One thing people often overlook here: Soldering D-right is correct for this revision of the genesis *IF* you completely follow the mega amp instructions--which tell you to remove R21 on the genesis. If R21 is left in place, you should leave the D jumpers open. Another thing is that there's no need at all to cut c-sync traces (on *this* revision, with a bottom install). The c-sync feed from the ASIC to the output is perfectly fine and you can leave it as-is. No need to solder anything to the csync pad on the 3bp either.
So there's a little discrepancy here I'd like to understand. R21 is shown removed on the original mega amp, but not on the mega amp 2.0. What accounts for the difference here?
@@otakujhp I'm not sure. The resistor is still in the schematic for the mega amp 2.0 pro It's really just an either or thing. The resistor should be in circuit on either the mainboard or the mod board but not boyh
@@rfmerrill I see. I was worried it was some kind of major show stopper for me. If it's only a matter of doing one or the other, no big deal. Hope you all have a great holiday. :)
Advice to anyone playing along at home: Cut back the lip of the RF shielding around the 3BP board! Mine was touching the big surface mount capacitor on the 3BP board and causing my right audio channel to drop out.
This is an excellent video to follow to do this mod. I did mine just by following these instructions and that was VA1 PAL. Only few little notes: 1. You do not need band(?) cables. If you you use 25awg kynar wrapping wire you can use vias as a way to get to the other side of the board. 2. There is totally no need to desolder capacitors, you can simply pinch those off using any tool of choice 3. There is totally 0 point clearing both sides of vias, getting cables through and soldering to other side of the board. Feel free to clean just underside (one side) and solder to that, it still will be same connection only 10 times easier to do. That is the whole point of double layered pcb, vias are through hole anyways. In no way it is somehow better or more reliable to get through hole and solder to other side, total waste of time.
It is also less risky since desoldering plated thru-holds can be frustrating without the best tools. I fully desoldered them the first time because I replaced all the capacitors first (DOH!).
13:04 The 5V output goes onto a trace that leads basically directly to your 5V pin on the mod board. Honestly I would solder to one of the capacitor legs above it or even the vias which are even closer.
My (not yet modded) model 2 has some pretty bad jailbarring on the composite out, but they seem to go away when I use component cables. I'm not sure if it's because the HD Retrovision cables incorporate a low-pass filter or not, but I'm going to be performing this mod anyways for the audio cleanup... 90% of the reason I got myself a real Genesis is because I want to hear those crunchy Yamaha chiptunes in all their glory.
Finally did this mod to my own PAL version of this same model and revision. Apart from a few difference, like filled in vias everywhere and a stray capacitor on the shield of the mini-DIN connector, your video guide worked perfectly. Now that mine can switch regions and has this thing in it I can finally go and tackle some of the US games I've always wanted to play but didn't run fast enough, and Sonic picking up rings isn't so harsh anymore.
A couple things: 1. There is no reason to cut the CSYNC trace from the mDIN only to then jumper it back. The CSYNC pad on the 3BP connects straight to the mDIN pin you just separated! 2. There is no reason to jump 5v from the regulator. It is connected to the 3BP from the bottom of the mDIN. You can also see a few other closer points directly connected to the same fat power trace so even if you needed 5V it would be every bit as direct with a shorter wire.
Excellent video, thank you very much! I just received a Triple Bypass board that I intend to mod into my VA1 Mega Drive 2 and while there is plenty of documentation around, I found all it to be rather scattershot and a bit like a puzzle you have to piece together yourself. This video comprehensively shows all the necessary steps and it'll be of great help as reference when I get round to installing the 3BP myself.
Honestly it was one of the most confusing mods to research. Tons of different models and motherboard versions. Let me know if you need any help figuring out your console
I just got a Model 2 Genesis today just because and the sound is actually decent. It's not like my Model 1 but nowhere near as bad from other Model 2s I've heard. The ring sounds don't sound as crunchy as it did in the comparison part.
I think any issues are with the TV and cables used. Quality made rgb scart cable on a Sony pvm and I have never had jailbars of any kind on the model 2 Genesis. This is just a audio amp mod from years ago mixed on a board with some capacitors that sometimes go bad or leak over time on the actual Model 2 board. There's no rgb quality difference between the model 1 and 2 it's just a cash grab
Great install guide. Unfortunately the solder pads and traces kept pulling up on my Genesis board, so I had to give up halfway through. I don't think I have the patience to fix it.
So I just bought one of the boards from a ebay seller (the other sources were sold out) with a 10$ off coupon code for ebay mobile app And thankfully you have the same board as I do so I will be able to follow along with your video Can't find any other documents about this motherboard
@@dubesinhower thanks for the reply i did find more documentation after looking up the 5660 I cant wait to wire this up. What cables do you use for audio/video?
