Sega Saturn modchip maker, who are they?

@ASSEMBler: Here are some chips I can get from China. Is this suitable?



There is 12 on hand, and I can get 30 (Single wire chips) from supplier in by tomorrow.

EDIT: If I can get my hands on a large quantity of chips, I'll probably intentionally undercut Racket boy and Rob Webb. Just because I have a feeling there's no way they can beat me.

 

Ok, now I'm just waiting for the supplier to fill out what it has on hand. Then I'll settle accounts and get the chips shipped out to me ASAP. Hopefully if nothing falls through (You never know when dealing in China), I should be on my way to selling chips shortly. (^_^);

 

They look similar to Rob Webb's chips. Are these compatible with model 1 only if you do the hack solution? That is, file off a pin and reroute some traces?

 

Forgive me if I remember wrong (I'm not so good with remembering mod chip revisions, install methods, etc), but these are the versions I recall in the market:

1. 20pin (Discontinued. No market for them as they only work on original consoles.)
2. 21pin (Includes timer crystal. You just install, provide power).
3. 21pin (Timer crystal removed. You need to solder timing wire to motherboard and provide power).
4. 21pin (Consolidated design. Socketed - No ribbon cable, need to solder timing wire, and provide power).

If I recall correctly, only the later chips have been analyzed for possible modding if you can't find a suitable place to steal timing from. Probably possible with the older model, but I don't know.

Anyway, I have about 10pcs of type 4 chips (On hand), about 10-11 type 3 chips (in China), and about 30 type 2 chips (waiting for supplier in China). For now I can guarantee stock of what I have on hand. I'm pretty sure the other chips should be good for sale baring some unforeseen problem, but just to be safe I'll only allocate what I can deliver in person and not what is in China (in my possession or not).

EDIT: First 10pcs of chips will go on sale as soon as I can confirm numbers and get them in my physical hands. ETA - Probably sometime this week or coming weekend, depending on how busy my non-gaming schedule is. (^_^);

 

You bring the chair and rope and I'll bring the halcion.

IIRC you don't need to solder the wire for timing, at least on some modchip models like that racketboy sells. Had to look the wire back onto a spot as someone traced the connection and found out it is in the CD-ROM ribbon already?

 

Any idea of price for each type? I've been meaning to get one of each.

 

Just as a note. The "type 3" is also known as an EMSIC4. The "type 4" is also known as an SSIC8B.

I'd be interested in one or two of the ones without the xtal providing they are using a PIC16C54 instead of the ELAN EM78 microcontroller.

 

http://www.segastyle.com/model232.html

I'm guessing the particular board mentioned doesn't have the signal being piped to the ribbon? And isn't the only real difference between an American and Japanese Saturn a few jumpers? Putting aside the V-Saturn, Hi-Saturn, etc models that were never released in the US.

Furthermore, according to the datasheet pin 14 seems to be an input rather than a signal output which is what I assumed it was needed for. Unless this is connected to hijack the whole shebang starting at the chip? You can tell I really have no idea...

 

@Retro: RacketBoy sells for $39USD. I'll probably sell each unit for about $14 each.

@MrSporty: You lost me at "EMSIC4" (^_^);

 

is that including shipping?
if it is i would take a few

 

Lol@Trenton .. Sorry for the modchip nerdyness.

The EMSIC4 is what the lower modchip in your picture is commonly marked on its pcb as. EMS used to make game enhancers (Action replays) and gameboy copier carts back in the day so i assume they also branched out into SS modchips.

Most of the newer modchips use an Elan EM78Pxxx microcontroller chip to do the hacky work. All the ones i have at the moment use it but i can see that the ones you have pictured use a Pic 16C54. Thats what im interetsed in because its easier for me to get the code from those chips.

 

It was mentioned that it was harder to make these chips due to certain parts not being readily available. Which parts would that be?

 

@jinn: Unfortunately that only covers the chip itself. Packing materials and shipping are extra.

@MrSporty: Ah, I see. Well these are just samples so there's no guarantee about what kind of chips they will use or which type they will send. To be frank I never worried about any of that. As long as it's a SS Modchip and it works, it was cool with me. (^_^); The first 10 I have on hand are the newish ones (Type 4) so you'll probably not be interested with those.

@n64coder: I was referring to Gamestations (in a bout of nostalgia!). At least I'm pretty sure they made the Gamestations. I recall a rep saying they ran out of SNES chips so they couldn't make more, though I'm sure as components dry up they discontinue lots of products.

 

If anything its the PALCE16V8Q .. they aren't too hard to get hold of , just not as cheap as they used to be.

The ls157 and the mcu are cheap as chips and i know Molex still makes the cables and connectors.

 

Lol, you cheapskate! They're cheap even without shipping, and you know it!

That's because they ARE chips! ;-)

 

I used A+B method in a jap This Is Cool skeleton saturn

 

I know. I got spoiled a few years back, I was able to get them for $9 shipped.

 

Yup, but I don't think they cloned the SFC chips. Like the Game Doctor ASIC they would have bought them somewhere else. Game Stations use the same chips as the Tristar 64 and probably "Retro DUO" things.

The Elan chips are clones, not just in architecture but probably literally to the mask. You're going to decap and read out the ROM/probe the security fuse??? Seems a little crazy with all of Pinchy's documentation.

??? You know you don't have to use a PALCE, GAL were only discontinued last year.

 

When i look at any job i always weigh up the true cost, how much of my time will it take. If its cheaper to recover code from an existing IC than rewrite it then hell yeah im going that route Concider the C54 is a very old design hence the fuse setup is v.simple.

As you pointed out, yes the PAL and GAL are interchangeable in this application, but personally i can still get the PAL cheaper. I was just looking at the mods as a whole and that specific chip seemed to be the most expensive sinlge piece of the design at this moment in time.