Just a note to say that if you do this mod, you won't get colour output over composite regardless of you using a 60Hz capable TV. You will need to hook up over RGB to get colour. The reason for no colour over composite is because the crystal oscillator is set so that it correctly divides down to the PAL or NTSC carrier depending on the xtal oscillator frequency, however by switching the console into 60Hz mode, we now end up with NTSC colour encoding but on a completely different carrier (neither that of the usual PAL, NTSC or NTSC443) that probably no TVs will accept. If you want colour over composite, you would need to not only set the console into NTSC mode as per the mod, but also change the xtal oscillator so that it fully becomes a true NTSC console
@Venena Religio Est It's difficult to say without knowing your HDMI converter box. When you say the picture goes unstable, is it that the colours flutter in and out? From what you've said, it sounds like your HDMI box is taking a now non-standard NTSC composite input (non-standard because the colour burst isn't on a recognised sub-carrier frequency) and is thus unable to process it correctly. Does the HDMI converter not take RGB?
@@drybones1237 No it won't. The composite signal is non-standard with this mod. There wouldn't be any point anyway when you can just connect straight to an RGB input display anyway without having to use any converter and get full colour (and better picture). If you want colour over composite, you have to change the xtal, or do a dual frequency oscillator for both PAL and NTSC colour carriers.
This is not always the whole story though. PAL and NTSC have different speed oscillators NTSC=53.693175Mhz, PAL=53.203425MHz. This has an effect on the sync signal and can cause some tv's to have display issues as mentioned in the comments. For a proper mod you need to replace the oscillator too (The grey box in the middle).
It works! Full speed, full screen games at last. Apart from PAL region-locked games which now won't play as my console now thinks it's NTSC, but fortunately I've got a spare PAL Mega Drive for those. And an Everdrive on its way! The one I converted looks like it was an early "high definition graphics, stereo sound" model with the capacitor and the jumpers in 3, 4, 2, 1 order. It was very dusty and rusty in there when I opened it up so surprised it still worked at all.
Hello! It seems I have that exact version myself. It´s got the "high def/Stereo sound" text and on the board it says: PAL VA4. And I also have the same order as you seem to have with these jumpers. However, I´m wondering if you did it exactly like the dude in the video? Did you remove the capicator? (Also if you did: can you just cut its legs or do you have to de-solder it?) Are you using a RGB-cable as of now?
@@ESEJESEJ I did remove the capacitor. I know I didn’t desolder it as I don’t have the tools to do it. I think I kind of just pulled it off, maybe wiggled it forwards and backwards a bit to snap the metal. It’s probably not the recommended way to do it but seemed to work for me. I vaguely recall not getting a picture at all when I first scratched away the join, but I had faster sound though which suggested I was part way there. Scratching a bit deeper seemed to fix the picture issue. I use an RGB scart cable with it now as the picture is only black and white through RF. There are “jailbars” on the display which is common with the earlier Mega Drives although you don’t really notice them too much when games are moving and picture quality is great otherwise. The bars are more to do with RGB though and not the mod itself. The only downside is the inability to play some region-locked PAL games (e.g. Streets of Rage 2). I’ve been planning to work out how to add a region switch although as I use an Everdrive with it now, it’s probably not too necessary.
@@classicgaminguk Hello and thank you for your answer! Alright, I see. However, did you cut both JP3 and JP2? For there are several people who claim that just cutting the JP3-trace is enoufgh to put the console in permanent ntsc 60hz. So I'm gonna start with that I think.
I had some trouble first. I scratched and scratched, nothing happened. Finally I used a small drill and drilled the connections for JP2 and JP3 just on the surface until i could see some white plastic. Then it worked! I have the layout JP1 , JP2 , JP4 and last JP3 . I also removed the Capacitor on JP1. Thanks for the guide!
I just cut the JP3 on my model 1 pal mega drive and it WORKS but unfortunately i have RF cable so i got just the sound, i always wish sega did add a switch for 60hz mode but this is as good its weird that no one talk about it
Awesome video mate. I grew up modding consoles and collecting them and was one of the first people in the UK to obtain the megadrive fresh of the production line in Japan. I used to travel across the UK to get the imports which to this Day I miss and has never been equalled. Your video is straight to the points and easy to follow. So many other videos are out there but they tend to concentrate on the people and not the subject matter. I know from experience that You now what You are talking about and went straight to the core issues and modding etc. Look forwards to watching more of your vids mate Thank you Nice 1 :)
If you do this tho, won't pal games that are region locked no longer boot up. Or games that were optimized for pal territories run at an incorrect speed. For example pal Aladdin would run too fast or may not even boot because the cart would think it was in a US console? I heard pal Virgin games are either region locked or optimized depending on when they were released.
I'm going to curate my collection accordingly sticking to US or JP games where possible. I've also have a converter on the way so I don't need to cut the shell.
I remember back in 1991 / 1992 when we would cut the square indents on the cartridge slot and file them down until we could fit the Japanese Cartridges in them. Worked a treat but the console did look a bit worse for wear. Those were the days!
