FS: mini SLG 2X (scanline generator) (Colorado, USA)

[CraftyMech]

The mini SLG is an inexpensive, and compact scanline generator that is compatible with devices that output a standard VGA signal @ 640x480 (preferred) & 1024x768 resolutions.

• Male/Female VGA connectors. Simply plug one end into your video source, and the other into your monitor cable.
• ON/OFF switch. Enable scanlines or pass through video signal unaffected.
• Compact. Only 2.25″ inches in length.

For 15k RGB sources, a VGA converter such as the GBS-8200 is required.
The mini SLG is not compatible with ArcadeSD or JROK Multi-Williams boards.

mini SLG 2 - $29 USD + shipping

Buy now from Paradise Arcade Shop!


UCA Award Winner 2012
Best Hardware

Over 900 sold.



Pac-Man (60-in-1 board) on an LCD @ 640x480


Fatal Fury 2 (Neo Geo MVS board) on a CRT @ 640x480 using a GBS-8200 CGA->VGA converter


Feedback from users of the mini SLG

"Crafty is offering a great product at a great price. Highly recommend." - Le Chuck

"That was fast! I hooked one up, and was immediately impressed. They work great! Thanks, CM!" - yotsuya

"Took me all of 10 seconds to install. Great price for a well made easy to use gadget." - MameMaster

"tossed one onto my 60 in 1 ... and the picture looks much, much better." - paigeoliver

"Installed mine today on Little Ms. Pac-Man, I absolutely love it." - griffindodd

"Great little device, small footprint, and excellent results. Pretty fantastic!" - Malenko

"I was transported back 20 years in an instant and gave me such a nostalgic feeling. I can't recommend this product highly enough." - termin8tor @ bartopmania.com

"The Mini is the best for price/value ratio" - TheDude @ bartopmania.com

"awesome little device!!! A lot cheaper then they SLG-3000 and works great!" - Almighty @ bartopmania.com

"Suddenly rather than looking very low res and blocky they are back to true (well as close as I'm going to get) arcade style graphics." - Richard

"I just got the miniSLG, it looks awesome on my TV and really cleans up the snes games" - A.H.

[Le Chuck]

I'm a satisfied tester and user. Crafty is offering a great product at a great price. Highly recommend.

[CraftyMech]

Thanks Le Chuck for the endorsement!

I have one order slot left for shipping on Friday Dec 28, otherwise the next batch of shipments will be the following week. If only I had a workshop full of little elves

[Nephasth]

I'll volunteer to build a batch!

[CraftyMech]

Well I was thinking a room full of magical elves...

[brained]

Wow, that's a really nice project. When I'm almost done with my rig I'll get one.... Nice job

[MameMaster!]

Just ordered 2. 

[CraftyMech]

I am on schedule to ship out the first batch of orders on Friday. The elves have been busy over Christmas building mini SLGs !

PS - In the photos of the mini SLG I've posted here and in my project thread, you'll notice there are not screws/posts on the VGA connectors. The screws that came packaged with the shells I am using were not thumbscrews (required small screwdriver) and I realized they were a pain to work with. To keep the cost of the mini SLG low, I decided not to try and source replacement thumbscrews.

[yotsuya]

I came back from my Moon Patrol adventure to see that my miniSLGs had arrived. That was fast! I hooked one up, and was immediately impressed. They work great! Thanks, CM!

[CraftyMech]

Great to hear Yotsuya!

Thanks to everyone who has ordered, I've sold a total of 25 units so far. I have plenty of parts on hand to build more units!

To celebrate the start of 2013, I am offering the metalized plastic case version of the mini SLG for the same price as the black/beige model. This deal will last until Jan 7th, so if you like your VGA adapters shiny, now is your chance!

[Le Chuck]

Great to hear Yotsuya!

Thanks to everyone who has ordered, I've sold a total of 25 units so far. I have plenty of parts on hand to build more units!

To celebrate the start of 2013, I am offering the metalized plastic case version of the mini SLG for the same price as the black/beige model. This deal will last until Jan 7th, so if you like your VGA adapters shiny, now is your chance!

Put me down for a shiny!

[MameMaster!]

Wow i got mine and it works exactly as advertised!

Took me all of 10 seconds to install. Great price for a well made easy to use gadget. Thanks! 

[CraftyMech]

Awesome MameMaster!

Happy 2013 to everyone, I've been busy building mini SLGs and catching up on orders. And a few extra zzzzs as well, staying up late into the morning is not as easy as it used to be!

[ashio83]

Hey CraftyMech, great work. I'm interested in making an order but I cannot PM you, maybe because I do not have enough posts I'm thinking.

[CraftyMech]

Hey CraftyMech, great work. I'm interested in making an order but I cannot PM you, maybe because I do not have enough posts I'm thinking.

I think you are right, it takes 5 posts I think before PMs are enabled for new members.

No worries though, you can also email me your request to: orders@craftymech.com

thanks!

[CraftyMech]

Orders continue to be steady, and I'm shipping out packages every day.

I'm very methodical about the build process, and test each unit on multiple hardware setups, so it is taking a bit more time than I planned per unit. I'm also switching my supplier for the VGA connectors and that will increase my parts cost slightly.

So with the above in mind I wanted to give everyone a heads up that effective Jan 15th, the price of the mini SLG will increase to $18 + shipping for one unit (two-pack & three-pack deal prices will be adjusted accordingly). I think this is still a good deal, and strikes a better balance between the time I invest in each unit, and the price I'm asking.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this project so far!

