Sega Saturn DEV HARDWARE

[Viper]

Not really into the Sega Saturn but what Parts did SN Systems put out for the Sega Saturn for development? Anything that can stream your Saturn games and not use the CD?

Viper

[ASSEMbler]

There's a disc emulator, quite expensive...

[dj898]

... called Mirage from memory
most of dev Saturn consoles have the big socket at the side labelled VCD which is for that unit

[Jackhead]

i bought a PsyQ Unit with cart: http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120710881641&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
i wonder there is a poti on the right side. Seller tells me with the sticker on top you can switch many regions you like, also a build in switchable VCD cart. Anyone has a same unit?
Also looking for the PsyQ driver disks and the interface pcb.

[HI_Ricky]

i am got this Victor Modem long time ago, any one know how to use it?

[retro]

i am got this Victor Modem long time ago, any one know how to use it?

Stick it in the cartridge port, then plug a modem lead into it and your phone line? ;-)

Japan's modems used a pay service, no? As opposed to NetLink. Does that mean you can't use a Japanese modem now? Can you still use Pad Nifty or the Sega Saturn Internet disc, or are they useless now? Have you tried those with the Victor modem?

Going back to the original question, I did a post in this section a long time ago on what dev hardware was released for the Saturn. Have a look back (it could possibly be on the last page).

Short answer: Mirage or JVC card with a dev target - it's not going to work with a retail Saturn.

*EDIT*

Hmm, don't see it here any more - although it still exists here:

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=38171&postcount=2

[HI_Ricky]

Stick it in the cartridge port, then plug a modem lead into it and your phone line? ;-)

Japan's modems used a pay service, no? As opposed to NetLink. Does that mean you can't use a Japanese modem now? Can you still use Pad Nifty or the Sega Saturn Internet disc, or are they useless now? Have you tried those with the Victor modem?
x-band game did not find the modem, and i have the internet cd to test it :(

[retro]

x-band game did not find the modem, and i have the internet cd to test it :(

I seriously doubt it'll actually work any more, anyway :(

Not that I can see how it would make a difference, but are you using it on a Victor Saturn?

[HI_Ricky]

I seriously doubt it'll actually work any more, anyway :(

Not that I can see how it would make a difference, but are you using it on a Victor Saturn?

yes, i try on dev box and victor saturn, no help :(
EDIT : it come with my old saturn dev stuff, so i think it not for retail ...

[dj898]

i bought a PsyQ Unit with cart:
also a build in switchable VCD cart. .

I think that switch is to set the console to use either VCD - aka Mirage(?) - or built-in CD-ROM drive. Nothing to do with VCD - VideoCD Card if you meant it

[HI_Ricky]

Saturn Mirage....
there is readme.txt :)




Welcome to Saturn Mirage CD Tools
Released June 1997. Copyright Cross Products Ltd. All rights reserved.




This disc contains:

Saturn Mirage Workshop (PC only) - Windows interface for building scripts and controlling the Saturn Mirage CD Emulator. IMPORTANT NOTE this release of Saturn Mirage Workshop only supports CD-ROM Mode 1 and CD-DA. CD-ROM/XA Mode 2 disc format standard will be supported in later releases of this product.

CPBuild - CD building tool for PC and SG Indy.

Mirage program - a program to control the Saturn Mirage CD Emulator from DOS.

Mirage firmware upgrade 134a.

PDF version of the Mirage User's Manual and Acrobat Reader.




To install on a PC
Insert the CD in your CD drive and run setup.exe




To install on an SG Indy
Insert the CD in your CD drive.
Run the Software Manager.
In the box "Available Software" enter the path for your CD drive.
Click "Customise Installation" and choose the files you want to install.
Click "Start"
When installation is complete, reboot your system.
See the Mirage User's Manual for further details




To upgrade the Mirage's firmware see the Mirage User's Manual for details.





Technical support for these products is available from ADO Electronic Industrial Co Ltd at the address given on the CD for customers in Japan and from Cross Products at http://www.crossprod.co.uk for the rest of the world.

