32X fuzzy Picture

[philiptwood]

I have about 3 32X units, but only one of them works the way it should. I've played with it for years and sort of tolerated the fuzzy image that it gives out, because the unit is very hard to come by in my neck of the woods. I know I've cleaned the cartrige slot of both the 32x and the Sega Genesis and still the image comes off fuzzy. I've hooked it up to both the old model Geny and the new model, but still I get a fuzzy image. Has anyone else experience this or know what causes this to happen?

[kgenthe]

What kind of cable are you using? A composite cable should give a pretty decent picture, RF is awful.

[kool kitty89]

Fuzzy as in blurry like composite video on the genesis, or noisy more like RF?

If noisy, that happens with some 32x units I beleive, apparently due to some componensts creating excessive interferance and close proximity to the video circuitry. (kind of like the NES2) I think it can be fixed by replacing one or 2 components (simple discrete comonents iirc), but I don't remember the sprcifics.

I think the noise is present in the RGB signals as well, so switching to RGB/transcoded to YPbPr wouldn't solve that either, I think.

I'm sore others (probably ooXxXoo) know more on this.

[doomguy]

i had a similar problem open up the 32x and you will see a white ribbon cable even tho it looks like its plugged in fine it often isnt just carefully unplug and plug it back in on both ends worked for my audio and video issues

[philiptwood]

Fuzzy as in blurry like composite video on the genesis, or noisy more like RF?

If noisy, that happens with some 32x units I beleive, apparently due to some componensts creating excessive interferance and close proximity to the video circuitry. (kind of like the NES2) I think it can be fixed by replacing one or 2 components (simple discrete comonents iirc), but I don't remember the sprcifics.

I think the noise is present in the RGB signals as well, so switching to RGB/transcoded to YPbPr wouldn't solve that either, I think.

I'm sore others (probably ooXxXoo) know more on this.

More or less like something is interfearing with the image... The sound and music is great, but some games come off with a fuzzy image. I've gotten use to it by now, but it would be nice to get rid of that and have a clear image.

What kind of cable are you using? A composite cable should give a pretty decent picture, RF is awful.

I doubt that one bit... It wouldn't be the first I've had problems with an RF switch. I've used it for years and every now and then I'll run into the RF switch making images from my cable box blurry. The thing about is that it works fine with the model 2 Genesis and of course the old model uses a different outlet then second model... I don't usually have any trouble with the old model RF's, but with the 32X you have use the model 2 RF's.

i had a similar problem open up the 32x and you will see a white ribbon cable even tho it looks like its plugged in fine it often isnt just carefully unplug and plug it back in on both ends worked for my audio and video issues

I'll give it shot... I'll open one of the other 2 broke 32X units to see what I'm doing before I monkey around with the one good that does work. I might luck out on fixes one of them. LOL

[kool kitty89]

I wouldn't bother with RF at all if possible, the only reason I put up with it on my genesis is because I've been a bit lazy about making an a/v cable, and deciding how I want to go about my s-video mod. (I want to use the DE-9 exp port on my model 1) That and I have C-type 8-pin DIN connectors and need to modify them into U-shaped ones. (ie heat the plastic retainer and adjust the bottom 2 pins)

I would have bought a cable outright for the model 2 given that they're cheap, it's the only way to get stereo, and the connector is non-standard. (or, if I got an RF connector with stereo pins, I'd hack that into an AV cable)

Model 2 RF boxes are known to be funky (they're not just switchboxes, but modulators as well, hence plugging into the AV port), then again the modulators on model 1s tend to be kind of funky as well. (opposed to NES/SNES, TG-16, and some Atari stuff, my heavy sixer isn't really any better) A good TV (especially some high-end older ones) can completely remove moderate RF noise. (as I've mentioned before, a freind's Zenith AS3 makes my genesis look awesome though RF, almost s-video like -so great comb filter too, with AFT set to variable -that's automatic fine tuning; set to fixed it's got the normal rf noise though)

[oshvision]

Try using the av pinouts and hook a wire to the composite video to the yellow av jack and plug the l/r red/ white jacks from the sega cd into the other 2 pins to complete the scart adpator, works for me!

[kool kitty89]

Why would SCART come into play, he's in the US? (otherwise he could be using RGB ...)
Just use standard (and pretty inexpensive) model 2/3/32x/CDx stereo a/v cables instead.

[oshvision]

Why would SCART come into play, he's in the US? (otherwise he could be using RGB ...)
Just use standard (and pretty inexpensive) model 2/3/32x/CDx stereo a/v cables instead.

oh yer, well its the same exept it would be an RGB cable for red/ green/ blue colours, different pins on the 32x pinout though! More wires

[philiptwood]

Well I finally opened up the 32X unit and found that some of the components on the inside have rusted a little... Apparently the system have either been sitting out in the addict much too long or I picked up a bad one at a local fleamarket... I have three of them, one of them is the original I had when it first came out and the other two are a couple of units I found at a local fleamarket... But the one I'm using that does work has a little rust in it so I figure it's probably hindering some current in the system some kind of way. I mean don't get me wrong, the 32x works like a charm, it's just the picture is fuzzy. I've cleaned the cartridge slots pretty good so I know it isn't that; it has to be the rust.

