I have another saturn on the way hopefully I get lucky too ..manufacture date is august 1996 ... have my fingers crossed..=P
Saturn mod chip help
- Thread starter 3rdman
- Start date
Good News....I recieved my new saturn today...and as promised it has a manufacture date august 1996 .. and as predicted it has the 32 pin ic and the mod board worked perfectly... any one want to buy a perfectly good saturn that I won't be using..=) I would even throw in a few games...=P...Im happy now=)
what do i do if I have no IC chip to solder to and I have a two wire mod?
You have a few options.
1 Get a 'pass through' mod.
2 Get a Saturn that can use a two wire mod.
3 Get an 8.467MHz crystal, a 74HC04 Hex inverter, a 1K smd resistor and a 100uF electrolytic capacator and mod your mod. If your soldering is good it may be possible. I don't know if anyone has tried this yet.
Beyond that there's always swapping...
1 Get a 'pass through' mod.
2 Get a Saturn that can use a two wire mod.
3 Get an 8.467MHz crystal, a 74HC04 Hex inverter, a 1K smd resistor and a 100uF electrolytic capacator and mod your mod. If your soldering is good it may be possible. I don't know if anyone has tried this yet.
Beyond that there's always swapping...
lordcoxis was talking about getting some pass through mods last week. You might try getting in touch with him.
As I'm sure you've already noticed, unclecuddles posted on the second page of this thread that he's successfully modded a 64 pin Saturn with a two wire mod.
As I'm sure you've already noticed, unclecuddles posted on the second page of this thread that he's successfully modded a 64 pin Saturn with a two wire mod.
is there a chance that lordcoxis or anyone else would trade me for one of the pass through mods? I have the two wire mod and its just fine, I just can't use if due to the lack of an IC chip in my saturn. any info would be great 
I just received my modchip in the mail and opened my saturn. Dissapointingly it has the 64 pin chip. What is this stuff you are talking about with bridging to 0014 or 0019? What does that mean? I thought all I had to do was solder it to pin 8 on the chip. I haven't attempted the mod yet.
The 0014 and 0019 bridge is supposed to solve some compatibility issues with some Saturns. By the default, most mods are setup with the 0014 bridge (a blob of solder between two points on the modboard, one of which is marked as "0014"). If this configuration does not work for your Saturn, you can remove this bridge and use the 0019 bridge.
Yes, you are just supposed to solder to pin 8 of the 64 pin chip (as per the playthegames.com instructions), but if you are feeling adventurous, you might be able to help mal out with his problem. See his topic "I just modded a 21 pin Saturn" in the Saturn forum. This mod is easier to do, but as yet is not confirmed to work with 64 pin Saturns. Be aware that there is a remote possibility that trying this could damage your Saturn, but it's probably no more likely that damaging you Saturn by following the playthegames.com instructions.
Yes, you are just supposed to solder to pin 8 of the 64 pin chip (as per the playthegames.com instructions), but if you are feeling adventurous, you might be able to help mal out with his problem. See his topic "I just modded a 21 pin Saturn" in the Saturn forum. This mod is easier to do, but as yet is not confirmed to work with 64 pin Saturns. Be aware that there is a remote possibility that trying this could damage your Saturn, but it's probably no more likely that damaging you Saturn by following the playthegames.com instructions.
Okay the backup didn't work either. The CD doesn't even spin at all from the time I turn on the system; does that indicate any specific problem? It shows the white saturn logo screen and then just takes me to the audio CD controls with a faint hissing noise in the background. It just stays stuck saying "Checking Disc Format" with a yellow and a red ball on the sides. (I guess it can't check the format if the CD isn't spinning) Any tips would be appreciated..
I see this in mal's post here:
"if the ribbon cable isn't properly inserted (either bridge):
-no boot up animation
-two large red spheres at the CD player screen
-no CD rotation
-displays 'checking disc format'"
That's the only one with a red sphere in it, but he doesn't mention any with a yellow sphere ??? I guess I should check the ribbon cable; I saw in some post that maybe you have to put it in backwards for the 64 pin version ??
"if the ribbon cable isn't properly inserted (either bridge):
-no boot up animation
-two large red spheres at the CD player screen
-no CD rotation
-displays 'checking disc format'"
That's the only one with a red sphere in it, but he doesn't mention any with a yellow sphere ??? I guess I should check the ribbon cable; I saw in some post that maybe you have to put it in backwards for the 64 pin version ??
I meant that a pin on the back of the modchip is bent down all the way and touching the board of the modchip.
So it shouldn't be like in this picture?:
I tried plugging the ribbon both ways into the modchip, but I have had the modchip itself like it is in that picture both times. My ribbon doesn't look exactly like the one in that picture, mine was prebent in two places. How exactly is the ribbon supposed to be inserted into the motherboard and the modchip, I mean which direction are those blue lines or the words supposed to face?
Okay, thanks for the tip. I made some progress. The following now describes my situation:
"no solder bridge:
-boot up animation
-two green cubes at the CD player screen
-CD rotates
-displays "checking disc format"
-will then only play audio tracks of CDRs and originals"
So I guess now I have to find out more information about these solder bridges. Is there a thread somewhere that describes what and where they are? I searched and couldn't find anything.
"no solder bridge:
-boot up animation
-two green cubes at the CD player screen
-CD rotates
-displays "checking disc format"
-will then only play audio tracks of CDRs and originals"
So I guess now I have to find out more information about these solder bridges. Is there a thread somewhere that describes what and where they are? I searched and couldn't find anything.
