 accurate, there's a bunch of death voltages in there xD
@@jakobfindlay4136 How it looks and how it feels in one shot
Nah it’s not as bad as working on vacuum tube equipment. I know a couple of old tv techs that have been shocked by a crt, it’s more of just an annoyance.
Awesome video, than you! Next one: the G1 mod!
I’ll find a beater to try out the G1 mod. That’s for another day
glad to live in europe where almost all tvs had scart and supported 50 or 60 hz rgb. it's a shame the snes came with a shitty composite cable. we all didn't know what we missed and was always available.
@@larsihasi1986 the whole world is jealous haha. We had very few TV’s with Scart here in Australia, they were either in the high-end German TV’s, or lower-tier brands like TEAC. We never skip on any TV with Scart
Great video legend!
@@fredsk1 thanks Federico!
we already have SCART on CRTs here in Slovakia
on old CRTs either RF only, or RF and SCART
newer CRTs also got Composite and maybe Component
(not couting monitors)
Quick hun, pack your bags, we movin to Slovakia!
@@MarcoRetro316 xDDD
this is such a well-made video too
Thank you!!!
Thanks for the shout out :)
@@syntaxzedex4316 Thank you for your service 🫡
Marco dropping another monster
Grazie Luigi
But component is better?
RGB is ‘better’ on a basic signal level but on a finely-tuned set component should be practically indistinguishable and on-par
@MarcoRetro316 thanks
Nicely done
@@dekkit100 thanks mate!
My only tiny gripe with RGB is how Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn (and maybe PS1 to a lesser degree) were very specifically designed around composite’s output on a CRT - note the water in Sonic 1 or really any “transparency” effects - they’re non-transparent checkerboard mesh assets that composite on CRT hides an makes a uniform transparent element, while said solid meshes become apparent through RGB on CRT (or in any output to LCD/OLED). The same goes double for dithering (visible at 14:53 in the Sonic 3 title screen). It was prevalent on consoles as recent as the PS2 with games as recent as 2008’s Sonic Unleashed, as composite hides dithering and convincingly makes limited consoles appear to have far more color depth than they actually did
That said, I’d *love* to see N64, Dreamcast, and GameCube SCART output on a modded CRT like this
I see the authenticity side but I personally prefer RGB over composite even if there’s nasty checkerboard dithering. The Mister FPGA kinda solves this in some cores that have composite video blending for assets like Sonic’s waterfall as if it were composite video. Nothing wrong with composite though, I’m just acquainted to RGB
Interestingly the Saturn came standard with an rgb scart cable in europe, so one could argue that was the intended look the manufacturer wanted (of course, it could just have been a logistics/budget matter).
The Dreamcast on the other hand came with RF only 🤮 Between that and no built in save memory, it felt like a huge downgrade coming from a Saturn.
uk based so RGB was the norm here on tvs...awesome guide though very informative.
@@theeggman4806 thank you! The rest of the world is sync on green with envy
Awesome !!! 😃😃😃
2:16 Video start here! ⚠ 🔌 ⚡
Glad you didn’t skip the safety warning ⚠️
@@MarcoRetro316 I still remember that hype, when people started dismantle microwaves to get transform for woodburn projects. And some kids has accidents of PC power supply when they convert it to "voltage supply"
@@GameBacardi oh lord I remember that fad
very informative! thanks
Thank you!
11:10 Ive never in my life heard from a Scart connection slipping out!
Usually they are so tight that you smash your 50kg TV to the ground trying to pull it out without having hour other hand pushed against the television!
This is a myth from people who never ever witnessed the sheer superiority of Scart.
Usually Americans who feel inferior and must compensate for that big time.
Oh btw this is an absolute amazing video!
@@rolux4853 I’ve only had cheap-o cables slip out but that’s also partly due to the rats nest of wires all tugging on each other. In normal circumstances though there’s enough mechanical support that it doesn’t just magically slip out. Thank you for the comment, much appreciated!
scart looks class!!
@@danielmclaughlin2190 RGB is as good as it gets
@@MarcoRetro316 I'm here in Ireland, Europe, I know!! 😀😀 also, great vid ! I subscribed!
You provide RGB modding crt services? Aussie here
Sorry mate I don’t, I have very little free time
ANOTHER MARCORETRO BANGER
NOT BEATING THE BEST TH-camR ALLEGATIONS
Honestly if i did this mod and become successful without dying i would be cheering like its at football world cup
That was me after my first mod lol
You are 35 years old?!!!! g judging by your voice I thought you were much much younger
@@abdelkaderelbachir3817 good maths! Yep 35
Wow nice idea❤❤❤
IME S-video is superior to RGB/Component for 480i consoles like PS2. RGB fails to blend the shading into a gradient, as a result, RGB looks oversharpened and pixelated, where S-video looks clean and natural.
