The original Master System requires no modification to get RGB output, but the SMS 2 has no A/V Multi-out, so it requires a mod to get RGB. More info is below: RGB Cables: The Japanese MK-2000 looks like an SMS model 1, but requires a different cable that has no components inside. Buy CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML240L RGB V2, Close-Loop AIO CPU Liquid Cooler, 240 Radiator, Dual SickleFlow 120mm, RGB Lighting, 3rd Gen Dual Chamber Pump for AMD Ryzen/Intel LGA1200/1151 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Newegg shopping upgraded ™. 6-bit RGB Palette A calculated palette using 2 bits for each RGB value. It was used by a few systems, including the Sega Master System, EGA, and a few others.

Master System II RGB/S-VideoModification

This Sega Master System II has been modified to output high quality RGB signal, and had a mod to fix the jailbars problem. The result is crystal clear RGB signal like you've never seen before in a Sega Master System II! The board uses a THS7374 amplifier for crystal clear signal, and has a Mega Drive 2 miniDIN port (you can use a standard Mega. Master System Games on Game Gear Game Gear cartridges can’t be played on a Sega Master System or Genesis, but you can get a converter to play SMS games on your Game Gear. Many different companies made SMS-to-GG adapters and most were licensed by Sega.

Add RGB,S-Video, Composite and Audio outputs to the SMS II

Overview, by Mike Gordon

Master System 2 Rgb Mod

The Master System II, launched in 1990, was acut-down version of the Master System designed to reducemanufacturing costs. Coming in at a significantly lower pricepoint than the original SMS, the following features were removed:

• Card slot

• Expansion port

• Power On light

• Reset button

• A/V output socket

The omission of an A/V socket meant that the highquality RGB output of the original Master System wasn't availableto buyers of the SMS II. Only a RF output was provided.(Conversely, the Master System II sold in France retained the A/Vconnector but omitted the RF port.)

Almost all televisions sold in Europe now haveRGB SCART connectors, and many sets sold worldwide have S-Videocapability. I've devised a modification which will allow MasterSystem II owners to take advantage of this - adding RGB, S-Video(Y/C), Composite Video, and Audio outputs.

Schematic

Constructing the RGB Board

The following parts are required :

• 220uF Electrolytic Capacitors x 6(1 for Composite, 2 for Y/C (S-Video), 3 for RGB. TheComposite connection is still required for Sync when RGBis used.)

• 10uF Electrolytic Capacitor x 1(for the Audio connection.)

• 75 Ohm Resistors x 6(again, one for each video connection as shown in theschematic.)

• 100 Ohm Resistor x 1(required for switching voltage only if SCARTconnection is to be used - not needed otherwise.)

• Cable

• Veroboard (small piecearound 18 tracks by 15 holes.)

• Connectors (whatever isrequired for your equipment - SCART, S-Video, RCA, DINetc.)

Mount the components on the Veroboard, cuttingtracks as required. See the photo further down the page for anexample.

As shown on the schematic, the video connectionsare obtained from various pins on the Master System's CXA 1145encoder chip. You can solder wires directly to the legs of thechip - the pin numbers are printed on the Master System'smotherboard, in case you're unsure.

Audio is obtained from pin 15 of the SMS's customchip marked 315-5246, which has 64 pins close together in azig-zag formation. (Rather than solder directly to the chip, youcan instead solder to the negative leg of capacitor C31, anelectrolytic capacitor just in front of the CXA 1145.)

Finally the GND and switching voltage connectionscan be obtained from any ground and +5v points on the board,respectively. Pins 24 and 12 respectively of the CXA 1145 aresuitable.

If you're using a SCART connection, here are theappropriate pins of the plug :

I've implemented the mod as shown above, with acaptive (i.e. permanently wired) SCART cable. (I haven't includedthe S-Video mod since I'm unable to test this at present - my TVdoesn't accept S-Video! Hence, only four 220uF capacitors andfour 75 ohm resistors are included.)

The Board In Situ

Here is a photograph showing the RGB mod inplace:

RGB Display

Finally, here's a screenshot from my RGB-modifiedMaster System II.

Okay, so the improvement in quality isn't reallynoticeable in this picture, but trust me - the difference ishuge!

Game Console RGB SCART Cable Diagrams

For anyone unfamiliar with what RGB video is see this Video Primer.
SCART pinouts and signal info can be found here.

SCART (aka Peritel or Euroconnector) cables for home video game consoles aren't standard, they are different for each console. The manufacturers have taken full advantage of this and, in what I assume is an effort to save a few cents, often place necessary components (esp. coupling capacitors) of the RGB output circuit inside the SCART cable. Since only a small fraction of people who own a console use/require a SCART cable it slightly reduces the overall cost.

This page contains circuit diagrams to aid anybody wanting build/repair/adapt these cables, as well as pinouts and a short description of the RGB video output (75 ohm driver) circuit. Enjoy...