Great video! Im using Retroarch and picodrive on PC. Was looking at getting a boxed Model 1 Japanese import NTSC. However I think Ill pick up a nice local PAL European version instead and do that simple trace mod. As long as I can play everything at 60hz in full screen then I am happy.
Great video. I only have one working "Hi-definition graphics - Stereo Sound' original Megadrive first version (other one has broken sound, some simple notes play but most of the channels are silent inc sample channel when I tried SF2 on it) so it's tough to choose whether to make it NTSC or keep it PAL and make one of the other less well respected updates of the Megadrive mk1 models NTSC. Don't want to cut the case for a switch.
Master good morning, I have a Japanese mega drive that has two slots for cartridge 😳, one in the normal place and one right in front lying forward and hidden under the housing, I can't find any other like it, have you come across this model? On the board it is defined like this MD - 1095 G -1.5 ARG02
I don't have a working PAL SNES. If you are in the UK / EU then I recommend getting a Super Famicom. They are pretty cheap and with an adapter you can play other regions such as US and EU (all you need is a Japanese donor game).
@@RetroRecollections Thank you for your reply i did this mode on my MD1 i found a capacitor on JP1 i removed it now i play Micheal Jackson moonwalk, smooth gameplay the screen is full but there is a black bar on the left what could be the problem the cartridge or the capacitor i removed?
@@FreeAudio It might just a bit of garbage that would normally have been hidden by the overscan of a CRT but shows up on modern TVs? Try an different cart and see if you get the same. Removing the cap should not have caused it.
@@RetroRecollections You're right i think tv or rgb cable it's normal on another modern tv, can you please tell me if i made a mistake removing the cap what does the cap normally do? Thank you again
@@FreeAudio I'm not sure why the cap is there on some boards. The research i did said that it would be harmless to remove it but didn't really say what it was for.
Ih I've done on my original high deff graphics model and just get black and white but playing faster .if I bridge jumper 3 get colour but back to pal speed , any ideas
Sidenote: A Jap/US MD is still runinng unnoticeable faster at 60 HZ and either at 50 HZ in game speed and music speed than a PAL MD set at the same settings using the same cartridge version, btw. . This is due to the 53,7 MHZ quarz in a Jap/US MD compared to the 53, 2 MHZ quarz in a PAL MD. .* Also each tone (music-note) of any sound of the synthesizer ICs in the MD is tuned down on a PAL MD a bit (like on NTSC and PAL C64), no matter you set it on 60 HZ or 50 HZ. This is also because of the 53,2 MHZ quarz. So to get a 100% correct MD with the right music-notes / with the correctly tuned notes (because all of the music notes values were made and composed for JP/US MD versions), the Jap/US versions of the MD is the only way to go. You can also replace the PAL 53,2 MHZ quarz with a 53,7 MHZ quarz in a PAL machine, to get a 100% correct (as intended) working MD. Beside the Composite Out from the PAL A/V modulator then having slighlty wrong colors, the RGB Out will be unnaffected by this & still be correct and working identical as on Jap/US MD machines (so only use RGB in such a case). *Some (later) games were changed in game-code (-programmers speeded up the music-pllay-routine when a switch is set on 50 HZ on any MD-) to get at least run the music speed on PAL machines quite similar in 50 HZ to the original JAP/US MD at 60HZ, like Sonic 2 / World Of Illusion / Mega Turrican (/ and already Golden Axe 1, but in G.A. 1 they went too far.. = you get almost speed-metal versions of the OST on a 50 HZ switch setting). So as a concluision, such games will even run a very little bit faster regarding music speed at 50 HZ on JP/US machines (= slightly too fast in music speed, not intended by the org. music composer), than at 60 HZ on JAP/US machines (= correct music speed, as intended by the org. music composer). Just as a funny side note, (because most people would probably think, it would always the other way around..). - With the switch set BEFORE starting up the machine of course, otherwise it's clear you get completely other and wrong results sometimes - so 'never' go for that. [Personally I do find games quite nice, which manage to run at exactly the same music speed on either 60 Hz and 50 Hz switch setting on each console, those are Castle Of illusion / Ghostbusters / Crüe Ball / Lemmings / and as well almost any track in Quackshot and Dick Tracy, for example. At least noone can get confused in this case 'n those, it's just on PAL machines it will very slightly run too slow in music speed still.., of course (s.o.). Games like, to name just a few, Sonic 1 / Streets Of Rage 1 and Urban Strike on the other (bad ;-) ) hand are ugly regarding the music speed on on any MD console by using a 50 HZ switch setting, those run very very much too slow in music speed (especially Sonic 1 and Urban Strike). Ich kann das deswegen, sowas wie im ersten Satz in diesem letzten Abschnitt, so genau sagen und behaupten, weil ich das neuerlich 'mal bei Audioaufnahmen alles in Cooledit (im Waveeditor) bitgenau abgemessen (= verglichen) habe ;-).]
Excellent video. Never thought about modding my MegaDrive 2, but I'll keep it in mind. Only have PAL games so far. I would probably stick to a switch though, but YMMV.
