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Installing a mod chip

Challenge - Feb 22, 2002

		Challenge		Feb 22, 2002
			My mod board arrived from Lik-Sang today and I just couldn't wait to install it .....it didn't work!!! I checked everything..no joy :-( The motor wouldn't spin and all the startup (BIOS) sounds were slow and fragmented. SOLUTION: solder all the points as in mod documentation..then install mod board back to front (chips facing out of the unit). It's difficult to twist the ribbon cable, but it does go. All works fine now I apologise if this info is already here somewhere, but i felt i had to share this.

		mal		Feb 23, 2002
			I think your problem and solution is model specific. I have a Euro (Australian) PAL saturn and I didn't have to turn the mod around or twist the ribbon cable. Is your saturn a MK-80200A-03?

		unclecuddles		Feb 24, 2002
			On the back of the mod-chip in the bottom right-hand corner there are 3 points and there is a bit of solder from the bottom to the middle point (it has the number 0014 next to it). Remove this solder and join the top point to the middle (it has the number 0019 next to it). Mine didn't work until I did this. It didn't work either way with the 64 pin chip (I have both types). Its pretty scary when your precious Saturn starts making funny noises when its installed wrong!!

		mal		Feb 24, 2002
			I suspect that Challenge's Saturn is one with the 64 pin chip. Nasty little thing it is too. I didn't have to change the solder bridge on either of the two Saturns I've modded. What model number is yours unclecuddles?

		unclecuddles		Mar 9, 2002
			This is wierd. Both the round buttoned Saturns I have are model no. MK-80200A-50 but they have different chip-sets. The one I had chipped won't work now. It freezes when I put a game in. And I can't get the chip to work in the 64 pin Saturn.

		mal		Mar 10, 2002
			Check that the modboard and ribbon cable are still firmly seated. Also check that the signal and power wires are well attached. If all seems OK, maybe try removing the modboard and see if the Saturn will still boot originals.

		unclecuddles		Mar 10, 2002
			I have already taken the mod-chip out and it still doesn't work.

		mal		Mar 11, 2002
			Bugger. You haven't accidentally soldered a couple of legs of the IC together have you?

		unclecuddles		Mar 11, 2002
			I well and trully shagged it - I put the mod-chip back in and it worked when I tested it. When I put the casing back together it didn't work so I opened it up and the IC pin the blue wire was soldered to was no longer there - it had snapped off (probably due to too much messing around with it, although the shortness of the wires on the mod-chip can't have helped!). Anyway, I dug out the 64 pin chip Saturn and had a go at chipping that - I got bloody solder all over the pins!! So that was shagged too! 3rd time lucky? I got out my 3rd and last model 2 Saturn (bought on ebay last week for £20 with a free megadrive!). I have also got a model 1 Saturn in reserve so if this goes wrong I'll only have my old faithful left. Anyway, this model 2 is also a 64 pin but I manage to get the solder and the blue wire on the correct pin, but it doesn't work (big red ball on the left). So I take Challenge's advice and install it back to front and after some messing around with the lens ribbon it worked!! Jobs a good'un!! The ribbon on these has a couple of kinks in it and is quite long when you take the kinks out so it will stretch. Thanks Challenge! Radiant Silvergun, here I come! By the way, anyone want a couple of broken Saturns for spares?

		JDAdams		Apr 5, 2002
			Already got one, thanks - I got solder on my RAM chips. He, we should start a 'how did you screw yours' thread On second though, perhaps the title needs work...

		JonnyCasino		Apr 15, 2002
			Wohoo I went to 2nd hand games shop and since I was definitely buying a saturn to replace the 1 we screwed when modding it i asked if he could open them so I could see if they had a 32pin one and they agreed, 3 opened saturns later we found a 32pin one. Now just to wait for matt to get his ass down here already with his soldering iron.

		3rdman		Apr 16, 2002
			Wait a minute! Let me get this straight...you installed the mod chip...backwards? I've had the same problem and simply thought it was a bad mod-chip. Also is this version of Saturn considered 0014 or 0019. Please help...this has been KILLINIG me. Thanks.

		mal		Apr 16, 2002
			If you have a look at edge of the modboard and the 21 pin connector on the main board, on some Saturns I think you need to install the mod 'backwards'. That is, with the component side of the modboard facing away from the center of the Saturn. This seemed to be the case with my Saturn with a 64 pin IC, but I badly stuffed up the soldering, so I couldn't test the theory