help on gs selector and cable

[nickblame]

I need some help here maybe dlanor can help me out

I went frenzy and baught a logic3 component cable for ps2/ps3 and a grundig vga to component cable. I put them all together and tryied to use my sony SDM-X72 monitor to work with ps2. I read someplace that it is sog compatible.

Unfortunately no luck with gs mode selector, I tryied some vga modes but I always get absolutely nothing. Am I doing something wrong here? Are these cords incompatible or something or do I have to try something else? here is a picture of my redicilusly long cable attempt

[spud42]

i have a strange feeling that you cant do this. that is a vga to component cable and hooking it up that way will put the signals on the wrong pins hence no image. you have a PS2 to component cable this is the correct start but you now need to either cut the connectors off and solder the wires to a 15 pin vga plug... or make your own adaptor.... too late at night but i think this might be the problem.

[nickblame]

oops. there is a difference between vga2component and component2vga cords?


no wait, i saw that on the gs thread. this is the pic it should be a valid way...

[nickblame]

hmm interesting. turns out that even the component cable by itself does not display anything. I tested on a big hdtv which has component input and I get nothing. Unfortunately I cant test gs selector since I left the simple ps2 cable back home :/

So I need gs selector anyhow to get output on component cable right? or is it just wrong component cable that does not support ps2? maybe its ps3 only.

[dlanor]

I need some help here maybe dlanor can help me out

dlanor reporting for duty !

I went frenzy and baught a logic3 component cable for ps2/ps3 and a grundig vga to component cable.

I bought Sony's cable for PS3 myself (works fine for PS2 as well), and built my own component to VGA adaptor. Your adaptor sounds backwards, which is fine if it just connects cables one-for-one, but if any electronic circuitry is used, that will not work 'backwards'. (Sync-separation and such stuff is one-way only.)

I put them all together and tryied to use my sony SDM-X72 monitor to work with ps2. I read someplace that it is sog compatible.

Then it should be fine, once the console is outputting a VGA signal, but until that moment you are running blind... A VGA monitor is normally unable to display the normal TV modes that all PS2 consoles start up with, and will only show a black screen at such times.

Unfortunately no luck with gs mode selector, I tryied some vga modes but I always get absolutely nothing.

Sounds perfectly normal to me, as you have not described any actions that would cause a VGA monitor to display anything at all. Simply starting the PS2, or even starting GSM will not do the trick, as you must also select a VGA preset and activate that as the active video mode. Only then will the VGA monitor be able to display anything.

Am I doing something wrong here? Are these cords incompatible or something or do I have to try something else?

Either is possible, but also unproven. You have not yet mentioned doing anything that should produce a display on your VGA monitor. Like I said above, simply starting the console, or even auto-starting GSM, will not do it (unless you have a working VGA setup preconfigured, and stored in slot 0 of the GSM preset array stored in its CNF file.)

here is a picture of my redicilusly long cable attempt

Cable length is not an issue here. A too long cable might give crappy picture quality, but it would not prevent proper syncing, which is the key to getting anything displayed.

hmm interesting. turns out that even the component cable by itself does not display anything. I tested on a big hdtv which has component input and I get nothing.

You previously used either SCART or the simple composite cable, right ? Either way you will then have the System Configuration (of the Sony console menu) setup to use "RGB" rather than "Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr" outputs, which latter setting is needed to get any kind of visibility for the component cable, as used with an HDTV set.

While the VGA video modes do use RGB signals, that is NOT something you need choose in the Sony menu, since the shift to proper signals is made automatically when a VGA video mode is activated through the proper bios function (and that is how GSM activates its VGA modes).

So when using Component cable with an HDTV set, your console should definitely be configured for using Component Video Outputs of the "Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr" type. This will then work for HDTV use, and when you connect it to a VGA monitor through your adaptor instead, that too will work, though displaying nothing until you activate a VGA video mode in GSM. (Only very complex electronic adaptors can display standard PAL/NTSC modes on a VGA monitor.)

Unfortunately I cant test gs selector since I left the simple ps2 cable back home :/

If your home TV does not have component inputs, then leave the Sony config as is, using RGB output signals. But if you do have component inputs on that TV, then you should use them in future, though you will need to use the composite cable one last time in order to navigate the Sony menu to activate the "Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr" signals for your component cable.

Either way, the output signal type needed for the VGA modes will be handled automagically when GSM requests such a mode change from the bios, so that is not something you need worry about.

What you do need to worry about is exactly how you cause such a video mode change to be made by GSM, if you keep the VGA monitor connected all the time, as you will be running blindly until GSM has activated such a video mode.

The PS2 bios has no config options for starting in a VGA mode, and neither does FMCB or uLaunchELF. GSM is the ONLY known tool that can help you with this, and a typical way of doing it is to have FMCB setup to auto-start uLE which is setup to auto-start GSM which is setup to have a VGA mode in slot 0 of the video mode preset array saved to its CNF file.

