This MEGA DRIVE Has a Strange 8 BIT SOUND Fault | Can I FIX It?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 เม.ย. 2022
- I've been asked to look at this Sega Mega Drive 2 (Genesis). It has a really odd fault where it doesn't play all the sounds in games!
As usual, I don't know what I'm doing, but let's have a look at it and see if we can repair it!
Hope you enjoy!
Steve
PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.
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PSG stands for Programmable Sound Generator, and it's integrated into the VDP as you discovered. That PSG sound is in fact the sound source for the 8-bit stuff.
Its all inherited from the Master System
Great stuff Steve, excellent fault finding here. I'd have to say though it might be a good idea to take care of the rest of the rusted vias because they're going to eventually eat away at that copper. Still a great enjoyable video either way 🥰
Thanks Phil, yeah I think I'm gonna recap everything and do a bit more work on it off camera. 👍
🤦
@@boneyass what's weird is that during rhe first sonic 1 demonstration you did it only sounded like the square waves themselves (the thing sonic:s jump sound is made out of) were dead, but the noise channel was alright (what makes the crash portion of the monitor sound x as well as the waterfall doing waterfall things
Makes all the difference when you have all of the relevant schematics, diagrams and parts lists, this is becoming more and more rare with newer products.
Yeah... It's because they don't want you to be able to fix your product when it malfunctions; they want you to throw it away and spend money to buy a new one. Especially nowadays when some electronic components are super tiny and very difficult to work on with hand tools.
I just dicovered your channel. I like your calm style. I don't like it when people are screaming during their videos or talk too fast. I am also into console restoration so I like to watch other people fixing or restoring their consoles. Good work! Will watch your other videos.
Thanks Oribaa, much appreciated 👍
Hi mate - I’ve only recently got into restorations. Do you have any other suggested channels / resources?
@@babababa201 Electronics, or stuff in general?
A man who won't take no for an answer and figures it out. Well done on getting this back up and going.
Thanks Angus! It was very satisfying to get this one working properly! 👍
"What ever tomorrow brings it will be a great fix....sing along! ". Steve well done.
I stumbled across this channel by pure chance, thanks YT, but I'm already in love with the way you present your findings and the way you work.
I've barely blinked in the general direction of computer chips in my life. But this is fascinating.
that must feel so satisfying when you fix stuff like that. just found out about your channel and already loving the content. thanks a lot for sharing with us.
Just stumbled across this channel randomly and definitely enjoyed the process of identifying the problem and troubleshooting various fixes. A fun journey was had getting to experience it work after the repair. Will be back for more :)
Thanks Josh, much appreciated! 👍
That was super involved Steve, well done. I admit I was worried when you were contemplating taking off that huge asic chip. Pity there isn’t a chemical you can brush on to convert the corrosion back to good copper again. Keep up the great work 👍😀
Thanks Chris! 👍
Fantastic work Steve! This was a very enjoyable one for me. Interesting mod too, I had no idea, now I have something to figure out with my mega drive.
Thanks Tidder! Yeah, this was a new one on me. Really enjoyed looking at it and super satisfying! 👍
It is actually a really simple mod to do. Especially with mk1 boards
When I fixed an AC adapter like that recently I took apart the brick, moved the strain relief down, chopped off the damaged parts, and resoldered. It can be difficult to break the strain relief free of the cable but it’s usually possible. Even when it’s not you can often use another or make your own with heat shrink. Since you’ve already chopped it at the brick you shouldn’t have to chop up the other end for heat shrink. The result should be much cleaner and more reliable.
Yes I'm all for removing any heavily kinked wire sections as well, they can't be healthy.
Love the content, Steve! I don’t know why, but I watch your videos and think how fun it would be to have you as a neighbor. Your sarcastic humor relates all too well with me. Keep up the great content. I’ve been going back and watching your previous episodes.
Great video showing two different approaches to fixing. First keep changing stuff, second trace the path from source to output.
Thanks Simon! Yeah, I was a bit impatient taking stuff off willy nilly, but that has worked for me in the past. In hindsight, I should have tried it the other way round! 😁
hi, just found your channel and I'm having a blast, your videos made me learn a bit about soldering and stuff, thanks man
Love it! Great work. I learn so much watching you fix stuff.
By the time the Mega Drive 2 came along pretty much everything had been integrated into the 315-5487/315-5660 ASIC, but even as far back as the first revision of the MD1, the SN76489 PSG was already integrated with the VDP on the 315-5313.
The mono signal from that, along with left/right from the FM, A left/right line from the cart slot (used by the 32X), and a left/right from the Expansion slot (for the Mega CD) is then all mixed in on that amp circuit.