@manwhoeatsfishinbedwithlightson I have a retro access Genesis 2 scart cable, but you can get a nice cable from insurrection: insurrectionindustries.com/product/sega-genesis-model-2-rgb-scart-cable/
I can't see nor hear the difference. I think this mod is expensive and not worth the extra time for barely any differences. It may depend on your Mega Drive / Genesis console.
I know this is an older video of yours, but are you using HD Retrovision cables? Its confusing to me if there is anything special that has to be done when modding to ensure compatibility. I am going to attempt on a Genesis 3, but I think the principles are the same.
@@dubesinhower Got it. That's right, HDRetrovision taps the composite pin for sync, which is already taken care of by the 3BP board (that pin with "75" over it). I think what has me confused is that sync line ("S" on the board). You solder it up around 16:18 in this video. Does this even do anything for HD Retrovision applications? Thanks for your help man I always appreciate your videos.
I watched enough of these videos to convince myself I need the 3bp mod on my model 2 v1.8 genesis. But now that I've done that, what cable(s)/converter do I need to make this look as good as possible on my American HDTV with as little lag as possible?
Is it possible to install 3bp and still be able to use the port on the back? I have no desire to mess with RGB and I really just want to make this composite with two audio channels
hey i happened to have the same model and followed your vid. I did have some trouble with my rgb points even with a fiber pen the coating on the points i needed to solder too didnt wanna come off. When i fired it up i did notice the better sound quality. Is there any good way to trouble shoot to much sure everythings working as it should. There isnt much info on this mod. I assume since im getting sound and picture everything is working?
If you have an everdrive you can check out some of the tests in the 240p test suite. Other than that, if everything looks normal in a game you are familiar with, I think you should be set!
@@dubesinhower not atm, i honestly just picked up this genesis a few weeks ago on a whim and saw this mod for it. Wasnt sure i was going to be able to get video as i read after doing this you might need a rgb/special cable to get video to show, luckily my normal cables still worked. Thx for the reply and once i get one ill def have to run that test, everything seems to be in order so musta gone alright.
So I'm about to do this on a model 2 genesis I just bought and two things come to mind: 1. I want to ground the other end of the removed resistors for the FM audio, just because it can't be good to leave the input of that op-amp floating. 2. I think you can avoid having to wrap wires around the board by commandeering the thru-hole of one of the caps you removed. In particular on my revision (VA1.8) I think the two coupling caps for the PSG have just a resistor on the other leg, I figure I can remove that resistor and pass the YM2612 audio through the board on that hole.
@Dubesinhower A lot of the disconnected inputs to the amp circuitry have a DC bias on them that you wouldn't want to ground directly, but on the VA1.8 at least the two FM channels just go into a voltage follower, so I think those are safe to ground. The mod instructions are probably kept to the least amount of change needed to make it work.
hey man, im pretty new to the genesis mod scene, but have done many other mods(mostly snes). I just ordered a model 2 with a sega cd. what would you do for this particular set up as far as video mods(not as concerned with audio, but dont mind doing them while im in there). i dont have access to RGB, but s-video and hdmi i do have access to.
I’m moding a VA3 and after putting in the triple bypass the color is all wrong. I had to swap the 9 din pin connector. Any ideas based on that what might cause my issue? I can give more details if you need.
Just did this mod and the region mod. I had a Mega Drive 2 VA0 PAL and before there was bad audio. Now its fine after the 3bp mod. VA0 PAL is the worst mega drive for audio I have heard. Video was okay. Getting 60Hz is so much smoother game play wise.
@Dubesinhower Great video tutorial. Thank You. I have done this mod but i have problem. I have no jumping sound in Sonic 1 and 3. Left and right channels are working fine. I have ring collect sound, killing sound but no jump sound. Do You know what could be a problem?
I'm no expert, but it sounds like you should investigate your connection to the "PSG" pad. That should be the connection to the SN76489 Programmable Sound Generator, aka the Sega Master System sound chip. My bet is the music and ring sounds are coming from the Yamaha YM2612, whereas the jumping sound effect is coming from the PSG.
@@jaysonl Yeah. That would be my guess too. The mod mixes stereo expansion audio (CD), stereo cartridge audio (32X), stereo FM audio (Yamaha), and mono Programmable Sound Generator audio (non-FM Master System/chip tunes). Do voice samples from the Z80 play?
OK, I just read someone else in the comments section who had the same issue but says it was a faulty mod board. Maybe yours is the same as his? He says the jumpers for “d” were bad so he had to manually connect those points.
Just did this mod on my genesis 2 with help from this video! Everything seemed fine at first, but I noticed I cant hear the jump noise in any of my Sonic games? lol anyone else have an issue like this?