[Jackhead]

Sorry when i miss, but Mirage is for the cross Unit only?
My Unit is a PsyQ, or not? Little confused...

[HI_Ricky]

Sorry when i miss, but Mirage is for the cross Unit only?
My Unit is a PsyQ, or not? Little confused...

Cross is base on CSK and ADO Ltd. ,and this 2 company Family with SEGA.

so PsyQ become 3rd hard development , of coz they will try use all Cross dev Unit :P


PS : Cross = SEGA , even on Cross Unit , some ver is mark "SEGA" on it :P

[retro]

Sorry when i miss, but Mirage is for the cross Unit only?
My Unit is a PsyQ, or not? Little confused...

Read the link I posted.

Firstly, the PsyQ is the cartridge, NOT the Saturn. The Saturn is modified by Psygnosis for use with a VCD (virtual CD device) - it's NOT a Video CD card.

VCD devices, as I said in my last post and on the link, are Mirage and JVC card. They will connect to a Sophia target or a modified Saturn with a retail port.

Does your Saturn say Cross or Psygnosis on the side? If it says Cross, it's not the one that "goes" with the PsyQ card and you have a mish-mash of parts from two dev systems. Not that the PsyQ won't work in it.

[Jackhead]

Understand, thanks for the info.
I bought the unit some days ago, still waiting for it.
Will make some pics when i got my hands on it.

[HI_Ricky]

Codespace.....
my software collection (part):P

[Runik]

I did compile some informations about Saturn dev kits and related in the Segaxtreme wiki (http://wiki.segaxtreme.net/index.php?title=Saturn_Hardware) (bottom of the page).
It's just missing infos about Cross CartDev Rev.A :)

[retro]

I did compile some informations about Saturn dev kits and related in the Segaxtreme wiki (http://wiki.segaxtreme.net/index.php?title=Saturn_Hardware) (bottom of the page).
It's just missing infos about Cross CartDev Rev.A :)

Nah, you're missing some items and information, and some stuff isn't right.

I see that some of your text and all of your pictures have been copied from other sources. Be very careful - text and photos are copyrighted and the copyright owners may not take kindy to your plagiarism without permission. I for one was not happy to see one of my photos has been taken from this very forum and used without asking me or even giving me credit. The one time I didn't watermark my image, and it seems I should have. I usually make my watermarks fairly inconspicuous, but I can see I'll have to plaster text all over my images in future.

Whilst it may be unlikely to happen when it comes to dev kits, if you lift images from websites and use them on your own, sooner or later you'll take one that's owned by Getty and they WILL sue you.

[Runik]

I tried to do with stuff I had handy, and some that was available on the net. When sources are available, they are clearly stated (in the "reference" or "links" sections of the page).
Your post here (Sophia Saturn setup) is given as reference at the end of the "Hitachi ICE based Saturn Dev System" page ...

I never stated anywhere that I wrote the stuff, I just compiled it, and cited the sources when available.
The goal of a wiki is to keep information available, it would be a shame to loose all this information (like the DTS website which isn't available anymore)

But if you think that giving the original link isn't enough, I can remove the whole page.
Regarding incorrect stuff, you can add data yourself if you feel like it :)

[retro]

I tried to do with stuff I had handy, and some that was available on the net. When sources are available, they are clearly stated (in the "reference" or "links" sections of the page).
Your post here (Sophia Saturn setup) is given as reference at the end of the "Hitachi ICE based Saturn Dev System" page ...

I never stated anywhere that I wrote the stuff, I just compiled it, and cited the sources when available.
The goal of a wiki is to keep information available, it would be a shame to loose all this information (like the DTS website which isn't available anymore)

But if you think that giving the original link isn't enough, I can remove the whole page.
Regarding incorrect stuff, you can add data yourself if you feel like it :)

Oh I agree that it's important to keep data, but it's better to rewrite it yourself where possible, and then cite the source.

I've never used this particular Wiki, but they should be set up to cite sources inline, e.g. you get a number in the text and that links to the appropriate number in the references list, so you know the source of a specific piece of information.