99% of sound problems are often down to the caps going bad on that circuit. Either dying or leaking and corroding the traces.
I agree.
Awesome work. so glad i found this channel. love what you do.
Congrats on the fix! I was routing for you watching this. Must be a great feeling fixing retro games/consoles up yourself. I wish I could do this!
>routing
I really love watching your videos... you are doing a fantastic job fixing these things. Keep it up my friend.
Thanks Oz! 🤩
Another good one, Steve! I gotta say I really enjoy your content, I think I watched all of your videos in a few days when I stumbled upon your channel, keep up the good work 🙂
Thanks Usagi! 👍
Man i found your channel by accident and now i have made a playlist with all your videos for a marathon .Nice channel.
Thanks J.a.W! Much appreciated! 👍
Only just started to watch your videos and so far im very impressed (not that it takes a lot to do so) lol... also i like the way you are very comical with each repair video it brings something new to the game of repairing... keep up the good work and enjoy my sub
Thanks Frosty, much appreciated 👍
I recently found your channel. I know nothing of this stuff but somehow I’m addicted to watching 😂
Great repair vidz! You got yourself another sub. Love the little video effects you put into some videos. Very neat indeed.
There is something 'enchanting' about your videos that keeps me coming back. Great fix this time around showing real determination using readily available information and common sense. Your cover it bodge for exposed wires on the other hand made me cringe. Heat shrink is not always the answer........🤣
Fantastic channel. Really enjoying your videos thus far
Awesome work dude. Just shows you should always keep trying even if you think you've exhausted all avenues of repair. Only found your channel lately and have binge watched quite a few by now :)
Thanks Jay! Much appreciated 👍
@@StezStixFix You're welcome dude. I need to get me one of those hot air stations, any hints on brand etc? Super handy for removing components.
Love your videos, so relaxing 😌
Man I love your reactions when your fixes work!!!
New subscriber here Steve, very enjoyable video, just watching your back catalogue. Long time fan of Vince and Tronics fix as well as Northridge. I love the fact the camera is on you nearly as much as your fix, lol. I do prefer Vince's longer videos but great work anyhow and keep posting. Cheers.
Thanks Jonome! Appreciate that 👍
Standing on the sideline as a newbie in smd, I can recommend to trust your eyes more often. Visual inspection is frequently underrated, and it is'nt gonna cause any damage at all :-).
Great magnification, I am tempted to no longer fear smd soldering!
Thanks Umberto, you're absolutely correct!
Nice work again. Love the humour too. Keep it up!
Nice! Love how you managed to figure this one out. You've gained a subscriber for sure!
Thanks MrVestek! Much appreciated 👍
Brilliant!
Lovely to see you wander off into a rabbit hole when you were in the right area right away 🤣
Of course, I've NEVER done EXACTLY that. Not often...
Always a pleasure watching you work Steve 😁
🤣 I know, I literally found the problem about a minute after opening it up, but then proceeded to mess about with everything else first! Still, it's nice to be able to prove the fault by running back from the ASIC! That's what I'm telling myself anyway! 🤣
Very interesting fault Steve, nice fault finding 👍 Great job!
Thanks Vince! 😍
u 2 actors should be in hollywood . really bad acting to extend video lenth and set up faults
Nice one Steve! :)
The only thing I'm missing is some Voultar reference when you look at that modwork.
When restoring VIAs, I usually push a wire through the hole and solder it in from both sides. You need to have a very thin needle (or a very thin tweezer) to clean the hole though.
Yes, a through-hole capacitor leg is good for this. Also good to clean up any corrosion in the surrounding area as well.
Thanks Norrecito! 👍
I've just started watching the video and... Yes the megadrive has two soundchips
The YM2612, an FM Synth wich is responsible for the "16 bit sound"
And the SN76489, a PSG (Wich stands for Procedural Sound Generator) used for Master System backward compatibility that can be used alongside the YM2612 in megadrive games
Loving the videos, keep up the good work!
Just subscribed, I feel like an early adopter! Underrated gentleman, underrated channel with excellent content! I'm hooked!
Thanks! Really appreciate that 👍
early adopter? he has 17K subscribers...
Dude! I love watching you. Your funny and for someone who is learning electronics your pretty good at it.
Thanks Brian! Definitely still learning but really enjoying it so far! 😁
I love it when traces do a "through the board jobby". Those traces are the best.
Love your videos. Its like you have no idea what your doing then the skillz come out.
Whoever edits your videos did a superb job on this one. Give them a raise.