Yeh the effect of dithering gradients do get lost in RGB. I’ve become accustomed to it but appreciate both looks. I turn on the composite video blending option where I can if playing on the MisterFPGA to get the best of both
I only use rgb scart on a newish led tv but its much better than any other input..
Besides 5 cable component. I had a pokish contact and he made me rgb cables for snes saturn and the wii. But the last one is the component console 😅
@@Nordlicht05 Just before I hopped back into CRT’s I was doing the exact same thing on a 480p panel. Apart from the slow pixel refresh, it looked awesome
@@MarcoRetro316 hi. yea the led TV is, i mean is crap. But it's what i have
I have the same crt 🥰🥰🥰
@@Shrek_pods she’s a beaut
I need to hit the lads up in Shenzen for a FNIRSI-138 PRO
I thank Bob for bringing them to light. Having even a basic scope has been a game changer
thanks CRT Jesus for that message at the end
Amen 🙏
1:40
New Sub: Detroit, Michigan, US
Well Done Sir, this is Awesome!
Thank you!
You didn’t have RGB as late as 2001? Man they really left out on you lots.
We eventually had component but by then it was a roll of the dice if the TV would be 100Hz
@@MarcoRetro316 that’s horrible. Here in Europe I remember we had Scart since the 80s. I remember buying the RGB Scart for my PS1 in 1996 to hook up to my Sony Trinitron. The difference in colour was day and night compared to composite.
Soo lucky, you were playing prime RGB long before most of us born-again CRT gamers. Only a few of our sets had scart, either expensive German brands or the cheaper stuff, not much in between
@@MarcoRetro316 hence why the whole “Mod CRT to output RGB” fad feels so weird to us.
Heck many consumer sets even had two or three Scart outputs.
It’s very weird how the industry evolved in different parts of the world.
We may not have had RGB but we had 50/60Hz
Great video! This gives me the push to finally rgb mod my jvc d series and Sylvania 14" tv!!
Thank you! An RGB mod really elevates a composite-only set. All the best if you go ahead with an RGB mod, be safe and you’ll have some amazing results for sure
i would buy a modded crt
I’d check with the modder if they’ve done a few sets and maybe some pictures of the mod work. It’s definitely a cheaper option to a pro monitor.
@@MarcoRetro316 i see thank you
So glad that since I'm european, it's dead easy to find CRT's with a scart plug on them
CRT utopia
In Brazil its very rare to EVEN FIND a CRT, let alone a 720p one, and if you find, it will cost the price of 10x normal tvs...
Nice video 👍 iam Ahmad from Gamergysyria TH-cam channel
Shokran Ahmad!
First time I connected my PS2 to an HDTV, I said WHY DOES IT LOOKED LIKE ASSSSSSS?
@@WheeledHamster I assume it was hooked up with composite? CRT’s and composite go hand in hand but doesn’t look so nice on an HDTV
God these videos make me laugh.
Im just ganna be that person because i can..
I dont care for RGB.. i am a composite/RF only and looks how the developers ment it look (and it looks great).. sorry not sorry... RGB analog for console is overrated (VGA is a different story)
No need to be sorry at all, that’s your preference and there’s nothing wrong with it. While RF/CVBS is objectively less sharp than RGB there’s definitely an authentic charm to composite on a CRT and it’s how the majority of us, me included, enjoyed our games without complaints. Honestly, thanks for respectively being ‘that person’ lol.
what
Tinkering with CRT is a waste of time, You will never get the quality you desire due to flickering and pixel shifting. Get yourself a mid 2000 videophile video scaler or one of the modern retrotink video processors and use it with an OLED panel, That's where the fun is. For the record home VCRs don't have RGB output active, only Y-C (S-VHS machines) or CVBS.
@@Capturing-Memories Tinkering with a CRT is a waste of time *for you*. Nothing wrong with CRT’s or upscaling either, just preference. Myself and plenty of others are happy with our niche
You say tinkering with crts is a waste of time, I say retrotink is both absurdly overpriced and fails to capture the authentic experience provided by period correct hardware
@@chumba421 There are legacy devices like the Gefen for around $50, I used it with my OLED screen and it blow off CRT’s socks.
LMAO, Crt's have unique pixel density and screen resolution, along with warmer colors and a greater sound also. Leds are boring and blank
@@Capturing-Memories It can "blow crt socks" but you will NEVER get the true CRT screen experience
I won't even watch this video, because the thumbnail is a grossly misconstrued as to how composite NES output really looks.
Holy fuck so on 24/8/2001 you got your own crt tv.
Oh man 2001 doesn’t seem that long ago, i remember like yesterday when sega was still in the console business before they pulled the plug in late march of 2001 and after that things were never gonna be the same again🥲
Yep! 2001 was a good time. Feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago
This video just earned my like and subscribe!