As for pictures, there are two points here:

1. You should ask permission to use the image, where possible.
2. You should mention the source of the image.

For point 1, you knew that the photo was mine and that I was on the forum, so you could have replied to the thread and asked permission.

For point 2, decent Wikis have the ability to name the source of the image when you upload it - i.e. when someone clicks on the image, it says underneath where the image came from.

In this case, yes you linked to the page, but it should really refer to the user who posted it. Perhaps this is the fault of the Wiki used.

Anyway, not to worry this time, although I'm still not thrilled about that picture being used. I might consider taking a better picture (that actually illustrates a true complete setup, which this one doesn't) in future and replacing it with that. ;-)

[WarHampster]

I have a mirage and modified retail Saturn, but not, unfortunately, the VCD cable, which is custom and apparently really hard to come by.

[retro]

No, not really hard - impossible ;-) heh

[segaloco]

To make sure I understand correctly, anything CartDev = Cross = Sega. Anything PsyQ = SN = Psygnosis. Correct? Then there's these units: http://nfggames.com/grafx/saturnac.htm (Do I spy Hudson soft on that PCB, a.k.a. GDEV's manufacturer?)

[dj898]

I always thought that one's Cross saturn modified by IS Electronics ?

[IcarusNick]

If your looking for more information on saturn development kits, there is an article in Volume 2 of EGDE Presents FILE (Pages 234 to 239) lots of info and pictures about Sega's Programmers Box, SOA's CartDev box, Mirage CD emulator, and Psy-Q development kit. It was also featured in August 1995 edition of EDGE magazine.

Great place to start.

[dj898]

I tried to do with stuff I had handy, and some that was available on the net. When sources are available, they are clearly stated (in the "reference" or "links" sections of the page).

One of pic in cartdev rev.b under wiki is mine =_= and i dont really want it be used.
Its the one sitting on top of dreamcast box

Can you take it off plz?
Thank you =_=

[Runik]

Hey dj898, long time no see :)
Picture removed as requested.
Out of curiosity, why don't you want it to be used ?

@IcarusNick : thanks for the tip :)

[retro]

To make sure I understand correctly, anything CartDev = Cross = Sega. Anything PsyQ = SN = Psygnosis. Correct? Then there's these units: http://nfggames.com/grafx/saturnac.htm (Do I spy Hudson soft on that PCB, a.k.a. GDEV's manufacturer?)

Not exactly.

Cross Products is a company. They made dev kits for Sega consoles. Then Sega bought Cross Products. It continued to be Cross Products, it was never Sega.


Out of curiosity, why don't you want it to be used ?

Like I said, you have to respect people's copyright. If you go around using their stuff without permission, they're going to get pissed off. The copyright is his, that's as much explanation as you need.

As I said, i'll probably get around to taking a proper picture and allowing it to be used in the wiki. Maybe I'll take a look at tidying up some of the details, too. However, for now, could you take my picture down too, please?

Again, if you want an explanation as to why - it was only intended for consumption by members of this forum and I'm not happy it was used.

[HI_Ricky]

Not exactly.

Cross Products is a company. They made dev kits for Sega consoles. Then Sega bought Cross Products. It continued to be Cross Products, it was never Sega.



Cross Company is under by ADO ELECTRONIC,
than ADO ELECTRONIC is under by CSK Corp
at 1999 ADO ELECTRONIC rename to CSK ELECTRONICS CORPORATION

of coz they a not exactly Sega, but....:)

[dj898]

I think retro summed up nicely. ^ ^
Yes the pic was meant for the board member and never intended for wider audience.
Like retro said I was meant to take better and proper picture but like often said time factor and family life means it's not as easy one might think...

[retro]

Cross Company is under by ADO ELECTRONIC,
than ADO ELECTRONIC is under by CSK Corp
at 1999 ADO ELECTRONIC rename to CSK ELECTRONICS CORPORATION

of coz they a not exactly Sega, but....:)

What?