Love the investigation work Inspector Stez, these type of fixes are great. Must be proud and rightfully so. Great Video
Thanks Michael! 👍
First video of yours I've seen, good fault finding. Gives me hope that I can improve :) Subscribed 👍
p.s. I think PSG stands for Programmable Sound Generator
yes it does
This channel is the best youtube discover in years! Great content!
Thanks Dani! 👍
Well done nice fix, it was interesting to watch👍
Great work as usual Steve the first thing I thought when I saw that corrosion was that looks like a drop of sweat by the modder. Keep up the videos you are doing great funny as f and insightful.
Thanks N J! 👍
Steve, you are the man. Well done on that fix, sir :)
I've just stumbled upon your channel mate. Awesome videos. You got a like and sub from me. Just love watching the retro tech repair vids. Keep up the great work 👍
Thanks Bizarre! Really appreciate that 👍
I was singing with you at the end there, Steve! Love that song.
Another tough fix to locate. Well done! No more jumping in silence!
Good job on figuring that one out!
Great fault finding, Steve! And great video, by the way. Nice!👍👍👍
Thanks Pedro! 👍
Ive found this channel far to late! Sweet video mate looking forward to more like this one!
Thank you! Much appreciated 👍
All the effort just for the jumping sound … you are crazy … and I really enjoyed it 😊👍!
and skidding, and waterfall sounds, etc. the PSG is also used for arpeggios, chords and layers in the Green Hill Zone theme, and the hi-hats of the drum beat on its noise channel.
and while it only does those "secondary" sound duties in Mega Drive games, it does the entire sound in Master System games.
I cheered when that worked! Love your videos. Something very therapeutic about a Northern man fixing electronics.
Nice fix Steve, I think I might have taken the wire from the capacitor pad which you used and ran it over to the other via where it went through the board omitting the corroded section all together just in case, but either way its all good :) well done on another successful fix.
love this type of content, nice job
Far out mate - that was some heavy diagnosis time.. well done 👍
Hehe. Love the ‘laughing cow’ edition of the solder sucker station! - ‘nice’ :)
Great fix, keep up the good work.
I have zero idea why your videos were suggested to me by the TH-cam algorithm as I can't say I have any interest in fixing things like this (my hands wouldn't let me anyway as badly damaged nerves). Yet here I am on video number 20+ utterly fascinated and loving the humour 🤣🤣 I did subscribe on video 2 I believe 😁
Excellent work! God bless you and yours, praying for you!
Another great one Steve! I`ll have a talk with the leaders of TH-cam about the shame that you have less than 7k followers:-) Steve rocketing would be great, and so deserved!
Thanks Willy! If you could out in a good word, that would be great! 😁
Great video, another victory of man over machine, take that SkyNet! I like the heat shrink tubing. It's pleasing both to say and what it does
Cracking repair Steve, nice to see the older consoles getting some TLC that they deserve n not being binned
super glad i found this channel.
Another good fix there Steve and a interesting one too well done 👍
Thanks Chris! 👍
Every time your fix something I get as excited as you do. Weird.
Nice find. I never knew the MD's sound was seperated like that.
Small tip though, it would be a good idea to remove the rust from those other traces before it ends up eating through them completely. Then apply solder mask.
Yep, and with the Mega CD and 32X, the PCM and PWM (respectively) sound channels can be used in conjunction with the Mega Drive FM and PSG sound channels (such as in Popful Mail in-game and Knuckles' Chaotix).
Another platform, the GBA, would later do a similar thing. The Sonic Advance games are a good example on that platform of heavy use of the Game Boy / Color PSG sound channels in conjunction with the GBA PCM sound channels.
In the business we call not knowing but having a good idea an educated guess. Not knowing what you're working on. But having an extensive enough knowledge to make a pretty good guess as to what it is
Another lovely video, hope you will make a video on how to make all those magic tricks you do 😊 and send my best to voice-over Steve hope you let him know that you appreciate him
🤣 I'll make sure he knows! 😁
You just keep getting better!
Thanks Chris! 😍
Great stuff marrer ;-) Way up there with Big Clive.
I spent far too many hours during my first stint at college playing Sonic on my best-friend's (RIP) Genesis. Thank you for the memories.
Good fix. Did you neutralize the corrosive goop so it doesn't do any further damage to the board. Battery acid, electrolyte from capacitors and flux resin can cause corrosion. You can clean it with baking soda or isopropyl alcohol.
