CD32 SVideo Out mini-DIN with 8 pins

[Calgor]

I have received a CD32, but instead of having 4 pins in the SVideo port, it has 8 pins! I have found reference to it here:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/amiga/CD32-FAQ/part2/

"Q: Is there an RGB output on the CD32 to connect my multisync monitor?

A: There are easily accessable RGB signal test points on the CD32's
circuit board. The diagram is at the end of the FAQ. The SX-1 and CD32x
both have RGB connectors on them.

A: Peter Kittel wrote:
If you have the French version of the CD32, you have RGB at the S-Video
jack. In this case, this jack is no more of standard "Hosiden" type,
but is a Mini-DIN with 8 pins. The four extra pins carry R,G,B, and
CSync.

<an159209@anon.penet.fi> wrote:
Cables (maybe with extra logic) are being sold in France, which allow
you to connect your CD32 to a 1084, presumably using that SCART-RGB
output."

"CD32 combined SCART/RGB port (only on French CD32s)...

Well, first you must make sure that you really have the 8-pin version
of that S-Video connector (mini-DIN), this is only existant on the
French version of the CD32. Now if that's ok, then here is the
pinout:

1=Red, 2=Blue, 3=Audio (L or R, don't know), 4=Green, 5=Audio (L or
R), 6=Luminance, 7=CSync, 8=Chroma

Taken from an Email by Peter Kittel, forwarded by Olivier Cremel."


So it looks like I have the French version of the CD32. It is PAL output on the composite, but the port for the TV signal does not exist, the port is covered (even though it came with the RF adapter box). Maybe this has something to do with SECAM being the standard in France, could be the composite output is actually SECAM instead of PAL!

My Svideo cables with 4 pins do not fit. I suppose I might be able to wittle away the plastic blocking it, but I am not sure if the pins may be misaligned damaging the CD32 due to a difference in pinouts.


Does anybody know:
- Where I can get an SVideo cable (or also some other special adapter) which can use this port
- Where I can get a pinout for the 8 pin SVideo port, to check if there are any difference to the standard 4 pin.
- How I can check if the composite and SVideo output is actually PAL as I suspect, or SECAM

EDIT: Added some pinout information, but without required diagram

[Zetr0]

@Calgor

If you could take a hires picture of the bottom of the motherboard i would be able to help

[Calgor]

@Zetr0

I believe that would uncover the mystery. I suppose there is no schematic for the French version. In the CD32 FAQ linked, there is also mention of being able to grab the RGB signals from the motherboard from a test header, so I suppose the board could be looked at from that perspective.

However I am reluctant to open the CD32, even less take out the motherboard considering it seems in such good condition. Thanks for the offer though. Hoping for another way.

[Zetr0]

@calgor

there is always ritual sacrificing.... i find this works for most things of a stubborn nature...

from blood offering to virgins, no sacrifice is too small

[Hewitson]

You could always cut the end off a RCA audio cable, connect the plugs into an amp/tv and shove the wires into the audio sockets on the connector to find out which way the pins are numbered.

Once you've worked out which pins are which, itd only take a few minutes to knock up a cable.

[Calgor]

@Hewitson

Good idea. That will let me figure out the left and right audio channels, and if I connect to the centre pin of RCA into the video port of the composite on the TV, it should let me also figure out which one is the luminance (Y) signal. To hook up the chroma (C) to the RCA, I need a 470uF capacitor in between.

http://pinouts.ru/VideoCables/svideo2RCA_pinout.shtml

Interesting there is no ground in the 8 pin svideo pinout as the standard 4 pin svideo has, would that not make the SVideo output worse?

[alexh]

You _DO_ have a French cd32. The 8-pin mini DIN and no modulator gives it away. If you were to open it up, this is what you would see:



The standard pin numbering for the rear view of a male 8-pin MiniDin plug is as follows:



The numbers just read from left to right starting at the bottom row and going up.

