How to mod a 21 pin Saturn

[Genestealer]

Originally posted by mal@Thu, 2004-04-22 @ 02:47 AM

My main (modded) 32 pin Euro Saturn's details are:

Model No. MK-80200A-50

Serial Number 169103407

Made in China

[post=101922]Quoted post[/post]​

I'd just like to point out my European _64_ pin model 2 Saturn has the very same model number, and similar serial number (165045116).

Also, see ZoNeD's post on page 19 on model numbers.

Sounds odd that two different Saturn makes could have the same model number,

 

[mal]

Originally posted by Shakey Jake33@Wed, 2005-02-02 @ 03:08 AM

I have 2 PAL Model 2 Saturns here. Both externally identical. Both with the model number MK-80200A-50. One of them worked fine using the A-B method. One did not.

I decided to inspect the units closer, and found the CD units to be *very* slightly different.

While the CD units were both pretty much identical (both 32pin IC's I add), the CD unit for the machine that worked with this method was Assy CD Unit SAT JVC EXL P605. (You can see this label on the left hand side of the unit). This CD unit worked flawlessly with the A-B method.

However, my other machine had a CD unit marked as Assy CD Unit SAT JVC EXL P608 This CD Unit did not work with the A-B method whatsoever. This CD Unit also had a white boarder around the edge of the unit, which the other one did not have.

Just to prove this was not a fluke, my White Saturn also has the latter laser unit, the Assy CD Unit SAT JVC EXL P608, the unit that did not work. And sure enough, my White Saturn also did not work with the A-B method.

To make things even more complex, switching the CD Unit from one machine to another did not work - the CD Units refused to work in the other machine even without the modchip! It seems the motherboards are different also. I do not have a number for the motherboards, but it's safe to assume that they tie in with the CD Units, and require that specific CD Unit.

So from what I can gather, Saturn's with the CD Unit Assy CD Unit SAT JVC EXL P605 work fine with the A-B method.

Saturn's with the Assy CD Unit SAT JVC EXL P608 (with the white border) CD Unit do not.

There may be other CD Units out there too though.

As I say, there is no way to tell externally what CD Unit the machine has, even the Model numbers are identical. It's pot luck.

People who are having problems with getting this method to work should check which CD Unit they have.

If anyone else can verify this for me so we have a second opinion...

[post=128854]Quoted post[/post]​

You're quite right about there being a second type of 32 pin CD board, but I'd only ever seen one in a white Japanese model 2 Saturn. I think that you'll find that the EXL P608 CD board doesn't have the 'timing' crystal on it.

Somewhere (possibly in this thread) I had noted that this type of CD board won't work with the "A+B" mod method, but will work if you solder directly to the 32 pin IC. And yes, you're quite right - the two types of CD board are not interchangable. I don't know why. :sigh

 

[logicbomb.de]

Could someone help me verify this? Either confirm that your Saturn fits that description, or tell me if your Saturn is different. IE: your june 96 saturn happens to be 32 pin. Thanks in advance.

[post=118031]Quoted post[/post]​

[/quote]

I happened to be real lucky I guess when I open my July '96 model 2 Saturn and found that it had a 32-pin IC on the CD board.

I had initialy assumed that most (if not all) model 2 Saturns were 32 pin, then after reading this entire thread, and taking note of the Mfg date, I'm thinking "Oh crap, with my luck I probably got a 64 pin IC". and I had already paid for a modboard.

looks like I lucked out i guess...

I can check on the serial number and country of origin, (pretty sure was made in Taiwan) when I get back from work

 

[lid230]

Hi, sorry to sound like a newb but where is the manufactur date on a saturn, cos im trying to buy a 32pin saturn off ebay as im having trouble modding my 64 pin, i have emailed some1 who has told me he has a few saturns and he could send me the serial numbers, but was going to ask him to send manufacture date too.

Also heres my info about my 64 pin saturn:

PAL

Model No: MK-80200A-50

Serial No: AD65005901

Made in Indonesia

Thanks if anyone can help

 

[psilocybe]

I just bought a model 2 saturn tonight and have been searching around for a week or so fot the mod boards. I have found 2 sites, consolefever.com and jandaman.com both of which are sold out. so assuming that my saturn will be the 21 pin version where would i find a mod board for these now days?

 

[racketboy]

Originally posted by psilocybe@Mon, 2005-02-14 @ 04:50 AM

I just bought a model 2 saturn tonight and have been searching around for a week or so fot the mod boards. I have found 2 sites, consolefever.com and jandaman.com both of which are sold out. so assuming that my saturn will be the 21 pin version where would i find a mod board for these now days?

[post=129675]Quoted post[/post]​

I have plenty in stock and have a great price.

Many people on here can vouch for me as well.

E-mail me if interested

 

[mrkotfw]

64 pin saturns are so fustrating... i have a jandaman mod-chip and it doesn't seem to work for my sanyo cd board saturn.

 

[mal]

A Sanyo CD board is not the same as a CD board with a 64 pin IC.

 

[mrkotfw]

oh okay, i thought it was a 64 pin saturn i bought my mod board from jandaman, i read through the thread and saw that many people were having problems with 64 pin saturns but no one has really mentioned anything about jandaman's mod boards on a sanyo cd board. (or i might have missed something) i tried many methods, i might as well try to buy a mod board from racketboy.

