Installing a mod...

[Caelestis]

After much consideration, I've finally decided to pay up the extra cash to mod my Saturn... I've got a few problems with that, though.

First and foremost, I don't know what kind of Saturn I have. Rather than describe it for ya, I took a few snapshots.

#1) An Overview

http://www.angelfire.com/games3/darksol/sat1.jpg

#2) Closer look at the chips

http://www.angelfire.com/games3/darksol/sat2.jpg

#3) Closer look at the power supply

http://www.angelfire.com/games3/darksol/sat3.jpg

#4) Back casing

http://www.angelfire.com/games3/darksol/sat4.jpg

My far from professional opinion tells me it's a simple 32 pin US Saturn... but the other little chip on the right there in that second piccy kinda makes me doubt that...

Now that at least you probably know what kind of Saturn I have, what places sell the type of mod I'll need for my particular Saturn?

I've checked Mal's thread up there, and see that I'll need to connect A+B... but I have no idea where to solder the red wire. I think it's supposed to be on one of those things in pic 3... but which one?

Any help is appreciated. I've been looking through everything trying to figure this out on my own, but I figured rather than risk f*cking up something, it'd be best to swallow the pride and ask for a little help. Thanks.

 

[mal]

It should be a piece of cake.

It's a 32 pin Saturn. Any 21 pin mod should work just fine.

The red wire needs to go to a 5v terminal on the PSU. If it doesn't say on the PSU which one is which, there was a thread some time ago about PSUs. Have a look for it or I'll find it for you later.

 

[mal]

OK, I'm looking at a japanese power supply and it also has 4 terminals much like your one.

The two terminals that are nearer to the 110v power connector are 5v.

It would still be a good idea to check the voltages on your one though.

 

[Tagrineth]

Originally posted by mal@Jun 13, 2003 @ 07:01 AM

OK, I'm looking at a japanese power supply and it also has 4 terminals much like your one.

The two terminals that are nearer to the 110v power connector are 5v.

Not two. Only one of them.

One of them is +9v and will fry the mod chip... the outer ones are the dangerous ones.

 

[Caelestis]

Originally posted by mal@Jun 13, 2003 @ 07:01 AM

OK, I'm looking at a japanese power supply and it also has 4 terminals much like your one.

The two terminals that are nearer to the 110v power connector are 5v.

It would still be a good idea to check the voltages on your one though.

How on earth could I end up with a japanese power supply?

And just so I'm positive on this, a Lan Kwei mod should be just fine, right?

 

[Tagrineth]

Probably. But shop around. A lot of sites like to overcharge badly for things like mod chips.

Jandaman's offers Saturn mod chips for an amazing $15 and Action Replay 4M Plus carts (if you don't have one) for $30.

 

[mal]

It amazes me how people can make simple things so complicated...

If the PSU has 4 connectors (as I specified) it will be:

(mains connector end)

5v

5v

0v

0v

If the PSU has 5 connectors it will be:

(mains connector end)

9v

5v

5v

0v

0v

There is another funky 5 connector type of PSU that has 3.3v in there as well, but we don't need to worry about that.

I only referred to a Japanese PSU because they are almost identicle to US ones and I didn't have to open up one of my US Saturns to check. Which I have done since.

At the risk of repeating myself

Originally posted by mal@Jun 13, 2003 @ 05:06 PM

Any 21 pin mod should work just fine.

*sigh*

 

[Caelestis]

Originally posted by mal@Jun 14, 2003 @ 09:45 AM

It amazes me how people can make simple things so complicated...

I have a gift.

 

[Shakey Jake33]

If it makes you feel any better Rob, I got the same Saturn and it worked with a standard mod chip fine.

I did have to solder across point 0019 on the mod as opposed to 0014, but only ask about that if it doesn't work as it is.

 

[Caelestis]

Success! :cheers

In what was perhaps the ugliest soldering job on the planet earth, I still persevered. I let the mom do the soldering, since she's supposed to be good at it. (She brags all the time) In her attempt to solder the wire back to B, she made a huge pile of solder... but the solder bridged the gap between points A+B, so it works. :cheers

 

[mal]

Congratulations.

As long as it works the soldering doesn't have to be pretty.

 

[Caelestis]

Originally posted by mal@Jun 24, 2003 @ 06:31 PM

Congratulations.

As long as it works the soldering doesn't have to be pretty.

Yeah, absolutely no complaints here.