WTB: Original Sophia RGB/Component Video Upgrade (Not Sophia 2)

[cawley1]

Hi all,
A bit of a long-shot, but I am after sourcing an original Sophia RGB upgrade kit. I use an RGB CRT TV, so the DVI Sophia 2 isn't an option for me as I want to run it through a Scart Cable...

 

While I am asking, I wondered, did the original Sophia come in PAL and NTSC versions, or did one board do both?

If anyone can help me out with this, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Paul

 

[flashjazzcat]

Isn't Sophia 2 still perfectly capable of outputting 15KHz RGB video?

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by flashjazzcat

[+Larry]

To be clear, you want an original Sophia with RGB output?  Where do you live (country)?  I believe I have one. PM me.

[Dinadan67]

17 hours ago, cawley1 said:

A bit of a long-shot, but I am after sourcing an original Sophia RGB upgrade kit. I use an RGB CRT TV, so the DVI Sophia 2 isn't an option for me as I want to run it through a Scart Cable...

 

 

Sophia 2 runs fine with Lotharek's Scart cable for the Mist + cheap DVI-I->VGA adapter. I use that to connect my 800XE to a Commodore 1084 Monitor.

 

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I've not tested this...but couldn't you just set the analog mode to YPbPr mode through the config program and then just run wires directly from the analog pins off the Sophia 2 back to whatever? I don't think you 'have' to use the DVI correct? I mean, the analog signals are there and you can set the mode for it...so....?

 

[flashjazzcat]

Well, I have a v1 I'll happily swap for a v2.

[Dinadan67]

37 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I've not tested this...but couldn't you just set the analog mode to YPbPr mode through the config program and then just run wires directly from the analog pins off the Sophia 2 back to whatever? I don't think you 'have' to use the DVI correct? I mean, the analog signals are there and you can set the mode for it...so....?

 

That is exactly what i do, DVI-I has both digital and analog signals, the cheap adapter just connects the analog RGB lines to a standard VGA jack.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

3 minutes ago, Dinadan67 said:

That is exactly what i do, DVI-I has both digital and analog signals, the cheap adapter just connects the analog RGB lines to a standard VGA jack.

I figured as much. The Sophia manual shows where the signals are located off the connector port for the ribbon cable. So instead of using the DVI or ribbon cable at all, just solder the wires you need from the analog signal side to match what you want to use and go from there? So in the OPs case, just set the Sophia 2's analog mode to YPbPr for component and just attach the wires for the R,G,B, and ground lines to your component output jack?

 

[cawley1]

All,

Thanks for the replies - I somehow thought that as the Sophia 2 was DVI, it was only designed for newer flat-screen monitors. It didn't occur to me that you could just use a DVI to VGA adapter and then a Scart cable running off that.

I guess I'll wait until I have a few £ spare and get an order in.

 

A couple of other questions - 

1) I have seen this SAVO connector on eBay (www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125814510031) which replaces the TV modulator. Anyone using this with a Sophia 2 setup? It says on the item description 'Sophia 2 (analog RGB) - partly supported via Sophia 2 to SAVO adapter', I wondered what 'party' means?

2) Do you get sound out of a Sophia 2, or do you need to tap that off the PCB elsewhere?

Thanks again,
Paul

[Dinadan67]

18 minutes ago, cawley1 said:

2) Do you get sound out of a Sophia 2, or do you need to tap that off the PCB elsewhere?
 

No, as you can see in the photo Lotharek's Scart cable gets the audio lines from an 3.5mm audio jack, in my machine connected to Pokeymax v2. 

[flashjazzcat]

Sophia 2 will natively output VGA if that's what you want. It's a question of installing the appropriate jack and internal wiring. I frequently produce - for example - DIN13 to DB9/DB15/RCA cables for VBXE users with multi-sync monitors or those using the VBXE VGA core. The DIN13 includes stereo audio, so there's no need for any additional jacks. You could accomplish this using Sophia 2, which then becomes a better proposition than Sophia 1.