I ended up having this same issue with no PSG audio. In my case, it ended up being the mod board I had purchased. The PSG pad had no continuity to the D jumper section. I bridge it manually and it worked correctly afterward.
Hmm. I applied the mod, and aside from a cold solder joint between the 3BP board and the pin for the right audio channel on the multi-out, everything was fine. I fixed that and everything was fine for several tens of minutes, and then the right audio channel suddenly dropped dramatically in volume. I opened up the genesis and touched up the soldering on the multi-out again, thinking that was still the issue, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The first few times I restarted the Genesis, the right audio channel would come back at normal volume but quickly and abruptly go quiet again. The problem seems to be worsening, the audio channel is now always attenuated and appears to be getting quieter. Do these symptoms ring any bells for anyone?
@@emmettturner9452 Yeah, that was totally the case. The RF shield was snuggled right up against the pad of one of the filter caps. I cut away a bit of the RF shield, and problem solved!
@@jaysonl Oh yeah, I forgot to ask: Were there any issues afterwards? The first one I did works but after it’s warmed up and I turn the power off it stops working (power back on, of course ;)). I didn’t extensively test the console first to know if it might have already had that problem. I suspect the two 7805 voltage regulators which I will be replacing but it looked like I was also feeding 5v into the 3BP THS7374’s RGB outputs. Not sure that it would affect the console at all unless maybe it was feeding all the way back to the console’s VDP.
Apparently later revisions of the Model 1 also don't have very good sound quality, similar to the quality of the Model 2, and much worse than earlier versions of the Model 1.
Yep, there are some mods for the model 3! Triple bypass on a model 3 enables stereo audio output (stock is mono), and depending on the motherboard you can enable Sega CD support.
Hey there! Great video, thanks a lot for that. I was going through the instructions and noticed the mega amp instructions say CE11 should be removed but looks like you didn't do it. Is there a particular reason for that? Also, I noticed some people dont populate the 5v pad on the triple bypass board. Do you know why? Thanks again!
You're right, I may have accidently missed that cap! I'll check it out later. My guess is that 5v is already present on one of the din pins, so the board might get power from there. If you were using the triple bypass on a model one (trying to add a model 2 din) you might have to provide 5v to power the board from somewhere else EDIT: Also, that second 5v pad might be just an alternate location, since we are providing 5v from the regulator near the RGB wires
1991 model 1 VA6 & VA6.5 HD & no HD have a very strong amp high pitch and bassBest picture no jail bars. VA7 no HD bad sound bad picture early model 2 it's the same VA7 Sega. What were you thinking there's a Sega model 2 by majesco? In 1996 AV4 very nice picture and and sound strong amp not as AV6. I have a new Sega Genesis model 1 No HD the same pcb board AV6!!!!! And Genesis 3 early mod VA1 audio crispy sound and compatible with the 32x no jail bars crispy image no mods.
I did 3bp V2 on my PAL mega drive model 2 - totally was not worth my time. Zero improvements in image, same slight jail-bars as there previously was, but I was ready for that. Sound wise - most probably there are some improvements but since I'm no musician I can not tell. But there is a serious issue that people should take in account. At least for PAL Mega Drives there is a small probability that after installing this mod, quality of your console sound output could decrease like mine did. The reason is that my Samsung LCD when is set up for "Game Mode" defaults sound mode to "Movie" and it's impossible to change it - if smaller input lag, you have to live with "Movie" sound mode on some Samsungs. Now in "Movie" mode 3bpV2 sound is super weird and different channels are louder than others and it sounds just plain wrong. Do I regret installing this mod? Yes. It did not improve anything just made things worse in my particular specific case. Your experience may vary. Good thing it's a cheap mod if installing yourself. Paying 100$ for someone else to do is total madness, better buy some games for that money.
@@dubesinhower If I disable "game mode" and set sound to "standard" on my TV, then sound is totally fine. The problem why I do not hear improvements is because I have very un-musical hearing. Like I hear well but I do not understand rhythms, can not tell difference in octaves and so on. May be it is worth even for PAL users with very musical and precise hearing and their TV does not change sound mode. Anyway, thank you for great video. I installed my mod just based on what you show even my Sega being slightly different.
I don’t understand. What about the mod forces you to change the display’s input mode? Yes, some modes are higher-latency than others, but that’s not the mod’s fault and the mod doesn’t force you to use one or the other.
Misinformation in this video. Not all Model 1 have superior audio. The late VA7 models have terrible audio quality on par with most board revisions of Model 2. Also, all Model 1 have jailbars of varying degrees.