Notes

TVs with SCART inputs are only common in Europe and Australia (mainly because we share a similar TV standard (thus TV designs) with most of Europe and the TV manufactures just leave the connectors in place). If you are from a somewhere where TVs with SCART inputs are rare then don't despair, some of the upper market TVs offer RGB input in the form of 4 phono sockets, one for each colour and one for composite sync. If such a TV can't be found for a reasonable price, then look around for an old RGB computer monitor that is compatible with the TV horizontal scan frequency, such as the commodore 1084 monitor. Alternatively, if a suitable monitor can't be located and you're good with electronics, then consider building a SCART to arcade monitor adapter.

The SCART spec states that to switch to RGB mode the CVBS Status pin must be fed 12V and the RGB Status (aka Fast Blanking) pin be fed 1-3V. Some games consoles only output 5V which may or may not be adequate. If the TV doesn't switch and there is no way to manually force a 'video mode' (such as a button on the remote control) then an external 12V supply may be required. In cases where the TV is a widescreen model or has a widescreen mode feature, applying only 5v to the RGB Status pin may force the TV into 16:9 widescreen mode.

In the diagrams I have drawn all the SCART ground pins connected together. This isn't required but it's a good idea to connect to at least two ground pins (usually 17 and 18). If you're using mini-coax to connect the RGB video (recommended if the cable is going to be long) then ground pins 5, 9 and 13 provide handy places to solder the shield. The reverse applies to the console end of the cable. I've only drawn one ground connection but it may be a good idea make use of other ground connections (if there are any).

Cables which run video and audio signals together without a seperating shield around the audio wires may cause an annoying 50 or 60hz buzzing sound in the audio which vaires in volume with the picture content. This is caused by the capacitive coupling of the two wires running next to each other. The longer the cable is the more capacitance between the wire. The best way to avoid this is to run a seperate cables for audio and video join them together again at the SCART end.

The Diagrams

Sega Master System/Mega Drive (Genesis)
Sega Megadrive 2 (Genesis 2)
Sega Saturn
Sega Dreamcast
Super Nintendo
Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo Wii
Sony Playstation/Playstation 2
SNK Neo Geo
Atari Jaguar
Microsoft Xbox

Master System 2 Rgb Adapter

A/V output comes from an 8 pin female 'U' DIN connector. Pinouts are: 1 audio, 2 ground, 3 composite video, 4 +5V DC, 5 green video, 6 red video, 7 composite sync, 8 blue video. RGB output circuit: Sony CXA1145 video encoder IC - outputs come straight from the chip.

A/V comes from a female 9 pin mini DIN connector. Signals are the same as the original Megadrive with the addition of stereo audio. Pinouts are: 1 blue video, 2 +5V DC, 3 green video, 4 composite video, 5 composite sync, 6 audio mono, 7 red video, 8 audio left, 9 audio right, and the metal shield is ground. RGB output circuit: CXA1145/CXA1645/KA2195/MB3514 video encoder IC - outputs come straight from the chip.

Sega Saturn

Connector is a 10 pin mini-DIN type. While it's a standard connector, it's extremely rare so don't expect to be able to buy one from the local electronics shop (or anywhere for that matter). The Saturn puts out luma/chroma (s-video) as well as the usual RGB/CVBS. Pinouts: 1 composite sync, 2 audio right, 3 audio left, 4 +5V DC, 5 red video, 6 green video, 7 blue video, 8 composite video, 9 luminance, 10 chrominance. RGB output circuit: signal comes out a CXA1645 through a 75 ohm resistor and a coupling cap.

Sega Dreamcast

Utilises a proprietary connector for A/V out. Supports CVBS, RGB (TV), RGB (VGA, req. adapter) and luma/chroma. Pin 7 must be connected to ground to enable RGB. Pinouts: 1 ground, 2 audio right, 3 audio left, 4 +12V DC, 5 +5V DC, 6 RGB (VGA) select, 7 RGB (TV) select, 8 vertical sync (for VGA), 9 horizontal sync (for VGA), 10 composite sync, 11 chrominance, 12 luminance, 13 composite video, 14 blue video, 15 green video, 16 red video. RGB output circuit: proprietary DAC.

Super Nintendo
For some unknown reason the RGB output circuits differs between the NTSC and PAL consoles. As a result the cables are different too (though I somehow doubt Nintendo had any intention of releasing a SCART lead for the NTSC SNES).
Proprietary A/V connector. Pinouts: 1 red video, 2 green video, 3 +12V DC, 4 blue video, 5 ground, 6 ground, 7 luminance, 8 chrominance, 9 composite video, 10 +5V DC, 11 audio left, 12 audio right. RGB output circuit: here

Pinout is the same as above with the exception of pin 3 which is composite sync instead of +12V. RGB output circuit: here

Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo are up to their old tricks again. The PAL console outputs RGB but not s-video and the NTSC model outputs s-video but not RGB. Therefore this cable will only work on a PAL Gamecube. However, it is possible to get RGB from an NTSC Gamecube by modifying the official component video cable. Here are some guides to the procedure:
How to make NGC's RGB(VGA) Cable [link fixed]
RARusk's Nintendo GameCube Component Video Cable RGB Modification [link fixed]
MMMonkey'sNTSC Game Cube RGB Cable
Proprietary A/V connector. Pinouts: 1 red video (PAL only), 2 green video (PAL only), 3 +12V DC, 4 blue video (PAL only), 5 ground, 6 ground, 7 luminance (NTSC only), 8 chrominance (NTSC only), 9 composite video, 10 +5V DC, 11 audio left, 12 audio right. RGB output circuit: proprietary DAC.

