Another Sega Saturn, another power supply mystery. This time I’m checking the DC output rails on a PAL Saturn power supply with the multimeter, and the readings look reasonably good. The 3.3 V rail measures 3.36 V, the 9 V rail measures 9.25 V, and the 5 V rail is producing approximately 5 V.

So why doesn’t the Saturn work? Nobody knows!

These measurements confirm that voltage is present at the points I tested, but they don’t establish whether the supply is behaving correctly under load or whether another part of the console is faulty. I’m also working near exposed mains-powered circuitry here, which carries a serious electric-shock risk. This is a historical record of my testing, not a recommendation to probe a live power supply.

At least we’ve got some numbers to work with. Now I just need to figure out what the problem actually is.