Saturn AV port replacement

[narenek]

How easy is it to replace the AV port on the Saturn and are then any decent vids on doing so?

Just got hold of a V-Saturn MK1 which was advertised as having a faulty CD-rom. No problem as it was intended for a MODE to be put in anyway. However the AV port seems dodgy. When the AV cable is plugged in I often get a completely red screen, or other sort of colouration. A little fiddling with the port usually fixes this though.

The cable and power supply are fine as I have tested these on other Saturns with no problems. so it looks like either trying to resolder or replace the port. I've not got experience of soldering but my dad has from doing the electronics in his guitar.

Also are there any replacement port's that get sold, or is it a donor job? I have a Mk2 Saturn I can swap the port from if that's usable?

[zyrobs]

It's not that simple to do because there's simply no place to route any other output plugs, you'd have to do some Frankenstein job like drilling RCA outputs into the battery holder or even the front of the console. Or making a dongle that hangs out from where the port is.
If you mean replacing the connector with an identical one, I'm not sure if you can get a matching plug, it uses a 10-pin mini-din connector which is very rare.

Try reflowing the solder under the AV output, it may help with your problem.

[narenek]

Thanks for the reply.

Looking under the board it looks like it soldered at 4 or 5 points. Do you know which points need reflowing or know anywhere that shows them?

I have a faulty model 2 PAL unit. I'm hoping to fix it by replacing the laser but if need be it can be a donor unit. From what you say due to the propriety of the port it's likely going to be the same port?

[zyrobs]

The AV port has 10 pins, so 10 solder points on the bottom, plus a few wider ground plugs. Just reflow all of them, no need to be picky. The signal pin joints may be broken. If that doesn't work, the AV connector inside may have some corrosion or dust, not much you can do about that other than blowing it out, perhaps use a really tiny needle to scrape the inside of the pins.

Judging from your description it sounds like you are trying to use a PAL RGB Scart cable with a Japanese model, keep in mind that those are not fully compatible due to a difference in pinout. They will only work with equipment that ignores the RGB Select pin of the SCART plug, like the OSSC. This alone could be why you get a bad image. If you are just connecting it to your TV, you'll need a special NTSC-compatible RGB Scart cable, those only exist in aftermarket form.

For the laser, calibrate it first before throwing it out. You might be able to get it working. There are videos on youtube, you need a screwdriver and a multimeter, and you may need to solder some cable to make it easier to take measurements (some of the test points are on the underside of the drive PCB).

[narenek]

Corrosion/dust may have been the problem. After a few reseats and wiggles I don't seem to be getting the problem anymore. I soak tested it for about 3 hrs solid and I've put a few hours into playing with no problems. That said I've not moved the console or the Av cable so it could reappear. If it comes back I'll look at reflowing the joints, well getting my dad to do it as I have zero soldering experience

As for Cable I've had that for a while and it was one that gets recommended often, can't remember the name of the seller though as it's a while back. IIRC it was one touted for Japanese machines. Works fine on 3 other Japanese Mk1's I have.

I have tried adjusting the pots on the lasers, though admittedly it's eyeballing rather than using a multimeter. Just small tiny increments after marking off the starting point so i can go back to it. CD rom went from laser and disc not moving at all to laser moving and disc spinning. I could get the disc to play music tracks but it wouldn't start the game itself, this was with the pot maxed. Tried multiple Discs just incase that one disc was on it's way out. Also checked the spindle was at the right height and level. I've ordered some replacement lasers so hopefully they can get them up and running.

Anyway thanks for the help, hopefully the problem doesn't resurface but if it does will look into reflowing.

[darka]

i saw a review in aliexpress of a 10 pin port saying he connected it to saturn and it fit perfect but he didnt say if it was working or not

here is the link if you want to ask the seller or take a chance and trying it for your self

www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005023850404.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.ef5538datbDaeA&mp=1#nav-review

in case you buy it give us an update later