Found a working SCART->HDMI adapter on Amazon

[hueyjones70]

On 4/1/2019 at 11:29 PM, 6BQ5 said:

I have been on the look-out for an alternative to the expensive Framemeister and I am happy to say I found something! Here is a link to the adapter :

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N06Q9WH/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_cWSOCb1TRTAMN&

 

In case the link expires some time in the future just search for this on Amazon:

 

VCANDO SCART to HDMI Converter Video Audio Adapter Box with SCART/HD Switch, PAL/NTSC Video Scaler, 1080P/720P

 

If you search eBay and Amazon long enough then you may find this same device under a different brand name. Compare the product photos carefully.

 

You will need an Atari ST SCART cable. Not all cables are created equal. I have one from Cool Novelties that gives me a noisy, wrinkly picture at either resolution (low or med) and either refresh rate (50 Hz or 60 Hz). I also have one from " kabelheinz" on eBay and it gives a beautiful picture at either resolution and either frequency. Here is a link to the cable :

 

https://ebay.us/jzTlkA

 

The eBay item number is 361509837136. In case that link expires you can search for this title :

 

Atari 260/520/1040ST/MegaST Kabel an RGB SCART 2,0 Meter

 

You may need to diddle with the buttons a bit but it's super simple.

 

• Be sure to set your input to SCART. The default power-on selection is HDMI.
• Experiment with the different output resolutions. It defaults to 1920x1080. Other resolution options include 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1280x720 in that order.
• Set your PAL/NTSC output to match your 50/60 Hz input. In my case a mismatched input frequency makes the screen jump and jitter every so often. Sometimes sync seems to get lost and the picture goes black momentarily. This switch may sting you if you are not careful.

 

There's not much else to it. The device will stretch your 320x200 and 640x200 screens a little on a modern 16:9 monitor but it doesn't necessarily look bad. If your displays allows adjusting the screen to compress it back down then you may be golden. You may enjoy using an older 4:3 ratio monitor as will give a more natural image.

 

How does it compare to Framemeister?

 

I have to say the image quality at low resolution is excellent ... maybe an ever slight step down from Framemeister in some colorful, high contrast situations. Really, only slightly. The picture degrades a bit in medium resolution in more situations. Black text on a white background is a good example. The characters look a little softer than the Framemeister where the picture is razor sharp. You have very little control over your image here whereas the Framemeister lets you set every little settings from input A/D characteristics to sync level sensitivity to adding overscan lines to whatever else you can imagine. Those settings, plus the razor sharp image quality, does set the Framemeister apart. Don't forget the Framemeister has a lot of inputs : SCART, S-video, composite, HDMI1, HDMI2, and D5 plus audio input for S-Video/Composite and for D5. You can save settings for each input onto a SD card for easy retrieval. That's a lot of functionality in one box. It easily works as a central hub for many, many inputs. That's also worth something, especially if you have more than a ST.

 

I did not test high resolution but there isn't much point to that. Just use a VGA cable.

 

This box cost me $40 on Amazon and that seems like a fair price compared to the Framemeister. Add the other 5 inputs at $40/each plus the SD card functionality and the all-in-one convenience and you're right up to the price of a Framemeister. Now, if this box cost less than $40 then it's a true bargain! However, if it costs more than $40 then I would say that it's just less money than a Framemeister. Be sure to compare product photos when looking at alternative converters for less money. Many are missing buttons to control resolution and refresh rate.

This is excellent info. I am thinking about purchasing a 1040.

[rainwarrior]

This thread was extremely useful to me when trying to figure out why my SCART cable wasn't working.

 

I have a 1040 STF and didn't realize the composite sync signal was missing from the output pin. After reading the information in this thread I found there was already a place on the board for the composite sync circuit, right there in the empty area where the modulator unit would have gone if this was an STFM. It even had the resistor and diodes populated already, I just needed to add the transistor, and now the SCART output works great!

Thanks everybody!

[+remowilliams]

On 5/2/2020 at 8:01 PM, Ute said:

A side note: Not all ST's follow this exact silk screen schematic, the one above is for the C070789. Silk screen may be different on another MOBO, but the component values should be the same, for example the C070520

 

Excellent, just came across this while searching this weekend.  I knew that my STF wouldn't work with my SCART cables, and assumed missing csync was the issue.  

 

The motherboard was (I think) C070523 which matched the C070520 info.  Problem solved : )

 

 

 

[oky2000]

Hmmm interesting I was looking for SCART RGB to VGA, didn't need HDMI as such but Optoma (the greatest of all DLP projectors for home use) in the past bundled and interface that scan doubled 15khz etc SCART RGB to VGA non interlace and then you just connected this thing between the SCART output on the device and the VGA cable coming from TV/projector. 

 

If you can find one it will be dirt cheap. Both my modern TVs have a VGA input. Some Trinitrons also had a VGA input, probably apart from horizontal refresh rate it's the same RGB signal.

[monzamess]

I performed the composite sync mod to my 1040STF today. My board looks just like rainwarrior's above.

 

I am using the Cool Novelties SCART cable and this "Mcbazel" version of the HD converter box: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MUNIVRO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I verified that this setup doesn't work without the sync mod, and that it does work with it.

 

I am using a Dell 2001FP monitor which DOES actually sync to the ST using a pass-through ST->VGA cable, however, there are jailbars, the picture in medium res is especially ugly, and of course this monitor requires adjusting the screen position EVERY time the computer resets. I thought I would give this other route a try. 

 

The positive is that the picture going through this setup (ST -> SCART cable -> box -> HDMI-DVI-cable -> 2001FP) looks better than the straight VGA route. However, it's noticeably dimmer than the VGA route even after maxing out the brightness on the monitor. This happens with my Coco3 using the same HD box and monitor as well (brighter uglier picture with VGA, better but dimmer picture with DVI).

 

I appreciate any thoughts on why the picture might be dim; I guess the common elements are the monitor and the HD box so maybe it has nothing to do with the computers or SCART cables. At least now I can try other HD monitors and maybe relegate the 2001FP back to other duties. 

 

 

[rainwarrior]

Mine has a dim signal as well. I just turned up the brightness while using it though.

[monzamess]

11 hours ago, rainwarrior said:

Mine has a dim signal as well. I just turned up the brightness while using it though.

 

Thank you for following up -- still kinda sucks but I'm less likely to think it's something I messed up. 

 

 

[RetroNinjaNV]

On 6/3/2020 at 11:32 AM, bfollowell said:

 

I'm not sure if you just accidentally transposed some numbers, and obviously the ones you used worked, but the diode and transistor numbers you have listed are incorrect. I didn't think I was seeing the same numbers you were listing, but when you posted that last, really clear image of the schematic, that clinched it.

 

The correct part numbers for the diodes is 1N914, not 1N916, and the correct part number for the transistor is 2N3904, not 2N9304.

 

So, to clarify, the required parts list is:

1N914 diodes x2

2N3904 transistor

100 ohm resistor

150 ohm resistor

10K ohm resistor

 

 

Do you recall the wattage rating of the resistors?

 

[bfollowell]

7 hours ago, RetroNinjaNV said:

Do you recall the wattage rating of the resistors?

 

None was ever listed, but I'm not aware of anyone using anything other than a standard 1/4 watt resistor.

 

[RetroNinjaNV]

16 hours ago, bfollowell said:

None was ever listed, but I'm not aware of anyone using anything other than a standard 1/4 watt resistor.

 

Thanks