Sega Saturn Region Free BIOS

I am not a fan of having obvious switches all over the system for changing regions-- the idea is to make things as seamless as possible, and otherwise I'd just stick to the Action Replay cart (Action Replay isn't a perfect solution either, since some games require carts that it can't substitute for). A big reason why I like the idea of piggybacking the chips, though, is that I'd like to have a failsafe if the modded BIOS chip ever goes bad. It would be much easier to desolder the new BIOS chip if it's piggybacked to the original chip than if I have to go through the process of desoldering it from the board, and it also reduces the risk of damaging the pads on the mobo. It's to my understanding that flashed chips (EEPROM) do not have an indefinite shelf life the way the stock chips (ROM) do, and I'd prefer not to make it a nightmare to fix in the future if and when that flashed chip stops working.

Honestly if I could just get a BIOS chip with a modded US BIOS on it and then have a connector socket on the mobo rather than soldering the new chip directly on, I'd settle for that over a piggybacked chip because it'd make it possible to re-flash the chip in the future without much hassle. I don't know how plausible the latter is though, because I haven't opened up the system yet and I don't know what kind of clearance would be required for something like that versus how much physical space is actually available.

Also, where might I find a modded US bios file? Has anyone done it before, or would I have to do it myself? I am adequate with a soldering iron but not much for programming, I'm afraid. I know it's silly that the boot intro is such a big deal to me, but I really don't like the Japanese one, and whatever BIOS file I use that's the one I'm going to be stuck listening to every time I turn on the system. If there is no other option maybe I could settle for the Japanese BIOS, but I am apparently one of the few people out there who doesn't like it and prefers the American splash screen.

I should also mention that I realize that only the model 1 Saturn can probably have a socket installed directly to the board, since the BIOS on a model 2 is all surface-soldered. With some extension wires though, it should be possible to attach a socket to the motherboard, which I could then just insulate and tape down until the day if and when I need to pop out the BIOS chip out, be it that someone comes up with a better BIOS file, or if the chip loses its charge. Does anyone know of a socket that the pre-made BIOS chips would fit into, or would I be better off commissioning someone to make a BIOS chip for me that will fit into a socket that's commonly available? If so, who would be the one to talk to about something like that?

Earlier in the thread I saw grips03 mention that the Yamaichi IC179Z-44600 socket would fit the Saturn BIOS chip, but did not physically fit on the board because there's not enough room.

http://hken.rs-online.com/web/p/products/6078346/

Methinks that soldering on some extension wires would circumvent that problem-- it would also likely help prevent putting stress on the solder pads, which is also something key that I don't think had been taken into consideration during the prior discussion.

I think having a socket for the BIOS is an idea worth revisiting. It's a long shot but I think they were onto something. I just might give it a try.

 

So instead of having a switch for the regions, you want a switch for the BIOSs? How does that make sense?

I mean, I get that you can leave it switched to the region free BIOS and never have to swap between regions... but still... that doesn't seem to make sense to me.

The US BIOS file is in the archive that's somewhere earlier in this thread I believe (edit: it's just a few posts above your first post...). All of the versions have been region hacked, you can pick a version and flash it.

Why would you want to reflash the chip? Just flash the US region free BIOS, solder it in place, and never worry about it again....

As far as a socket goes, you can't really find a socket for a surface mount chip like that, so you would have to use a DIP chip, which is larger and would have to be wired to the top of the mobo.... IMO I just don't see the point in doing all this. I doubt anyone is going to make a custom BIOS for the Saturn, so why would you ever want to reflash it once you have it region free?

But if you really really want a socket, I would suggest finding a Saturn with a va0.6 mobo, which has the BIOS on a DIP chip, you can easily install a DIP socket and on some of them the Saturns came out of the factory with the chip on a DIP socket already!

 

Huh! I should have looked a bit more thoroughly then. Thanks for tipping me off to that-- now I just need to find someone to flash it onto a chip for me, I guess. I should probably as Bad_Ad84.

