Best Super Famicom revision to get? Japanese CRTs got rgb scart???

[bytestorm]

Hey!

I would like to buy a new Super Famicom when moving to Japan this year, since I regret selling my old one

Wich version is the best to get? I understand there are some different revisions of the PAL and USA NTSC one, but what about the Japanese super famicom?

Secondly, how dome the Japanese RGB sfc cable is so darn expensive? Doesnt japanese CRT tvs have scart??

Thanks in advance!

[P]

The differences in board revisions applies to Japanese Super Famicom too. There are mainly 3 types:

Earlier Model 1
The most common one and easiest to find. There are several revisions but the changes are supposedly very minor. Just watch out for the very first version (v 1/1/1) as it has problems with freezing if all 8 DMA channels are used simultaneously (not sure how many games does this). Here's a test ROM that triggers the bug (if you have a flashcart to try it with). The first version is quite rare though so chances are quite low that you'd get one (look at the serial number to be safe).

1CHIP Model 1
The 1CHIP is often praised for it's superior image quality. It's not as easy to find though, and it's hard to tell if it's an 1CHIP from the outside. I read before that it's different from the Mini but according to this guide they are actually the same. The white vertical line that are often present in the screen is less noticeable on 1CHIP/Mini. There are downsides too though, apparently there are glitches in certain games (I have 1CHIP and have never seen any glitches yet though). That racketboy link lists those glitches.
If you get an 1CHIP you might watch out for 1CHIP-03 since it doesn't have csync (composite synchro, the synchro signal is on its own line => better picture) so you may have to mod it if you wanna use a cable with csync. Unfortunately there's no way to tell from the outside if it's a 01, 02 or 03 AFAIK.

Mini
The SFC Mini is very popular and also expensive, mostly because of its look I guess. It supposedly is pretty much the same as the 1CHIP internally (other than the totally redesigned board layout of course), but some claim that it has slightly better image quality than the 1CHIP. It has a load of downsides though: It needs to be modded for RGB and csync, has no expansion port, and has all the downsides of the 1CHIP.

Secondly, how dome the Japanese RGB sfc cable is so darn expensive? Doesnt japanese CRT tvs have scart??

No SCART is a European standard. The Japanese RGB plug (known as JP21) is identical to SCART in shape, but doesn't fit SCART standard electrically (may damage something if you try). Get an RGB cable with a real SCART plug (I use this one at the moment) for your European TV with RGB SCART. Don't get a cheap one, they are pretty useless and much worse than using composite or even RF.

The Japanese RGB cable is probably to be used with upscalers or Japanese TVs that has JP21 jack (if there are any).

[bytestorm]

Thanks for the info!!

[Pikkon]

As for looking for a tv in japan that can use rgb you should be able to find one but you have to make or buy a cable so it works on all consoles.
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown/3715/tv.html
http://ore-kb.net/diary/20080720.html