Once this is configured properly it will have the effect of booting your console into GSM with a VGA mode active, but getting there can take some work, especially if you are not used to making custom setups for the three applications involved. (FMCB, uLE, and GSM)

Many variations on this kind of setup have been discussed before in the main GSM thread, and it would be futile to keep repeating every detail every time some new user brings this up. So you're just going to have to look for it yourself, by reading that thread thoroughly (though the hints I've already given in this post might suffice, if you ponder them well).

or is it just wrong component cable that does not support ps2? maybe its ps3 only.

All component cables for PS3 should also support the PS2, since I use an original Sony cable for PS3 this way.

Best regards: dlanor

[nickblame]

allright I managed to change the setting on ps2 bios and component output works fine on hdtv.

now i tested the vga cable again but nothing shows so I have some questions.

while viewing from component on hdtv I loaded gs selector and switched to a vga 640x480@60hz (selected with triangle and then pressed down). I got output fine . then I tried using the component2vga cable without switching off ps2 offcourse. nothing showed. right then ps2 did output vga signals right? so if the component2vga cable was ok I should have seen something.

so it is proven that I need to compile a component2vga homebrew adaptor right?

[nickblame]

wait i finally got something

I went out and baught a new component2vga cord (a little shorter this time) and finally I got the vga 640x480 to display on an lg tft monitor. the big hdtv couldn't handle sog I suppose so it does not show anything at all.

ok so I guess by setting auto boot to ule+gsm I'll have the fmcb menu to show on vga

oh one last thing, I saw an adaptor component2dvi out there, will that work too? my sdm-x72 has a dvi input. (i didn't buy it right away since I have already spent over 40 euros on cords for this attempt :S)

[dlanor]

allright I managed to change the setting on ps2 bios and component output works fine on hdtv.

Good. But I was already sure of that one...

now i tested the vga cable again but nothing shows so I have some questions.

while viewing from component on hdtv I loaded gs selector and switched to a vga 640x480@60hz (selected with triangle and then pressed down). I got output fine .

Both HDTV 480p and that VGA video mode will provide a visible picture both for an HDTV connected by component cable and for a SOG VGA monitor connected by a working adaptor. The sync requirements of those two video modes is so nearly identical that both all HDTV sets and all SOG VGA monitors will accept either one. But they will produce weird colours for the 'other' type of signal than the TV/monitor is intended to use. (purple VS green tint)

then I tried using the component2vga cable without switching off ps2 offcourse. nothing showed. right then ps2 did output vga signals right?

From your description yes, and when I do the same with my HDTV set, I normally do get a picture using the VGA cable input of that set. But it is very easy at such times to forget that it is not enough to just reconnect the cable, but I must also use the remote to select which of the video inputs the TV should use, as it cannot take picture both from the component inputs and the VGA inputs simultaneously. So possibly you just forgot to make that switch on that HDTV set. All I know of accept SOG on VGA inputs (it is closely related to HDTV sync methods), so I would be very surprised if that one doesn't.

What brand and type is it anyway ?

so if the component2vga cable was ok I should have seen something.

Assuming proper input selection, then yes you should.

so it is proven that I need to compile a component2vga homebrew adaptor right?

Not proven, without further confirmation, but likely.

wait i finally got something

I went out and baught a new component2vga cord (a little shorter this time) and finally I got the vga 640x480 to display on an lg tft monitor. the big hdtv couldn't handle sog I suppose so it does not show anything at all.

Really ? That is very odd, as normal component signals also carry the sync in the same wires as the colour signal, just as for SOG. So it would be very natural for an HDTV set to accept sync that way.

But if that HDTV set is not what you normally use (if it was only used now for testing), then I suppose it really doesn't matter what it supports or not. It is the stuff you will be using in future that really matters to you. And since you now get a picture on the VGA monitor your searching should be over. The rest is just a matter of software configuration.

ok so I guess by setting auto boot to ule+gsm I'll have the fmcb menu to show on vga

But FMCB itself can't show up on the primary boot. Instead the procedure will be more like this, if you insist on reaching the FMCB menu:

1: Turn on console
2: Bios boots FMCB invisibly
3: FMCB boots uLE invisibly (Note 1)
4: uLE boots GSM invisibly (Note 1)
5: GSM reactivates the VGA mode you've previously prepared in mode array slot 0.

!!! This is the point where you gain visibility !!!

6: Exit from GSM to uLE visibly (Note 1)
7: Launch PS2Browser (FMCB) from uLE visibly (Note 1)
8: Land in the FMCB menu fully visible and working

Note 1:
In the above procedure both FMCB and uLE are launched twice, and each time you want each of those programs to behave differently, which takes some doing. The easy but cumbersome way is to do no special setup of any kind, which would force you to operate the programs blindly, both to launch uLE from FMCB and then to launch GSM from uLE, and this you would have to do in every session (Boooring...!)

A better way is to configure FMCB to auto-start uLE and likewise have uLE auto-start GSM, but this is something you only want to happen at the primary boot.

