The Blog

Sophia Systems Sega Saturn Programming Box Reassembly

Nix McRetro // 8th February 2013 // Devkit, Repairs, Sega

Above is a brief video of the Sophia going back together. Well, halfway. The mainboard is back in, but the RAM board is still out because I need to photograph it properly first. And finally, after somewhere between six and eight months, I’ve finished photographing the internals of the Sophia... Continue reading

Cross Products SNASM Mega-CD Development Unit

Nix McRetro // 22nd January 2013 // Devkit, Repairs, Sega

Here’s the latest addition to the collection. It cost me a pretty penny, but it is certainly one of the highlights now. This is a Cross Products SNASM Mega-CD development unit. Cross Products built the SNASM Mega-CD around modified Mega Drive and Mega-CD hardware, with additional development electronics allowing it... Continue reading

Aiwa Mega-CD CSD-GM1 BIOS Dump: MPR-15768-T

Nix McRetro // 21st January 2013 // Hacks, Repairs, Sega

This one became a three-part project: disassemble the Game Unit desolder the BIOS ROM dump the contents The BIOS chip is labelled MPR-15768-T. It is a mask ROM rather than an erasable 27C1024 EPROM, but I was able to read it using a 27C1024-compatible setup. A 27C1024-class device stores 1... Continue reading

Sega Mega Drive 32X Jittery Video: VA4 Service Bulletin Diagnosis

Nix McRetro // 20th January 2013 // Repairs, Sega, YouTube

This is another chapter in the ongoing saga of the Sega Mega Drive 32X on PAL hardware. For convenience, the original problem video is below as well. I had tested multiple 32X units and investigated grounding and other possibilities. Update: I later found a documented explanation through Assembler Games. Sega’s... Continue reading

Removing an EPROM from a Sega Prototype / Test Cartridge

Nix McRetro // 20th January 2013 // Guides, Sega, YouTube

So I was thinking, why not? What a fun video it turned out to be! The practical part here is removing the EPROM from the cartridge board without damaging either the chip or the PCB. I described this at the time as a Sega prototype or test cartridge, but the... Continue reading