 

[mrkotfw]

i just recieved the mod board from jandaman and it doesn't seem to fit on any of my saturns. has anyone every experienced this? note: all my sega saturns have 21 pin ribbon cables.

edit: all this time it wasn't the mod board but the games itself! i used an action replay and it worked but the only problem left is that the action replay doesn't go past the "...loading..."

edit: apparently the mod does not work! both of the mod boards jandaman sent me do not work. one of them (white ribbon cable slot) spins the cd while the other (black ribbon cable slot) does not even spin the cd.

this is just great!

 

[aphexacid]

Hey guys. i think i have read through this entire thread now. and i feel pretty confident in doing this mod.

I'm going to pick out a Saturn from a local game shop, as i dont want to mod any of the saturns i own already.

Can someone please shed some light, on whether or not the manufacture date of the Saturn is any help on deciding what saturn has a higher probability of being a 32 pin IC version?

Or at the very least, is it the older second gens, or the later second gens?

I hope this wasnt stated already, as i was looking for this specifically today.

I would really appreciate the help. thanks all.

 

[Gechmir]

Hey guys, need some advice. I've had my first saturn modded for a couple of years now and it worked great. About a month ago I tried starting it up and it failed to recognize backups and originals, it just booted me to the audio cd screen. I have since removed the mod and put it in another saturn with the same results. Both saturns run perfectly with the mod removed. Do you think I need to get a new modchip perhaps? I've tried both methods of soldering it as well, although I haven't changed the bridging yet. Only reason I think the chip is bad now is because it worked great for 2 years. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Final Audition]

Hi all,

This mod has been driving me crazy for quite some time here. My original mod gave out much like Gechmir's, though it was of varying functionality over a few weeks. Then, it died.

Wanting to try again, I just recently bought a few boards from racketboy. He was very helpful and comes as a highly recommended seller (though I bet most of y'all already knew that). Thing is, I've been having familiar trouble with them. Specifically, one was installed and worked quite well. Then, after a gentle nudge to secure it when closing the case, it ceased working, reverting to the music CD-boot situation met by my older board.

After cussing at it for several minutes, I came here and reread the entire thread again. Thinking that maybe bad contacts were to blame, I opted to test. So, I soldered my original mod board to the Saturn. 84 painfully small solder points later, I got the same result as had happened before: the dreaded boot-to-music CD screen. Could the chip somehow be going bad at random?

So, I have to wonder; how shoddy are these mod boards? I've never had any electronic component die just by nudging the edge of the board. Also, I had to sand the edge of the data input slot to fit in the mainboard socket; the cut was a little wide. Could having a region mod affect it? (Any mod attempts have been made on region modded Saturns is all.) Then again, I got one mod to take ( ) without any seeming trouble. I'm just worried it won't last long. Any ideas on the random failure rate of these mod boards?

Well, there's always emulation. So... how are those emulators coming along.

 

[mrkotfw]

jandaman sent me the same kind of mod board that had to be "sanded" down a little (i did it with a knife ) -- well, don't do the a & b trick because it won't work. if you have a 64 pin saturn, just solder to the 8th pin and flip the mod board around. if you have a sanyo cd board (with or without a pc trap) try this solution by Sebastian (many thanks! :cheers)

 

[Final Audition]

Ooops... forgot to say that I've only been doing these on 32-pin models.

 

[mrkotfw]

well then just solder on the 3rd pin and you'll be fine.

 

[Final Audition]

Pardon? Is this the third pin of the 32-pin IC? I tried soldering to the 13th (I saw it in the thread, might have been a typo) and 14th pin (like it says to, though it is continuous with point B). What would soldering to the third pin do? Mind you, I'll give it a try, but I thought it could only get the clock signal needed from pin 14/point B. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

[aphexacid]

I think he meant the 3rd pin from the end, which still makes it pin 14.

on another note, i bought a september '96 Saturn USA, made in the phillipines.

a+b briddged the chip, installed the chip, and it works, but not for very long. and i dont think its because something has a bad connection. its almost like something overheats. because i can play a game for a while, then it will either freeze or reset. then, if i try and turn it back on, it wont always start playing. i'll have to wait a few minutes. it also seems like the longer i wait, the longer it will play.

AND, i put the chip in as far as i could, but for some reason if the chip sits up straight, games wont boot. if i push the chip towards the inside of the saturn it boots fine. so i had to put a piece of cardboard in between the chip and the body of the saturn to permanently push the chip in the direction.

Pretty F'd up situation. I really dont feel like dealing with it, so i'm taking to video game guru, and VideoGames etc. owner Sean Kelly tonight to do it up for me.

Hopefully all goes well.

 

[mrkotfw]

succes success and more success! my sanyo cd board is moddable! the mod board i have is dark blue with a black female ribbon cable connector (i don't know the proper name) -- all i did was remove the pc trap board completely, insert a shoddy ribbon cable and it works now. i soldered to the 7th pin of the 65 pin chip with the words 'SANYO' i'll post pictures and maybe even a tutorial! i got the mod board from jandaman. 100% credit goes to centuar2's post, i managed to get a hold of him (thank god).

 

[mal]

That's great news. :banana

Which of those two points in that pic that you posted do you solder to?