21 pin SCART male connector
4 pin mini-DIN male connector
SCART (Syndicat des Constructeurs d’Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs) is a 21-pin European AV connector standardised electrically under CENELEC EN 50049-1 (IEC 60933-1:1988) and mechanically under IEC 60807-9:1993. The S-Video extension to EN 50049-1, introduced in the late 1980s, added dedicated luminance (Y) and chrominance (C) signal lines to the connector. S-Video carries luminance at 1 V peak-to-peak into 75 Ω and the colour subcarrier (3.58 MHz for NTSC, 4.43 MHz for PAL) separately, both on a 4-pin mini-DIN plug. A SCART-to-S-Video cable routes the Y and C lines between the two connector types, allowing a device with an S-Video output to drive a television equipped only with a SCART socket.
| SCART | => | S-Video |
|---|---|---|
| Composite Video Ground | 17 | |
| RGB Red Ground | 13 | |
| Composite Video Out | 19 | |
| RGB Red In / Chrominance | 15 |
Signals
- Composite Video Ground — signal ground shared by the composite video and S-Video luminance lines (SCART pin 17)
- RGB Red Ground — ground return for the chrominance (C) line (SCART pin 13)
- Composite Video Out — carries the S-Video luminance (Y) signal output from the SCART device; 1 V peak-to-peak into 75 Ω (SCART pin 19)
- RGB Red In / Chrominance — carries the colour subcarrier (C) signal; shared with the RGB red input line on the SCART connector (SCART pin 15)
Notes
- On the SCART connector, S-Video luminance (Y) is routed on pin 20 for input and pin 19 for output; chrominance (C) uses pin 15, with ground returns on pins 17 and 13 respectively.
- The 4-pin mini-DIN S-Video connector carries Y on pin 3 and C on pin 4, with grounds on pins 1 (Y ground) and 2 (C ground).
- Signal levels are 1 V peak-to-peak for Y and the colour subcarrier for C, both into 75 Ω.
- SCART pins are electrically crossed within the standard cable so that an output pin at one device connects to the corresponding input pin at the other; verify pin direction when constructing a custom cable.
References
- IEC 60933-1:1988 — Audio, video and audiovisual systems: 21-pin connector for video systems
- IEC 60807-9:1993 — Rectangular connectors for frequencies below 3 MHz: peritelevision connectors
- EN 50049-1:1997 — Domestic and Similar Electronic Equipment Interconnection Requirements: Peritelevision Connector (CENELEC)