(Almost) Solderless Mod

[kj4860]

I don't know if anyone else has done this/posted this before so forgive me if i'm late.

I recently modded a model 2(80000A) with a chip from Classic Gaming, but decided to try a method mentioned on the guide from Rob Webb regarding his chip. I simply created a solder bridge for the A+B and ran the 5v line into the CD Board power cable(2nd to last hole on the right) as opposed to soldering it to the 5v jumper. It took some force but eventually gave in, crimping the line inside of the plug. This whole process took less than five minutes to complete and works like a charm. Has anyone else done this? I was wondering if this is a relatively trouble-free method or can i expect some connection loss over time?

I can get some pics if desired..but it's looks the same as the pics on Robb Webb really.

PS: This process could probably even be rendered completly solderless, where a stripped line from inside a speaker wire could be ran through both the A and B holes on the chip and tightly bound but i don't know for sure...sounds problematic over time

[mick_aka]

Hi there KJ, welcome to the forums!

I've only ever installed the mod-chips that way, had no problems at all thus far

[Yart]

Same with me. My Model 2 Saturn enjoyed a simple one-point solder installation two times.

[kj4860]

Ah, oh well... thought i may be shedding light on something untested as of yet lol


Anyhow, what is keeping such a simple procedure from being accomplished on ANY model 2 with 100% success? Mid-production board revisions?

[termis]

Well, some mod boards are solderless -- I have the older, 20/21-pin combination modchip. For this, you basically connect the ribbon cables - one from the laser unit and the other from the motherboard, and connect the +5v in to the PSU the same way you did it, and you're done.

Some older modchips never had the whole A+B method or any of that junk. Just connect it and it works. I'm not quite sure why this whole A+B ever even came up, other than perhaps it improved compatibility across wider range of saturns(?), but that's just a guess.

[kj4860]

I believe the A+B is only utilised on the NTSC-J Saturns so it is probably because that they are unable to produce their own clock speed(?) with the Jap systems. This may be why the signal point was created with a new chip design, but i may be wrong... Does the 20/21 pin chip work on Jap consoles in the same fashion?

Also, what are some other fun things to do(besides a region-switch and battery hack; i don't have a need for either)?

[termis]

Yeah, at one point, I had it installed in a mk1 JP system and it worked fine, I since moved the chip mover to a mk1 US system with same results.

The one thing I notice about this modchip is that once in a while, it goofs when you try to warm boot a game -- the CD starts spinning super fast for a bit, and it slowly stops, and nothing gets booted. I can't recall if it was just booting from a CD menu or pressing the reset button when a CD is already in there, or both... like I said, it only does this rarely. However, it never does this when it's cold booted. I know it's the modchip because it exhibited this behavior on both my JP & US systems.

As for things that could be done to the Saturn:
- tri-region switch (switchless, single switch, or two switches)
- two-region switch
- 50/60Hz video switch
- Have it read CD-RWs.

One I haven't bothered trying out (nor anyone I've heard of, actually) is the CD-RW "mod". I hear you can tweak the potentiometer (orange knob below the laser eye) to just the right level to have your Saturn read CD-RW discs, but I never bothered with this one, since you may be altering the lifespan of your laser eye this way. Besides, CDRs are dirt cheap.

Other than that, squeezing the most out of a saturn is just a matter of adding accessories -- MPEG/PhotoCD Card, RAM expansion cart, modem, etc.

[kj4860]

I guess the better chip was simply discontinued.(Unless it is the one from Robb Webb)


I don't know why but i have no interest in any of the other mods. The region switch ones seem useless to me, as i have a AR4in1 coming in, and yes: even good CDRs are cheap. Now i may be interested in the battery hack mentioned on Assembler a while back, but i'm weary of it being a little off on the reliable side. Other than these, i figured there might be some fun LED mods or something..maybe an internal fan, etc.

Eh, i may be interested in a VCD card at some point but only for nostalgic purposes really. I mean, DVDs are pretty cheap too and a PS3 makes a fine player for them. Also, is there any way to use the NetLink without a phone service or, in other words, free (lol)? I've read up on it somewhat and have found that "digital" lines (Vonage, MagicJack, most home phone services now, etc.) are pretty useless for the device and to seek an analog connection.

[termis]

Switch mods have their benefits -- I mainly prefer it over the AR cart for two main reasons:

- I don't have to bother flipping through the AR menu every time I turn on the unit, and
- I can leave the official memory cart in the cart slot, which allows direct-saves onto the cart (unlike the AR cart).

There are some other side benefits, like it doesn't widen the cart slot gap like the AR cart, and you can play the two whole ROM cart games, but these are pretty minor points for me.

Of course, using the AR cart has its own benefits (like the 4M memory expansion built-in, cheat codes, not having to modify the cases, etc).

Basically, I'm just at the "extreme" end when it comes to convenience. I just want to turn the game on and start playing!

On the other extreme, you can play CDRs of any region on a stock saturn if you were inclined to do so, but with some hassles (CDR booting available through the swap trick, and you can boot any region game by changing the region code headers of the game to your console's region setting).

LED mods are around. I've seen some LED mods built in with the switchless region mod, so that there are different LED colors for different regions. I personally prefer the hard-wire switches, so I never bothered (though I suppose one can just as easily add LED light components into hard-wire switches just as well).

[kj4860]

Ah, i see. I can agree that the cart can get annoying to some. For me, i used to have a model 1 back in 01' with a AR that i hardly got annoyed by. Then again, i never really got the chance to do much with it; i had fallen out of the saturn scene and got back in around 2005 and bought a AR cart(8$ for a cart then...what a shame lol), another saturn (a model 2) and a chip from racketboy when Hurricane Katrina hit and took it all away. Anyway, thats another story and now i'm back. I hope the new AR cart i ordered from Play-Asia has the port on top (which i doubt it does); if so, i may invest in the usb transfer kit www.gamingenterprisesinc.com/. Seems to be a fail proof way to keep your saves.

I guess the last thing i'd probably be interested in is a case mod. I would probably like to find a broken NTSC-J model 2 in good cosmetic condition and take it's case(given that it would fit the NTSC board and all).

Regardless of all the fun-things-to-make-or-break with Saturn mods, i've been living it up with PDS for the last few days. I can't begin to explain the story behind PDS and I, and how close i've been to buying it but never grew the balls, and how i've been waiting a decade to play it and finally have the privilege. It was definitely worth the wait.