I do not hear or see any difference. No need for mods. Anyway, the Mega Drive / Genesis is veeeery old. Every single factory capacitor has to be replaced. Jail bars, bad sound are a sign of failing caps. Mine has synchronization issues too. Waiting for the new caps to arrive at the moment.
The difference is pretty stark. Just listen to the ring sound! Also, the Model 1 has always suffered jailbars and the VA7 Model 1/Model 2 has always suffered with inferior audio so failing caps are not entirely to blame. The capacitors inside the MD-Genesis are extremely robust because they are quality Japanese-made caps from before regulators forced RoHS formulas on the entire industry. Before RoHS, it was only low-quality crappy caps that leaked and failure was not considered inevitable.
none of this is an objective fact case for every single console, telling people to recap purely for the sake of recap itself is dangerous advice and leads to beginner mistakes and is not a go to way of troubleshooting anything, - for this matter is this a bait post? lol
dude, stop with the misinformation, first not all model 1s have the best audio, only the early ones do, later ones sound like shit. Secondly, even the early model Genesis had video issues, even in RGB and were prone to jailbars. Model 2s tend to beat out all model 1s for video quality. And the VA4 model 2s have about the same quality audio output as early model 1s.
Not trying to misinform anyone. I'm not a Genesis expert, so I shouldn't have even brought it up. There are too many model variants to give a specific statement like that. Thanks for the comment!
VA2 Model 1 has the preamp gain set much too high… and it’s the earliest you can get in North America. I believe VA1 Model 1 systems have the same issue but they are Japan-only. Yes, the VA7 Model 1 was terrible but no one even counts that since it’s a Model 2 in sheep’s clothing. The VA4 Model 2 still has the revised YM3438 so it isn’t going to sound quite the same as a good VA0 through VA6.8 Model 1 with YM2612. I think his rule of thumb was pretty accurate. Model 1 consoles other than the Model 2 in disguise (VA7) generally have more desirable audio since they all have YM2612 and the majority of Model 2 consoles sound notably worse. The drawback is that many suffer from jailbars and various video encoder quirks (rainbow banding and such). With the 3BP you may not want to bypass the audio at all for a good Model 1 and you may not want to bypass the video at all for many good Model 2 systems. If all VA4 Model 2 systems have such good audio then you might not want the 3BP at all.
If you want more modding videos, check out my modding playlist! th-cam.com/play/PLxkzgpuDBXWcVSkoI0U-nbEmuxcvHazd2.html
One thing people often overlook here: Soldering D-right is correct for this revision of the genesis *IF* you completely follow the mega amp instructions--which tell you to remove R21 on the genesis. If R21 is left in place, you should leave the D jumpers open.
Another thing is that there's no need at all to cut c-sync traces (on *this* revision, with a bottom install). The c-sync feed from the ASIC to the output is perfectly fine and you can leave it as-is. No need to solder anything to the csync pad on the 3bp either.
Thank you. Your video discussing these tips and more was also great.
thanks for pointing out the cutting of the c-sync traces note. Was hoping i wouldnt have to do this. Is it still absolutely necessary on a VA1?
So there's a little discrepancy here I'd like to understand. R21 is shown removed on the original mega amp, but not on the mega amp 2.0. What accounts for the difference here?
@@otakujhp I'm not sure. The resistor is still in the schematic for the mega amp 2.0 pro
It's really just an either or thing. The resistor should be in circuit on either the mainboard or the mod board but not boyh
@@rfmerrill I see. I was worried it was some kind of major show stopper for me. If it's only a matter of doing one or the other, no big deal. Hope you all have a great holiday. :)
Advice to anyone playing along at home: Cut back the lip of the RF shielding around the 3BP board! Mine was touching the big surface mount capacitor on the 3BP board and causing my right audio channel to drop out.
This is an excellent video to follow to do this mod. I did mine just by following these instructions and that was VA1 PAL. Only few little notes:
1. You do not need band(?) cables. If you you use 25awg kynar wrapping wire you can use vias as a way to get to the other side of the board.
2. There is totally no need to desolder capacitors, you can simply pinch those off using any tool of choice
3. There is totally 0 point clearing both sides of vias, getting cables through and soldering to other side of the board. Feel free to clean just underside (one side) and solder to that, it still will be same connection only 10 times easier to do. That is the whole point of double layered pcb, vias are through hole anyways. In no way it is somehow better or more reliable to get through hole and solder to other side, total waste of time.
Thanks for watching! I mostly agree with soldering on the surface of the board instead of going through it, you're welcome to do it how you like
It is also less risky since desoldering plated thru-holds can be frustrating without the best tools. I fully desoldered them the first time because I replaced all the capacitors first (DOH!).
13:04 The 5V output goes onto a trace that leads basically directly to your 5V pin on the mod board. Honestly I would solder to one of the capacitor legs above it or even the vias which are even closer.
