GX4000 SCART

[lachlank]

Hi guys, I recently bought a GX4000 and would like to see it working. Looks like I have a french model as it only has SCART output on the back, and the guarantee card is in french. I am in New Zealand. I have plugged it in and turned it on and can hear burnin rubber music through earphones, so it is working in that respect.


I don't have a SCART TV, but have tried two different scart to AV adapters - neither have worked. Any idea on the easiest way to connect this to a modern TV? Is it possible to use the other (amstrad) video output plug?


Any advice appreciated.

[dragon]

You need a conversor that support scart  rgb not only composite.

[tjohnson]

I don't think the GX4000 supports composite over the scart socket, it was either RGB over scart, via the DIN port or RF.

[eto]

I haven't done something like this yet but have done some research already as I want to do something similar with a CPC:


What I learned is, that most of the cheap Scart/HDMI converters require a composite video signal. The GX4000 and the CPC only have RGB. You will need a converter that accepts RGB.

Not sure if there are any further requirements. There is also a RGB-selection voltage on pin 16 of the Scart connector. Not sure if maybe the converter needs this voltage to be present to switch to RGB. And Pin 8 to switch to 4:3 might also be relevant. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCART#Blanking_and_switching)

[Bryce]

Many TV's will allow you to choose RGB and 4:3 aspect ratio manually. You only need those voltages to be present if your TV won't let you set these manually.

Bryce.

[tjohnson]

If you have HDMI there is one reasonable and relatively cheap option compared to better solutions that cost about 4x, it's not perfect but not awful either.


Flylink PAL/NTSC SCART + HDMI to HDMI Video Converter: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

[lachlank]

Thanks guys, have ordered one of those HDMI converters, it says it does RGB or composite so hopefully will do the trick.


The GX4000 I have bought looks like it has never been used, there is still plastic on the controllers and manual is still in plastic bag. Not sure how a french model ended up in New Zealand. Never see games for sale here so I will probably be stuck with burnin rubber .

[Bryce]

Thanks guys, have ordered one of those HDMI converters, it says it does RGB or composite so hopefully will do the trick.


The GX4000 I have bought looks like it has never been used, there is still plastic on the controllers and manual is still in plastic bag. Not sure how a french model ended up in New Zealand. Never see games for sale here so I will probably be stuck with burnin rubber .

Get yourself a C4CPC and you'll have every game in one cartridge.

Bryce.

[chinnyhill10]

I don't think the GX4000 supports composite over the scart socket, it was either RGB over scart, via the DIN port or RF.

I seem to recall having to buy a full SCART cable to achieve RGB instead of composite on mine as I'd been using a composite only cable from my VCR.


Except there are differences on the French versions so it may well not be the same as the UK version.

[doesitmatter]

Get yourself a C4CPC and you'll have every game in one cartridge.

Bryce.

Hi there Bryce,


I thought I'd ask you a question as you appear to be in every thread I read (and most helpful too)! I've contacted Gerald about a C4CPC and then read a conversation you had about eproms and thought, what the hell is that. After some reading, I thought, I could do that (I suffer misplaced faith) but had a question.


If you flash your own eproms, is there a quality difference compared to SD roms? (obviously you get a lot more for your money)

On other consoles I have, emulation isn't always the best quality, so I thought I'd ask whether the emulation element varies on flash vs eprom. Seems mad to go the eprom way but heck, I've bought a Binatone, Radofin, Sega Mark III and untested GX4000 this week, so I'm clearly not the most sane. Btw, the GX4000 worked, which is why I'm here....I was surprised how nicely it played and vivid the colours were, so I'm here for good now....it'll also stop me buying an Amiga, which are ludicrously expensive atm.

[Bryce]

Hi,
      there's no emulation involved with either the C4CPC or EPROMs on the CPC. They are just a method of storing the game software. The games are still loaded to the original hardware and play exactly as if you owned an original cartridge or disk. The original cartridges contained an EPROM, which is why the first cartridge / ROM replacements also used a ROM (easiest solution). It was only afterwards that the MegaFlash and then later the C4CPC began to use flash to enable more games to be stored and more flexibility (ability to write to the storage device directly from the CPC).

Bryce. 

[lachlank]

Hi guys just reporting back that I bought one of the SCART to HDMI converters as mentioned above and it works perfectly. Now I need to get the cartridge with all games on it if anyone knows where to source one? Happy to pay a good price.


I don't think this GX4000 has ever been turned on before, as still has plastic on the controllers and ties around cables!


Burnin Rubber is not a good game, sad to report.


Cheers

[Shaun M. Neary]

Hi guys just reporting back that I bought one of the SCART to HDMI converters as mentioned above and it works perfectly. Now I need to get the cartridge with all games on it if anyone knows where to source one? Happy to pay a good price.


I don't think this GX4000 has ever been turned on before, as still has plastic on the controllers and ties around cables!


Burnin Rubber is not a good game, sad to report.


Cheers

Contact @gerald on here for a C4CPC card. Don't get one of those crappy 32 in 1 cards you find on the internet. The C4CPC will allow you to add more and there's a ton of existing CPC games that were ported over to the GX and made joystick only.

Burning Rubber *would* have been good if the controls weren't so sluggish and the car didn't move more nervous than a deer in hunting season.

[doesitmatter]

As Shaun said, contact Gerald.
Easy to deal with, prompt delivery and informative too. Got mine last week.

[dragon]

I don't think the GX4000 supports composite over the scart socket, it was either RGB over scart, via the DIN port or RF.

Gx4000 support composite output in the scart connector except in the french model. Because this model lost all rf hardware part that use composite-rf signal.


The reason was gx4000 output standard pal composite signal. Where these days France use secam-L.


So sugar take out the unneed composite hardware for France market.

[Bryce]

Gx4000 support composite output in the scart connector except in the french model. Because this model lost all rf hardware part that use composite-rf signal.


The reason was gx4000 output standard pal composite signal. Where these days France use secam-L.


So sugar take out the unneed composite hardware for France market.

?? The French one was the only version with a SCART socket. So you're saying that the devices with no SCART socket were the only one's that had composite on the SCART socket??

Bryce.

[dragon]

Eh??.


No, all gx4000 have scart socket. And rf pal modulator.


All output rgb and pal composite.


Except french consoles, they only output rgb and drop rf.


Composite signal is taken from the sony cxa 1145. And go to scart and rf modulator.


French consoles don't have the sony ic and output directly the rgb signal that go into sony ic in u.k/spanish consoles.

[Bryce]

Doh! You're right. I'm confusing it with the MP2 Modulator where only the French version had a SCART output. Not enough coffee yet this morning.

Bryce.