Cross Products Ltd. was a British company, started in 1989 in Leeds and bought by Sega of America in 1994. It was sold to Imagination Technologies in 2001. Yes, Sega was owned by CSK Holdings Corporation at that time.

Ado Electronic Industrial Co., Ltd. became CSK Electronics Corporation in 1999. I don't see what Ado has to do with Cross Products at all - and CSK Holdings Corporation and CSK Electronics Corporation are not the same company. The CSK group bought shares in Ado in 1995.

I know the former boss of Cross Products - I think I know what I'm talking about ;-)


I think retro summed up nicely. ^ ^
Yes the pic was meant for the board member and never intended for wider audience.
Like retro said I was meant to take better and proper picture but like often said time factor and family life means it's not as easy one might think...

Yeah, I'm not trying to be awkward - to be honest, if I'd been asked if it was OK to use the photo, I'd probably have said the same thing - that I'm not happy with the picture and will take a better one. I'm not trying to be awkward, it's great they have a wiki... but the photo was basically just intended mainly for people I know. I mean, you can see my shopping list stuck to the wall, there! lol

[HI_Ricky]

What?

Cross Products Ltd. was a British company, started in 1989 in Leeds and bought by Sega of America in 1994. It was sold to Imagination Technologies in 2001. Yes, Sega was owned by CSK Holdings Corporation at that time.

Ado Electronic Industrial Co., Ltd. became CSK Electronics Corporation in 1999. I don't see what Ado has to do with Cross Products at all - and CSK Holdings Corporation and CSK Electronics Corporation are not the same company. The CSK group bought shares in Ado in 1995.

I know the former boss of Cross Products - I think I know what I'm talking about ;-)



ADO did alot work, you can easy find out on Cross product how to connection between ADO....
you can image it, when 1994 SEGA bought it at same/after time (pass or share or sell or group) it to ADO .
i know it because my friend work on ADO and CSK....

of coz, you provide the info also is ture story too.

[Runik]

Like I said, you have to respect people's copyright. If you go around using their stuff without permission, they're going to get pissed off. The copyright is his, that's as much explanation as you need.
Like I said, I was just wondering why, and if he didn't want to give an explanation I would have accepted it, no problem at all :)
This kind of stuff is really hard to come by, owners are scarce and that's difficult to have pictures ... so when you find one, you check if it might be possible to get a "wiki release" picture in the future, that's all :)


As I said, i'll probably get around to taking a proper picture and allowing it to be used in the wiki. Maybe I'll take a look at tidying up some of the details, too. However, for now, could you take my picture down too, please?
Done.


Again, if you want an explanation as to why - it was only intended for consumption by members of this forum and I'm not happy it was used.
That's fine to me. Anyway I look forward to see a proper picture of your setup that I will be able to put in the wiki in the future ;) (same thing for dj898 of course :p)

I'm currently trying to contact the guys behind the other pictures in order to get their permission ...

[retro]

Runik - no problem! I'm having a sort out of all my stuff - most of my Saturn gear has been buried under a table with a TON of stuff in front of it (basically a 6ft square room FULL of crap... literally piled about half way to the ceiling!) - and I'm at a point where I can touch the boxes with the Saturn stuff, but not pick them up yet ;-)

HI_Ricky - well, that's interesting to know! I guess Cross needed a Japanese base, too (for translation for a start) and that's probably where ADO came in! I'm meant to be getting a bit of the history of the company soon, anyway, so I'll be sure to ask about that relationship :)

I did notice that your copy of CodeScape (jealous!) had Japanese text on it, that makes sense that they'd use a company that's owned by the same people as Sega, of course. And now I look, I see ADO written on your copy of the CartDev CD. :)

[segaloco]

Cross Company is under by ADO ELECTRONIC,
than ADO ELECTRONIC is under by CSK Corp
at 1999 ADO ELECTRONIC rename to CSK ELECTRONICS CORPORATION

of coz they a not exactly Sega, but....:)
Well I meant like Cross Products:Sega::Intelligent Systems:Nintendo (Not the company itself, but a second or third party studio) but it's the official version, whereas PsyQ was the alternative (although I see a lot of studios did use it :P)

[IcarusNick]

Psy-Q was so popular because of the similarity between their development kits, they did'nt have to completely relearn a new system, it made things easy when it came porting their games over to a new platform.