I've seen some horrible jailbars and rainbow banding on model 1 consoles. The VA4 Genesis 2 has the best video output in my experience
My (not yet modded) model 2 has some pretty bad jailbarring on the composite out, but they seem to go away when I use component cables. I'm not sure if it's because the HD Retrovision cables incorporate a low-pass filter or not, but I'm going to be performing this mod anyways for the audio cleanup... 90% of the reason I got myself a real Genesis is because I want to hear those crunchy Yamaha chiptunes in all their glory.
Thanks for this video. You really helped me out. I just finished modding my VA1.8 Genesis 2 and the sound is so much better.
Awesome! Glad I could help!
Finally did this mod to my own PAL version of this same model and revision. Apart from a few difference, like filled in vias everywhere and a stray capacitor on the shield of the mini-DIN connector, your video guide worked perfectly.
Now that mine can switch regions and has this thing in it I can finally go and tackle some of the US games I've always wanted to play but didn't run fast enough, and Sonic picking up rings isn't so harsh anymore.
As a total n00b, this is the video I needed. Thank you.
Saw your post on Facebook 😎great mod job 💪
Thanks for checking it out!
Sent here by you via Facebook.
This video is very well produced, the cuts aren't jarring and the audio is clean. Keep it up!
Thanks for watching!
A couple things:
1. There is no reason to cut the CSYNC trace from the mDIN only to then jumper it back. The CSYNC pad on the 3BP connects straight to the mDIN pin you just separated!
2. There is no reason to jump 5v from the regulator. It is connected to the 3BP from the bottom of the mDIN. You can also see a few other closer points directly connected to the same fat power trace so even if you needed 5V it would be every bit as direct with a shorter wire.
Holy Mother! 🕶 What an astonishing good work I'm seeing here ♥ ty
same mobo revision as mine. awesome.
Excellent video, thank you very much! I just received a Triple Bypass board that I intend to mod into my VA1 Mega Drive 2 and while there is plenty of documentation around, I found all it to be rather scattershot and a bit like a puzzle you have to piece together yourself. This video comprehensively shows all the necessary steps and it'll be of great help as reference when I get round to installing the 3BP myself.
Thanks for watching! I felt the same way, so I wanted to create one video that had everything needed to install the mod
Thank You for doing this video for the community!
3 years later and still useful ty ♥
Thank you for this video. It's one of my next mods I want to do.
Honestly it was one of the most confusing mods to research. Tons of different models and motherboard versions. Let me know if you need any help figuring out your console
@@dubesinhower it's definitely more complicated than the easy SNES and N64 RGB mods.
I got a v1.8 genesis mysself and going to try this. thanks for the vid.
Thanks for watching, hope it helps!
@@dubesinhower Yeah, it wasn't successful. Oh well. wound up tearing a trace and removing a resistor that wasn't supposed to be removed.
@@ripcase1990 ah that’s too bad. If you need some more help, you can always join the discord
I just got a Model 2 Genesis today just because and the sound is actually decent. It's not like my Model 1 but nowhere near as bad from other Model 2s I've heard. The ring sounds don't sound as crunchy as it did in the comparison part.
I think any issues are with the TV and cables used. Quality made rgb scart cable on a Sony pvm and I have never had jailbars of any kind on the model 2 Genesis.
This is just a audio amp mod from years ago mixed on a board with some capacitors that sometimes go bad or leak over time on the actual Model 2 board. There's no rgb quality difference between the model 1 and 2 it's just a cash grab
Great install guide. Unfortunately the solder pads and traces kept pulling up on my Genesis board, so I had to give up halfway through. I don't think I have the patience to fix it.
Sorry to hear that! If you have questions about what you can do, you can ask in the Discord
@@dubesinhower I might do that, thank you.
So I just bought one of the boards from a ebay seller (the other sources were sold out) with a 10$ off coupon code for ebay mobile app
And thankfully you have the same board as I do so I will be able to follow along with your video
Can't find any other documents about this motherboard
So I do have the 5660 il have to see if that changes anything
@@manwhoeatsfishinbedwithlig3791 The steps should be the same. I couldn't find anything on the 5700 other than that it was the same as the 5660
@@dubesinhower thanks for the reply i did find more documentation after looking up the 5660
I cant wait to wire this up.
What cables do you use for audio/video?
@manwhoeatsfishinbedwithlightson I have a retro access Genesis 2 scart cable, but you can get a nice cable from insurrection: insurrectionindustries.com/product/sega-genesis-model-2-rgb-scart-cable/
I can't see nor hear the difference. I think this mod is expensive and not worth the extra time for barely any differences. It may depend on your Mega Drive / Genesis console.
