50/60hz switch

WiseMan · Jul 17, 2002

ok, i know how to install one etc but just a couple questions before i do.

i want to install the switch in my PAL Megadrive2, will this be of any benefit? as in, will my PAL games run full screen 60hz?

Will my MD2 still be compatible with my PAL MegaCD2 when running in 60hz?

What about my PAL 32x? Will it still be compatible then?

Has anyone here done this recently to their PAL system?

thanks

Mike G · Jul 17, 2002

i want to install the switch in my PAL Megadrive2, will this be of any benefit? as in, will my PAL games run full screen 60hz?

Yes.

Some European titles are territorially protected, and refuse to run at 60Hz (because they think you've got a US Genesis, which, to all intents and purposes, you have!), but you can get around that problem by starting up at 50Hz, then switching to 60Hz after the Sega logo appears.

Note also that some PAL games are optimised for 50Hz, so will run too fast at 60Hz - just try it, and see what works best for each game.

Will my MD2 still be compatible with my PAL MegaCD2 when running in 60hz?

Yes it will, but you'll have to start up at 50Hz then switch to 60Hz when the logo appears, as mentioned above.

Or, you could use a CD-X cart or one of Arakon's multibios mods.

Mike

WiseMan · Jul 17, 2002

thanks Mike, i guess i'll go ahead with it.

might throw in a blue L.E.D while i'm at it, sounds like a cool idea.

Onnichiwa · Jul 30, 2002

I had an odd thing with Sonic today (Pal version).

Plays like usual at 50Hz, but when I switched the Megadrive to 60Hz the music whent faster as to be expected, but the game whent actually slower!! Is this due to Pal optimisations??

Jungle strike seems to play on the same speed no matter if the switch is on 50 or 60.

WiseMan · Aug 4, 2002

whoah something nasty is going on here.

i did the mod acocrding to the instructions found on this site and my switch does nothing. what did i do wrong?

my megadrive thinks it is american indictaing i cut the track properly. games run in 60hz but black and white with the occansional splash of colour. it also has a few lines through the image.

i installed a blue l.e.d which works fine though.

Link Hylia · Aug 4, 2002

pherhaps this can be of assistance to you:

By Connecting Pin 107 of the 315-xxxx chip inside the Genesis 2 system to either Ground or +5v, you can select Japanese or North America as the system's territory. The same theory applies to pin 46 of the same chip: +5v is 60Hz and Ground is 50Hz.

Some important notes: There are three territory codes for every Genesis system: Japan, North America and Europe. There are two switches used to set these modes: PAL/NTSC and US/JP. Both US and JP are NTSC, so you can easily switch between them. Europe is PAL and US. There is no territory using PAL and JP as far as I know.

Also: Sega CD systems use a ROM that acts like a cartridge when no actual cartridge is detected. This ROM detects which mode your system is set to (US/JP/EU) and will or will not run depending on what it's programmed to accept. A Japanese CD system will not work on a US Genesis, unless the Genesis is set to JP mode.

and consult this (with a nice pic)

http://www.litespeedcomputers.com/sx/misc/md2mod.html

WiseMan · Aug 4, 2002

that link is the guide i used in the first place.

"After this is done, search for two jumpers marked JP3 and JP4 (they're to the lower right of the heatsink on the left side of the board).

connect the middle terminal of a switch to one, the other terminal to the other side of JP3."

doing this didnt seem to do jack shit for some reason.

is it because my megadrive 2 is a revision model?

it's not identical to the picture. near the track your have to cut on the pic is a group of four points but mine only has two.

maybe someone could tell me what they did with the jumpers in thier own words?

i soldered i wire to jp3 and another wire to jp4 then connected those to a switch. what was i meant to do?

Mike G · Aug 5, 2002

You need to connect the switch *across* JP3, i.e. solder one side of the switch to one side of JP3, the other side of the switch to the other side of JP3. The page you mentioned doesn't make it very clear, but if you read it carefully, you'll see that's what it's getting at.

As for the B/W issue, that's normal. You generally need to use a RGB connection to get a valid colour picture in both 50Hz and 60Hz modes, unless you want to do a separate "colour mod" (which involves adding a crystal oscillator circuit).

Mike

WiseMan · Aug 5, 2002

ok all fixed it works good now .

about colour can i get it through an a/v cable?

Mike G · Aug 6, 2002

I've never seen a board with a factory-soldered wire already stuck in JP3, but yes, you should leave it there, and solder your own wire to the same point.

about colour can i get it through an a/v cable?

No, you'll get exactly the same results as RF. Only RGB will work.

Mike

DjoeN · Feb 25, 2003

Hi, I want to know if 1 side of JP3 is 5V and What side of JP3 is 0V ??

The page isn't that clear and i want to know also What i need to solder to the middle ??

Correct me if i'm wrong.

Pin 47 should be connected to the middle of the switch

Left Hole of JP3 should be connected to the Left side of the switch (or right side)

Right hole of JP3 should be connected to the right side of the switch (or left side)

As for the Country Switch Pin 107 Should Be connected To the middle of the switch and then i already soldered the left of the switch to a + 5V.

Now i need me to find a 0V point so where to get this 0V point ??

(ok i can get it from JP3, but then i need to know what the 0V point is from JP3

Thx

DjoeN · Feb 26, 2003

Found it all

Thx for the help in #segaxtreme on efnet

GatoSamurai · Apr 19, 2003

I know its a n00b question, but someone can post how to make a RGB cable on a MD2, or where to buy it ??

Arakon · Apr 22, 2003

get the scart and MD2 pinouts from gamesx.com and build your own cable.. might be difficult to find the plug, tho.

50/60hz switch

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