[Jackhead]

Hi,

i have some question about the connections to sophia system.
I know the vcd extension is for the connection. But what kind of connection is this ribbon cable inside of my saturn?
http://picload.org/image/ladcpl/p1020529.jpg

Unlikely someone cut it off :banghead::banghead::banghead:. Anyone can tell me what plug is used at the end of the cable?

Second question, the name of the PC interface for the sophia -> PC ?
I try to reassembly anything, so please help :).

[Dr.Wily]

It's a NMI cable for debugging. It plugs at the back of the cartdev, but here it seems cut... Look there http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3344

[segaloco]

As I said, i'll probably get around to taking a proper picture and allowing it to be used in the wiki. Maybe I'll take a look at tidying up some of the details, too. However, for now, could you take my picture down too, please.
Not to be a total raging homo or whatever I'll probably be called, but I just have to ask, as I always wonder with everyone on this site...why is taking a picture such a big deal with people here. Does the light have to be perfect? Does the angle have to capture its good side? Does it take your camera 30min to an hour to load up to take a picture. Like I said, not to be a total ass, but I'm just wondering, as, if I were to take a picture for someone, I would just grab a camera and, well...take it :U and upload it to imageshack for them. Takes about 30 seconds to a minute if time is the issue.

[retro]

Not to be a total raging homo or whatever I'll probably be called, but I just have to ask, as I always wonder with everyone on this site...why is taking a picture such a big deal with people here. Does the light have to be perfect? Does the angle have to capture its good side? Does it take your camera 30min to an hour to load up to take a picture. Like I said, not to be a total ass, but I'm just wondering, as, if I were to take a picture for someone, I would just grab a camera and, well...take it :U and upload it to imageshack for them. Takes about 30 seconds to a minute if time is the issue.

And you have your entire collection out on display? Good for you! Not wanting to "be a total ass", but some of us have collections so large that they take up several rooms and/or we have to hire storage elsewhere for some of it. Excuse me for having priorities greater than grabbing my camera, driving around to the four other locations where my stuff is kept (and just driving between them all and home again would easily take an hour) and spending hours searching through hundreds of boxes for some items just so someone can have a photo who took one of mine without asking previously. As the above could potentially result in my collapsing at one of the locations due to my illness and having to hope someone would come and find me, not to mention the weeks after that I would be knocked out, I think I'll give it a miss. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Back to the topic, the NMI cable is found in a modified Saturn that comes with the CartDev kit, not the Sophia. The end is a standard IDC header. Isn't it the same on the other end? Anyway, it connects to a CartDev, so it's useless without one.

Anyway, my CartDev setup IS handy, so here's a crappy pic:

http://triumphguide.com/assembler/nmiend.jpg

The Sophia would connect to a PC via 50 pin SCSI.

[dj898]

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3344

it's the black box and cart with circuit board sticking out
from memory the cartdev systems came in the Cross carton while modified Saturn came in the retail box...

[Jackhead]

Back to the topic, the NMI cable is found in a modified Saturn that comes with the CartDev kit, not the Sophia. The end is a standard IDC header. Isn't it the same on the other end? Anyway, it connects to a CartDev, so it's useless without one.

Anyway, my CartDev setup IS handy, so here's a crappy pic:

http://triumphguide.com/assembler/nmiend.jpg

The Sophia would connect to a PC via 50 pin SCSI.

Great! thats what i asking for, thanks.
Is it possible that you can have an look on the pinout for me?
Call it useless, but i allways try to reassembly my kits to full function status.

I also search for the vcd cable. Do you know the company made this plugs?
I build a H2510 cable before, so its not impossible to find such plugs today. Will be great when you can help me ;-).
"YN" is typed on the vcd plug. maybe this helps.

thanks so far!

