saturn plugin mods/bootdisk

There is what is called a "pass through" version of the saturn mod. With this version you definately don't need to solder a wire to any chip, but you may still need to provide a power connection. Not sure about that point. This board is hard-to-impossible to find on any online retailers.

Alternatively you can use mal's method of modding - that is solder the blue wire to point "A" on the mod board instead of soldering to an IC. This method only works with Saturns that have a 32 pin IC (unless you get the mod board that Gamegizmo.com sells), but this version of the board is available at almost all online stores that sell Sat mod boards.

There is no useful boot disc.

Complicated, i'n'it
smile.gif
 
My lik-sang modchip works with my 64 pin Saturn (no pc trap), but I seem to be the only one... so you should probably get the gamegizmo chip if you have a 64 pin Saturn (just to be safe)...

here's some pics: http://kickme.to/satmod

I just stuck them on a geocities site so who knows how long they'll stay there.....
 
Hi,

I had one of those pass through mods, it came with my Jap model 2 Saturn when i ordered it in 1996, however it has since died and i have had to replace it. I couldnt find one anyware. But it was defineatly the best saturn mod out! I still have it lying around if anyone wants pictures of it.
 
Not quite. The pass-through needs two cables - one going into the board and one going out. It doesn't plug into the mainboard directly. Other than that, it's probably a fairly similar design.
 
Hmm, I thought the original poster meant to ask whether there was a mod chip to plug into the cartridge port. (There isn't. It's a myth.)
 
Pass-Through mods are great because they don't need to plug into the mainboard. They can be placed between any two points within the SS. Also, they don't need pulse wires or any kind of setting changes, because everything is autodetected onboard.

About Plugin Mods, there are non which act exactly like a HK Mod, but there are Chinese Carts which allow for extreamly easy swapping. Basicly, they have OSD's which tell you when to swap, and also controls things like the CD-Drive so that it slows down when you need to replace disks.
 
There are boot discs for the saturn, they are called system discs and are very useful indeed.

They were only given to saturn developers and only the originals work, so they are very rare.
 
Originally posted by Cecilia Chen@Sep. 14 2002, 3:19 am

Pass-Through mods are great because they don't need to plug into the mainboard.

I still fail to see what benefit this is...

As far as I can tell without seeing one*, there shouldn't be any major differences between the two types of mods. True, the pass through mods generate their own signal (there is space on the 'plug in' mod for a crystal and associated components) and they have a second socket in which you place another ribbon cable (instead of plugging the mod into the main board).

All but five (?) of the 21 pins pass through a 'plug in' mod without being modified by the mod's curcuits. I'd be very surprised if a pass through mod is that different.

* hopefully this will be rectified soon
 
Originally posted by Skiad-ops@Sep. 14 2002, 12:46 pm

There are boot discs for the saturn, they are called system discs and are very useful indeed.

They were only given to saturn developers and only the originals work, so they are very rare.

What I meant was that the boot disc image found on various FTP's is next to useless. Yes, one of the original boot discs (and you'd need two - 1 for third party games and 1 for official Sega games) would be very useful, but as you say they are very rare.
 
Actualy, Pass-through mods are the only ones which do trully autodetect everything. No jumpers to set, no models to check (except for Ribbon size). Also I think during the SS's time stores prefered those chips because in the new SS units they added extra Hardware to defeat modding (One common is the PC-Trap model). This would stop Cheap mods from working because they need to plug into the motherboard and can't be installed at any other point. With a Pass-through mod however, you can install it directy after the CD-ROM reader before the data gets to any anti-pirating devices. By that time its too late, and the mod has already done its work so games load as normal. A Chinese modding page explains some of this, but I forget the address and its been so long that its probably a dead link.
 
Not sure where you are comming from, Trenton. As far as I know Mike G (?) got a lan-kwei style mod (plugs into the motherboard) to work with his PC-Trapped Saturn. He used mal's (now infamous) A+B method.
 
Interesting. The latest information I got was that the PC-Trap was a little extra board similar to a modboard which could just be pulled out and replaced by a modboard and everything would work flawlessly. At least that´s what was stated in the instructions I got with my pass-through mod a few years back.
 