I know this is an older video of yours, but are you using HD Retrovision cables? Its confusing to me if there is anything special that has to be done when modding to ensure compatibility. I am going to attempt on a Genesis 3, but I think the principles are the same.
You don’t have to do anything special to use HD Retrovision cables! HD Retrovision cables use RGB and composite video to generate YPbPr
@@dubesinhower Got it. That's right, HDRetrovision taps the composite pin for sync, which is already taken care of by the 3BP board (that pin with "75" over it). I think what has me confused is that sync line ("S" on the board). You solder it up around 16:18 in this video. Does this even do anything for HD Retrovision applications? Thanks for your help man I always appreciate your videos.
@@drewirons2646 Sync is used alongside RGB for "RGBs" signals, so it's necessary for SCART
I watched enough of these videos to convince myself I need the 3bp mod on my model 2 v1.8 genesis. But now that I've done that, what cable(s)/converter do I need to make this look as good as possible on my American HDTV with as little lag as possible?
I would recommend Genesis model 2 HDRetrovision cables and a RetroTink 5X if you can afford it
Is it possible to install 3bp and still be able to use the port on the back? I have no desire to mess with RGB and I really just want to make this composite with two audio channels
Nice mod by the way
Thanks, these Genesis consoles are so different, I like learning about the different models
@@dubesinhower I love collecting all these systems
hey i happened to have the same model and followed your vid. I did have some trouble with my rgb points even with a fiber pen the coating on the points i needed to solder too didnt wanna come off. When i fired it up i did notice the better sound quality. Is there any good way to trouble shoot to much sure everythings working as it should. There isnt much info on this mod. I assume since im getting sound and picture everything is working?
If you have an everdrive you can check out some of the tests in the 240p test suite. Other than that, if everything looks normal in a game you are familiar with, I think you should be set!
@@dubesinhower not atm, i honestly just picked up this genesis a few weeks ago on a whim and saw this mod for it. Wasnt sure i was going to be able to get video as i read after doing this you might need a rgb/special cable to get video to show, luckily my normal cables still worked. Thx for the reply and once i get one ill def have to run that test, everything seems to be in order so musta gone alright.
How would you compare a model 1 and model 2 with the triple bypass? Is there a noticeable difference in video or audio quality?
Would this remedy my no sound issue? I am not able to find much info. I have video no sound
No I doubt it, unless the problem is your cable. If you need more debug help, you can ask in my discord!
did you ever add pull up resistors on this, you pulled up the RGB pins so your colors should be darker than normal
So I'm about to do this on a model 2 genesis I just bought and two things come to mind:
1. I want to ground the other end of the removed resistors for the FM audio, just because it can't be good to leave the input of that op-amp floating.
2. I think you can avoid having to wrap wires around the board by commandeering the thru-hole of one of the caps you removed. In particular on my revision (VA1.8) I think the two coupling caps for the PSG have just a resistor on the other leg, I figure I can remove that resistor and pass the YM2612 audio through the board on that hole.
I’m not sure, you’d have to bring it up with the mod creators to understand why they didn’t ground the cap points
@Dubesinhower A lot of the disconnected inputs to the amp circuitry have a DC bias on them that you wouldn't want to ground directly, but on the VA1.8 at least the two FM channels just go into a voltage follower, so I think those are safe to ground. The mod instructions are probably kept to the least amount of change needed to make it work.
hey man, im pretty new to the genesis mod scene, but have done many other mods(mostly snes).
I just ordered a model 2 with a sega cd. what would you do for this particular set up as far as video mods(not as concerned with audio, but dont mind doing them while im in there). i dont have access to RGB, but s-video and hdmi i do have access to.
Model 2’s I would just leave alone if you don’t care much about audio, but it is a big difference with the triple bypass
I performed the mod perfectly but the console did not turn on again. I can't understand what could have happened.
11:40 honestly that tip looks plenty small to do all the connections. Don't be afraid of using big tips, it can actually be easier.
I’m moding a VA3 and after putting in the triple bypass the color is all wrong. I had to swap the 9 din pin connector. Any ideas based on that what might cause my issue? I can give more details if you need.
If you want you can post your issue in my discord, we can help you easier there!
@@dubesinhower sure thing. However I’ve never posted to a discord. How might I go about that?
@@MsJom123 just follow the link in my description and you’ll be able to sign up
Just did this mod and the region mod. I had a Mega Drive 2 VA0 PAL and before there was bad audio. Now its fine after the 3bp mod. VA0 PAL is the worst mega drive for audio I have heard. Video was okay. Getting 60Hz is so much smoother game play wise.
Have tried Mega Amp 2.0 pro for sega Genesis
I haven't, I don't have a SegaCD, but maybe in the future!