Nintendo Wii
Like the Gamecube, RGB video is only available from the PAL Wii.
Proprietary A/V connector (different to the proprietary A/V socket used on previous nintendos). Pinouts: 1 left audio, 2 right audio, 3 composite video, 4 +5v DC, 5 ground, 6 ground, 7 red video (luminance/NTSC), 8 mode select, 9 green video (chrominance/NTSC), 10 mode select, 11 blue video, 12 ground, 13 +12v DC. Pins 14-16 are for something called a Japanese D-Terminal Cable. Mode select pins are normaly left unconnected. When they are connected together, component video (YUV/YPbPr) will output from pins 7, 9 and 11 in place for RGB/S-video. The DC voltage on pin 13 will drop to 5v for widescreen games (will it?).

Propriety connector. Pin outputs: 1 ground, 2 audio left, 3 ground, 4 audio right, 5 luminance, 6 composite sync, 7 chrominance, 8 ground, 9 blue video, 10 +5V DC, 11 red video, 12 green video.
RGB output circuit: signal comes from a CXA1645 and a through a 75 ohm resistor.

SNK Neo Geo

Female 8 pin 'C' DIN connector. Pinouts: 1 audio mono, 2 ground, 3 composite video, 4 +5V DC, 5 green video, 6 red video, 7 composite sync, 8 blue video. RGB output circuit: signal comes out a CXA1145/MB3514, through a 75 ohm resistor and a coupling cap.

Propriety connector. Pinouts: 1A audio left, 2A audio ground, 3A n/c, 4A video ground, 5A blue video, 6A horizontal sync, 7A green video, 8A chrominance, 9A n/c, 10A INC (???), 11A unregulated DC voltage from power input, 12A n/c, 1B audio right, 2B audio ground, 3B video ground, 4B red video, 5B vertical sync, 6B n/c, 7B video ground, 8B luminance, 9B ground, 10B video ground, 11B composite video, 12B n/c.

Propriety connector. Pinouts: 1 audio right, 2 audio ground, 3 SP-DIF digital audio, 4 vertical sync?, 5/6/7/8 ground, 9 video output A (blue), 10 video ground, 11 video output B (green), 12 video ground, 13 +5v, 14 audio left, 15 audio ground, 16 horizontal sync?, 17/18/19 video mode select (ground all three for RGB), 20 +12v (RGB Status), 21 video ground, 22 video output C (red), 23 video ground, 24 video output D (composite video). Different audio/video configurations are selectable by maniplating the three video mode select pins (17, 18 and 19). See the GamesxXbox pinouts page for more info on this. The DC voltage on pin 20 will drop to +5v for widescreen mode.

Sega Master System 2 Rgb Umbau

and finaly, the Resources

Game Station X - Game console pinouts & modifications
Home video games with RGB monitors - interesting.... [japanese]
Deathskull Laboratories - game console info
BlueTech - game console modifications and other creations
mmmonkey's console modifications - modifications/fixes with lots of photos

Master System 2 Rgb Cmyk

Data sheets in PDF format for:
CXA1145 - [japanese]
ES71145 - CXA1145 compatible
CXA1645
MB3514 - CXA1145 compatible (with Y/C driver output)
KA2195D - CXA1645 compatible (with no Y/C output), may be mistaken as SKA2195D

Changelog
26/6/15 - Corrected diagrams for Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation. Both has left and right audio swapped around.
16/8/09 - Corrected text descriptions for Sega Master System and Sega Saturn. Also added a note about audio/video separation.
31/12/06 - Added a diagram for the Wii and corrected the Sega Saturn diagram (left and right audio were swapped around). Also made a few minor changes to the page.
8/8/05 - Added diagrams for Atari Jaguar and Microsoft Xbox. Jaguar info taken from here.
1/7/05 - Added diagram for the Nintendo Gamecube. Added some datasheets. Fixed an error in the NTSC and PAL SNES diagrams (had pins 3&4 swapped on the diagram). I also modified the PAL SNES diagram a bit (the 12V output didn't supply enough current to feed SCART pin 16). Thanks to David Bielen for the Gamecube related info.
18/5/05 - Fixed errors in megadrive/master system cable (had it drawn back-arsewards), neo geo (din 8 connector drawn incorrectly), and pal snes (missing resistor from video to ground). Info thanks to this Japanese website.
4/5/05 - Page created