Hello, I have a clone model 1, how can I know if I have to solder or not, Ive just seen other guy that turned his into pal60, but you just made it by cutting the tracks... hope you can help me, is boring to play on 50hz lol
Hello I am thinking of doing the same mod to my mega drive 2 … and I was wondering would the mod still work on my mega drive 2 and will all cartridges work such as mega drive street fighter and sonic games or will there be a regional lock out?
no pal games will not work and you can not swtich back. you will be stuck in 60hz / NTSC. if you have an everdrive you will be able to play all games all regions on that.
@@Pillmanstitlerun you can switch it back ...... but you would have to solder a wire across where you cut the tracks again ... its no harder than cutting the tracks in the first place its 100% reversible 😄
Nice video. I'm planning to try this on my current Mega Drive. But i'm not sure how this mod works with NTSC, specifically between US & JP. As games like a PAL streets of rage 2 for example would only work in PAL and NTSC-J, not NTSC-U. So I'm not sure if it automatically detects which NTSC it is to work with games like that. I'm hoping it does.
Yeah that was what I was just going to ask. 😂 I’ve recently got an Ever Drive, so a region switch (or any switch) isn’t really needed, I just want games to run full speed. If the PAL ROMS still work even when those jumpers connections are severed then great, if not I can just load NTSC-U ROMS onto my SD card.
It's hard to make out, but looks like the pal copy of sonic 2 (a;though i cant make out the words at that distance, I can see that the box has the white writing along the bottom, which says "16 bit cartridge). So, can I just clarify... does this mod allow PAL cartridges to be played at 60hz on Pal machine (because I see a comment under here that says it then region locks to whatever u have modded it to)? Also, does it work on the megadrive 2 model?
This method hard wires the console into NTSC-U mode (in reality PAL60 as we are not changing the oscillator) so if carts are region locked to another region they will not work. Sega only started locking down carts later in the lifecycle of the console (such as Sonic 3) so most earlier PAL releases should work fine. Not sure about the method on a Mark II as I don’t own one.
@@RetroRecollections thanks for your reply. So your copy of sonic 2 is indeed megadrive/pal copy but it was released before sega started region locking the games, then?
The mods are region mods so to play every single PAL game you need a device that bypasses the region like one of those middle man carts with dip switches I think.
You should point out 1 you wont be able to play original pal only region locked games. 2 if you are using composite cables it will be black and white you would have to use rgb
Correct. There are not too many region locked games as I think it was late in the life of the console they started doing this. The alternative would be to install a switch.
I got some doubts, I want to do it but I heard than then you can't play some games, and I dont understand too why did you cut the JP2. Please someone help me. Thanks!
It will if the game are not region locked. The mod turns the unit into a US NTSC machine. If you want to be sure of 100% compatibility then you'd need to fit a switch or use a flash solution like an Everdrive.
Are you using composite cables? If so your TV needs to be NTSC 60Hz compatible. Get an RGB scart lead and you will get a much better picture and colour! 😁
ok i just did this mod i have black & white screen now with big jail bars... so only way to fix this is with a RGB SCART cable ? i dont have SCART input in my crt tv any help please.
@@RetroGamesBoy78 Sorry to bother you but im looking to get a pal crt tv which says 60 hz on the back and doing this with the mega drive, will it work if its 60hz? Thanks!
isn't there a mod where you DON'T have to cut tracks and soldering?soldering i can do it but i am afraid to cut a track that might render the mega drive useless. and no, i cannot ask to a technician to do it , nobody can do that where i live
I think there are some kits you can buy but I think they need soldering in. Honestly, cutting the trace is totally reversible and pretty safe. You can even add a 3 position switch and select region.
[EDIT: it actually works very well, i didn't cut perfectly one of the traces.] This mod DID NOT work on my Megadrive 1 PAL VA4, i have a different layout : JP1 , JP2 , JP4 and last JP3 . I've removed the Capacitor on JP1 and scratched JP2 and JP3. Why should i cut JP2 Trace? IT'S THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE! Sonic from the Everdrive still have blue bars and clearly slow music....
Did you check that there was no continuity? You might not have completely cut the traces. Different motherboard versions have these jumpers in a different order but they still represent the same things so that isn't an issue. If you're still having issues then refer to the link in the video description for a tutorial.
@@RetroRecollections Thanks for the help Retro Recollections, i'll try again, maybe it's just you said and it's just that one of the two traces is not perfectly cut.
Retro Recollections Both my CRT and 4K TVs are NTSC compatible but I only have RCA connectors for the Megadrive. I have 2 cables that are rgb but for some bizarre reason neither fits my Asian Megadrive without practically forcing it in, then on eBay I saw 2 types of Megadrive 1 connectors a (c) connection and a (v) connection. I know the Megadrive 2 has a different connection but to find there are different connections on the MD 1 threw me a bit. Any ideas?
@@RetroRecollections well it is for me because i am not sure if i run my megadrive games, how do i know if they are region locked or not? Is there a way to make the console to run 60hz and on PAL region?
What type of cable are you using? Ideally you need an RGB scart. Composite cables on a non compatible TV will not give a proper image. You can always reverse the mod very easily if you change your mind.
