Another modification for the Sega Saturn, and this time we’re working with one of the early PAL Model 1 machines. This particular Saturn has the VA0-style CD-board arrangement, which makes it rather different from some of the later revisions I’ve been playing around with.

I’d purchased a modchip from Rob at Console Goods in the United Kingdom. It was one of the universal types with connectors for both 20-pin and 21-pin ribbon cables, which was rather convenient given the different Saturn hardware revisions floating around.

Inside the machine, the early VA0 layout is immediately obvious. The power supply is mounted up in the lid rather than sitting in the same position as on the later models, and the CD mechanism has its own arrangement of cables and connectors.

The modchip itself was fairly straightforward to prepare. The board had a 5 V power connection and the appropriate ribbon-cable sockets, so most of the work involved getting everything connected neatly enough to fit back inside the console.

I also wanted to make sure the back of the modchip wouldn’t short against the metal shielding. I ended up using some Kapton tape and a piece of cardboard to insulate it. Perhaps not the most glamorous arrangement, but those little component legs were rather pointy, and I didn’t particularly want them poking through the tape.

The ribbon connectors weren’t positioned quite as conveniently as I’d hoped, either. If they’d been facing the other way, the modchip could have sat much more neatly inside the machine. Instead, I had to work around the available space and make sure the cables weren’t being crushed when I closed the lid.

For power, I connected the modchip’s 5 V wire to the second pin from the left on the Saturn power-supply connector, as shown in the recording. The early VA0 arrangement has its power supply in the lid, so I had to work around that and keep well clear of the mains side of the assembly. The low-voltage connection was all I needed for the modchip.

This early Saturn also uses the 20-pin CD-board arrangement, rather than the 21-pin setup found on some later machines. Fortunately, Rob had supplied both ribbon types, so I could use the appropriate connections for this particular console without trying to make the later arrangement fit.

Fortunately, the completed installation worked! I tested it with Radiant Silvergun, which I’d patched for use on my PAL Saturn, followed by Guardian Heroes. Both provided a rather nice demonstration of the machine running with the modchip installed.

I did wonder whether I might be better at Radiant Silvergun if I wasn’t trying to play it with one hand while holding a camera. Probably not, but it’s a convenient excuse. So that’s another Saturn modification completed, and one more early VA0 machine ready for some gaming.

In unrelated website-housekeeping news, I’ve also removed the drop-down menus from the navigation bar. Drop-down menus are too easy to mouse away from and lose. The old Modifications section has also become Mods & Guides, since I want it to contain proper walkthroughs like this one rather than just a loose collection of modifications.

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