Help - Region Changer Error (Is my DC Fucked up now?)

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

Hello guys.
I've been using the mod of the region changer a lot of times, you know the one you solder a wire from one point to another on the motherboard to enable the write of the hex value and change the region etc.

Cause i wanted to change the region so often, i didn't leave the wire soldered all the time (because i read it could be dangerous) so i put a switch so i could enable it anytime i want.

Well it worked so fine for me. But today, my dc was setted to NTSC/J With Blackswirl NTSC ENGLISH. I wanted to play an us game so i inserted the region changer disk, setted up NTSC/U ENGLISH Without BLACKSWIRL, i touched Write, and waited like always, then i turned off the Dreamcast and On back on.

I got the black swirl again so i though it didn't work so i inserted the disk again, but it doesnt boots anything! it seems to read it right away but next to it the music menu shows up. I Tested Original JAP games as well as USA and EUR ones, all types of backups, nothing seems to boot it just shows the music menu.

I'm sure is not the lens.

Is my DC Fucked up ? there's nothing i can do to save her?

I got the idea of installing a region free modchip, i don't know how it works but i think it maybe let me boot the region changer disk again and repair the issue. Maybe it could work i really don't know how the chip patches the bios or whatever.

Please help

Thanks!!

[raylyd]

i can save her the flash chip will need to be reflashed

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

Good one... How i'm gonna do that ?

[l_oliveira]

That's why playing with the region changer disc is really a bad idea. Some games can (and will) ruin the boot block of the flash if you let it enabled. Also At least for the Fujitsu flash it's said the part can resist for about 80 hours with the /reset pin at 12v level. Beyond that there's no warranty of safe operation by the manufacturer. So after the flashing has been done, the wire must be removed. (Wise you put a switch for the purpose of not ruining the flash)

Obviously seems like you ran an "dangerous" game while having the flash set as fully writable.

To fix your system you need either a region free patched bios in a flash rom or a modchip with similar effect (Region free) installed on your original DC BOOT ROM.

Sadly burnt copies which exploit the MIL-CD mechanism (like the region changer disc itself) are also region coded, but they carry flags for all known regions. But with the flash data damaged your dreamcast is left in such a state that it will refuse to boot such discs along with any originals you own, since the region selection mechanism is still in place but completely mis configurated...

[neoblast]

Which now your dreamcast is referred to as a "broken mojo" by some of us...
Or brick maybe...
Best and easiest option is to get a new Dc
They're cheap like 20$ or so...

[raylyd]

well you will need a programer and heatblower not a heat gun
and you will need the flash downloaded from the net
repairing is the best i recomend you should buy a back up dreamcast
i have 3 backup units just incase i just use dc x import cd as its more safer then that mod i fried a motherbourd trying to do that mod i was lucky someone had a cheap motherbourd i hope you sort it out soon
if you are in the uk we could to a like for like motherbourd swap
for the price of postage i have a spare motherboard fully working

[Morden]

Why in the world would you mess around inside of your console when all you wanted to do was to boot software from other regions? There are multiple ways to do that, Action Replay CDX, Game Shark CDX, DC-X, Utopia Boot Disc and DC Import Enabler to name a few [first three of them are commercial, though].

I tested dozens of games using one of these boot-discs and the only japanese game that refused to boot on an european console was Sega Extreme Sports, which I have in PAL version anyway.

Keep that in mind when you get yourself a new Dreamcast. No need to mod the hardware when there's a software way to do things.

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

I have like 5 Dreamcasts that's no problem for me, but it was a shame cause that one was the one i've modded with internal vga, s-video, overclock and the flash switch.

My question is: can i fix it using a region free modchip? i heard there's one that can be installed soldering 4 wires. Does that chip patches the region of the Dreamcast in the bios chip ? in that case maybe the region changer disk would boot and then i'll be able to fix the problem.