[kool kitty89]

oh yer, well its the same exept it would be an RGB cable for red/ green/ blue colours, different pins on the 32x pinout though! More wires

Component video isn't RGB unfortunately. VGA is the only standard analog RGB input on North American TVs, and that isn't supposed to support 15 kHz hsync. (multimedia monitors do tend to have RGB inputs though) The red/gree/blue RCA cables are YPbPr, not RGB.

Well I finally opened up the 32X unit and found that some of the components on the inside have rusted a little... Apparently the system have either been sitting out in the addict much too long or I picked up a bad one at a local fleamarket... I have three of them, one of them is the original I had when it first came out and the other two are a couple of units I found at a local fleamarket... But the one I'm using that does work has a little rust in it so I figure it's probably hindering some current in the system some kind of way. I mean don't get me wrong, the 32x works like a charm, it's just the picture is fuzzy. I've cleaned the cartridge slots pretty good so I know it isn't that; it has to be the rust.

You shoud try cleaning the rust from any important contacts. (though rust would most likely be on the RF sheild mainly, the circuit board could be all copper or tinned/gold plated copper)

Have you looked inside the non functioning 32xs? (maybe the ribbon cable trick is all they need, or some other obvious problem exposed by visual inspection)


I still say try composite video. If resistance is a problem at all, RF will be even more problematic due to the onboard modulator (in the switch box for M2/3/32x) will draw power from the +5 volt pin on the A/V port. M2 composite cables are cheap, and if you're using a model 1 genesis, no need for stereo cables either. (just use the headphone jack -which would also be fine for stereo with RF with separate stereo amp/speakers)

[philiptwood]

Ok I cleaned out most of my cartridge by dipping some cotton swabs into some "91% Isopropyl Alcohol (back rubbing alcohol)" including the 32X cartridge contacts and the Sega CD cart contacts... That seemed to have reduce some of the fuzzyness, but not all; it's a big improvement from what it was before I cleaned everything so that help out a bunch. I am becoming more and more convinced that the RF switch is partly to blame for the rest of the fuzzyness; I'll have to do some online searching to find one that's 32X compatible. The switch on the RF adapter that switches between channel 3 and 4 doesn't work, it just stays on channel 3, which luckily is the cable station so I don't have turn the station just to play my Geny. I have my 32X hooked up to a model 1 Genesis so the sound quality is better, that does help. Some 32X games just refuse to show clearly no matter how much I clean them, but it shows better then it did before so the only thing left to do is to get a 32X compatible RF adapter and a composite cord.

[Defolto]

yeah well if you really want to clean the pin connecters on the 32x i recomend wraping a thin but not too thin cloth around a credit card and shoving it down into the caridge slot, works wonders

[kool kitty89]

yeah well if you really want to clean the pin connecters on the 32x i recomend wraping a thin but not too thin cloth around a credit card and shoving it down into the caridge slot, works wonders

Spread the word. BTW, I got that specific idea from MN12BIRD (youtube, and he's on the sega-16 too). I think he demonstrated it on a SMS he was cleaning.


As to the main topic, I'd definitely go for composite video, that and stereo (using the headphone jack in th emodel 1s case, as only mono goes through the 32x for those, you need a stereo av cable for the model 2 though)
RF noise typically involved soem diagonal, scrolling lines and some snowy static (snow as in what you see on a TV on a channel with no signal).
Some RF boxes have additional problems, sometimes there's odd color smearing/bleeding. (one of my model 1s had a weird greenish tinge when the sega logo pops up on Sonic 1/2, and streaking on a lot of white letters/clouds over darker backgrounds)

Composite video cable are cheap too, at least for the model 2, there are plentiful aftermarket cables available for ~$5 online. (probably a bit more with shipping, maybe not though). Of course, you could make your own cable by canibalizing that RF adaptor and a spare RCA cable. (the cable may only have wires for mono+composite+gnd though, but you might get lucky with the stereo wires as well) If mono, you could just canabalize soem cheap stereo RCA cables and use one for audio and one for composite video.

Rather than ohming hings out, I found it easiest to take the stripped cable (from the RF box), establish gnd (should be a bare braided wire, or bundle of wire arranged coaxially) and then just try patching the wires to RCA cables plugged into a tv while the cable is plugged into the console. (you could also estblish most outputs with a multimeter, +5V is easy, audio tends to give ~2V I think and video jumps all over the place, then you'd just need to establish L/R audio, if present -otherwise mono is easy)

[Defolto]

Spread the word. BTW, I got that specific idea from MN12BIRD (youtube, and he's on the sega-16 too). I think he demonstrated it on a SMS he was cleaning.

Yeah I heard that from MN12BIRD as well.