With FMCB this can be done in two ways. Either you define a preset button to launch uLE, and don't press that when you just want to launch it normally, or else you define FMCB to auto-launch uLE and also define a preset button to enforce OSDMENU instead, thus overriding the auto-launch. This is what I do so that FMCB always boots uLE, except when I press that button so as to reach the Sony menu or the Sony Browser (mostly for tests).

With uLE it can be done in many ways, the simplest being to just have a button to launch GSM (can be same button as used to launch uLE from FMCB). But if you want the launch to be automatic, without any button pressing, then that would instead require you to press a button to avoid booting GSM every time you want to launch uLE and stay in it...

The best solution to this is to have two instances of uLE installed, each with its own CNF file (uLE always looks first in its own launch folder for that file). Then you configure FMCB to auto-launch the one that is NOT stored in the usual BOOT folder, and configure only that instance to auto-launch GSM. But the instance that is stored in the normal BOOT folder should be normally configured, not autolaunching anything.

The effect would be that the autolaunching of uLE+GSM only happens when FMCB is booted, but all programs that exit back to uLE will use the BOOT instance that acts normally, staying in the uLE menus.

For such a setup you should also define the launch button in FMCB to inhibit the auto-launch of uLE by instead invoking OSDMENU, as mentioned above, so that you still have some way of reaching the FMCB menu.

oh one last thing, I saw an adaptor component2dvi out there, will that work too?

I have no idea if that will handle the sync signals as needed for the DVI inputs of your monitor. And I don't see the point in it if you already found something that works.

The advantages of using DVI as compared to VGA will not be present anyway, when the DVI signal is produced by adaption this way. Those only apply if the original signal source uses DVI natively, which is not the case here.

my sdm-x72 has a dvi input. (i didn't buy it right away since I have already spent over 40 euros on cords for this attempt :S)

I see no reason at all to spend more. You have something that works now, if I understood you correctly, so you have nothing to gain by further spending.

Edit:
On second thought, it may be better to switch things around, assuming that FMCB can launch GSM well. I never use it that way myself, but for a case like this it might be better to have FMCB auto-launch GSM directly, and then let GSM exit to uLE, thus eliminating the 'extra instance' of uLE. That will save both boot-up time and storage space. You should still use some OSDMENU definition in FMCB though, so as to be able to reach the Sony menu when needed, without rebooting GSM instead.

Best regards: dlanor

[urbigbro]

Edit:
On second thought, it may be better to switch things around, assuming that FMCB can launch GSM well. I never use it that way myself, but for a case like this it might be better to have FMCB auto-launch GSM directly, and then let GSM exit to uLE, thus eliminating the 'extra instance' of uLE. That will save both boot-up time and storage space. You should still use some OSDMENU definition in FMCB though, so as to be able to reach the Sony menu when needed, without rebooting GSM instead.

Best regards: dlanor

While this may be simpler to auto launch GSM from FMCB, it won't work. Something in the way FMCB initializes the auto-launch feature causes it to black screen. It does this on every version of GSM I have tested.

It would be great if something similar to what I have posted below could be edited into the second GSM thread post as this question has been asked multiple times now.


HOW TO USE IT
- Unzip GS Mode Selector "GSM.ELF" from zip file attached here
- Take all measures needed to boot it on your console
- Run it!
- Follow the GSM OSD instructions in order to choice and set your preferred mode using the joypad buttons
- Start PS2 Browser (and consequently title, FCMB or ESR according to your console settings) or HDLoader
- Enjoy!
- GSM can not be auto-launched from FMCB, it will black screen, if you want to auto launch it please configure FMCB to auto boot separate uLE instance, then uLE to auto GSM, then GSM to auto change to saved mode, and boot to PS2 browser.
(Link to files already configured to do this from USB here) (GS Mode Selector: Development & Feedback)

[dlanor]

While this may be simpler to auto launch GSM from FMCB, it won't work. Something in the way FMCB initializes the auto-launch feature causes it to black screen. It does this on every version of GSM I have tested.

That's too bad. I worried about that having a vague memory of such a problem, but since I never wanted to use it that way myself I wasn't sure. Anyway, for nickblame this just means that he will need to use the first kind of scenario I gave him, and for that he should be able to use the files you prepared and linked here.

It would be great if something similar to what I have posted below could be edited into the second GSM thread post as this question has been asked multiple times now.


HOW TO USE IT
- Unzip GS Mode Selector "GSM.ELF" from zip file attached here
- Take all measures needed to boot it on your console
- Run it!
- Follow the GSM OSD instructions in order to choice and set your preferred mode using the joypad buttons
- Start PS2 Browser (and consequently title, FCMB or ESR according to your console settings) or HDLoader
- Enjoy!
- GSM can not be auto-launched from FMCB, it will black screen, if you want to auto launch it please configure FMCB to auto boot separate uLE instance, then uLE to auto GSM, then GSM to auto change to saved mode, and boot to PS2 browser.
(Link to files already configured to do this from USB here) (GS Mode Selector: Development & Feedback)

I've added it to that post, in slightly different form, separating the addition from the original "HOW TO USE IT" section by a blank line and a Please Note! string, for emphasis.

Best regards: dlanor