[retro]

You won't find the cable. Yes, I know the company, and they stopped making them years ago. I have the closest thing to it, made by another company, and it just doesn't fit. If you want to use it, you'd be better off changing the connectors (not that I condone this!)

[Jackhead]

You won't find the cable. Yes, I know the company, and they stopped making them years ago. I have the closest thing to it, made by another company, and it just doesn't fit. If you want to use it, you'd be better off changing the connectors (not that I condone this!)

So much companys made plugs. I respect you knowledge about saturn dev.
Im ready to do research by my own, maybe ends in nothing...
But give me something to keep alive :-)?
Just want to keep lovely hardware alive.

[retro]

Then change the sockets ;-)

Put it this way... the best lead I had, which turned out to be a false lead, would have meant I would be paying over £100 to make 1 cable.

[Jackhead]

So hard to get a vcd cable? awesome. Changeing socket is the last option. I want to keep it real.
Damn they made such a plug. I was thinking sony is make such things, but when i look on the vcd plug :banghead: .
Well i payed around 50€ for the two plugs for the h2510 cable import from japan. So im ready to go far.
But ok, i start searching right now just ask for more information...

[retro]

There is no more information I can give you - the manufacturer who made them no longer do so. Trust me, I've trawled through hundreds of companies across Japan and Europe. I've spoken to former Cross Products employees. They're just not out there. And I've spent 8 years looking.

If you insist on continuing with this quest, good luck! By the way - you'll come across the Japanese digital camera interface - it's similar but not the same.

[Dr.Wily]

Is it possible that you can have an look on the pinout for me?

Have you read my previous post here ?

[Jackhead]

Have you read my previous post here ?

Im sorry Wily, thanks for the info!

I mark up the 8pins now. Here a screen:

http://picload.org/image/lodroa/p1020538.jpg

One question:

CN12 pin --> NMI cable pin = Have no idea what pin this is :redface:
pin 1 --> pin 2
pin 2 --> pin 4
pin 3 --> pin 5
pin 4 --> pin 7
pin 5 --> pin 8
pin 6 --> pin 6
pin 7 --> pin 1 (red)
pin 8 --> pin 10

I found another cable near the AV out. Any idea? VGA mod or something??

http://picload.org/image/lodroi/p1020539.jpg

[Druid II]

It's hard to tell from that picture but it looks like they didn't have a plug for the communication port, so they just soldered the cable onto it instead.

VGA mod just needs a special cable that splits the csync into v/h sync, and outputs 15 pin vga d-sub.

[Dr.Wily]

CN12 pin --> NMI cable pin = Have no idea what pin this is :redface:
pin 1 --> pin 2
pin 2 --> pin 4
pin 3 --> pin 5
pin 4 --> pin 7
pin 5 --> pin 8
pin 6 --> pin 6
pin 7 --> pin 1 (red)
pin 8 --> pin 10


CN12 : no problem it's the connector labeled CN12 on the front left of the Saturn's motherboard. Pin 8 on this connector is ground.

On other side, it's an IDC / IDT 10 pins standard connector like IDE cable (40 pins) with a pitch of 2.54mm. You can easily found it in old PC motherboard. This is the same connector that a serial cable wire who link mobo to dsub9 or dsub25 serial plugs.

You can establish the pinout starting from red wire as pin 1 and continue like this :

____-____
1 3 5
2 4 .......
----------

Female connector.
1 = red wire.

[Jackhead]

The Sophia unit use an input voltage of 135V :confused: . My stepdown converter gives out 100-120V, can i use it? I never seen 135V input before. Im in 220V zone, so i dont know...

[retro]

Where did you get that from? The sticker on the back of them says 85-132V. It even illustrates that in the manual.

