SyncSlayer (2018) - RGB Board [Completed]
September 12, 2018SyncSlayer is a premium SCART to VGA RGBHV with terminal posts for Vsync, Hsync, Csync, RGB and Audio left and right channels. It utilizes the LMH1980 chip by Texas Instruments.
It is probably one of the more ambitious boards I have done, and also the most sought after. Occasionally I sell these on Tindie, but I’m open sourcing it as well for anyone who wants to do their own - or fork a design from it.
Be forewarned - the LMH1980 is extremely fine pitch to solder and requires a decent amount of skill. Use lots of flux, have patience, and be well rested - because you are sure to drop some swears! They aren’t particularly cheap ICs and are very easy to screw up with too much heat. A reflow oven will destroy this chip - I tried, and failed hard. I use a Hakko knife edge tip with good success. I’ve wasted more money on these chips than I’ve ever made in profit from selling the boards…
The only thing to be aware of in this board is the Csync input into the LMH1980 suggests a 0.1uF cap on the TI data sheet. I found in the over 50 SyncSlayer boards I’ve assembled the cap almost always causes a very slight distortion on the first few horizontal lines, which goes away when replaced with a 0 ohm resistor. The TI datasheet does warn too high of a cap value will cause sync-misses; but apparently even a moderate 0.1uF is enough to cause this. Note: I think this could possibly be caused by SCART cables already having a cap in the housing, but I never took the time to rip open a cable and verify.
Anyways, some features of this board:
- Texas Instruments LMH1980 sync separator and cleaner
- 15Khz VGA output with clean sync signals for HSYNC, VSYNC and CSYNC
- Switch between true ‘HSync’ or ‘Csync as Hsync’ via pin jumper
- High quality decoupling capacitors for power filtering
- Toggle between external 6V-15V power supply or console-supplied power
- Power indicator LED light
- High quality RCA left & right audio connector
- Amphenol Female D-Sub connector
- Texas Instruments voltage regulator
- Nicely routed with no board vias! :)
This board utilizes the following components which can be ordered from Digikey / Mouser / Arrow. Female SCART connectors are a major pain to source - I have several hundred, drop me an email if you’re having troubles and I can probably help you.
Mfg Part | Description | QTY |
---|---|---|
LMH1980MM/NOPB | IC SEPARATOR VID SD/HD/PC 10MSOP | 1 |
LM1086CS-5.0/NOPB | IC REG LIN 5V 1.5A DDPAK/TO263-3 | 1 |
160R15W104KV4T | CAP CER 0.1UF 16V X7R 0805 | 3 |
F951C106MPAAQ | CAP TANT 10UF 16V 20% 0805 | 2 |
SD0805S020S1R0 | DIODE SCHOTTKY 20V 1A 0805 | 1 |
LTST-C171TBKT | LED BLUE CLEAR CHIP SMD | 1 |
ERJ-6ENF1000V | RES SMD 100 OHM 1% 1/8W 0805 | 3 |
OSTTE020104 | TERMINAL BLOCK 3.5MM - 2POS | 1 |
OSTTE100104 | TERMINAL BLOCK 3.5MM - 10POS | 1 |
PJRAN2X1U01AUX | CONN RCA JACK MONO 3.2MM R/A | 1 |
CS-107 SCART | SCART CONNECTOR | 1 |
1734530-3 | TE Connectivity AMP Connectors 5749768-1 | 1 |
M2012EA2W13 | SWITCH TOGGLE SPDT 6A 125V | 1 |
SWI5-12-N-P5 | Plug-In Adapter Single-OUT 12V 0.5A 6W | 1 |
952-2882-ND | JUMPER SKT OPEN TOP BLUE | 1 |