Trouble with MD 2 50/60 mod ...

[Michael Knight]

Hi!

Well, I have tried to put the 50/60 hz mod in my MD 2, and I have followed the instructions that can be found on the misc. section of this site, so I cut the trace, and then I found JP3 & JP4 ... and here is where I don´t understand well the instructions, so I looked those 2 jumpers, and I found something like this :

o----o JP3

o----o JP4

/

o -------> Is this a resistor??

Well, so I thought "If the Jumper that is solded to that resistor is the one who make the console run at 50 or 60 hz, then I have to solder the middle pin of a switch to the resistor, and left pin with JP3, and right pin with JP4" ... but I doesn´t work .......so what I have now is a MD 2 running at 60 hz ... any idea of what am I doing wrong???

 

[Mike G]

The component you refer to is a diode, and it has nothing to do with the 50/60Hz setting.

If you've already cut the trace (so your MD2 is running at 60Hz by default), all you need to do is solder a switch across JP3 (or between the left side of JP3 and any ground point on the board). When the switch is open, the console will be at 60Hz; when closed it'll be at 50Hz.

If you want a language switch as well (so you can play protected Japanese games), have a look here:

http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/masterful/md2lang.html

Mike

 

[IceDigger]

I just fried my genny 2 with that mod. there has to be some second source of 5V to pin 107, mike.. I #### close scratched through the entire pcb, there was no way in #### there could be any contact left, I scratched off a 1 mm wide stripe on all sides, even removed the copper coating around the hole.. and it STILL carried +5V. lifting the pin and soldering to it worked, tho.. so I assume the pin is connected somewhere via a trace from under the chip too.

I fried it cause I accidently touched several pins with the soldering iron and melted them together, tho.. tried to get it out with a desolder pump and desoldering braid, no go.

ah well.. genny 1 looks cooler anyways.

 

[Mike G]

There's been no additional connection to +5v on the boards I've seen... both Euro MD2 and US Genesis 2 versions (VA1). Suppose there could be other variants out there... maybe the board was deliberately changed to foil modders?

Actually, I no longer cut around the hole when doing the mod, I just cut straight across the trace above and below the hole, and solder a wire across it. Much easier.

I didn't much fancy lifting the pin as they are much too close together for my liking - I'll have to find someone with a steadier hand than mine

Mike

 

[IceDigger]

I even verified it with a multimeter, the 5V were still there, with absolutely no chance of the trace around the hole still having contact.

ah well.. no matter, genny 2's are cheap.

 

[Michael Knight]

Hi again!

Hey, Mike G, I think I need more help ...

I have read your message, so I got a switch, and If I understood well what you said, I did this :

------------

/ switch /

-----------

1 2 3

¡ i i

¡ ? i

¡ i

L o--------o R (JP3)

Ok, as you can see in this awful Ascii picture, I have solder a wire to the left side of the switch, then to the left side of JP3 (1 ---> L), then right side of the switch to right side of JP3 (3 ----> R) .... but, what should I solder the middle pin of the switch??

Or maybe I didn´t understand too well what you have said??

 

[Mike G]

The middle pin of the switch should go to the right side of JP3. Leave the right pin of the switch disconnected:

------------

/ switch /

-----------

1 2 3

¡ i

¡ i

¡ i

L o---o R (JP3)

You can connect the right pin of the switch (3) to the right side of JP4, but that's not strictly necessary.

Mike

 

[Michael Knight]

Ok, Mike G, I will try it!! Thx!!

 

[Michael Knight]

Hi again!

Well, I have done what you said, Mike G, Solder 1 & L, 2 & R, and it didn´t work, so I solder 3 & Right side of JP4 and it worked ...so it´s stricly necessary to solder it to JP3!

Ok, thanks for all the info!! I can finally play Rocket Knight Adventures without those annoying bars ...and at full speed!!!

 

[Michael Knight]

Ooopz, I think I have write something wrong ......

What I wanted to say is that you have to solder 3 to right side of JP4, if not, it won´t work!!

 

[dorakyura]

did what Arakon did too, after he told me so and it worked fine (well he will already know that

the other day I had a go on another MD2 and this time I didn't bother desoldering the PIN (since I noticed that even after desoldering it from the PCB it still carried 5V) but instead simply followed mikes instructions und soldered the switch to the hole and it worked fine too.

Now I'm just wondering if its necessary at all to cut around the hole on the bottem of the board...

 

[IceDigger]

hmmm.. I'll give that a try too if I can get my hands on another genny 2 cheap.