The PC-Trap can be removed with a Pass-through, however Im not sure about the diffrent versions of PC-Trap and similar stuff SEGA installed in SS units. With regular mods, it may also work the same, however removing the PC-Trap means the ribbon will no longer reach the CD-Rom (I think). Pass-through's come with a long Ribbon cable for linking. Since the plug-in mods need to socket to the motherboard, the leftover ribbons may not reach since they never needed to be that long with other boards inside.
 
Please note that there may be diffrent versions of that board. I have a friend who did the exact same thing, and the PC-Trap caused the hardware not to work untill it was removed. And about the chip design, yep, the vendors supply the Ribbon which comes with the mod. However, the mod itself is also designed to accomidate it, as you need the extra port if you plan to attach the unit between the CD Reader and the PC-Trap.
 
Hey ExCyber/Mal, I have a Sega Unit with the PC-trap inside. I tried doing the mod as discribed but it doesn't work. The only diffrence with this unit i'm modding now, and the previous one I did, was that it has a PC-Trap inside. I tried everything but I can't get this to work. I wanted to try and put the mod bettween the CD and PC board, so that the trap board does sit between the two and mess up communication. But the damn thing has plug-in piano connectors! Is there a way to somehow tape the ribbon to that so you don't need to plug it in all the time?
 
Hey people,

I saw you people were talking about the Boot-Disk for the Sega Saturn, and everybody seems to think it's useless as a copied cd-r... I tend to NOT agree!

It was at these messageboards I learned about it and I was very interested (What if.. could it work...and so on..)

I roamed the Net for a copy and burned it.

You were all right about it not eliminating the swapping, BUT you were also NOT.

Of course you'll have to swap to let the Boot-Disk boot, but after that I can play most of my back-ups (Cd-r's) WITHOUT swapping! You just lay a copy in the Saturn and it reads it correct...and when you want to play another game you change the disc and press reset (That does work too, it doesn't "forget" the bootdisc)

If a game comes up that doesn't work with the Boot-Disk (Sega games mostly in my case) you do the traditional "swappin'" and even after that the Saturn still remembers the Boot-disk for the games that do work with it.

-If people ARE gonna do this don't forget to use satconv.exe like you use to do with games and change it to your area.

-You were succesful booting the boot-disk if you see the Sega trademark logo with the word "Completed" Left-Top.

There were two Boot-Disks (1 for Third-party & 1 for Sega games) so if any one could tell me if the other one's out too, I'd be very grateful...

I also want to recommend opening your saturn to find the switch that is turned on/off by the door mechanism and cut the wires to it, near the switch.

In my case (Type 1, oval buttons, "Acces" light) the wires are long enough to hang them out of the Saturn and thin enough to be able to close the saturn again without the need to drill holes and thus not molesting my dear old machine..

At this point you have two wires that (if you turn your Saturn on) can be held together (at the "naked" copper of course) to let the Cd-door be "closed" or if you seperate them let the cd-door be "open" Don't be afraid to touch the wires (Of the doorswitch, that is), there is next to no voltage on them.

At this point it gets incredibly easy...

You go to your nearest electricity store, by yourself the nicest switch you can find, Mine is a REALLY big one that came off of a vacuum-cleaner and I have to operate it with my foot (LOL!), screw the screws loose, put the wires in, and screw the screws tight again, (not too tight because the original wires are fairly thin)

And now you have your open/close switch!

This makes things easier because if you had taped the switch inside, the door would have alwys been "closed" and you would have had to push the power-button or the reset button to play another game, because you couldn't "officially" open the door and that doesn't work quite well for 2-cd games ;o)

CONCLUSION: If you don't have the money for a mod or, like me, have no-one to implement it for you, in my opinion the boot-cd is a very good alternative and it keeps you from having to swap for EVERY game.

If you are going to use the swapping technique I HIGHLY recommend building a switch. It's way too easy to ignore.

Cheers,

ToKo.

P.S. I have a model 1 Saturn (the easiest one for swapping and changing the wires within) so I can not tell that what I'm stating here will work for all types. (although I don't see why not?)

P.P.S. Before you give me sarcastic reply's, about how you all know already about the switch (and perhaps the Boot-Disk?), it was intended for people like me, who were wandering how to proceed with such a switch, because although it is mentioned often enough, I never found any clear instructions on how to do it and had to experiment on my own. If what I explained about the switch above still isn't clear, and you have a Model 1 Saturn, I'll be happy to assist you, if I can...
 
Back
Top