@@RetroRecollections I'm using an RGB scart. I've even posted in Facebook groups and no one seems to know what's happed to it 🤷🏻♂️ I mean I was going to do the mod anyway but now I'm going to have to 😂
@@Beirdo267 Well that's a strange one for sure. Double check your work, make sure you haven't accidentally nicked an extra trace, do continuity check with a mutlimeter etc.
Yes it will but it will be in 60hz so your television will need to be compatible. If you have a PAL only TV then the picture will be black and white over composite and RF from my understanding.
Sounds like you're using the composite video output. RGB output is not affected by this and gives a superior picture. Your TV would need to be compatible with both PAL 50Hz and NTSC 60Hz to give you a colour picture over composite.
@@NoobSIayer69 Yeah unfortunately you need a compatible TV or go RGB with an upscaler like an OSSC and connect via HDMI if you don't have SCART. Luckily the mod is easily reversed or you can even install a switch to change it from one to the other.
I will eventually add a switch. Currently I'm using an Everdrive and I have an adapter that can bypass the region (which also allows me to fit JP/US shaped carts.)
You have obviously made an error somewhere. Check you plugged the led back in correctly. Check you have cut the correct traces and if so check they are actually severed. Use a multimeter.
Just a note to say that if you do this mod, you won't get colour output over composite regardless of you using a 60Hz capable TV. You will need to hook up over RGB to get colour. The reason for no colour over composite is because the crystal oscillator is set so that it correctly divides down to the PAL or NTSC carrier depending on the xtal oscillator frequency, however by switching the console into 60Hz mode, we now end up with NTSC colour encoding but on a completely different carrier (neither that of the usual PAL, NTSC or NTSC443) that probably no TVs will accept. If you want colour over composite, you would need to not only set the console into NTSC mode as per the mod, but also change the xtal oscillator so that it fully becomes a true NTSC console
@Venena Religio Est It's difficult to say without knowing your HDMI converter box. When you say the picture goes unstable, is it that the colours flutter in and out? From what you've said, it sounds like your HDMI box is taking a now non-standard NTSC composite input (non-standard because the colour burst isn't on a recognised sub-carrier frequency) and is thus unable to process it correctly. Does the HDMI converter not take RGB?
Is using a Composite to RGB converter going to help?
@@drybones1237 No it won't. The composite signal is non-standard with this mod. There wouldn't be any point anyway when you can just connect straight to an RGB input display anyway without having to use any converter and get full colour (and better picture). If you want colour over composite, you have to change the xtal, or do a dual frequency oscillator for both PAL and NTSC colour carriers.
@@electrocity2000 Thank you for the help. I was unsure whether to proceed with this mod, as I was aware of this issue before
Hi! I moded the console, so i gonna need RGB cable to get colors on PAL TV?
I just modded my Asian Pal Mega Drive with this method, and it’s worked!!
No more slowdown, Sonic.
Many thanks. :D
Does it work on PAL TV?
Digging mine out now. I didn't want to damage the case either with holes and a toggle switch. Nice mod.
That's the beauty of it, also it's easily reversible. Win, win :)
This is not always the whole story though. PAL and NTSC have different speed oscillators NTSC=53.693175Mhz, PAL=53.203425MHz. This has an effect on the sync signal and can cause some tv's to have display issues as mentioned in the comments. For a proper mod you need to replace the oscillator too (The grey box in the middle).
It works! Full speed, full screen games at last. Apart from PAL region-locked games which now won't play as my console now thinks it's NTSC, but fortunately I've got a spare PAL Mega Drive for those. And an Everdrive on its way! The one I converted looks like it was an early "high definition graphics, stereo sound" model with the capacitor and the jumpers in 3, 4, 2, 1 order. It was very dusty and rusty in there when I opened it up so surprised it still worked at all.
Great! 👍
Hello! It seems I have that exact version myself. It´s got the "high def/Stereo sound" text and on the board it says: PAL VA4. And I also have the same order as you seem to have with these jumpers.
However, I´m wondering if you did it exactly like the dude in the video?
Did you remove the capicator? (Also if you did: can you just cut its legs or do you have to de-solder it?)
Are you using a RGB-cable as of now?
@@ESEJESEJ I did remove the capacitor. I know I didn’t desolder it as I don’t have the tools to do it. I think I kind of just pulled it off, maybe wiggled it forwards and backwards a bit to snap the metal. It’s probably not the recommended way to do it but seemed to work for me. I vaguely recall not getting a picture at all when I first scratched away the join, but I had faster sound though which suggested I was part way there. Scratching a bit deeper seemed to fix the picture issue. I use an RGB scart cable with it now as the picture is only black and white through RF. There are “jailbars” on the display which is common with the earlier Mega Drives although you don’t really notice them too much when games are moving and picture quality is great otherwise. The bars are more to do with RGB though and not the mod itself. The only downside is the inability to play some region-locked PAL games (e.g. Streets of Rage 2). I’ve been planning to work out how to add a region switch although as I use an Everdrive with it now, it’s probably not too necessary.
@@classicgaminguk Hello and thank you for your answer! Alright, I see.