I am a bit concerned about the longevity of flashed chips. It's the same thing I've heard about reproduction game cartridges-- some people say that eventually, the flash chip will "lose its charge" and not work anymore. Granted that could be 20 years from now, but as they say a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If it means that someone 30 years from now won't have to desolder the chip from the mobo again and risk destroying it, I will have considered the extra steps at this point to have been worth it. The longevity of a reproduction game cartridge isn't that big a deal to me, but a vintage game console is.

I saw that grips03 did a bit of research and found a socket that fits the chip. Unfortunately it doesn't physically fit onto the mother board, but with some extension wires I don't think that would be a problem. As long as it's insulated and there's somewhere that it can be taped down when it's all put together, I'm pretty sure it would work.

http://www.assemblergames.com/forum...gion-Free-BIOS&p=511479&viewfull=1#post511479

Bad_Ad84 found a website that sells them, too:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forum...gion-Free-BIOS&p=511533&viewfull=1#post511533

I also found a discussion where someone identified a socket that would be compatible with a Dreamcast, although that's another mod for another day. While obviously nothing will be as clean as having a socket built right into the motherboard, having one attached with some wires would be quite preferable to me than soldering the chip directly to the Mobo. Maybe I'm a bit irrational for wanting to take the extra step, but it'll be an interesting conversation piece. If I go through with it I'll make sure to take plenty of photos for you guys and anyone else who was as nutty as me about soldering the chip directly to the board, but didn't make it this far.

Also, someone on another board explained to me a little bit about the process of piggybacking a new BIOS on top of a stock one, and it doesn't sound as intimidating as I thought it would-- if it means not having to desolder anything from the mobo, I'd be quite keen to try it especially since that means no lifted pads. Right now I am thinking I might try to piggyback a socket on top of the original BIOS chip, and then plug the custom one into the socket. If I go that route, I'll discretely mount a switch somewhere on the system for toggling between the grounds for two chips. I likely won't be using the stock BIOS at all after modding, but if the aforementioned "bit decay" ever kicks in on my custom BIOS, the system will still work fine as a stock Saturn, on top of having the option of re-flashing the custom chip and putting it back in. This extra stuff may seem like unnecessary effort and expense to a lot of people, but for me it's all about future proofing. The official BIOS chip is a hard-written ROM and is pretty much going to last forever, while I don't fully trust that the same will be true for the custom flashed one.

 

Good luck piggybacking on the Saturn BIOS... the MaskROM is physically smaller than the flash ROMs you'd be piggybacking on top. It's difficult enough to solder to the pads.

 

Where there's flux, there's a way.

 

Region switches won't change the BIOS sound/intro. At least mine doesn't.
You can try the Pseudo Saturn to play backups. Region free bios can't bypass the security check (or does it now?). Though you will still be hearing that loud japanese jingle at boot.
I'd like to have a Hi-Saturn bios.

 

I'm planning to install a modchip anyway so I am not too worried about compatibility with CD-Rs. My goal is basically to have the ultimate modded Saturn that can play imports and CD-Rs with zero fuss. I'm going to be getting an Action Replay because it's a handy cart to have around, however I prefer the idea of having an actual region free Saturn rather than being dependent on a cartridge to disable region locking, especially since there will likely be times where I want to plug something other than an Action Replay into the slot (I've been told to swap carts sparingly if possible though, since the slot isn't nearly as durable as it should have been).

 

The "bit decay" you are thinking about is called "bit rot" often, and it applies primarily to EPROMs. EPROMs when programmed get a charge in their memory cells that stays put for a long time. But they are not perfect and over time the charge in a cell could leak or otherwise be lost. EPROMs aren't exactly digital though, so as long as the amount of charge in a cell remains above a certain threshold it will maintain the correct data bit.

But anyway, the chip that would be used in these Saturn BIOS mods is not EPROM, it's Flash which is a different technology. The lifespan of flash chips and how they fail shouldn't be confused with EPROMs. Also it's important to remember that the lifespan of any chip can't be predicted with certainty. Some people will say that an EPROM has X years that it will be good for. But there are plenty of EPROMs that have lasted longer than that, maintaining their data. Flash is a newer technology than EPROM and it's lifespan or average lifespan may not be fully known. Manufacturers might give a general estimate on what they expect it to be, but only time will really tell.

