50/60Hz modding

[Otaku_punk]

I have a PAL 64pin Model 2 saturn and i am considering adding a 50/60Hz switch to it. Trouble is, my motherboard looks nothing like any of those shown in tutorials for this sort of thing. Can any body help me as to which trace i have to cut, and where i attach the wires etc. here's some pics of my system: (ignore the wires, they are from a failed region switch mod, i use a AR 4in1 now)

mainboard underside

Mainboard top

Thanks in advance!

 

[Drenholm]

Okay...

  * <- JP1

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As far as I know (consider me disclaimered):

JP1 should be linked for 60Hz and left unlinked for 50Hz. One side of the jumper links to pin 79 of the chip on the opposite side of the board: if you wish, you can lift up said pin and solder it to an active point (5.2V) on the board.

Hopefully this will help; I'd rather you waited for confirmation or otherwise of my suggestion before attempting anything.

 

[wolfchild]

Cut the pin 79 of the VDP1 chip with a cutter from the mainboard.(mainboard top). Then pull it a little bit up with a small needle and solder a little wire to this pin. Fix the wire with tape on the VDP1 chip and solder it to a switch, so that you can switch the wire to pin 79 between ground and 5.2V.

Is ground at pin 79 the saturn runs on 50Hz, is it 5.2V it runs on 60Hz.

But be careful, the pin is very small!

With this method you don`t have to trace or cut something on the mainboard. You only have to cut one pin of the VDP1 chip.

The VDP1 Chip has various ID Numbers. They are 315-5964, 315-5690, 315-5890 etc... But the pins are numbered.

 

[Drenholm]

So, was I close, wolfchild?

 

[RitualOfTheTrout]

Originally posted by Drenholm@Sun, 2005-05-01 @ 10:17 PM

So, was I close, wolfchild?

[post=133445]Quoted post[/post]​

You were pretty close.

The VDP chip can also be found because it is the only chip with 160 legs on it.

So basically you need a single pull double throw switch, connect ground to one prong and 5v to the other, then connect the wire from the VDP leg to the middle one and thats it.

 

[erkan]

May I ask whats wrong with my Saturn. I did the 60 hz hack (cut the trace). So when I connect 5v and the wire from the chip my Saturn wont start, no light, nothing at all, its basically dead. When I shut it off it sounds as when the CD spins down (it doesnt move, I think its the laser that sounds). When I connect the wire and ground my Saturn works as it used to do.

Perhaps I didnt cut the trace enough?

Its the second generation Saturn with the round buttons, PAL.

 

[Otaku_punk]

I postponed this mod due to my confusion, and after playing a japanese copy of MSH vs SF (very glitchy) i've heard this mod should clear it up. As long as there are no alternatives (other than a japanese saturn) could someone please link me some diagrams or point out in my images what to do (my usual site for mods, mmmonkey seems to be down). Thanks!

 

[chaoticjelly]

Originally posted by Otaku_punk@Wed, 2006-02-08 @ 02:31 AM

I postponed this mod due to my confusion, and after playing a japanese copy of MSH vs SF (very glitchy) i've heard this mod should clear it up. As long as there are no alternatives (other than a japanese saturn) could someone please link me some diagrams or point out in my images what to do (my usual site for mods, mmmonkey seems to be down). Thanks!

[post=144197]Quoted post[/post]​

Alrite fella, you need to look on the TOP of the Saturn motherboard, your looking for the VDP chip (graphics chip to you and me)

Its marked above it, printed in white letters on the mainboard "IC14" so you dont need to look for a specific part number, just look for IC14, plain and simple and it is the only 160 pin chip on the board, as mentioned previously.

Now your looking for the 79th LEG of IC14.

The end of each row of legs and the start of each row of legs is marked with a number, this number is the chip leg number.

One end will be marked 80, so obviously pin 79 is the one which is before that leg.

What you need to do (make sure you have a steady hand before you do it) is to lift this leg.

The way I do it is, with a stanley knife, and soldering iron in the other hand, place the tip of the stanley knife blade at an angle BEHIND the pin 79, then with your other hand, press the tip of the soldering iron on the pad that the leg is soldered to, then whilst your heating it, gently, gently wiggle the stanley knife forwards, then remove the soldering iron.

Hopefully now the leg should be lifted off the pad, so get a very small screwdriver with a flat edge, and carefully lift the leg up into the air so its horizontal.

Then you should probably put a bit of tape under the leg.

Then attach a wire to the leg, then put a bit of tape over the top of the wire, to secure it to the mainboard (you dont wanna pull the leg off by accident)

Then the wire that you attached, goes to the MIDDLE of your DPDT ON (OFF) ON switch (or SPDT switch)

Then simply take a wire from +5.2V to one of the remaining switch terminals, and then a wire from Ground (GND) to the other remaining switch terminal.

You can take the wires for +5.2V and GND from the bottom or top of the power supply pins. From memory, the model which you have, has got what the pins correspond to printed onto the top of the power supply.

Hope this helps!

 

[RockinB]

Can I use JP 1 instead of pin 79, too?

 

[pootle]

I have the same motherboard as the one pictured and can confirm that a switch across JP1 is all that is needed for the 50/60hz mod. JP1 is on the bottom side of the board (top-right on the picture that was posted) No need to cut tracks or lift pins

Pootle.