However, did you cut both JP3 and JP2? For there are several people who claim that just cutting the JP3-trace is enoufgh to put the console in permanent ntsc 60hz. So I'm gonna start with that I think.
@@ESEJESEJ hello how did you get on with the mod ? I am about to attempt this also
My jaw is on the floor, you have saved me so much money and effort i wish this was so easy on other consoles as well
I had some trouble first.
I scratched and scratched, nothing happened. Finally I used a small drill and drilled the connections for JP2 and JP3 just on the surface until i could see some white plastic. Then it worked!
I have the layout JP1 , JP2 , JP4 and last JP3 .
I also removed the Capacitor on JP1.
Thanks for the guide!
You're welcome 👍
I just cut the JP3 on my model 1 pal mega drive and it WORKS but unfortunately i have RF cable so i got just the sound, i always wish sega did add a switch for 60hz mode but this is as good its weird that no one talk about it
Awesome video mate.
I grew up modding consoles and collecting them and was one of the first people in the UK to obtain the megadrive fresh of the production line in Japan.
I used to travel across the UK to get the imports which to this Day I miss and has never been equalled.
Your video is straight to the points and easy to follow.
So many other videos are out there but they tend to concentrate on the people and not the subject matter.
I know from experience that You now what You are talking about and went straight to the core issues and modding etc.
Look forwards to watching more of your vids mate
Thank you
Nice 1 :)
If you do this tho, won't pal games that are region locked no longer boot up. Or games that were optimized for pal territories run at an incorrect speed. For example pal Aladdin would run too fast or may not even boot because the cart would think it was in a US console? I heard pal Virgin games are either region locked or optimized depending on when they were released.
I'm going to curate my collection accordingly sticking to US or JP games where possible. I've also have a converter on the way so I don't need to cut the shell.
I like the video tho I didn't think the 60hz mod could be done so easily. But with my game collection I think I would need a switch nice video.
@@jak_1894 Thank you for the kind words :)
I remember back in 1991 / 1992 when we would cut the square indents on the cartridge slot and file them down until we could fit the Japanese Cartridges in them. Worked a treat but the console did look a bit worse for wear. Those were the days!
I have one of those adapters that you plug the carts in to save modifying the slot.
Great video! Im using Retroarch and picodrive on PC. Was looking at getting a boxed Model 1 Japanese import NTSC.
However I think Ill pick up a nice local PAL European version instead and do that simple trace mod.
As long as I can play everything at 60hz in full screen then I am happy.
You just saved me a ton of time and effort with this tip of yours.
Great video. I only have one working "Hi-definition graphics - Stereo Sound' original Megadrive first version (other one has broken sound, some simple notes play but most of the channels are silent inc sample channel when I tried SF2 on it) so it's tough to choose whether to make it NTSC or keep it PAL and make one of the other less well respected updates of the Megadrive mk1 models NTSC. Don't want to cut the case for a switch.
Thanks! You could possibly mount the switch inside under the expansion slot cover. Not as easy to get to but no need to damage your case.
@@RetroRecollections Plenty of time to think about it as I am renovating the whole house so only 1 Megadrive is out of storage crates.
Cheers for the tutorial. Had no clue it was that easy! Why the hell are people charging hundreds of bucks for 60hz mods.
Master good morning, I have a Japanese mega drive that has two slots for cartridge 😳, one in the normal place and one right in front lying forward and hidden under the housing, I can't find any other like it, have you come across this model? On the board it is defined like this MD - 1095 G -1.5 ARG02
A nice easy mod as you say! Nice video too!
Cheers! :)
Worked a treat :)
Great to hear! 👍
Can you do the same with the mega drive 2? please can someone confirme
Thanks for the video. I am gonna do this also.
Nice song in the background, whats the name of that beat?
Gonna try this mod, im excited
Sorry man, I neglected to keep a note of the track but it is from the TH-cam library.
How to do the same with SNES i hope you make a video!
I don't have a working PAL SNES. If you are in the UK / EU then I recommend getting a Super Famicom. They are pretty cheap and with an adapter you can play other regions such as US and EU (all you need is a Japanese donor game).
@@RetroRecollections Thank you for your reply i did this mode on my MD1 i found a capacitor on JP1 i removed it now i play Micheal Jackson moonwalk, smooth gameplay the screen is full but there is a black bar on the left what could be the problem the cartridge or the capacitor i removed?
@@FreeAudio It might just a bit of garbage that would normally have been hidden by the overscan of a CRT but shows up on modern TVs? Try an different cart and see if you get the same. Removing the cap should not have caused it.
@@RetroRecollections You're right i think tv or rgb cable it's normal on another modern tv, can you please tell me if i made a mistake removing the cap what does the cap normally do? Thank you again
@@FreeAudio I'm not sure why the cap is there on some boards. The research i did said that it would be harmless to remove it but didn't really say what it was for.