Also you should know that MaskROMs are not magically immortal devices that will never fail. There are plenty of MaskROMs out there that have actually failed for some reason or another. Generally they tend to last a long time, but there is no guarantee for any quoted length of time.

There was a comment about the custom BIOS. With the creation of Pseudo Saturn and the exploit it uses, some of us are hoping to see the exploit integrated into the region free BIOS hack so that with just the custom BIOS mod you would have both import and CD-R functionality.

 

If flash is more secure than EEPROM then that would assuage my fears about bit a little. However, piggybacking still seems like a preferable option to me because it means no desoldering the original and risking damage to the mobo, and piggybacking could potentially give me enough clearance to install a socket, which would be great if they ever come out with a better custom bios that I find myself wanting

 

If you don't remove the old BIOS you still have to deal with the Chip Enable signal pin somehow. I'm not sure where you'd find to mount a socket in a sturdy position either.

Also it's EPROM and EEPROM/Flash. EPROM is the older technology which often has the windows for UV light to erase the chip when desired. EEPROM is erasable electrically and doesn't require UV light. Flash may be more "secure" than EPROM, but I doubt there is any really good information on the actual lifespan of each. There are examples of both EPROM and EEPROMs that have lasted a very long time.

While I'd like to see a combo of the region free BIOS and the CD-R exploit, I'd recommend just replacing the original BIOS with a flash chip containing the region free hack. Then with the modchip installed you have nothing to worry about. I'm pretty certain you'll have something else that needs repairing long before any flash chip is going to fail.

 

With the chip enable pin, isn't it just a matter of locating it on the chip, clipping/desoldering it, and then wiring it to a switch? Essentially, disabling the chip's ground circuit and then wiring it to a two-way toggle with the new mod chip, so I can switch between which chip is receiving power?

 

You have a much, much bigger chance of screwing up the piggyback than you do desoldering the original MaskROM, because of the size difference of the chips...

 

The /CE signal doesn't choose which one "receives power". The /CE signal controls when the chip is enabled. In many systems you have multiple devices on the same bus and the /CE signals are used to make sure only one device drives the bus at a time.

I agree with darcagn. I don't think it is a good idea to try to desolder a single leg or clip it, and then try to solder a wire to the pad for a switch. The right person could definitely desolder the MaskROM intact and replace it with a flash chip. If you wanted you could hang onto that MaskROM in the event that you ever figured you wanted to have it reinstalled.

If the BIOS was a chip DIP chip like a 27C322 or something, I'd say have at it. But it's a surface mount chip. I wouldn't advise doing anything odd. If you wanted to wire something you could always do the much older mod where the region jumpers are controlled by an IC that will toggle between regions via the Reset Switch.

I can understand where it would be really nice to have a socket for the BIOS incase later on there is a new BIOS hack. But since you plan to or already have a modchip, it's pointless. The region free BIOS will be all you need.

 

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I quite agree with the above statement - you say you don't want to do a switch mod because you'll have an unnecessary switch poking out... but instead, you want to wire a bunch of fiddly pins on a piggybacked chip that you didn't need to put in... then attach - A SWITCH?! How's that better?

Check the mods - you know you can use the reset button to switch if you really want, don't you?

Have you ever played an arcade machine? What do you think the chips are that the game information is contained within? Yup - EPROMS. What game was it? Street Fighter II? 21 years old. 1942? 30 years old. Space Invaders? 36 years old.

By the way, please use the edit button rather than double posting! Thanks!

 

The switch would be internal. It would be there in case the modded bios fails, whereas a region switch needs to be easily accessible since it is used all the time.

I am staying to consider that piggybacking may not be with the effort, though at the same time I don't want to completely butcher the old chip in the process of desoldering, or lift any pads. If there was a way for me to safely remove the old chip, I would consider it. Piggybacking a socket still seems to be the ideal to me, but I should weigh it against some other options.

 

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Would a heat gun and some aluminum foil get the job done?

 

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I mostly was kidding around since I ruined a PS3 once by falling for the old heat gun snake oil. If I could get a proper hot air station at a decent price, maybe I'd pick one up, although I am starting to think that if I was going to desoldering the chip I'd be better off paying someone who already has the tools to do it. It might be cheaper to try piggybacking, and right now I have more time than money.