Haig is a legend (aka TV related pin-outs uncovered)

[waxling]

Just wanted to tell you all about what I've sussed out about the TV-out feature
of the G400 DH. </p>


It all began when I was fiddling with the settings of the TV clone option,
in order to get the cruddy composite lead I used to perform a bit better. I
noticed a mention of RGB SCART under : Display Properties -&gt; Advanced -&gt;
DualHead -&gt; Desktop TV settings / DVDMax TV settings.

The problem is that we only get supplied with a cable that passes the composite
and s-video signals. This relegates those of us without a s-video capable TV
to use a much lower quality composite signal. Anyone who knows anything about
video signals knows that in the order of quality it goes:</p>


tv signal--------composite--------------------------------------------s-video------RGB
and YUV.</p>


low-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------high</p>


This quality is also reflected in the length of conductor that can be used
before there is noticable degradation. The more you separate the signals the
less degradation there is over longer distances. </p>


&nbsp;</p>


Solution: several emails to Tech Support and hijacking someone elses thread
to finally get the attention of Haig. the patron saint of MURC. With his help
and a trusty multi meter I've managed to work out the following pin assignments.

</p>
<table width="452" border="1" align="center">
<tr>
<td width="23%">Job</td>
<td width="19%">SCART pin No.</td>
<td width="36%">7Pin Mini-DIN / Composite lead Pin No.</td>
<td width="22%">VGA Pin No.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">Sync on composite</td>
<td width="19%">20 </td>
<td width="36%">composite lead</td>
<td width="22%">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">Ground</td>
<td width="19%">17</td>
<td width="36%">composite lead gnd</td>
<td width="22%">5,6,7,8,10,shell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">RGB Red</td>
<td width="19%">15</td>
<td width="36%">3</td>
<td width="22%">1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">Red gnd</td>
<td width="19%">13</td>
<td width="36%">1</td>
<td width="22%">5,6,7,8,10,shell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%" height="21">RGB Green</td>
<td width="19%" height="42">11</td>
<td width="36%" height="42">4</td>
<td width="22%" height="42">2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%" height="21">Green gnd</td>
<td width="19%" height="42">9</td>
<td width="36%" height="42">2</td>
<td width="22%" height="42">5,6,7,8,10,shell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">RGB Blue</td>
<td width="19%">7</td>
<td width="36%">5</td>
<td width="22%">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">Blue gnd</td>
<td width="19%">5</td>
<td width="36%">1</td>
<td width="22%">5,6,7,8,10,shell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">RGB Enable</td>
<td width="19%">16</td>
<td width="36%">6</td>
<td width="22%">13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="23%">En gnd</td>
<td width="19%">18</td>
<td width="36%">3</td>
<td width="22%">5,6,7,8,10,shell</td>
</tr>
</table>


Now before you get out your soldering iron, there are a few problems. The first,
is the availability of the 7 pin min-din connector. Here in Australia, It just
don't exist. The part is made by Singatron, part no. MSP7M and the Australian
distributor has no idea of how to get it. Maybe it's more available in Canada.
I believe that is may be possible to make an equivalent out of a standard 9
pin mini-din but I haven't tried yet. </p>


Without this connector, there are only two other ways of rigging it up. By
cutting off the connector and wiring up the cables directly, or by wiring up
the SCART / RGB directly to a VGA connector. Both of these methods have caveats(
I tried them both). By cutting off the connector you can introduce weakness
and you destroy the cable. (an alternative may be to splice) The problem with
using your own VGA connector is that there is some form of circuitry inside
the 'dongle' which tells the card to enable TV-out. This must be present when
the machine is booting up (I think) as I could only get the cable to work when
the original cable was in on boot up, then replaced once Windows started. DOS
mode tv-out does not affect this. I'll have to wait a few weeks to find out
what is actually happening there (exams)...</p>


To work out the pin assignments see:</p>


<a href="http://www.gamesx.com/hwb/co_SVideo.html">S-video</a> - the 7 pin
connector uses the same pin assignments, 5 is next to 1, 6 is next to 2, so
that 1,5,6,2 form a row across the top of the locator tab, with 5 and 6 slightly
offset towards 2. Pin 7 is between 3 and 4. (sorry I can't put up a picture
yet)</p>


<a href="http://www.gamesx.com/hwb/co_Scart.html">SCART</a></p>


<a href="http://www.gamesx.com/hwb/co_VGA15.html">Video</a></p>




I'll update this as I find out more....</p>


Hope this info helps.</p>

Thanks to Haig and Daniel at Tech support.


BTW Disclaimer, Disclaimer.........</p>

[Smiff]

{in a voice like The Cat from Red Dwarf}

Bloody Hell! Er, is that good or bad?!



[This message has been edited by Smiff (edited 30 October 1999).]

[elsub]

Spent a whole day trying to built a DB-15 to scart RGB cable.
I got badly burnt, almost went blind and my soldering iron died : coulndn't get any signal thru.

Your post is a godsend.

[bag_it]

Take a look in any large electronics catalogue, trade or commercial. You should find them there.

Loads of companies make them (Yamaichi, Bulgin, Molex, etc).

A hint for minidin connectors: try not to use them, UNLESS you have the correct crimping tool as the crimps are really akward (SP!) to crimp correctly. They are a sod to wire up....

robert.

--
Robert Hodkinson, SF nut and a Render-head. www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/5939
reply email is bag.it@cableol.co.uk

[smitr]

Thank you very much bin tring to get TV out to work, no reply from Matrox. But now that you mention it I did not have the TV out cable pluged in at startup. Will try this at home tonight.

PS Try Farnell(south of Granvill) or RS components(nearer the city) for those conectors both companies are in Sydney and do diliveries. they sell to trads/profesinals so don't tell them otherwise.

[waxling]

Yeah

I've already tried Farnell (they're also the largest catalogue reseller in Oz, we use them heaps at work, Uni IT dept.) they put me onto the Australian distributor. They had no idea, even afer I gave them the product code. If they don't have it no-one will.

Also, I'm now certain there is some form of circuit in the VGA connector (or at least a trick to it) of the original TV-out cable. I used the exact same cable, but I replaced my vga connector with a 'headless' original matrox vga connector, which was then detected on boot up.

Haig, if your reading, can you confirm this?

[neanderthal]

Hi Waxling, I noticed a posting on Alt.comp.periphs.videocards.matrox by someone called Maxey, this had the pinouts for a G400 DH VGA->SCART/RGB connector.

He said to short pins 12 & 15 on the VGA plug. He doesn`t mention why, but perhaps this creates the "dongle" effect. I`m gonna try this out if I get some time this week.

[LAMFDTK]

[Meek]

LAMFDTK, I suppose you mean you have better looking games on that rig than on your PC?

Anyway, since the G400 has the option to specify RGB as the output format, it would seem obvious that they would have also a corresponding cable to sell...

Has anyone asked them about this?

M.

[Haig]

Hi guys,

I'm not positive about this but I think that by shorting out those 2 pins will either have something to do with a sync or it tells our board that there's a scart cable attached to it.

Haig

[waxling]

Well, now I feel like a real fool.

After harassing Haig with countless emails, I've found what I was after IN THE FREAKIN MANUAL ON THE CD!!!!! DOH.
(/DOC/English/Guide/Guide_en.pdf page 41)


Well thats my first RTFM...

Sorry Haig. And thanks for all your help.