[Jax184]

Could anyone enlighten me as to what exactly I have here?

http://www.jax184.com/projects/Saturn/T1i_6967s.JPG
http://www.jax184.com/projects/Saturn/T1i_6963s.JPG
http://www.jax184.com/projects/Saturn/T1i_6956s.JPG
http://www.jax184.com/projects/Saturn/T1i_6957s.JPG

I've seen some similar units online, but not that one. I didn't get anything with it, as it came into the computer recycling center I work at and had already been processed by someone before I saw it. Also, by fiddling with the dip switches I can set 50/60hz and region. Great for playing import games. Haven't tried playing a burned disc yet.

I also have a grey Japanese saturn with an NMI cable hanging out of it and a hand-labeled ROM chip that says 1.01A on it. Is this anything special?

[Druid II]

1.01A was the bios in PAL Saturns, but it's possible that its just the normal 1.01 japanese bios. Versions in the internal data and on the printed labels can often differ. Many early japanese Saturns had eeprom bios chips, with a printed sticker covering the chip, version data written on it. But, I don't remember seeing 1.01 bios revisions on those - maybe I just haven't seen one yet. What does it say when you boot it up, 1.00 or 1.01?

[Viper]

Hi, question for anybody that knows anything about the Sega Saturn PSY-Q Blue cartridge. Can this cartridge run ISO Saturn Images through DOS or Windows? Also do you need the SPECIAL SN Systems PSY-Q Dongle attached the blue cartridge to make the cartridge work or can you just use a MALE TO MALE parallel cable and don't worry about the SCSI settings. N64 SN64 doesn't need the special SCSI card to make the device run and I would say this doesn't either. Please if anyone can reply to my PM box with some answers. I'm getting ready to purchase the BLUE Saturn DEV KIT cartridge and just the cartridge itself. Do I need anything else to make this device work? Any special Sega Saturn CD's?

Thanks

Viper

:-)

[dj898]

ummm...
maybe this of little help?

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=70617&postcount=15
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=74123&postcount=20
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=84053&postcount=5

[Bad_Ad84]

Why cant you just make that cable? as Dr.Wily said, its just standard IDC connector - easy to get?

retro, is there some other voodoo as to why its a special connector? or was your cable picture from above for use AFTER you changed the internal connector to an IDC one?

[retro]

Let's see...

Jax184 - That's a stock Saturn, modified by Psygnosis to work with their Psy-Q development system. It won't run copied CDs without a boot disc. The other Saturn, similarly, was modified by Cross Products for their CartDev system. Both are not much use on their own as anything other than a stock Saturn, although as you say they'll run in 50/60hz. Still nice to have, though. I wonder where that one came from? Are you near any development studios?

Viper - the cartridge is an interface, it doesn't run software on a PC. The PsyQ doesn't run standard ISO files, no. It runs code that's been compiled in its own format. You may be able to connect the PsyQ with a cable, but some say the interface card may be proprietary so you'll still need that. I haven't tried it with a different card.

Bad_Ad84 - the picture is of the connector on the OUTSIDE of the Saturn, i.e. it's the bit that connects to the back of the CartDev. I'm up on a Sunday morning with not much to do, though, so it's your lucky day - have a pic of the inside:

http://triumphguide.com/assembler/nmiboard.jpg

As you can see, they put a proper header on the board.

[dj898]

http://www.jax184.com/projects/Saturn/T1i_6963s.JPG

that looks like one of two Psy-Q Saturn consoles I had years ago, except mine didn't have 50/60Hz switch either.
the other one looked just like stock except the NMI cable hanging out in front...

about a hand-labeled ROM chip the one in my pre-production prototype console has the ROM chip with its glass port covered by the label as well...

http://members.optushome.com.au/currypuff1/protptype/saturn_proto6.jpg

[retro]

The Sophia unit use an input voltage of 135V :confused: . My stepdown converter gives out 100-120V, can i use it? I never seen 135V input before. Im in 220V zone, so i dont know...

Regarding this, as I stated before, the sticker on the back should state 85-132V. This is the case with my USA model, it was the case with Legit's Japanese model, and it is stated (and illustrated) in both the Japanese and English manuals (the latter specifically mentions USA and Europe).