@Dubesinhower Great video tutorial. Thank You. I have done this mod but i have problem. I have no jumping sound in Sonic 1 and 3. Left and right channels are working fine. I have ring collect sound, killing sound but no jump sound. Do You know what could be a problem?
I'm no expert, but it sounds like you should investigate your connection to the "PSG" pad. That should be the connection to the SN76489 Programmable Sound Generator, aka the Sega Master System sound chip. My bet is the music and ring sounds are coming from the Yamaha YM2612, whereas the jumping sound effect is coming from the PSG.
@@jaysonl Yeah. That would be my guess too. The mod mixes stereo expansion audio (CD), stereo cartridge audio (32X), stereo FM audio (Yamaha), and mono Programmable Sound Generator audio (non-FM Master System/chip tunes). Do voice samples from the Z80 play?
OK, I just read someone else in the comments section who had the same issue but says it was a faulty mod board. Maybe yours is the same as his? He says the jumpers for “d” were bad so he had to manually connect those points.
Why not mention that the Model 2 VA4 has the same quality as the best Model 1 revision?
Just did this mod on my genesis 2 with help from this video! Everything seemed fine at first, but I noticed I cant hear the jump noise in any of my Sonic games? lol anyone else have an issue like this?
Hmmm, that could be just an incorrect audio wire solder issue. If you need any help, head over to the discord!
I ended up having this same issue with no PSG audio. In my case, it ended up being the mod board I had purchased. The PSG pad had no continuity to the D jumper section. I bridge it manually and it worked correctly afterward.
Anyone know where I can get a guide for a model 1 VA4?
This mod works with Sega 32X on Genesis 2?
Hmm. I applied the mod, and aside from a cold solder joint between the 3BP board and the pin for the right audio channel on the multi-out, everything was fine. I fixed that and everything was fine for several tens of minutes, and then the right audio channel suddenly dropped dramatically in volume. I opened up the genesis and touched up the soldering on the multi-out again, thinking that was still the issue, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The first few times I restarted the Genesis, the right audio channel would come back at normal volume but quickly and abruptly go quiet again. The problem seems to be worsening, the audio channel is now always attenuated and appears to be getting quieter. Do these symptoms ring any bells for anyone?
Drop by the Discord, if you show some pictures we can give you some advice!
Maybe your RF/EMI shielding is shorting out?
@@emmettturner9452 Yeah, that was totally the case. The RF shield was snuggled right up against the pad of one of the filter caps. I cut away a bit of the RF shield, and problem solved!
@@jaysonl Glad you figured it out and got it sorted!
@@jaysonl Oh yeah, I forgot to ask:
Were there any issues afterwards?
The first one I did works but after it’s warmed up and I turn the power off it stops working (power back on, of course ;)). I didn’t extensively test the console first to know if it might have already had that problem.
I suspect the two 7805 voltage regulators which I will be replacing but it looked like I was also feeding 5v into the 3BP THS7374’s RGB outputs. Not sure that it would affect the console at all unless maybe it was feeding all the way back to the console’s VDP.
Apparently later revisions of the Model 1 also don't have very good sound quality, similar to the quality of the Model 2, and much worse than earlier versions of the Model 1.
Are there any mods for the Model 3?
[Edit] like the others, I too came from Facebook 😆
Yep, there are some mods for the model 3! Triple bypass on a model 3 enables stereo audio output (stock is mono), and depending on the motherboard you can enable Sega CD support.
Hey there!
Great video, thanks a lot for that. I was going through the instructions and noticed the mega amp instructions say CE11 should be removed but looks like you didn't do it. Is there a particular reason for that? Also, I noticed some people dont populate the 5v pad on the triple bypass board. Do you know why?
Thanks again!
You're right, I may have accidently missed that cap! I'll check it out later.
My guess is that 5v is already present on one of the din pins, so the board might get power from there. If you were using the triple bypass on a model one (trying to add a model 2 din) you might have to provide 5v to power the board from somewhere else
EDIT: Also, that second 5v pad might be just an alternate location, since we are providing 5v from the regulator near the RGB wires
1991 model 1 VA6 & VA6.5 HD & no HD have a very strong amp high pitch and bassBest picture no jail bars. VA7 no HD bad sound bad picture early model 2 it's the same VA7 Sega. What were you thinking there's a Sega model 2 by majesco? In 1996 AV4 very nice picture and and sound strong amp not as AV6. I have a new Sega Genesis model 1 No HD the same pcb board AV6!!!!! And Genesis 3 early mod VA1 audio crispy sound and compatible with the 32x no jail bars crispy image no mods.
