Ask general Genesis/MD/Sega CD/32X questions here (for new members)

[Drakon]

I should be able to. I have a cheap willem with the required adapter to burn genesis compatible eproms.

cool

I wonder if someone would be willing to burn a chip for me

[Solkia]

how much would you charge?

[Drakon]

Uhm, I dunno haha. You'd have to mail me compatible eproms so I can erase and burn them. Also I'd want to install it in a cart afterward to test that it works before mailing it. Maybe 30$ plus the cost of the eproms and shipping stuff

how much would you charge?

[Solkia]

Still cheaper than an actual Musha cart.

Alright, I might be interested

[K1ngArth3r]

Looking for some assistance with my PAL Mega-CD v1.0 (MK1)

When powering on i hear the following noises on the startup/bios screen.

The noise continues when playing a game also.



It kind of sounds like this (Demonstrating a corrupt BIOS) but I don't think the issue is with the BIOS as I would expect a Red/Black screen instead of having the game boot.



I have checked for blown capacitors and corroded traces and can't see any?

Could it be an issue with the sound chips?

Can anyone explain where the sound chips are stored?

Thanks in advance!

[omp]

The caps may "not" look like they leaked, but I wager they have. I recently re-capped one of my model 1 CD's and the SMD caps had most definately leaked as they had the crap under where the caps were. Also on the underside of the board showed evidence as well. For the couple of bucks for caps it is worth trying. I may even have a list around here somewhere.

[K1ngArth3r]

Thanks for the response!

Yeah I can replace the caps... Did you replace ALL the caps on ALL the boards, or just the caps on the board that contains the BIOS?

[omp]

All the caps including those on the CD drive.

[K1ngArth3r]

Ok cool, ill open her up and make a list of the capacitors to order, hopefully there aren't to many to replace :S

Thanks for the quick responses mate

[Solkia]

What type of AC jack does a Model 2 Genesis use?

[Xupack]

Hi!

My name is Tomi and i'm from Finland and i'm on a quest to build one Mega Drive with best sound and video that i can possibly get.


So i have these:
PAL Mega Drive High Definition Graphics model (havent opened this one yet).
2 x PAL Mega Drive model 2 , VA0 and VA1.8, both made in china and they got Fujitsu MB3514 as a encoder.

So what i want to ask is:
1. Is the Crystal Clear Audio Mod only for model 2? Does it sound better than model 1 HD?
2. I live in Finland and we have SCART so does the encoder matter picture wise if i'm hooking the Sega to the TV with RGB SCART and not S-Video?
3. Depending on a answer to above questions is it viable to get Model 3 and rip out the CXA1645 from that and bypass the original encoder from model 1/2?


Thanks!

[Drakon]

That's a good question. I found the exact measurements of the model 1 genesis ac jack on a random famicom world post, but that's a different sized jack.

What type of AC jack does a Model 2 Genesis use?

I already responded to these questions in pm. If anyone else wants to further address these questions feel free.

Hi!

My name is Tomi and i'm from Finland and i'm on a quest to build one Mega Drive with best sound and video that i can possibly get.


So i have these:
PAL Mega Drive High Definition Graphics model (havent opened this one yet).
2 x PAL Mega Drive model 2 , VA0 and VA1.8, both made in china and they got Fujitsu MB3514 as a encoder.

So what i want to ask is:
1. Is the Crystal Clear Audio Mod only for model 2? Does it sound better than model 1 HD?
2. I live in Finland and we have SCART so does the encoder matter picture wise if i'm hooking the Sega to the TV with RGB SCART and not S-Video?
3. Depending on a answer to above questions is it viable to get Model 3 and rip out the CXA1645 from that and bypass the original encoder from model 1/2?


Thanks!

[N.Saibot]

Hi!

My name is Tomi and i'm from Finland and i'm on a quest to build one Mega Drive with best sound and video that i can possibly get.


So i have these:
PAL Mega Drive High Definition Graphics model (havent opened this one yet).
2 x PAL Mega Drive model 2 , VA0 and VA1.8, both made in china and they got Fujitsu MB3514 as a encoder.

So what i want to ask is:
1. Is the Crystal Clear Audio Mod only for model 2? Does it sound better than model 1 HD?
2. I live in Finland and we have SCART so does the encoder matter picture wise if i'm hooking the Sega to the TV with RGB SCART and not S-Video?
3. Depending on a answer to above questions is it viable to get Model 3 and rip out the CXA1645 from that and bypass the original encoder from model 1/2?


Thanks!

CCAM is only for model 2, but not even for each one of those. It only works with the so called "full-motherboard" model. If you turn around your model 2 and see the motherboard using up all the space inside the case, you've got the right revision.

CCAM removes filtering on the high-frequencies (among other things), so you will get a more linear frequency response than with the HD model 1. The model 1 filters the highs a bit, that's why the bass sounds so strong, there are less highs to mask it. With a CCAM'd model 2 you can use an equalizer to achieve whatever sound you want though, boomy bass, less bass, more highs, more bass and highs but less mids, whatever.

CCAM'd model 2s have the most clear sound and have lower noise than model 1s, because a newer soundchip was used. Personally I prefer the sound of CCAM on a model 2, but many people like their model 1s for the louder bass and I've heard model 1s with very clean and pleasant sound already. It is certainly easier to recap a model 1 than to make a CCAM, so if you don't care for the very last bit of high-fidelity, that might be a good alternative to a CCAM.

To get best picture quality, anyone will tell you that, get (or better, build) an RGB cable. All Mega Drives already output perfectly clean and sharp RGB, that's what the VDP outputs internally. All PAL TVs have an RGB mode and they also work with RGB internally. You just need a normal SCART plug and a DIN plug (model 1s use a different one from model 2s). There a lots of plans online about how to make an RGB cable for the Mega Drive, all one needs are a couple of resistors and capacitors and cables.

Good luck Tomi!

[omp]

DC jack size for a model 2 is 4.8 x 1.7

[adam]

1. Does anyone know if Rainbow Islands Extra is locked to 60hz systems?

Okay, I've just got my Mega Drive modded so I can switch regions and between PAL and NTSC, but the game still doesn't work . I get "Produced by or under Lisense from Sega Enterprises Ltd" and then nothing. Is it possible the cart could be dead? I've tried cleaning it (with surgical spirit and something else that I'm not sure was a good idea...), and the Mega Drive (using the Naki Eliminator cleaning kit). All my other Mega Drive games (whether they're from Europe, Japan, or America) work okay.

The seller said it worked for him, so I think I may have killed it during cleaning. Please tell me I haven't. I'd hate to be guilty of murdering a Mega Drive cartridge .

Thanks