[RichardL]

Hi,
am I doing something wrong?

I just created an account and clicked on CM's profile to send a PM and the board is telling me I don't have access to that function?

[BadMouth]

Hi,
am I doing something wrong?

I just created an account and clicked on CM's profile to send a PM and the board is telling me I don't have access to that function?

You can't PM until you have a certain number of posts.
5 IIRC.

[CraftyMech]

Hi,
am I doing something wrong?

I just created an account and clicked on CM's profile to send a PM and the board is telling me I don't have access to that function?

Hi Richard, you can also send me an email at orders@craftymech.com if the PM function is not working for you yet.

[paigeoliver]

Got mine today, tossed one onto my 60 in 1 (which was running a VGA CRT monitor) and the picture looks much, much better.

[CraftyMech]

Got mine today, tossed one onto my 60 in 1 (which was running a VGA CRT monitor) and the picture looks much, much better.

Great news, glad the package arrived quickly. The mini SLG definitely improves an LCD display, but I think it really shines on a CRT. I have a neglected bartop project in the works that will use an uncased 14" CRT, and the 60-in-1 board display looks really nice through the SLG.

And if anyone wants the silver metalicized plastic shell, they will be a color choice until I run out of them for no extra cost. I have about 20 of those shiny cases left, so just let me know when you order if you would like one.

[Furry131]

Payment sent!!!! I'll take whatever color you wanna give me. I won't be seeing it so I'm not worried

[paigeoliver]

Yeah, I said the same thing. This thing is hidden where no one will ever see it, so I could care less about color.

Payment sent!!!! I'll take whatever color you wanna give me. I won't be seeing it so I'm not worried

[CraftyMech]

I'm thinking of just offering the black case after I run out of the beige and shiny cases. When offered a choice, most everyone picks black, or doesn't have a preference.

[BadMouth]

I'm thinking of just offering the black case after I run out of the beige and shiny cases. When offered a choice, most everyone picks black, or doesn't have a preference.

For something that isn't going to be seen, I don't think there is much point in offering 3 colors.

Most monitors today are black.  I can see people not wanting a beige connector on the back.

[yotsuya]

CM, send me an invoice for 1 more! I'll take a shiny at no additional cost! 

[yotsuya]

Bump for a great seller and an even greater product! Just ordered my fourth one!

[TopJimmyCooks]

Does it have to be at the monitor end of the VGA cable or is it ok on the computer end?  Looking forward to getting mine although I'll have to do some disassembly to switch from DVI to VGA cabling. 

[paigeoliver]

Mine is installed at the source end not the monitor end.

Does it have to be at the monitor end of the VGA cable or is it ok on the computer end?  Looking forward to getting mine although I'll have to do some disassembly to switch from DVI to VGA cabling.

[TopJimmyCooks]

10-4 thanks.

[CraftyMech]

You could install the mini either way, but I would recommend installing at the source end. If for no other reason than to be connected directly to the VGA signal, so any cabling problems/interence won't effect the performance of the unit.

Thanks, Yotsuya! And thanks to everyone who has ordered, I've built and shipped nearly 50 units. I believe in simple gadgets that just get the job done, so I've been excited to hear the enthusiastic feedback.

[CraftyMech]

Just a reminder that the price for the mini is increasing by $3 after today. The new price for a single unit will be $18 + shipping (the 2-pack and 3-pack deal prices will be updated accordingly). I'll update the first post in the thread with the new price list tomorrow. The small increase strikes a better balance between the time & cost to build and test each unit, and the selling price.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this project so far!

[yotsuya]

No problem. I think it's a great project and I hope to see other similar projects come out of you and this board. 

[griffindodd]

Installed mine today on Little Ms. Pac-Man, I absolutely love it.



Sent from my pocket ZX81

[Furry131]

Just got mine thanks!!!!

[Malenko]

too late to get it for 18 shipped?

[CraftyMech]

too late to get it for 18 shipped?

No problem Malenko, send me a PM with your email address and I'll honor the $18 shipped price.

I'm about to update the price list in the first post of this thread, so you are just in time

[CraftyMech]

New price list, effective today is:

mini SLG - $18 USD + shipping

mini SLG 2 pack - $32 USD + shipping

mini SLG 3 pack - $46 USD + shipping

Shipping (First Class): $3 USA, $5 Canada, $12 UK/Europe

[joeH]

Forgive me for posting this question in both threads:

I use a 24" LCD to fool around with MAME and other emulators.  However, the same monitor is also used for my home server.  I'm assuming from what you are saying that when the PC sends a native 1920x1200 signal, the SLG won't work.  But if I start up an emulator, say MAME for example, and set the config for MAME to start up a game at 640x480, it will work?  That way the scanlines only appear when emulation is started?

Also, will the SLG still work with an HDMI to VGA adapter?

Thanks!

[CraftyMech]

Hey Joe, you are correct that if MAME sets the VGA resolution to 640x480 (or 1024x768), then the mini SLG will add scanlines to the image. If you have a MAME front-end and don't want scanlines for those screens, just run the front-end at a higher resolution than 1024x768.

I have not tested a mini SLG with a HDMI video card w/ VGA adapter, but as long as the adapter puts out a standard VGA signal, then scanlines should be added to the image (provided the resolution is compatible as mentioned above). However, depending on the quality of the adapter, it is possible there may be some interference in the signal that would impact the mini SLGs performance. For best results I always recommend hooking the mini SLG directly to the video source, running at 640x480 resolution.