Hack VGA switchbox to SVideo?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Noozer
  • Start date Start date
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Noozer

Just wondering... Is there any reason a manual VGA switchbox couldn't be
hacked with RCA and SVideo jacks to work as a Svideo switchbox?

I assume that analog VGA signals would be just as important as Svideo, so
shielding wouldn't be an issue as it would already be incorporated into the
box.

Basically, get a 4 port VGA switchbox, 5 female svideo and 10 RCA jacks some
solder and your off to the races!

Thoughts on this?
 
Just wondering... Is there any reason a manual VGA switchbox couldn't be
hacked with RCA and SVideo jacks to work as a Svideo switchbox?
Click to expand...

Well there's that part about needing to fab a multi-layer
circuit board, design and implement a TV encoder. If you
can do that then the drilling of a few holes in the
switchbox chassis should be a piece of cake.

I assume that analog VGA signals would be just as important as Svideo, so
shielding wouldn't be an issue as it would already be incorporated into the
box.
Click to expand...

Usually same implementation (relative placement, cabling and
traces, connections) for S-Video, it will not have as
significant a shielding requirement as VGA.
Basically, get a 4 port VGA switchbox, 5 female svideo and 10 RCA jacks some
solder and your off to the races!

Thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking your horse won't get out of the starting gate.
There is no way to just solder on RCA jacks and make this
work. When video cards offer this feature it's supported by
the chipset or converted with a seperate encoder chip.

Take a look at the following Conexant CX25870/1 chip
brochure PDF. It was (not sure about today) a fairly common
add-on chip for S-Video support. It'll give you a better
idea of what's involved in converting from VGA to S-Video
(or as always, there's Google).

http://www.conexant.com/servlets/DownloadServlet/100431_pb.pdf?FileId=28
 
kony said:
Well there's that part about needing to fab a multi-layer
circuit board, design and implement a TV encoder. If you
can do that then the drilling of a few holes in the
switchbox chassis should be a piece of cake.
Click to expand...

I think you misunderstood what I was going for...

Change "Four VGA in, One VGA" out into "Four SVideo + audio in, One SVideo +
audio out."
 
I think you misunderstood what I was going for...

Change "Four VGA in, One VGA" out into "Four SVideo + audio in, One SVideo +
audio out."
Click to expand...

OH.
Sure, you can do that.
 
If it is a passive switchbox, this can be done. You will have to do a lot of
soldering to adabt the connectors back and forth to be compatable at the
ends. Also, of there are any shielding problems, or cross talk problems, you
will have a lot of problems to deal with.

Connsidering that an S-Video box would be cheaper to buy than to start with
all that soldering and buying all the necessary connectors, why not just
simply buy a box that is made for the job?

If your box is an active one, it may not work to pass the chroma and
luminance sync signals properly, as required for S-Video.
 
Jerry G. said:
If it is a passive switchbox, this can be done. You will have to do a lot of
soldering to adabt the connectors back and forth to be compatable at the
ends. Also, of there are any shielding problems, or cross talk problems, you
will have a lot of problems to deal with.

Connsidering that an S-Video box would be cheaper to buy than to start with
all that soldering and buying all the necessary connectors, why not just
simply buy a box that is made for the job?
Click to expand...

Because I already have a manual KVM that's collecting dust and none of the
retailers around here have any kind of reasonably priced Svideo switchboxes.

Kinda moot now as I just bought a new 52" TV with component and DVI inputs.
 
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