Retro Gen Adapter

[Ace]

Okay guys, I got an e-mail from the eBay seller I bought the RetroGen Adapter from saying I could ship back the adapter and get it exchanged. I will ship it back tomorrow and will report back once I get my replacement RetroGen Adapter.

[Thunderblaze16]

I can see the seller right now...

[Ace]

I don't think he's like that. I think the guy runs a business on eBay (OmegaCollectibles - based in Ontario), so I'd expect a more professional attitude than that.

[streetsofrage]

Ace I think you should make your own clone console lol

[Ace]

I don't have the know-how yet (unless I make a clone using discrete components), but I really want to make my own clone console, especially an NOAC-based Famiclone compatible with absolutely everything and capable of producing video and audio exactly as a Front-Loader NES would.

But right now, I'm just going to test whatever cloned hardware is out there. And on that note, I'm off to the post office to get my RetroGen Adapter shipped back to the seller I bought it from.

[KnightWarrior]

I hope the one you're getting better then your last one Ace

[Ace]

If my replacement RetroGen Adapter gives me the same problems as the one I sent back, I'm just going to say "screw this" and hold onto it. I'd just use the adapter wherever it works and get a better A/V cable because the one included with the RetroGen Adapter is so prone to interference I can't record any audio samples off of it without the video signal from the adapter getting filled with scrolling lines, something I've never seen anything else do except the RetroGen Adapter. That includes my FC Twin, which has ridiculously cheap A/V cables, but despite this, there's no such interference in the video signal unlike on my RetroGen Adapter.

[chessage]

I did access my TV's service menu, but no matter what settings I tweak, the Composite output still produces bad colors. Adjusting my capture device helps somewhat, but certain pale colors still show up white even though I adjust the video settings on my capture device.

I've tried connecting the European MegaDrive directly to the capture device and via splitter so I can play my games without the delay induced by my capture device. There's no horizontal sync either way.

It doesn't matter what video encoder is used, the video out of every Genesis and Master System I have shows up with no color. Even my Master System II's video shows up with no color(and this thing has RF only - the video comes from my TV's Composite output as the capture device has no RF input, just Composite and S-Video)!

I think I should pull out my 1.8GHz Pentium 4 computer and install my ATI All-in-Wonder Rage 128 to see if it would take the Genesis and Master System's Composite video without having to pass the video signal into the S-Video input.

Yeah, by this point, just switch it out. How good is the 128?

And one last thing: the RetroGen gives my capture device a VERY hard time. It's highly prone to going out of sync on all brightly-colored screens, in particular white and yellow(the latter being Stage 2 in After Burner II). I presume the video signal is too strong?

I doubt it. You could always compare the voltage output of the composite video between consoles using a multimeter.

[Ace]

Yeah, by this point, just switch it out. How good is the 128?

I haven't pulled out my Pentium 4 computer yet, but I'll try to take it out over the weekend and install the All-in-Wonder 128.

I doubt it. You could always compare the voltage output of the composite video between consoles using a multimeter.

While I can't check the RetroGen Adapter's Composite video voltage (I shipped it back on Thursday), I will check the voltage of my stock 1991 VA3 Genesis Model 1's Composite video on a white screen to see what should be the max voltage of the Composite signal.

[KnightWarrior]

Ace - When the Genesis 3 came out or later, How did the Modders know what pin goes to what to get Virtua Racing, 32X snd SMS Games working on it??

Was it Trial & Error thing??

[Ace]

I'm assuming it was through trial and error, though I did do some retracing on my VA4 Genesis Model 2 to locate all the missing signals on the VA1 Genesis 3 since they share the same GOAC.

On the VA2 Genesis 3, I believe it's entirely trial and error. I'm pretty sure that's how the CLK signal on pin B19 was found, and it was by pure accident that Chessage found out you can fake !CE_H on pin B26 by linking it to pin B16.

It's all a matter of trial and error if the hardware is unknown, but if the hardware was used in a different system and the missing signals are actually hooked up, you can just use a multimeter to locate the missing signals.

[KnightWarrior]

Kinda like with the RetroGen, find where to get Virtua Racing working

[Thunderblaze16]

Why is it that every time there's some new retro console that can play Sega Genesis games, we always got to know right away if it can play Virtua Racing?

[Dant]

Why is it that every time there's some new retro console that can play Sega Genesis games, we always got to know right away if it can play Virtua Racing?

Because Virtua Racing compatibility isn't easy to do... and can lead to many other possibilities, including 32X support, and better overall compatibility.

[Ace]

Because Virtua Racing compatibility isn't easy to do... and can lead to many other possibilities, including 32X support, and better overall compatibility.

Isn't easy to do my ass! It's all caused by pure laziness. All you need extra to make Virtua Racing work are TWO signals, the CLK line (usually present as this is required for the Game Genie to work) and !CE_H. Without the former, the Sega Virtua Processor doesn't work at all, and without !CE_H, the Genesis doesn't even recognize the game is there (this is why you don't see the TMSS screen on a VA2 Genesis 3). You can fake !CE_H by linking it with !OE on pin B16, but for whatever f***ing reason, this doesn't seem to work on the TCT-6801 GOAC. Well, it *almost* works, but Virtua Racing glitches up and crashes when the attract mode rolls. I don't know if the RetroGen Adapter has this same issue, but on the RetroN3 (both Version 1 and Version 2) faking !CE_H gets you nowhere. It makes me wonder if !CE_H is actually present on the TCT-6801. I should pull out my VA1.8 Genesis Model 2 I use for experiments and see what happens when pin B26 is linked to pin B16 and !CE_H from the main ASIC is both tied high and tied low. If it's left floating, Virtua Racing runs just fine when pins B26 and B16 are linked together.

As for 32X compatibility, I believe there's only one GOAC which may be capable of this: the SM801-A1. While researching different GOACs, I discovered this particular GOAC has RGB outputs, something which several GOACs supposedly lack. Since the 32X takes the Genesis' RGB and mixes it with its own RGB, if a GOAC-based Geniclone is compatible with the 32X and doesn't have RGB output, the 32X will work, but you can't mix the video signals together by means of the mixing cable. I'm currently trying to see if the TCT6035 and TecToy-580G GOACs have RGB outputs (the newest revisions of the FC3 Plus have the TCT6035 and work with the 32X while the TecToy-580G is present on 2-in-1 Geniclones, notably the Gen-X and GN Twin, though I don't know if the newest revisions use a different GOAC). I'm pretty sure the latter does, but I can't confirm if the former has RGB outputs.