Ih I've done on my original high deff graphics model and just get black and white but playing faster .if I bridge jumper 3 get colour but back to pal speed , any ideas
Sidenote: A Jap/US MD is still runinng unnoticeable faster at 60 HZ and either at 50 HZ in game speed and music speed than a PAL MD set at the same settings using the same cartridge version, btw. . This is due to the 53,7 MHZ quarz in a Jap/US MD compared to the 53, 2 MHZ quarz in a PAL MD. .* Also each tone (music-note) of any sound of the synthesizer ICs in the MD is tuned down on a PAL MD a bit (like on NTSC and PAL C64), no matter you set it on 60 HZ or 50 HZ. This is also because of the 53,2 MHZ quarz. So to get a 100% correct MD with the right music-notes / with the correctly tuned notes (because all of the music notes values were made and composed for JP/US MD versions), the Jap/US versions of the MD is the only way to go. You can also replace the PAL 53,2 MHZ quarz with a 53,7 MHZ quarz in a PAL machine, to get a 100% correct (as intended) working MD. Beside the Composite Out from the PAL A/V modulator then having slighlty wrong colors, the RGB Out will be unnaffected by this & still be correct and working identical as on Jap/US MD machines (so only use RGB in such a case).
*Some (later) games were changed in game-code (-programmers speeded up the music-pllay-routine when a switch is set on 50 HZ on any MD-) to get at least run the music speed on PAL machines quite similar in 50 HZ to the original JAP/US MD at 60HZ, like Sonic 2 / World Of Illusion / Mega Turrican (/ and already Golden Axe 1, but in G.A. 1 they went too far.. = you get almost speed-metal versions of the OST on a 50 HZ switch setting). So as a concluision, such games will even run a very little bit faster regarding music speed at 50 HZ on JP/US machines (= slightly too fast in music speed, not intended by the org. music composer), than at 60 HZ on JAP/US machines (= correct music speed, as intended by the org. music composer). Just as a funny side note, (because most people would probably think, it would always the other way around..). - With the switch set BEFORE starting up the machine of course, otherwise it's clear you get completely other and wrong results sometimes - so 'never' go for that.
[Personally I do find games quite nice, which manage to run at exactly the same music speed on either 60 Hz and 50 Hz switch setting on each console, those are
Castle Of illusion / Ghostbusters / Crüe Ball / Lemmings / and as well almost any track in Quackshot and Dick Tracy, for example.
At least noone can get confused in this case 'n those, it's just on PAL machines it will very slightly run too slow in music speed still.., of course (s.o.).
Games like, to name just a few, Sonic 1 / Streets Of Rage 1 and Urban Strike on the other (bad ;-) ) hand are ugly regarding the music speed on on any MD console by using a 50 HZ switch
setting, those run very very much too slow in music speed (especially Sonic 1 and Urban Strike).
Ich kann das deswegen, sowas wie im ersten Satz in diesem letzten Abschnitt, so genau sagen und behaupten, weil ich das neuerlich 'mal bei Audioaufnahmen alles in Cooledit
(im Waveeditor) bitgenau abgemessen (= verglichen) habe ;-).]
Excellent video. Never thought about modding my MegaDrive 2, but I'll keep it in mind. Only have PAL games so far. I would probably stick to a switch though, but YMMV.
Hello, I have a clone model 1, how can I know if I have to solder or not, Ive just seen other guy that turned his into pal60, but you just made it by cutting the tracks... hope you can help me, is boring to play on 50hz lol
Hello I am thinking of doing the same mod to my mega drive 2 … and I was wondering would the mod still work on my mega drive 2 and will all cartridges work such as mega drive street fighter and sonic games or will there be a regional lock out?
Nice...Thanks.. Just done and all good:)
Great! 👍
How do you switch it back to pal ? Or will it play both after the mod is done ? Will pal games still work ?
no pal games will not work and you can not swtich back. you will be stuck in 60hz / NTSC. if you have an everdrive you will be able to play all games all regions on that.
@@Pillmanstitlerun you can switch it back ...... but you would have to solder a wire across where you cut the tracks again ... its no harder than cutting the tracks in the first place its 100% reversible 😄
only region free pal games
Nice video. I'm planning to try this on my current Mega Drive. But i'm not sure how this mod works with NTSC, specifically between US & JP. As games like a PAL streets of rage 2 for example would only work in PAL and NTSC-J, not NTSC-U. So I'm not sure if it automatically detects which NTSC it is to work with games like that. I'm hoping it does.
what about if I want to add a switch ? my idea is to have a Megadrive 1 Pal / Ntsc
Sure, you can add a 3 position switch and wire it up accordingly to choose between EU/US/JP 👍
Hi are u using a pal catridge here ? I did the mod, its gone full screen but its either black and white or inverted/ colours.
You need to use RGB cables / SCART to avoid this. Composite output is tied to PAL / NTSC signals and RGB out is not.
After converting it to 60H, would you still be able to play the uk pal catridges or not? Thank you.
Yes i only used PAL carts but be aware some carts in later years are region locked and may not run but majority as far as I know are not locked.
Good video looks easy enough. Will all PAL region roms work with an Everdrive after this mod or do the region locked ones not work?
Yeah that was what I was just going to ask. 😂 I’ve recently got an Ever Drive, so a region switch (or any switch) isn’t really needed, I just want games to run full speed. If the PAL ROMS still work even when those jumpers connections are severed then great, if not I can just load NTSC-U ROMS onto my SD card.
