So this is something I've been meaning to do for a long time and finally jumped into it yesterday. It's basically done, just needs a few touches here and there. Check it out!!

Okay. So about a year back I bought a component to HDMI breadbox. (Sabrent to be more specific) I took the board out if it, cut the extra fat off the sides so it can fit in the SNES case, and went to town. By the time I started taking pictures yesterday, I had already opened the SNES, shaped the IEC-C7 female socket to the smallest footprint I could, and then it all really took off yesterday!


Dremmel, the tool of choice with a sanding and router bit. What you see is the rear power/av pannel of the SNES. With a steady hand, I shaped out the hole to fit my IEC-C7 socket. (The same one the PS3 uses.)


Just needed to clean the plastic slag off it and she is ready to go


Boom! Legit! I could have shaped the Socket a bit better by putting some sandpaper on a flat surface and sliding the socket along it, but I was on a roll and was onto the next step. It was good enough for me!


She fit quite nicely on the board. I did have to unsolder the original adapter off the board to remove the panel to begin with, the rest was just cosmetics.


Time to peel of that 800 number sticker. Only to reveal the notable and eventual yellowing of the SNES case. This is where the HDMI port will go. There really was no choice either. The breadbox fit best there anyways.


Now to use my favorite bit. Not sure what it's called but it makes nice for fine detailed shaping of plastics.


Not exactly the Mona Lisa, but hey, it was my first time making an HDMI-shaped hole.



This is the component to HDMI board. Fits quite nicely. I did trim the fat off the sides of the board to help make it fit. I used my dremmel with a cutting wheel to do that.


Meh. I'm happy with it.


Next step! We go ahead and do the component mod off the S-ENC video chip and wire it to the component to HDMI breadbox. Be sure to tape those wires down, they will work themselves off! Also I used the wires from an ethernet cable. They were nice and small and suitable to work with. And make sure you tin the wires before hand!


Zip tie that shiz! Serously though. Zip ties are your friend.


Next was to electrically insulate the bottom of the HDMI breadbox to prevent it from shorting out on the SNES board. Electrical tape did the trick nicely.


At this point I was on a super roll and forgot to pic it all. What happened here was I removed the 9v to 5v regulator (labled 7805) and replaced it with a Samsung tablet USB charger. Normally an iPod chrager would do, but they are only 5v 1A. I chose this because my component to HDMI board called for 5v 1A as well. How convienent! So the power supply I used puts out 5v 2A. Then I wired the SNES on/off switch to the 120AC off the IEC-C7 socket. Now the USB power supply shuts off, turning everything off.

I also wired the component output from the SNES to the converter. This was key, as most flat screens can see the component signal this outputs. But after being converted to a digital signal, it can!

Also wired here is the power and signal ground for the converter, as well as the stereo sound. I just tapped off the AV out for the sound. PINs 11 & 12 if I remember. I just metered it out to find em.

NOW TO TEST IT!!!





Legit. So, as predicted, the picture was a bit off colour.


So, what I've done since that picture was put a 100ohm resistor on the lumina (green), and put a 1uf capacitor on the red and blue signals. The picture now looks fantastic. Or well as fantastic as you can get with SNES. It's nice and sharp. Also It will be so much easier to bring a SNES around now. If someone has a PS3 then you can just swap the power chord and HDMI and you're ready to roll!

I plan to put a 3 pole, single throw switch in line with the component signals going to the converter that is accesable from the back side, so as to turn off the singals so the original multi AV can still be used and not have any signal loss. Then just button her up. And done!

Yeah!



**UPDATE 10/14/13**


Okay. So here's a comparison test of the same pause screen from composite, HDMI, and component, in that order. (mind that HDMI and component have 100ohm resistor on lumia and 1uf capacitor on red and blue to colour correct)


This is just plain old composite on a flatscreen. 


And now the HDMI (component to HDMI to be exact) The same TV and picture setting were used as was used on the composite signal. The reds are a bit more noticable, which can be altered. But the diagonal lines are heavily noticed. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but there is a noticable difference in the sharpness of the pixels. From here I knew now that these lines must be from the SNES component signal, or the converter.


Then I pulled out the tube TV with component inputs...