I did 3bp V2 on my PAL mega drive model 2 - totally was not worth my time. Zero improvements in image, same slight jail-bars as there previously was, but I was ready for that. Sound wise - most probably there are some improvements but since I'm no musician I can not tell. But there is a serious issue that people should take in account. At least for PAL Mega Drives there is a small probability that after installing this mod, quality of your console sound output could decrease like mine did. The reason is that my Samsung LCD when is set up for "Game Mode" defaults sound mode to "Movie" and it's impossible to change it - if smaller input lag, you have to live with "Movie" sound mode on some Samsungs. Now in "Movie" mode 3bpV2 sound is super weird and different channels are louder than others and it sounds just plain wrong. Do I regret installing this mod? Yes. It did not improve anything just made things worse in my particular specific case. Your experience may vary. Good thing it's a cheap mod if installing yourself. Paying 100$ for someone else to do is total madness, better buy some games for that money.
That’s strange. And yes, I think it isn’t worth doing if you are already happy with your console’s video and audio
@@dubesinhower If I disable "game mode" and set sound to "standard" on my TV, then sound is totally fine. The problem why I do not hear improvements is because I have very un-musical hearing. Like I hear well but I do not understand rhythms, can not tell difference in octaves and so on. May be it is worth even for PAL users with very musical and precise hearing and their TV does not change sound mode. Anyway, thank you for great video. I installed my mod just based on what you show even my Sega being slightly different.
@@lauraiss1027 thanks for watching!
I don’t understand. What about the mod forces you to change the display’s input mode? Yes, some modes are higher-latency than others, but that’s not the mod’s fault and the mod doesn’t force you to use one or the other.
Looks and sounds exactly the same dude.
What are you listening to it with? The difference is clear as day to me.
Onde tem essas plaquinhas pra vender ?????
Most recently I ordered from Videogame Perfection.
13:41 Soldering & Knuckles
interesting MLIG says model2 is the best not M1
M1 worst image better audio
M2 better image worst audio
M3 ok image good audio (but only mono)
3BP = Best of both worlds
Misinformation in this video. Not all Model 1 have superior audio. The late VA7 models have terrible audio quality on par with most board revisions of Model 2. Also, all Model 1 have jailbars of varying degrees.
I do not hear or see any difference. No need for mods.
Anyway, the Mega Drive / Genesis is veeeery old.
Every single factory capacitor has to be replaced.
Jail bars, bad sound are a sign of failing caps.
Mine has synchronization issues too.
Waiting for the new caps to arrive at the moment.
The difference is pretty stark. Just listen to the ring sound! Also, the Model 1 has always suffered jailbars and the VA7 Model 1/Model 2 has always suffered with inferior audio so failing caps are not entirely to blame. The capacitors inside the MD-Genesis are extremely robust because they are quality Japanese-made caps from before regulators forced RoHS formulas on the entire industry. Before RoHS, it was only low-quality crappy caps that leaked and failure was not considered inevitable.
none of this is an objective fact case for every single console, telling people to recap purely for the sake of recap itself is dangerous advice and leads to beginner mistakes and is not a go to way of troubleshooting anything, -
for this matter is this a bait post? lol
Couldn't tell a difference with the audio. Guess who's saving time and money.
Bass is punchier and clearer
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Awesome, let me know if there's something you'd like to see!
dude, stop with the misinformation, first not all model 1s have the best audio, only the early ones do, later ones sound like shit. Secondly, even the early model Genesis had video issues, even in RGB and were prone to jailbars. Model 2s tend to beat out all model 1s for video quality. And the VA4 model 2s have about the same quality audio output as early model 1s.
Not trying to misinform anyone. I'm not a Genesis expert, so I shouldn't have even brought it up. There are too many model variants to give a specific statement like that. Thanks for the comment!
VA2 Model 1 has the preamp gain set much too high… and it’s the earliest you can get in North America. I believe VA1 Model 1 systems have the same issue but they are Japan-only. Yes, the VA7 Model 1 was terrible but no one even counts that since it’s a Model 2 in sheep’s clothing. The VA4 Model 2 still has the revised YM3438 so it isn’t going to sound quite the same as a good VA0 through VA6.8 Model 1 with YM2612.
I think his rule of thumb was pretty accurate. Model 1 consoles other than the Model 2 in disguise (VA7) generally have more desirable audio since they all have YM2612 and the majority of Model 2 consoles sound notably worse. The drawback is that many suffer from jailbars and various video encoder quirks (rainbow banding and such). With the 3BP you may not want to bypass the audio at all for a good Model 1 and you may not want to bypass the video at all for many good Model 2 systems. If all VA4 Model 2 systems have such good audio then you might not want the 3BP at all.
Could you install only the audio portioin of the triple bypass and leave the video untouched?