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I'm trying to hook up my EUR N64 to a TV that handles both Composite and RGB SCART alright (A1200, CDTV, Megadrive).

The picture is very dark and I can only make out the shapes and contours.

IMAGE HERE

There is no setting in TV that allows to flip between RGB/composite SCART input. How to resolve it? Should I just buy AV cable with one of these RCA to SCART adapter? Would this work?!

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  • it should work right out of the box with a TV. N64 are designed for TVs. I had the same issue with an Oric but it was because of a cheap SCART to hdmi converter that didn't do RGB
    – Jean-François Fabre
    Aug 7, 2020 at 20:52

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Possible reasons IMHO could be:

  • Older computers and consoles sometimes do not work with modern TVs. Modern TV needs a more precise TV signal, especially the timing and voltage level, than older TVs.
  • There is a problem in the N64 itself - maybe some passive parts (resistors or capacitors) in the video circuit are degraded by time.
  • It looks like a video signal has a weak voltage. The reason could be some corrosion or "cold solder joint", which has a significantly higher resistance, in a signal way, or some parasite conductivity with a high resistance between signal and ground...

Try it with another old TV, if you can. Or try to open the N64 carefully, looking for some rust or dust or any other signs of degradation, if you dare... The problem SHOULD be on the video way between the video processor and your TV.

P.S.: Maybe this idea could help you: RGB Video DAC for N64

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  • +1 for the corrosion suspicion. I want to add "broken cable" into that categroy, too. You see sharper edges in the picture, so while DC voltage is low (likely inhibited by resistance), AC coupling is better, so the point where the signal gets lost seems to have some parasitic capacitance that helps getting AC across.
    – Michael Karcher
    Aug 10, 2020 at 7:37

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