LCD with SLG or Trinitron TV?

[Dawgz Rule]

I am starting to plan out my next build which will be a time soldiers rebuild.  I have a couple of display options and was looking for opinions:

Option 1 - I have a 19" LCD with and could add an SLG.
Option 2 - I found a 24" Sony Trinitron that I can pick up for $20 that has S-Video and Component inputs.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Rick]

Option 1 - I have a 19" LCD with and could add an SLG.
Option 2 - I found a 24" Sony Trinitron that I can pick up for $20 that has S-Video and Component inputs.

24" sounds quite big, tbh. You mention "rebuild". Is it an original cab? If so, what's the original monitor size?

[Dawgz Rule]

No cabinet.  Just have the conversion kit as the person selling it was going to convert the cabinet.  Based on the original bezel, looks to be 19".  My plan is to build a new cabinet around the CP.  Just wasn't sure if the 24" would look more authentic than a LCD with SLG. 

[rCadeGaming]

Would a real CRT look more authentic compared to an LCD with an SLG?  Yes.  No question.

Keep in mind that a 15kHz CRT TV can display all the real arcade resolutions that a 15kHz arcade monitor can.  You can't get much more authentic than that.

If the TV is only $20, at least pick it up and try it out with an RGB to component transcoder.  Whatever transcoder you use (and video card if you need one) will be resellable on eBay if you don't want to stick with it.

Actually, are you talking about using MAME or a real PCB?  The TV and transcoder will work with a PCB.  If you're using MAME, I'd recommend using CRT_Emudriver in XP 64.  Don't bother with s-video out from a graphics card if you're looking for authenticity.

[Dawgz Rule]

Thank you.  In this case I am going with the PCB.   Yeah, for $20 I was thinking I should pick it up anyway.   It is an ideal size for any number of projects. 

[rCadeGaming]

Cool.  One thing to watch out for is that the video signal levels coming out of the PCB may be up to 5v, whereas an RGB to component transcoder will be expecting lower levels, usually only 0.7v on the RGB lines and 1v on the sync lines.  This just means you might need to run these signals through some resistors to make sure the picture isn't way too bright.  I'd use some tweaker potentiometers so you can dial it in just right.

Need any recommendations on transcoders?  You'll need a proper RGB to component transcoder to see the quality RGB picture the PCB puts out.  Any kind of composite or s-video "converter" will ruin it.

I'm not familiar with your other projects, so let me know if I'm telling you a bunch of stuff you already know.

[Dawgz Rule]

Certainly would appreciate any recommendations.  PCB's is whole new world for me but I would like to put the board to use. 

[rCadeGaming]

This is what I use:

http://www.crescendo-systems.com/transcoder.html

I use the TC1600 VGA to component transcoder (scroll down a bit), which is a little more expensive, but the TC1500 will also do the job very well.  It just lacks some optional adjustments that most people will probably never use with game hardware.

A cheaper option than either of those, but one that still works very well, is a CVS-287 RGB SCART to component transcoder:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SCART-RGB-to-YPbPr-Component-Video-Converter-Scaler-/370695549217?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item564f2d3121

There are also transcoders available from RCA, Audio Authority, and JS technologies, but it hasn't been confirmed that these will work consistently with arcade resolutions, so they should be avoided.  Other users have actually had a lot of problems with the RCA unit; the other two are just unconfirmed.  I have personally tested the TC1500/1600 and the CVS-287 extensively and haven't found any problems.

Whichever one you use, find the red video, green video, blue video, composite sync, and ground lines coming off of your PCB.  As I said, you'll probably need to run each (except ground) through a resistor or potentiometer to bring down their signal levels, so that the final picture on the TV isn't too bright.  Next you have to connect these lines to a connector that you can plug into the transcoder.

The CVS-287 uses a SCART connection.  So you'll need a SCART connector you can solder to.  Look up the SCART pinout, and you'll find a diagram of what each pin does.  Connect your red, green, blue, and sync lines to the appropriate pins.  There will be several ground pins in the SCART pinout.  Just tie them all together and connect your ground line to that.  Ignore the rest of the pins.

The TC1500/1600 uses a VGA connection.  So you'll need a VGA connector (DB-15HD) you can solder to.  Look up the VGA pinout, and you'll find a diagram of what each pin does.  Connect your red, green, and blue lines to the appropriate pins.  You'll notice that the VGA pinout uses separate pins for horizontal and vertical sync, but most PCB's output composite sync, meaning the two are combined onto one line.  The TC1500/TC1600 can use composite sync if you connect it to the horizontal sync pin.  There will be several ground pins in the VGA pinout, just tie them all together and connect your ground line to that.  Ignore the rest of the pins.

Then just connect the output of the transcoder to the TV with a standard component cable, and you're good to go.

Let me know if you need links to the parts you'll need.

[Dawgz Rule]

Thank you.  Your info is a great help.  Should be picking up the TV today.  The model number is KV24SF100 so I think I have a pretty good find.

[rCadeGaming]

No prob 

Yup. that's a great model.  Pretty much a 24" version of what I use.  Be sure to get the remote so you can get into the service menu.  If they don't have it, you can get one for a few dollars on eBay.

[Dawgz Rule]

Got the TV but without the remote.  I might be OK though because I actually have some old Sony remotes that may do the trick. 

[rCadeGaming]

Yup, they were all interchangeable for many years.  The important thing is if you can get into the service menu, that's where you'll need to adjust your geometry to fit the PCB's video output.  Try turning the TV off, then press display, 5, volume +, power (in order, not all at once), and the TV should turn back on with a bunch of green numbers and letters at the top. 

Here is the service manual for that model range:

http://elektrotanya.com/sony_kv-24fs100_25fs100_ba-6_chassis.pdf/download.html

That will tell you a lot of important things, including how to use the service manual. 

Whatever you do, do NOT initialize to factory defaults, which is done by pressing 8, enter.  This can brick your set. 

One thing you do want to do is save your changes to memory after making adjustments, by pressing muting, enter.  If you forget that step, your changes will be lost when the TV is unplugged.

[Dawgz Rule]

Awesome.  Thank you.