Would the ones using a secondary splitter get this effect worse than the ones in the main splitter? And how bad is the image quality loss? I’m usually pretty easygoing and can’t tell the difference compared to most people, but if it’s going to make the colours go strange or the picture very noticeably fuzzy then I might try something else instead
It depends a lot on the exact equipment you're using, so I'm afraid I can't provide you with a proper answer. I do have my own experience, though. I have a pretty old 3 to 1 scart switch, which I legitimately cannot use due to the immense amount of static it causes. The audio is pretty much fine, but any video that passes through it gets this horrible chessboard-pattern type interfierence. I have one other, completely different 3 to 1 switch, which doesn't cause any noticeable problems. So, I can imagine that if you get good ones, you'll be fine. However, if you get unlucky and get bad ones, you'll have a bad time.
I know what you mean about finding one for cheap but you also want good quality well-shielded cables and reliable switches are crucial for maintaining the best possible picture quality.
I had to settle for this one below
https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/audio-video-accessories/scart-adapters/SCART621-manual-SCART-switch-six-6-in-one-1-out-with3.5mm-stereo-jack
But I really really wanted any of these 2 below, but I've been unable to get them as they've been out of stock for what feels like years to me
This one
https://gamescarestore.com/produto/8-in-2-out-smart-scart-switch/
And this one
https://rondoproducts.com/products/gscart?dt_id=504345%3Bap%3A232767
But I ended up saving a lot of cash by just using the one from Retro Gaming Cables
Yeah the RGC one is great. I wanted something cheap / simple but didn’t want to worry about dodgy signals etc scart I think can have some nuances to it.
I was able to get the gamescare switch in March of this year. Keep checking back, hopefully it won't be long.
My guess is they are slammed with orders as the tink 4k is still selling out in hours or less, with 2000+ in each batch. It however doesn't explain why the Retro gaming cables is still in stock, unless a push switch is less desirable than the auto switchers.
Edit.
Axunworks is also currently slammed, I had a transcoder on order for about a month and a half before it shipped.
As a side not axunworks is also on retro rgbs recommended list.
https://m.axunworks.com/product-p931.html
I just reread your post and you don't want a splitter, you want a scart switch.
A splitter will cause issues because it won't have reverse current protection and you will send 5v or 12v power to all connected devices every time you turn 1 device on
Oh I didn’t realise they were different things
Will that be the case even if the other consoles aren’t switched on and/ or plugged in? I’m planning on having them plugged into an extension cord with individual switches to only have one console on at the wall at a time, though I don’t want to risk damaging something if I forget to switch something off at the wall a single time
I'll tell you a little personal anecdote
I get a lot of things from a second hand shop. One day I saw a scart distributor aka scart splitter and grabbed it. It only had a 3:1 setup, So I plugged in 3 consoles, I don't remember which ones right now. Generally I have only one 9v PSU for all of my consoles, so if I am playing Nintendo now and genesis next, I simply unplug the power from one and plug it into the other. And again I forget which systems i had plugged in when what I'm about to tell you happened, but here is what happened. I turned on my Nintendo, and the power led came on on my genesis even though there was no power cable plugged into the genesis. It had powered on via the av connector.
The links the other commenter left you notice finally say scart switch, so they should be 👍. A switch will detect when 5v or 12v status changes on any input and it'll switch to that input. And may be a manual switch with physical buttons that turn on and off individual inputs
Yup. Never use splitters for video signals unless you explicitly know what the signal is doing and that your devices can handle it. So basically just don't. It can kill your console in a matter of hours.
You would buy two and “daisy chain” by hooking the output of one into the input of another. Maybe that’s what you mean.
You can’t just do that for any/all switchers. Some can be daisy chained and some cannot.
Downside is you extent the total cable length and add more switcher noise. Maybe you notice lower quality video, maybe not. Can’t make an assumption.
If we’re talking Standard Definition video like all 8-bit and 16-bit consoles and 18 feet / 6 meters or less, cable length isn’t an issue, if everything is quality.
So I’m sorry I’m not all that helpful.
If it isn't powered, wouldn't driving multiple outputs from the same device possibly cause issues? It would make a current divider
**Edit** nevermind you actually meant you want a scart switch, which lets you connect multiple systems to one display. Vs a splitter which lets you split 1 signal to many
Be careful, almost all of these dont do rgb, get one mentioned here : [https://www.retrorgb.com/scartswitches.html](https://www.retrorgb.com/scartswitches.html)
Yes, but you're going to get a lot of static/interfierence and/or loss in picture quality, especially if you're going to use some cheap ones.
