Table of Contents
The SCART Connector
The SCART connector, also known as a Péritel or Euroconnector or, is a multi-function connector that is identical in shape, but not function, to the Japanese RGB-21 connector. It carries RGB, composite video in and out, and stereo audio in and out. It can also carry component video and s-video, however these uses are non-standard and aren't supported by all televisions.
This page deals only with the RGB uses for a SCART display, A fantastic page detailing all the other uses for a SCART connector can be found right here.
The Pinout
| Pin | I/O | Description | Pin | I/O | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O | Right | 2 | I | Right |
| 3 | O | Left/Mono | 4 | - | Audio GND |
| 5 | - | Blue GND | 6 | I | Left/Mono |
| 7 | I | Blue | 8 | I | Select |
| 9 | - | Green GND | 10 | - | Clock (Not Used) |
| 11 | I | Green | 12 | O | Data (Not Used) |
| 13 | - | Red GND | 14 | - | Data GND |
| 15 | I | Red | 16 | I | Blanking |
| 17 | - | Video GND | 18 | - | Blanking GND |
| 19 | O | Video Out | 20 | I | Video In |
| 21 | - | Shield/GND | |||
- The numbering is the same on the SCART and RGB-21 connectors
- Direction is display relative. In = into display. Out = out of display.
Special Pins
Two of the SCART pins are for telling the display which mode and display size to use. One selects RGB or composite video, the other selects widescreen (16:9) or regular (4:3) aspect ratio.
| Select (Pin 8) | |
|---|---|
| Volts | Action |
| 0-2V | TV Mode (default) |
| 5-8V | 16:9 Mode |
| 9.5-12V | 4:3 Mode |
| Blanking (Pin 16) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Volts | Action | Pin 20 |
| 0-0.4V | Composite Video Mode | Composite Video |
| 1-3V | RGB Mode | Composite Sync |
- Not all TVs recognize these signals correctly or at all.
- Some TVs will not function without these signals. A quick fix can be implemented by using a 9V battery (positive lead on Pin 8, negative lead on any of the grounds) and a 150 Ohms resistor between Pin 8 and Pin 16.
- Some TVs can be manually forced into these modes.
- Some of this info was taken from other sources:
- See also:
- scart - Wikipedia has a decent summary of the connector's history and other info.