It's hard to make out, but looks like the pal copy of sonic 2 (a;though i cant make out the words at that distance, I can see that the box has the white writing along the bottom, which says "16 bit cartridge). So, can I just clarify... does this mod allow PAL cartridges to be played at 60hz on Pal machine (because I see a comment under here that says it then region locks to whatever u have modded it to)? Also, does it work on the megadrive 2 model?
This method hard wires the console into NTSC-U mode (in reality PAL60 as we are not changing the oscillator) so if carts are region locked to another region they will not work. Sega only started locking down carts later in the lifecycle of the console (such as Sonic 3) so most earlier PAL releases should work fine. Not sure about the method on a Mark II as I don’t own one.
@@RetroRecollections thanks for your reply. So your copy of sonic 2 is indeed megadrive/pal copy but it was released before sega started region locking the games, then?
and.. IS there a mod you know of that i can play Pal games on Pal console at 60hz?
Yes Sonic 2 is not region locked afaik
The mods are region mods so to play every single PAL game you need a device that bypasses the region like one of those middle man carts with dip switches I think.
Dose pal game cartriges work on the ntsc mode
They do as long as they are not region locked. Early carts are region free but extra protection was in use on some later games.
@@RetroRecollections ok thanks now all I need to know is how to convert av to scart because my modern tv is black and white for some reason
@@josh4740 you need an RGB scart cable.
Did you still have continuity in JP2 and JP3? I had some resistance but it still works.
do you connect to the Tv with AV cable or RGB ?
@@Pillmanstitlerun RGB.
You should point out
1 you wont be able to play original pal only region locked games.
2 if you are using composite cables it will be black and white you would have to use rgb
Both good points. Luckily not too many PAL games were region locked, only later in the lifetime of the console they started doing that I believe.
Great video, please make easy tutorial for md2
Thanks. I don't own an MD2 at the moment but never say never :)
Does this cause games that have a region lock to not work?. For example, 50hz Sonic 3 doesn’t work on a 60hz Mega Drive
Correct. There are not too many region locked games as I think it was late in the life of the console they started doing this. The alternative would be to install a switch.
I got some doubts, I want to do it but I heard than then you can't play some games, and I dont understand too why did you cut the JP2. Please someone help me. Thanks!
i cut just JP3 and it works
What power supply should I use if I aquire a pal console and I live in the USA and plan to get a AliExpress genesis everdrive?
It's the same power supply of the sega genesis
If I do that will it still play the European games? I'm really curious.
It will if the game are not region locked. The mod turns the unit into a US NTSC machine. If you want to be sure of 100% compatibility then you'd need to fit a switch or use a flash solution like an Everdrive.
@@RetroRecollections Thanks. I'll do my research upon that.
I did this and it worked but the picture is black and white what do I need to do
Are you using composite cables? If so your TV needs to be NTSC 60Hz compatible. Get an RGB scart lead and you will get a much better picture and colour! 😁
@@RetroRecollections I do have one but my tv doesn't have the input for it so I've bought a scart to hdmi converter so hopefully that works
@@Connor_Bowles yeah that should work 👍
So which Jp,s did you cut, was it jp1 and jp4
Thanks
JP2 & JP3 you cut
cut jp3 first if it works dont cut jp2
Will it work on a secam model 2?
hi, does the 60hz megadrive mod work on my american tv ntsc with av cable?
It should do, especially if it is a modern TV, but I don’t have access to one test.
Thanks....
ok i just did this mod i have black & white screen now with big jail bars... so only way to fix this is with a RGB SCART cable ? i dont have SCART input in my crt tv any help please.
If your TV doesn't have a scart connection its very unlikely its compatible with 60hz!
@@RetroGamesBoy78 I had to buy a scart - hdmi converter then a hdmi - rgb converter & use both @ the same time.
@@RetroGamesBoy78 Sorry to bother you but im looking to get a pal crt tv which says 60 hz on the back and doing this with the mega drive, will it work if its 60hz?
Thanks!
@@hiddencateye6878 you need an NTSC tv compatible not pal 60hz the jp3 trace switch from pal to ntsc
isn't there a mod where you DON'T have to cut tracks and soldering?soldering i can do it but i am afraid to cut a track that might render the mega drive useless. and no, i cannot ask to a technician to do it , nobody can do that where i live
I think there are some kits you can buy but I think they need soldering in. Honestly, cutting the trace is totally reversible and pretty safe. You can even add a 3 position switch and select region.
@@RetroRecollections thanks i will try to do it
so.. you showed sonic 2, now sonic 2 has optimised audio.. so? how is that proof
i have sonic 1 and it play at 60hz
[EDIT: it actually works very well, i didn't cut perfectly one of the traces.]
This mod DID NOT work on my Megadrive 1 PAL VA4, i have a different layout :
JP1 , JP2 , JP4 and last JP3 .
I've removed the Capacitor on JP1 and scratched JP2 and JP3.
Why should i cut JP2 Trace? IT'S THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!
Sonic from the Everdrive still have blue bars and clearly slow music....