If anyone still doubts this, I just dug my Sophia out of storage to take a photo. You'll see the step-down transformer I use to power this operates at 110-120V.

http://triumphguide.com/assembler/sophiavolts.jpg

Here's the US/European manual:

http://triumphguide.com/assembler/sophiausa.jpg

And guess how many countries run 135V mains? Yup - none! There are countries running 127V and countries running 220V, but none use anything in between... with the exception of a couple of countries with rather dodgy 220V supplies!

[Druid II]

The 85v-135v thing is just a voltage fluctuation protection. It's a normal 110v (+/- 25v) power supply. No countries actually use those values.

[dj898]

There are countries running 127V and countries running 220V, but none use anything in between... with the exception of a couple of countries with rather dodgy 220V supplies!

ummm... AU runs 240VAC,,, ^ ^

[retro]

ummm... AU runs 240VAC,,, ^ ^

I know - so does most of Europe! What I meant is that those are the middle extremities. There are countries running 100V, 110V, 120V, 230V, 240V...... but the middle numbers are 127V and 220V, with no countries running mains voltages between those two values (apart from those with shocking fluctuation!) ;-)

[vectrex_rox]

received the sophia today ... first issue to solve is check the power supply whose T5A fuse is busted ...

here are some inside pix:

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/604/cimg7917n.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/cimg7917n.jpg/)

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/9494/cimg7918.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/577/cimg7918.jpg/)

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/5822/cimg7919f.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/cimg7919f.jpg/)

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/6802/cimg7920.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/cimg7920.jpg/)

[Druid II]

Oh, so that's where that 1.003 bios dump came from.

[vectrex_rox]

Yes its 1.003 lets pray for tomorrow ;)

[vectrex_rox]

installed a fuseholder + new fuse ... power supply is working (at least in idle mode)

will test it this evening !!!

[Jackhead]

Hope you will get the unit working again my friend.

And thx retro for the pics. I belive you! ;-)

Can anyone confirm that the Cartdev rev.b works with the MD1 psu?

[retro]

Hope you will get the unit working again my friend.

And thx retro for the pics. I belive you! ;-)

Can anyone confirm that the Cartdev rev.b works with the MD1 psu?

Hehe! ;-)

Read the manual - it'll tell you the spec for the PSU (think it's 9.2V 1.2A negative centre off the top of my head - so don't use anything that gives less current), but you're going to need to read the manual for the correct boot-up procedure.

[Jackhead]

Hehe! ;-)

Read the manual - it'll tell you the spec for the PSU (think it's 9.2V 1.2A negative centre off the top of my head - so don't use anything that gives less current), but you're going to need to read the manual for the correct boot-up procedure.


I do! But finding a 9.2V/9V psu with 1.2A ist near impossible. So my first thinking was using the MD1 PSU with 10V 1.2A. And of corse i read the boot sequence. But before i boot ... Sega stuff is very special with voltage :-)
So im sorry if my asking is, show me what i can use.

[retro]

No it's not. There are several on eBay, and any decent electronics wholesaler will have something, too. 9V 1.2A is very common.

If in doubt, see if it has a regulator. If it does, look up the datasheet for the regulator and see what the highest value it can tolerate is. You have your answer.

[vectrex_rox]

power to the hardware ;)

all leds on .. cd drive is seeking

and tomorrow i seek the AV cable ;)

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/2973/cimg7922.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/808/cimg7922.jpg/)

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3144/cimg7924.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/cimg7924.jpg/)

[Druid II]

Thanks for posting all those pictures, I've yet to see any other pictures from the insides of that dev box.

[retro]

Err, there have been loads! There were certainly some of mine up before... and Legit probably took pics of his way back when! I think Kev had some on the original site, too.

[Druid II]

The only ones I have are partially covered and like 100x100px big.

[bart_simpson]

What laser type do they use?

[retro]

They have a special drive, and not a very reliable one at that! I can't remember what diode - probably similar to early Saturn retail, i.e. JVC.

[dutchconsolefreak]

@vectrex_rox

Does the sophia work?