OSSC red light, losing sync on Genesis/Saturn after ~10min of use

[VirtuaAM2]

I got my OSSC yesterday and set it up with my Model 1 HD graphics Genesis. I used the same scart cable I’ve used for years with a Scart-Component converter on a CRT previously. No issues at first. I spent some time trying out settings and line doubling modes. After about 10-15 min I noticed a blink of the red light and brief loss of signal on the TV. Another few minutes and another blink of the red light. They started happening then more and more frequently until the signal was lost entirely a few minutes later.

I’m using a Samsung MU6290 television. The TV doesn’t seem to have the problem though since the red light is flashing with the sync drops happening more and more frequently until the sync was lost entirely.

So I turn the console and unit off, switch to the saturn which is a near launch model 1. Put in Daytona and do a few races. I get a blink of sync loss after trying advanced a few times. Switch to Darius Gaiden. Get to the second stage and another sync drop. After that the sync drops increasingly happen and a few minutes later the TV says “no signal” with continuous red light.

So I hook up the SNES 1chip and put in donkey kong country 2. I play though the first two worlds over about a half hour or more. Leave it on for another 20 min. No sync drops, no red light.
This is the snes cable i’m using

This is the genesis cable:

This is the saturn cable – by ebay seller thefoo83

Thefoo.83 Sega Saturn SCART cable review

it’s the same cable pictured here and reviewed.

if anyone can give help with this issue I would appreciate it. Should I buy a new cable for the genesis/saturn? is there a setting I need to change on the OSSC?

One interesting thing I noticed is when i went back to the genesis and played streets of rage 2, it lasted until about the end of the second stage before sync was totally lost. When i switched immediately to the saturn and started playing darius gaiden again, sync was dropping almost immediately, even though it was a different scart cable plugged. These consoles are all US NTSC and unmodded.

[VirtuaAM2]

Was able to use the SNES for about two hours last night without any sync drops across several games. I guess there’s no support for this device so ill just have to try some new cables.

[marqs]

That sounds like a defective OSSC, although it’s a bit strange that you don’t see any issues with SNES. Before sending it to warranty replacement, you could try adjusting sync Vth setting in sync menu.

[VirtuaAM2]

I guess it’s not impossible but I literally just got it this week from the batch that became available late April or early may.

[BuckoA51]

I’d be careful of the Foo’s cables, for some reason he started putting sync strippers in the cable instead of getting sync either from the Saturn itself or Luma. If it’s a cable with a sync stripper in I’d try a different one before blaming OSSC.

[VirtuaAM2]

I guess I’ll be looking to replace the cables and see how it goes.

[VirtuaAM2]

As an update I tried to display the scroll test on the Genesis 240p room but it had sync drops almost immediately.

I played around with the sync related settings on the ossc and none seemed to slow down the sync drops. Eventually the whole signal was lost.

After this I connected the snes and let it sit in demo mode on sf2 for an hour and no sync drops.

[VirtuaAM2]

$220 for blank screen 10/10 would buy again

[VirtuaAM2]

Let’s say this explains the issue with Saturn.

Is there anything I can do or look for within the cable?

Why does this happen with both the foo Saturn cable and the retro gaming cables Genesis scart?

Why is the only support for this device having issues buying $60 worth of new cables nobody knows if it will improve the performance or fix the issue?

I’m annoyed that this product seems to be being sold with little to no support for the end user’s experience. At this point the device is almost useless for anything I want to use it for and there’s no answers about why that could be.

I’m not trying to use it with some outrageous or unusual configuration, just a stock unmodified us Sega saturn and genesis. This would appear to be a supported use of the device yet I just get a blank screen.

[Harrumph]

Bottom line I would say is that we’re dealing with 20-30 year old consoles here. That means there are many unknowns, where odds are some consoles will just not function properly or to their original spec anymore. Add to that the variation in cabling that can be used (although quality has probably risen quite considerably in the last 5 years or so, considering the competition & standards of the two main suppliers (retrogamingcables and retro-access)).

It is true that Saturn & Genesis should work out of the gate.
What complicates your issue is that you have stable sync from your SNES. This implies that the OSSC is probably not at fault (still not certain obviously). So it’s natural to investigate the other consoles/their connections first.

I don’t think it’s fair to say that there’s “little to no support”. The creator of the OSSC replied after 1 day, the owner of VGP replied after 3 days.

From experience, I know Matt (Bucko) will happily arrange an RMA if it’s likely your OSSC is defective. Additionally, even if it doesn’t seem to be the case, he runs a “no questions asked” return policy, so you can always just return it for reinbursement (minus postage, but still).

[VirtuaAM2]

I’m going to wait for retro access to have cables available again, get a new Saturn cable, and try that first. if that resolves it I’ll replace the Sega Genesis one as well.

[marqs]

If anyone of your friends have OSSC or alternative RGB cables for the problematic system, you should try those before investing into new cables. If you have original composite cables for the systems, you could even try hooking composite into Y (green) input and check if you see same sync issues in YPbPr mode (which then gives a BW picture). Otherwise this is a hard case to debug without starting to ask opening scart cables or probing sync signals via oscilloscope.

[BuckoA51]

For your Genesis try adjusting the H-PLL coast options so that pre is set to 3 and post is set to 3 (under Sync opt).

[VirtuaAM2]

Thanks I tried it but I can’t even get past the first level of lightening force before I’m losing sync every few seconds.

I’m torn at this moment if I want to get new cables for the Genesis or just save up for the mega SG. The Genesis native RGB and sound output are still very dirty/noisy. It was much less noticable on crt.

I make sure to try new cables on the Saturn as well.

[BuckoA51]

If you suspect a faulty OSSC please do get in touch so we can help you further.

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