Saturn Model 2 (round buttons) with graphic problems

My Saturn one day simply started to work weird, it shows both 2-D and 3-D graphics but it's like they are out of sync or something, the games play just fine but some FMV look more blurry than usual, the fonts are not spaced properly and it shows lines or blocks above the picture with weird colors, when I moved some cables with the console closed, it appeared as if it would fix, and some graphics did but others remained with problems. It's not the AV cord, I use composite and if it were that, the problems would be all over the screen and not on certain graphics. Here's a picture of what the BIOS look like

 

Well, from looking at the picture, I have a question. When you hit the BIOS does it ding and give you coins, a mushroom, or a flower? If so, your problem is that you may have been mislead when you bought the "Saturn". In may not, in fact, be a "Saturn" at all.

 

Huh??

 

Maybe something like a graphics chip problem, or possibly overheating but I've never heard of a Saturn do that.

Just having a little fun with your not owning a Japanese model I'd assume. I myself upgraded to a white system not long ago.

 

x

 

I own 5 Japanese Saturns. I'm referencing the fact that the picture doesn't work and so there's a box with a question mark displayed, much like that in Super Mario.

 

same for my self.

 

Works fine for me because its in my browser cache. I sent this guy over here from DigitPress and he has his picture linked to an attachment over there. Here is the image rehosted:



Personally I'm leaning towards a problem with horizontal sync but realistically I'm stumped. Rather amusing that "English" almost looks like "Engrish".

 

It almost makes me think as if two consoles are plugged in at once. Those edges are especially weird IMO.

WAY worse than what I'm encountering, just get the minor issue of composite rather than RGB. As my cable hasn't been modded to work right on a JPN saturn.

 

Do the graphical artifacts go away when you apply pressure to the memory or graphics chips?

 

Their is two video chip in the Saturn. The first one output digital video into the second one. The second GPU mix that output (and can apply some effect on it btw) of the first chip with his own output to make the an analog video output.

So to me it look like the second GPU as fail and didn't mix the video correctly anymore for some reason.

 

My friend, you have problems with the VDP1 and it seems to be that either an address line is cut between the VDP1 and one of the RAM chips (there's three for the VDP1) or one of the said RAM chips is busted.

I'd check for broken tracks/corrosion as first thing to try.

 

Which one is it? I did find corrosion in a chip, cleaned it and applied some solder but it remain the same. I don't know if it would be prudent to desolder everything around it and try a better cleaning.

 

x

 

Could be the video socket.