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Post by blaaastprocessing on May 11, 2017 23:40:30 GMT
Hi All, Long time gamer/collector here, but new to this forum & to the Sega Saturn system in general. My consoles (23 & counting) are the same units I've owned since I was a wee little lad & I've gone the extra mile to keep them all clean and in pristine working condition. The Sega Saturn is the first and only console that I've bought second-hand (on eBay), as I never had one as a child. I decided to go with a white Model 2 Japanese NTSC unit and am planning to use an Action Replay 4M Plus to make my Saturn region free & for backup saves. After some research, it has come to my attention that this cartridge can compromise the longevity of the contact pins in the cartridge slot. As someone who's trying to preserve this console as best that I can, what steps should I take to protect the cartridge slot from any damage? I have read in many places that it is never remove the AR from the slot, but i've also read many instances where the AR (& cartridge slot) just suddenly stops working after years. Any clarification on this? Also, in the event that my Sega Saturn cartridge slot was to eventually stop working some day - would I be able to just replace the motherboard for a new working cartridge bay? Thank you in advance and my apologies if this has already been asked before!
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dj898
Saturn Gamer
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Post by dj898 on May 12, 2017 0:27:07 GMT
With every cartridge I open them up and use the super fine nail polishing stick to file all sides and edges of the circuit board pin. So far haven't had any issue with all my 6 Saturn consoles since 99.
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Post by thewhitefalcon on May 12, 2017 1:25:03 GMT
A real Action Replay cartridge should be fine. It's only the GameSharks and other cheaper carts that have excessively thick PCBs that stretch out the cart slot.
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antime
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Post by antime on May 12, 2017 5:01:13 GMT
It's only the GameSharks and other cheaper carts that have excessively thick PCBs that stretch out the cart slot. If you have one of these, please do measure it and post pictures. So far this seems just to be a fairy tale.
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dj898
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Post by dj898 on May 12, 2017 5:31:19 GMT
my understanding is those cheap cartridges have the circuit board pin connector edge not piled but rather crude straight cut. If you compare those with the circuit board from the Sega's own memory cart you can see the difference clearly. I use the ultrafine polishing stick to carefully sand those edges.
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Gunstar
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Post by Gunstar on May 12, 2017 10:34:05 GMT
I remember seeing someone mention they did some soldering on the port to repair it, I wonder if that would strengthen it or just temporarily fix it until wear and tear take its toll on it again.
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Post by thewhitefalcon on May 12, 2017 12:28:45 GMT
It's only the GameSharks and other cheaper carts that have excessively thick PCBs that stretch out the cart slot. If you have one of these, please do measure it and post pictures. So far this seems just to be a fairy tale. I have owned both. The GameShark required me to practically rip it out of the system. The AR slides in and out like a memory card should.
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antime
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Post by antime on May 12, 2017 15:24:59 GMT
I have owned both. The GameShark required me to practically rip it out of the system. The AR slides in and out like a memory card should. That doesn't say anything about the thickness though.
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Gunstar
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Post by Gunstar on May 13, 2017 17:36:28 GMT
I just compared my White AR (Comms port version), Black AR and the Sega Saturn 4mb cart and at first, I was sure the White AR had a thinner PCB but the edge is just more tapered. All three are pretty much the same it seems. No Gameshark so can't compare.
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antime
Saturn Player
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Post by antime on May 15, 2017 17:02:39 GMT
I've measured all cartridges I have (EMS Action Replay, a couple of no-name clones, Sega 4MB RAM, KoF'95 ROM, Netlink modem), and they've all used a 1.6mm thick PCB. It's no coincidence that this is the de-facto standard thickness, and means you'd have to go specifically out of your way to make something that would damage the connector.
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mick_aka
Kickin' it lively!
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Post by mick_aka on May 15, 2017 17:53:30 GMT
I remember seeing someone mention they did some soldering on the port to repair it, I wonder if that would strengthen it or just temporarily fix it until wear and tear take its toll on it again. I didn't solder the cart port but I put strips of solder on to the contacts on one of my AR carts so it made contact with the pins more reliably in my battered daily use saturn. The thicker PCB phenomenom is not with the game shark but a number of cheap lockout bypass carts such as the CD+ that were housed in JP mega drive cart shells.
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Gunstar
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Post by Gunstar on May 15, 2017 20:52:58 GMT
Ah that's good to know, thankfully I've got some ARs to get pass region locking. I'll have to remember the solder on the contacts thing in case I get any trouble with it booting.
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antime
Saturn Player
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Post by antime on May 16, 2017 20:09:47 GMT
The thicker PCB phenomenom is not with the game shark but a number of cheap lockout bypass carts such as the CD+ that were housed in JP mega drive cart shells. Is there any actual evidence for this, or is it more messageboard legends?
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Post by bultje112 on May 17, 2017 6:58:41 GMT
simply ONLY use official sega saturn back up card and official 4 meg card. then the saturn will be fine.
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Post by zyrobs on May 17, 2017 19:03:39 GMT
simply ONLY use official sega saturn back up card and official 4 meg card. then the saturn will be fine. It actually makes no difference whatsoever.
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