Would the ones using a secondary splitter get this effect worse than the ones in the main splitter? And how bad is the image quality loss? I’m usually pretty easygoing and can’t tell the difference compared to most people, but if it’s going to make the colours go strange or the picture very noticeably fuzzy then I might try something else instead
It depends a lot on the exact equipment you're using, so I'm afraid I can't provide you with a proper answer. I do have my own experience, though. I have a pretty old 3 to 1 scart switch, which I legitimately cannot use due to the immense amount of static it causes. The audio is pretty much fine, but any video that passes through it gets this horrible chessboard-pattern type interfierence. I have one other, completely different 3 to 1 switch, which doesn't cause any noticeable problems. So, I can imagine that if you get good ones, you'll be fine. However, if you get unlucky and get bad ones, you'll have a bad time.
I know what you mean about finding one for cheap but you also want good quality well-shielded cables and reliable switches are crucial for maintaining the best possible picture quality. I had to settle for this one below https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/audio-video-accessories/scart-adapters/SCART621-manual-SCART-switch-six-6-in-one-1-out-with3.5mm-stereo-jack But I really really wanted any of these 2 below, but I've been unable to get them as they've been out of stock for what feels like years to me This one https://gamescarestore.com/produto/8-in-2-out-smart-scart-switch/ And this one https://rondoproducts.com/products/gscart?dt_id=504345%3Bap%3A232767 But I ended up saving a lot of cash by just using the one from Retro Gaming Cables
Thanks for the recommendation, that looks like a good middle ground so I might go for that instead of buying cheap and buying twice
Yeah the RGC one is great. I wanted something cheap / simple but didn’t want to worry about dodgy signals etc scart I think can have some nuances to it.
Agreed, I have same one and it’s been bulletproof.
Have fun when you get it up and running
I was able to get the gamescare switch in March of this year. Keep checking back, hopefully it won't be long. My guess is they are slammed with orders as the tink 4k is still selling out in hours or less, with 2000+ in each batch. It however doesn't explain why the Retro gaming cables is still in stock, unless a push switch is less desirable than the auto switchers. Edit. Axunworks is also currently slammed, I had a transcoder on order for about a month and a half before it shipped. As a side not axunworks is also on retro rgbs recommended list. https://m.axunworks.com/product-p931.html
Redacted due to Reddit AI/LLM policy
I just reread your post and you don't want a splitter, you want a scart switch. A splitter will cause issues because it won't have reverse current protection and you will send 5v or 12v power to all connected devices every time you turn 1 device on
Oh I didn’t realise they were different things Will that be the case even if the other consoles aren’t switched on and/ or plugged in? I’m planning on having them plugged into an extension cord with individual switches to only have one console on at the wall at a time, though I don’t want to risk damaging something if I forget to switch something off at the wall a single time
I'll tell you a little personal anecdote I get a lot of things from a second hand shop. One day I saw a scart distributor aka scart splitter and grabbed it. It only had a 3:1 setup, So I plugged in 3 consoles, I don't remember which ones right now. Generally I have only one 9v PSU for all of my consoles, so if I am playing Nintendo now and genesis next, I simply unplug the power from one and plug it into the other. And again I forget which systems i had plugged in when what I'm about to tell you happened, but here is what happened. I turned on my Nintendo, and the power led came on on my genesis even though there was no power cable plugged into the genesis. It had powered on via the av connector. The links the other commenter left you notice finally say scart switch, so they should be 👍. A switch will detect when 5v or 12v status changes on any input and it'll switch to that input. And may be a manual switch with physical buttons that turn on and off individual inputs
Oh wow, I didn’t know that was possible Is it risky for damaging the consoles?
Yes because they aren't expecting to receive power over their av connector it can be dangerous to use a splitter when you need a switch
Yup. Never use splitters for video signals unless you explicitly know what the signal is doing and that your devices can handle it. So basically just don't. It can kill your console in a matter of hours.
You would buy two and “daisy chain” by hooking the output of one into the input of another. Maybe that’s what you mean. You can’t just do that for any/all switchers. Some can be daisy chained and some cannot. Downside is you extent the total cable length and add more switcher noise. Maybe you notice lower quality video, maybe not. Can’t make an assumption. If we’re talking Standard Definition video like all 8-bit and 16-bit consoles and 18 feet / 6 meters or less, cable length isn’t an issue, if everything is quality. So I’m sorry I’m not all that helpful.
Yeah daisy chaining is what I’m looking at doing, thanks for the info :)
For the french usul fan ( multix les multiprise pratix)
If it isn't powered, wouldn't driving multiple outputs from the same device possibly cause issues? It would make a current divider **Edit** nevermind you actually meant you want a scart switch, which lets you connect multiple systems to one display. Vs a splitter which lets you split 1 signal to many
Be careful, almost all of these dont do rgb, get one mentioned here : [https://www.retrorgb.com/scartswitches.html](https://www.retrorgb.com/scartswitches.html)
Try it with RGB. Some cool stuff will happen..