[Calgor]

@alexh

Is there such a thing as a standard pin numbering? Where did you get your pinout from? The standard svideo has the numbers going the opposite way, from left to right as you are looking at the male cable connector.

The 7-pin Svideo for Apple Macs has pins 1-4 in same position as standard 4-pin svideo, with the extra 3 pins in the middle.

[alexh]

Originally Posted by Calgor

Is there such a thing as a standard pin numbering?

Every reference I have found have the same pin numbering for 8-pin MiniDIN connectors. I found about 5 references.

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Source 4

Originally Posted by Calgor

Where did you get your pinout from?

I don't remember the exact site. I saw several with pinouts numbered both ways (left to right and right to left) and this one was the first one I came across which validated the orientation of the plug.

The standard svideo has the numbers going the opposite way, from left to right as you are looking at the male cable connector.

This too has the numbers the other way round when you are looking at the male cable connector.

I'll double check

[Calgor]

Yes, all the links do have it going in the same pattern as the standard svideo connector (left to right starting from bottom left row when looking at the male cable connector).

From your word description, I interpreted it the other way around.

Thanks for the pinouts. I will still verify the pinouts with wires connecting to RCA plugs.

I am surprised there is no ground, I wonder if the pinouts descriptions from the CD32 faq could be mistaken. Is there any possible damage connecting the ground pin from the svideo jack to the wrong place?

[alexh]

Isn't the shield ground?

[Calgor]

Hmmm... yes I guess that could be obvious..... but then why does the standard svideo have 2 of the 4 pins as ground? Separate ground wires give better signal? Anyone actually have one of these French CD32s and uses a cable with it?

[Jope]

Originally Posted by Calgor

Hmmm... yes I guess that could be obvious..... but then why does the standard svideo have 2 of the 4 pins as ground? Separate ground wires give better signal? Anyone actually have one of these French CD32s and uses a cable with it?

If you have a good quality s-video cable, it has a shield and then two coaxial wires inside it.

[Stedy]

Hi,

I just checked the V4 CD32 schematics (SECAM version) the pinout appears correct except that pins 3 and 5 do not have audio but are connected to ground. My copy of the CD32 schematics is a 3rd/4th gen photocopy on A4!

A standard Y-C video cable will work as the Luminance (Y) and Chrominance (C) signals are in the correct place.

With some PC graphics cards, there are adaptors that convert from the 8 pin connector on the card to the 4 pins used by the TV, one of these cables should work.These cables should also be available from all good stockists.

[Calgor]

@Stedy

Excellent! Any chance you are able to scan in those schematics?

But I think the output may be PAL, not SECAM. My understanding is that SECAM (through an RCA at least) should show up as black and white on a PAL TV as the luminance is the same, but the colour encoding is different.

On the composite connection, my LCD TV specifies it as PAL (although it says it handles SECAM too, so maybe TV is incorrect).

[Stedy]

@Calgor,

It'll take me a week or two to get round to scanning in the V4 CD32 schematics as I'm a bitu busy with another 2 projects at the moment. The scanned images would need a lot of touching up before publishing!

SECAM video should show up in black and white on a PAL TV. SECAM is weird it does not use a colourburst. I'd just about understood how to extract colour information from PAL/NRSC when I looked at SECAM!

So is the CD32 working with the TV now via the Mini-din connector?

[Calgor]

@ Stedy

That's okay, no rush. I have plenty of things to do beforehand. CD32 packed away right now. I tried the composite on my LCD monitor and it said PAL, and it was in colour. Will try it on the 1084S which is PAL only - that should tell the story.

[Stedy]

@Calgor

Goto http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/Amiga/sc...chematics.html the schematics are now online.

Ian

[Calgor]

Just tried it with a standard svideo cable with the plastic rectangle plug removed so it fits, and svideo out works beautifully. So it matches the schematics provided by Stedy (and the CD32 FAQ is wrong). My LCD monitor detects it as PAL just like for the composite. Just got an 8pin min-din plug so will eventually use it to make a custom cable for the RGB out.