What you see here is a screenshot of my camera looking at the tube screen with component input. (the only way I could take it without a terrible flicker) The diagonal lines are seen in these pictures, though not as sharp (the TV's fault, not the signal). But they are there, and there's no doubt about it.

So these lines originate from the component signal and, somehow, are lost or filtered out along the way the composite signal. The only reason they are so noticable on the flat screen is the sharpness of the image. I'd really like to find a flatscreen that accepts 240p component to solidify this. I also still plan to try another converter just for the hell of it, but I truely believe that there is no way it's the converter.

The whole point of this project was to make the SNES easier to use in any situation. Not many people have tube TVs now, and HDMI is just more simple. But I really would like to be able to rid of those lines and not reduce image quality. I could go composite to HDMI, but that just seems like a fall back to me.

Let me know what you think, or any ideas I should try.


**UPDATE 10/17/13**

So I just tried my other SNES, with all orignal parts (i.e. power supply) to remove any factors. Mind that my other SNES is also a GPM-02 chipset. (which I now rue)

All I did here was the component mod tapping of the RGB chip, just like any other, and these are my results...




Note the diagonal lines are still present. That must be a signature of the GPM-02 chipset, at least that's how I feel. I can't widdle it down any further than this. I've removed all factors and isolated it to the chipset. I even tried tapping the Lumina off the composite/s-video AV out. It's always there, but strangly is not when using plain composite.
I would really like to get my hands on any other chipset type (besides the first one) and try all these tests again. I'd really like to have the best HDMI picture possible.

Any and all info and data on serial numbers or test results from other sources would be greatly appreciated.

I've reached a dead end for now, at least until I get my hands on another SNES or a different chipset. Time to hit up ebay and the local pawn shops!!


*note: Feel free to PM me anytime for any questions or whatever. I will gladly do my best to help! and if I can't then I will learn how to help you!

I must say Kudos! Pretty amazing work man.

Thanks! I will post once I've hot glued everything in place and installed the signal switch. Though I might try to fabricate some screws for easier management if I open it up again.

. X2

This is great, I notice the diagonal lines going through the photo from right to left, I have this when I use my SNES hooked through S-video to LCD TV's I wonder what causes that? I thought it was the quality of cable but I've tried a few and it never went away

To be honest I think they are always there. They just get washed out a bit from the less-shrap image from the composite signal. (Next time you have it hooked up to composite of RF/coax take a closer look) I am pretty positive that it's just a video signature of the SNES.

Love it! it looks fantastic! Is there any lag time in response from the controls?

There is no delay in response time. The converter I got was actually specifically made for gaming. I honestly couldn't be more happy with the results. I'd like to make another one after this and work on making it more cosmetically professional.

Hrm, those diagonal lines are nonexistant on my component video mod. In fact they would drive me nuts to look at.

Nice work, however, since this converts analog signals to digital, isn't it kinda useless? Except for having a hdmi connection of course. Just asking, don't know much about this.

It would be useful for people with newer televisions that either don't have component/svideo inputs, or those televisions that simply don't like the 240p signal that the component mod outputs. Composite video looks terrible, and if this could retain component video quality and use an HDMI port it would be useful. My TV has 4 HDMI ports (I only use 1), zero Svideo, and only 2 component, so for that reason alone I would find it somewhat useful.

Hilmarf, just as SinNombre said; most TVs nowadays can't use 240p, this being what the SNES outputs via component. Now if you are to use a cathode ray tube TV with component input, it would be just fine as it is all analog the whole way through. But most, if not all, flat screens are programmed to accept and emulate analog signals. And TV manufacturers don't bother to program them to accept anything below 480 as nothing practical used today outputs any lower.

So, since I and all my friends have flat screens, I made this. It taps off the component output, this being the highest quality and usable signal you can get easily from the SNES, and converted it to a usable digital signal any flat screen can use. Also for convenience and for fun.

And SinNombre, I'll look into those lines. I have a tube TV. I'll test to see if it's the SNES or converter. I may just try a different converter as well. I will update when I test it.