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

Why in the world would you mess around inside of your console when all you wanted to do was to boot software from other regions? There are multiple ways to do that, Action Replay CDX, Game Shark CDX, DC-X, Utopia Boot Disc and DC Import Enabler to name a few [first three of them are commercial, though].

I tested dozens of games using one of these boot-discs and the only japanese game that refused to boot on an european console was Sega Extreme Sports, which I have in PAL version anyway.

Keep that in mind when you get yourself a new Dreamcast. No need to mod the hardware when there's a software way to do things.
I messed with the console because i wanted it to be full modded, i've 5 DCs so using one as guinea pig wouldn't make the difference.

[l_oliveira]

In the worst case you can take the flash chip from other of your consoles and put on the modded one. It's the TSOP chip close to the BIOS ROM.

[Morden]

In the worst case you can take the flash chip from other of your consoles and put on the modded one. It's the TSOP chip close to the BIOS ROM.

Sounds like a plan, but wouldn't the console he took the chip from stop working and he'd be stuck with the exact same number of working consoles?

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

Sounds like a plan, but wouldn't the console he took the chip from stop working and he'd be stuck with the exact same number of working consoles?
Yes but the console i took the chip is not modded like the repaired one.

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

Maybe i can took the chip On the Fly, while the DC is working with the region Changer, then put the corrupted chip and flash it ? NAH, BAD IDEA XD.

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

I've got the Idea of swapping my JAP DC BIOS into this USA DC, i Heard from someone that the JAP BIOS doesn't check the regions flags on the flash so if i could boot from there i'd be able to fix it.

Well i did it, USA DC booted fine with the JAP BIOS, red swirl all perfect like if it was a jap DC, i booted the Region Changer and made the conf sets, clicked Write and all that very times then reboot. Placed the USA BIOS back to the USA DC andddd.............

No, the Jap bios doesn't seem to be able to write on the flash, maybe since the JAP flash is smaller than the USA flash (half).
I Swapped the bios with no sucess it was a fucking mess to solder and desolder those chips, and all that for nothing...

I've only one thing to try now, the mod chip... What do you guys think about it ?

I'm going to put back the jap bios to it's place....

[l_oliveira]

I am afraid that your flash chip is fried from running with 12v on the reset pin for too long, then. because the bios being japanese would not prevent you from writing on it.

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

If you say so.. It's rare, cause i placed a switch to flash it only when it was needed.

[Dreamcast]

Which version of the disc did you use? Version 1.7 didn't work at all for me, but when I used 1.5, everything worked perfectly.

[Morden]

I Swapped the bios with no sucess it was a fucking mess to solder and desolder those chips, and all that for nothing...

That photo looks nasty. No soldering flux or solder sucker?


I've only one thing to try now, the mod chip... What do you guys think about it?

Would the modchip work though? Doesn't it need the flash chip to be operational? I never bothered with the chip, as there are numerous ways of playing imports and I already mentioned them.

If you don't mind spending $20 on a chip, I'd say go for it. Looks like you're doing all possible things to your unit anyway, so you might as well give the chip a go.

[Sonic Dreamcaster]

s
That photo looks nasty. No soldering flux or solder sucker?



Would the modchip work though? Doesn't it need the flash chip to be operational? I never bothered with the chip, as there are numerous ways of playing imports and I already mentioned them.

If you don't mind spending $20 on a chip, I'd say go for it. Looks like you're doing all possible things to your unit anyway, so you might as well give the chip a go.
Haha! Yes you know, i can easily get a Motherboard for a small amount of money, but that pulls out the fun! I'll get the chip as soon as possible.
Also i don't think the modchip needs the flash to be operational, because a time ago i had it installed on my jap unit which doesn't use the flash to see what region the console is.
You say the photo looks nasty ? solder sucker it wasn't necessary and would slowed down all my process, i just lifted every pin with a screwdriver while warming it up with the solder pointer (or whatever it's name is, my native language is not english you know).