Thanks Darren. I did clean it with IPA, but I've been back to it and cleared it much better using white vinegar, followed by IPA and a good scrub. 👍
This video helps out a ton! My genesis has this exact issue. Found it when I played sonic as well lol
this channel is too chill to see
Amazing video Steve, as always well done. I suggest you remove that ugly not working region mod and put a proper one in there. I suggest the Switchless Region/IGR 50/60Hz mod from Consoles Unleashed. 👍🏻
Thanks Eduart, I'll check that out 👍
Interesting mod done. Great fix
One of your best yet. . . .Sherlock? 🔎Very enjoyable. Dang, I don't normally subscribe to . . . anybody but you got me in. Love your work. Logic rules mate!
GET IN THERE!!! Well done Steve!
Thanks Travis! 😍
Awesome work. I never even knew an everdrive was a thing. Now i need a mega drive and ever drive badly.
Good fix don't know what learn enjoy watching the process
I have a repair and resell shop on eBay and I’m always afraid to do any micro soldering, or major board repairs. I have to admit watching your videos give me a little bit of confidence for some reason. I really would like to see how you would fix damaged ribbon cables. And I really wish u had some sort of vaccum or air purifier to suck up those fumes, if I remember correctly they can be really toxic and bad for your health to inhale that.
Thanks MicMaine! I do have an little extractor, and use it most of the time... you're right the fumes are not nice to inhale! Good luck with the eBay shop! 👍
Yeah well depends on if you solder once a week, then hazard is minimal, or 8 hours a day, when even standard extraction isn't quite enough.
Which part of the world are you at? I wouldn't mind partnering with a vendor in EU to do the repairs for them.
that was a great fix Steve!
Oh wow that mod looked awful. Who uses TAPE!?? Great fix steve so glad I found this channel just before the 100k makes me feel better not knowing components, or understanding enough about electronics to really pin down an issue but figure out a solution to get it working again. You're an inspiration to us hobbyists
I enjoy your work and must say you have talent . Just a question if I may ? What is the green sealer you use after making your pcb repairs ? Does it harden or stay flexible ? Thanks , Rick from Ky .
Thank you! It's called solder mask and it sets hard under UV light. I use this one: amzn.to/3LUxX0T
It may be a good idea to show how you find the electronic diagrams you use. I know you Google it but sometimes that leads into a rabbit hole of dead ends. Love your content.
You said you are not expert in repairs at all but you are a beast! I mean in a good way :)
what a great catch. Nicely done sir.
Thanks WanJockey! 🤩
Hello Steve. Really love your videos. I learn so much. You have also inspired Me to grab hold of my own project👍😀
I have one question.
What type of monitor do you use when you test your different consoles? Best regards Henrik from sweden
Thanks Henrik! I just use a fairly generic one I bought off Amazon. It's not available any more, but is similar to this one: amzn.to/3vPd1Ta
Oof, that mod looks pretty rough. Great work, glad it wasn't anything to do with the VDP (the giant ASIC).
Sent here by the Cod3r. Great channel! Will check out more soon.
Awesome, thank you! 👍
Thanks for you guys doing the world a service. We all need more transparency. :-) Great to see the diy community grow.
Amazing videos. New Sub from Spain
Thank you very much! How can I contact you? Can I leave you my email? You made my day ☺️
Great fix big man👍
Nice repair, perfect demonstration of the Mega Drive's two sound chips/cores haha.
And the Mega CD and 32X can access them as well so it can get a bit silly. For example, Popful Mail uses the Mega Drive's Yamaha FM + TI PSG as well as the Mega CD's Ricoh PCM for some of its music (3 sound chips together - once you get past the CD Audio title screen, of course) and Knuckles' Chaotix uses the Mega Drive's Yamaha FM + TI PSG as well as the 32X's Hitachi PWM for its music (also 3 sound chips together) :P
Being a Mega Drive 2 VA0, the sound quality could be improved by installing a Mega Amp - I think you might have been in the stream New Retro Repair did of him installing my Mega Amp in my Mega Drive 2 VA1 :)
Thanks RWL! Appreciate the info. I'll take a look at those Mega Amps! 👍
@@StezStixFix welcome :) there's also the Triple Bypass, but that's more for if the console also has a video encoder with the jailbar issue on RGB, like one of the Sony ones (not sure what the Samsung is like). I chose the Mega Amp because my MD2 VA1 has the Fujitsu MB3514 video encoder which looks fine on RGB.
At 2:22, just for a second or two, I thought that was the fix finished…..job well done and time for a well earned drink…..but the fun continues !!
When I say fun……I obviously don’t mean the singing, as per my previous comments on this matter good sir !
🤣🤣 I'll win you over eventually!