If you wouldn't mind taking a closer look, and possibly a picture or two to see. I assume you are using a tube TV. If you look at my update on the original post, I disovered the lines originate from the component signal and are lost somewhere on it's way to composite. At least this was the case from my SNES. Those lines might be on your set, just lost in the lack of sharpness a tube TV demenstrates.

I have a 42" panasonic viera plasma Tv. I will snap a pic though.
No lines like yours are showing, but I did notice that sometimes my camera would pick up stuff that I couldn't see with my naked eye. Not sure if your camera is doing the same thing. Also, the color shown from the camera shot isn't as vibrant as it looks on the TV.

That is an outright fantastic picture SinNombre. However, this makes things complicated for me. I wonder, I have another SNES with newer S-ENC video chip. Maybe that will have a better picture. So many factors here! I guess I will start with a different SNES and work from there. Hopefully I can get to it tonight!

Which SNES motherboard revision did you use in your project? SNES had if I recall 5 revisions. Of the 5 the one I've read time and again which is the most stable for audio visual is the all in one incorporating 1CHIP style, I have it, and having used 3-4 of the variants before it is the most clean.

Perhaps the mod will work better with one version over another. I know the last release which was boxed into the Killer Instinct box is a poor quality chipset.

Tanooki, I used the 1993 SNS-CPU-GPM-02 model. I know I have a newer (or maybe older) one, I can't recall the revision model. I will know once I am home from work. 

http://console5.com/wiki/SNES

Listed here is all the SNES revisions. From what it seems like is that the 92 & 93 models have the S-ENC chipset. I wonder how the 94 & three 95 revisions RGB encoder work with this mod.

And SinNombre, do you happen to know what model chipset your SNES is? Even a date on the underside would help.

I can't remember but I think it as the APU-1 version that was a mess, I'd have to google it and I can't at the moment. Googling 1chip quality or something like that would pull up some forums where a/v quality is discussed. The RGB one (either variant) might be a good bet.

I've component modded like 3 different SNES boards and never had the lines. Of course all these mods require amplification of the signals. Do you perhaps need to amp the signals going into the HDMI convertor? It looks like you're feeding the component signals straight from the S-ENC chip without any amplification.

I have a 100ohm resistor on the lumina and a 1uf capacitor on both red and blue signals. I've heard of people using transistors to amplify all the signals and then tone them down with resistors, but I'm not sure that will help at all.

My first step tonight will be to try a separate SNES. I've considered the power supply I used as well as the fact that the converter and the SNES share the same common ground. But the power supply has more than enough amps and has a steady voltage at what it needs to be. And neither of these facts explain why the lines are not in the composite signal. Gotta do some testing!

This is pretty amazing work, if you would do the same job on my SNES, would be happy to throw some money your way.

Composite video is fed from pin 7 of the encoder chip. If you are pulling it from the AV multiout then it has probably been amplified somewhere in between those two points. I believe speculation is that the S-ENC encoder chip is actually a BA6592F chip since they both have the same pinout. The datasheet is found here: http://mikejmoffitt.com/BA6592F.p...
I think you will need to amplify your component signals, but I am sure you will figure it out given enough trial and error.
This thread has been an excellent source of information if you feel so inclined to check it out.
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/show...
I personally like having all my systems outputting component video.

Anyway, keep us updated.

I did all my testing from both SNESs. Both were 1993 gpm2 models but has differentish looking parts. Both had lines no matter where I grabbed the lumina from. I have one SNES left to try. Sorry for the short post but I'm in a rush.

Okay, so after a bit of research, it seems the best SNES to use for component would be the SNES jr. I don't think there is enough space to fit a converter in there. I've also learned the best SNS-001 to use is the 1CHIP. I lack both. I still have more tests to try but for now, looks like I'm SNES hunting as well.

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?38581-Be...

This post had some useful info.

That's the website I was referring to found off a google search, just couldn't remember where at the time. That guy put a lot of work into testing all the variants of the hardware.

Finding a 1CHIP isn't exactly easy usually, but there is one sure fire way to find out, the SUPER NES Donkey Kong Set only came with it, but of course then you're paying the costly collector price for a cardboard box and the rest. I know there's a way looking into the slot of the system up top to narrow your chances because from the 1CHIP and the 2 ghetto versions after it they attach the cart slot to the board visually with a different part.