Sony Profeel/XBR Series
Feeding Sony Profeel CRTs analog RGB signal
Below NEC model also has similar pinout as Sony Profeel
Below CRTs are not supported through the 34PIN adapter
Note
Sony KX-1901/Sony KX-2501 does not support analog RGB, only digital RGB. However, if you have the later revision Sony KX-1901A or Sony KX-2501A CRT, then you are good. "A" at the end of the model # here apparently stands for "Analog" support. Using the RGB Multi to SCART adapter on non-"A" version will not be that useful for retro gaming purposes.
If you feed analog RGB to digital RGB input you might see colors that are flat, missing or corrputed.
34 Pin RGB/SCART Adapter
New and improved adapter is only 2cm wide, making it possible to use without an extension cable for most cases.
Buy the adapter
Service Manuals
- Sony KX-1901A
- Sony KX-2501A
- Sony KV-1311CR
- Sony KV-20XBR
- Sony KV-25XBR
- Sony KV-25DXR
- Sony KX-1211HG
- NEC CM2591A
Early prototype
I guess you have to start somewhere with these mods. This was my early prototype made with a floppy cable. While it worked, it was really messy.
Someone made this adapter. It's nice to see how they made their's as well. Click the image below to see the imgur post.
34 pin connector
Mapping for the 34 pin connector to the floppy connector can be seen below.
Pin Translation
TV PIN | Floppy PIN | TV PIN | Floppy PIN | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5V | 1 | 34 | < | NC | 18 | 33 | |
5V | 2 | 32 | NC | 19 | 31 | ||
Audio (R) Ground | 3 | 30 | < | Audio (R) Input | 20 | 29 | |
Ground | 4 | 28 | Mode Select | 21 | 27 | ||
Remote Ground | 5 | 26 | NC | 22 | 25 | ||
Composite Ground | 6 | 24 | < | Composite Output | 23 | 23 | |
Audio (L) Ground | 7 | 22 | < | Audio (L) Input | 24 | 21 | < |
Red Ground | 8 | 20 | < | Red Input | 25 | 19 | < |
Green Ground | 9 | 18 | < | Green Input | 26 | 17 | < |
Blue Ground | 10 | 16 | < | Blue Input | 27 | 15 | < |
Ground | 11 | 14 | NC | 28 | 13 | ||
Ground | 12 | 12 | Blanking Input (3V) | 29 | 11 | < | |
Ground | 13 | 10 | < | Composite Sync Input | 30 | 9 | < |
NC | 14 | 8 | NC | 31 | 7 | ||
Ground | 15 | 6 | NC | 32 | 5 | ||
Ground | 16 | 4 | RGB Mode Select | 33 | 3 | ||
NC | 17 | 2 | Audio Select | 34 | 1 | < |
Shifting the RGB image
With every RGB mod, I have always noticed a slight shift in the RGB image. KX1901A was no exception. Without the service manual it was a bit tricky to make this adjustment. Lucikly stabarz was kind enough to make a post on what needed to be adjusted on this particular set. I made the recommended adjustment and it just worked fine. My understanding is that this adjustment only applies to this particular set - KX1901A.
Move H.CENT jumper from the "C" position to the "R" position (circled). Getting to this board is not straight forward, so be prepared to go through several screws and wires.
Another easier method to shift the RGB image, is to use an RGB image shifter. I got one of these 5 in 2 out
manual SCART switch for ~$70USD and it worked like a charm! There are probably muliple varieties of these RGB shifters on AliExpress that can get the job done.
This is my current setup
Pictures
Adapter
Adapter on Sony Profeel KX-1901A
KX-1901A
Should work as plug and play, without needing for any additional cables.
KX-2501A
Should work as plug and play, without needing for any additional cables.
Below pictures show the user plugged in directly. Please note, you will need to insulate the back of the adapter if you want to plug in this way.
KV-1311CR
This adapter works as a plug-and-play device, eliminating the need for any extra cables. This CRT necessitates an external 5V source to activate its RGB audio input. The RGB adapter takes care of this through the J5 jumper which allows you to tap into the 5V blanking singal. To enable the RGB audio input, one must short jumper J5 on the adapter.
NEC CM2591A
New 2cm adapter doesn't need an extension cable. What's shown in the pictures below is the previous version, which required an extension cable.
KV-20XBR
Works as plug and play.
KV-25XBR
Works as plug and play.
This CRT had some internal issue where there was a red tint.
Upon reviewing the schematics, it appears that there is no dedicated potentiometer for external RGB adjustment. However, on the CRT "A" board, there are three capacitors (C824 to C826 - 33uF/16V) located near the RGB connector, and another three capacitors (C401 to C403 - 10uf/16V) that provide the RGB signal to IC401. It may be worth trying to replace the capacitors that are responsible for feeding the red line.
Moreover, there are several pots that you can adjust on the A board, namely RV401 (G SUB BRT), RV402 (B SUB BRT), and RV403 (RGB SUB BRT), which can help fine-tune the RGB signal.
Here are a few suggestions to try:
- Adjust the RV403 pot to see if you can alter the brightness level of the RGB signal without affecting the composite signal.
- Experiment with RV402 and R401; increasing the G and B values should reduce the red tint.
- Check the capacitor on the red path and replace them if necessary.
Lowering (RV403) RGB SUB BRT and increasing the RV401 (G SUB BRT), RV402 (B SUB BRT) ever so slightly and the RGB colors on this CRT is FIXED!!!
After adjusting
KV-25DXR
Should work as plug and play, if you remove the ground screw. Please make sure to insulate the back of the adapter.
Another option is to use a small 34pin extension cable.
KX-27PS1/KX-20PS1
Note: This CRT is not supported at the moment.
34-pin MULTI input
Our findings revealed that the 34-pin MULTI input adapter necessitates a 5V connection on pin 33
(to select RGB mode) and a 3V connection on pin 29
(Blanking). To ensure compatibility, we can modify the adapter accordingly. Also, upon examining the schematics, we observed that the audio input does not pass through the 34-pin MULTI input (specifically pin 20
and pin 24
). Consequently, additional internal wiring within the set is necessary to enable audio functionality. Although it is indeed possible to make the adapter function, it would be unnecessary considering the existing SCART input.
Peri-TV input
If your SCART (Peri-TV) input is not working, I would suggest feeding in 5V to pin 8
in addition to pin 16
to see if you can get the sync to work.
KX-27PS1 (adapter fits nicely though!)