Did you check that there was no continuity? You might not have completely cut the traces. Different motherboard versions have these jumpers in a different order but they still represent the same things so that isn't an issue. If you're still having issues then refer to the link in the video description for a tutorial.
@@RetroRecollections Thanks for the help Retro Recollections, i'll try again, maybe it's just you said and it's just that one of the two traces is not perfectly cut.
@@RetroRecollections IT WORKED! but now i play in black and White...?
Your television probably does not support NTSC signals, hence the black and white picture. Is it an older set?
@@RetroRecollections it's Toshiba vhs/TV with Scart From the late 90's. I think with a serious RGB cable i'll be able to see colours.
can you do this on the model 2??
Did the mod but found that the colours changed to a weird hue anyone have the same experience and any possible solutions/advice much appreciated !
*Buy a Scart cable*
Will this trick work on an Asian Pal MegaDrive?
I would assume if it has the same jumper settings that you can bridge then I don't see why not.
Retro Recollections
Cheers mate👍
I’m getting black and white 60hz but I’ve got composite cable and an I’ll fitting rgb. Any advice?
@@battmann7089 yeah you need RGB or a an NTSC compatible TV or upscaler / converter device otherwise the image is b/w.
Retro Recollections
Both my CRT and 4K TVs are NTSC compatible but I only have RCA connectors for the Megadrive. I have 2 cables that are rgb but for some bizarre reason neither fits my Asian Megadrive without practically forcing it in, then on eBay I saw 2 types of Megadrive 1 connectors a (c) connection and a (v) connection. I know the Megadrive 2 has a different connection but to find there are different connections on the MD 1 threw me a bit. Any ideas?
i try this method, the speed is right to 60hz , but now the color in tv is like rainbow, what wrong with my mega drive?
Mine isn't even rainbow it's black and white lmaoo
can i make it a jp one if so how?
I did the mod and my console worked but with mocolors at all I tried everything . what I have made wrong ???
NTSC consoles will give no colors on pal tvs using composite, and viceversa, you need to use rgb
@@fedeterra42 my pvm can do both pal and ntsc I still don't understand
Man its possibile with asian pal? Mine is like a japanese, without rf but it has 50hz instead of 60hz
*jes*
god I hate the PAL issue. Funny as kids we were clueless
I know right? Thankfully it is not a problem anymore :)
@@RetroRecollections well it is for me because i am not sure if i run my megadrive games, how do i know if they are region locked or not? Is there a way to make the console to run 60hz and on PAL region?
Well I did this and now the image on my TV doesn't seem to lock on 🤷🏻♂️ I think I'll have to complete the mod to save my mega drive.
What type of cable are you using? Ideally you need an RGB scart. Composite cables on a non compatible TV will not give a proper image. You can always reverse the mod very easily if you change your mind.
@@RetroRecollections I'm using an RGB scart. I've even posted in Facebook groups and no one seems to know what's happed to it 🤷🏻♂️ I mean I was going to do the mod anyway but now I'm going to have to 😂
@@Beirdo267 Well that's a strange one for sure. Double check your work, make sure you haven't accidentally nicked an extra trace, do continuity check with a mutlimeter etc.
@@RetroRecollections I'll upload a video of it and show you the link. It's very strange.
@@RetroRecollections th-cam.com/video/4vPLeWRSe5Q/w-d-xo.html
does composite or RF cable still work with this?
Yes it will but it will be in 60hz so your television will need to be compatible. If you have a PAL only TV then the picture will be black and white over composite and RF from my understanding.
almost all tv's after 2000 are 50hz/60hz compatible.
with RF you well get just the sound if your tv isn't compatible
Speed is ok picture is black and white and with stripes, I don't know why unfortunately
You need to use an RGB SCART cable or composite with a TV that is capable of NTSC / 60hz
@@RetroRecollections thanks you!
my megadrive is black and white now how do i fix it
Sounds like you're using the composite video output. RGB output is not affected by this and gives a superior picture. Your TV would need to be compatible with both PAL 50Hz and NTSC 60Hz to give you a colour picture over composite.
@@RetroRecollections it is but i dont have rgb scart and where would i plug it into my tv, had to solder jp2 and jp3 back for it to go back to normal
@@NoobSIayer69 Yeah unfortunately you need a compatible TV or go RGB with an upscaler like an OSSC and connect via HDMI if you don't have SCART. Luckily the mod is easily reversed or you can even install a switch to change it from one to the other.
Can i Play pal games after that mod?
only region free games
But you will get region locked games which won't load now. You really need to be able to change the region. A switchless region mod is recommended.
I will eventually add a switch. Currently I'm using an Everdrive and I have an adapter that can bypass the region (which also allows me to fit JP/US shaped carts.)
I tried this but this is what happened in order
[LED no longer Works]
[Still in 50hz Not in 60hz]
Tell me how to fix all of this
You have obviously made an error somewhere. Check you plugged the led back in correctly. Check you have cut the correct traces and if so check they are actually severed. Use a multimeter.
I didn't do the led
I did the correct traces
And i dont have a multimeter
this "mod" takes 1 minute to do. why is the video 11 minutes long
Because some people might like to see the result, and know the mechanics behind why it works the way it does?