NTSC and PAL questions

[WeWantWaffles]

First of all - Hello!

I'm new at this. REAL new. I never owned my own sega genesis / mega drive, but I did play it when I was younger. As a girl who grew up with two brothers I quickly got addicted to NES games, and their friends had more modern consoles for me to enjoy as well. My fondest memories were when we would go to the arcade to play light gun, fighting and racing games, and that scammy grab-a-puppet box thing that always seemed to have a mario in it as if to taunt me. I live in Belgium of all places, and I spent the past few months peeking at games online to see what console captures my nostalgic feelings the most. It turned out to be the mega drive / genesis! Unfortunately I lack the experience and I have numerous questions that I hope can be answered in detail and in ways that I may understand.

 

1) I want an american console, what wires do I use?

I'm not much of a modder, but even if it is modded I would feel safer playing on a US console due to its broader game selection. These are easy enough to get as I may even go to the US in the coming year! Do I just need to get different cables for it to run properly? If so, can you make a recommendation for power and sound? I have SCART and component options in my tv.

 

2) I have a 100hz HDTV, would an american genesis display properly?

I wonder if this television would accurately display a US genesis because NTSC goes in 60hz while PAL does 50hz. Europe goes up in 50s while America goes up in 60s. I know - I'd rather do it on an older tv but this isn't possible for me right now.

 

3) If I get a modded PAL genesis after all (as in mega drive), will US games display properly and run at proper speeds, especially on a european TV (albeit 100hz)?

This sounds like a horrible question, but honestly I google for hours and only really get confusion answers. I know PAL is commonly slower, which lessens the experience. HALP!

 

Why I don't want a Retron, even though I like games from all regions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOujbFz4Xts

 

Thank you for reading

I really appreciate clear answers because I would hate to spend my money on things that don't work as planned. I am horrible with these things and I would be so thrilled to have someone hold my hand with this. Maybe someday I can share some of this wisdom with other needy nerdy retro gamers, because they just don't make them like they used to.

[EV9D9]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

 

if you're going to get an American Genesis you can use your own countries Master system or Mega Drives power cables, they'll work just fine. As for the video, I recommend an RGB SCART cable with an included audio jack for stereo, which are easily found on the internet.

 

Genesis/Mega Drives will work on any newer HD TV's, however they'll look poor due to the low analogue resolution being up scaled to HD, an RGB SCART cable will make it look less poor than it would with standard composite cables, but it'll still be a bit rough.

Modded PAL Mega Drives usually have a couple of switches on them to change their region and Hz range, so you'll be able to play everything on it with no trouble, though Japanese cartridges won't fit into the slot unless it's been altered.

 

Hope that helps

Edited May 14, 2015 by EV9D9

[R.Bear]

Genesis (And JP Mega Drive) systems work fine in european territories. Make sure you use your original PAL Mega Drive PSU with them and it will work fine (The USA and JP PSUs will not work, so use a PAL PSU on a NTSC MD/Genesis)

 

You will not be able to use RF Video Output on a Genesis or JP MD on a PAL TV. You will need to use either Composite cables or an RGB SCART cable which plugs directly into the multi AV out on the back of the system. (SCART is preferred).

 

I can't say about the 100hz TV, I'm just using a standard 1080p TV with mine.

 

There are two region settings which can be modded on a PAL Mega Drive. The HZ setting (50/60hz) and the Language setting (English/JP). There are a few possible combinations to relate to each region:

 

60hz/English - NTSC Genesis systems

60hz/Japanese - NTSC Asian Mega Drive Systems

50hz/English - PAL European Mega Drive Systems

50hz/Japanese - PAL Asian Mega Drive Systems

 

The Genesis/Mega Drive console itself is not region locked nor are most of the games, but a few are and do actually check the region setting and will refuse to run if the console is set to the wrong region.

 

Assuming you have the switches fitted correctly you will be able to play games from any of those regions just fine as long as you put the switches in the right positions. (You will need to modify the case to fit a JP cart into a PAL MD or Genesis console though).

 

These modded consoles can sometimes have video issues however. You will HAVE to have an RGB SCART cable and it can sometimes cause sync issues but that can be fixed with further modding.

 

I myself live in the UK and have an imported Genesis and a 60hz JP MD. I didn't bother with the modded console route. I use a UK PAL Mega Drive power adapter to power them, and an RGB SCART cable for the display.

Edited May 14, 2015 by R.Bear

[carlsson]

If you don't have a Mega Drive to start with, your power option would pretty much be a generic power supply that outputs 9V DC at 1A or better.

 

If you're getting a Genesis model 1, you want the power supply to be centre negative polarity, but if you're getting a Genesis model 2 with different power connector, you want it to be centre positive as far as I can tell. This is probably good to keep in mind even if you locally find a loose original power supply, that MD1 and MD2 have different power supplies and different connectors to prevent you from mixing them up.

[WeWantWaffles]

I'm so thrilled to see these posts. I've gone through them all and browsed the internet with all this information to see what works out best.

if you're going to get an American Genesis you can use your own countries Master system or Mega Drives power cables, they'll work just fine.

 

Excellent! It seems my friend and his electrician dad are more than happy to help me out with procuring and modifying as long as I can somewhat direct them.

 

I recommend an RGB SCART cable with an included audio jack for stereo, which are easily found on the internet. Genesis/Mega Drives will work on any newer HD TV's, however they'll look poor due to the low analogue resolution being up scaled to HD

 

I used that info and peeked around on the net. I might be able to RGB->SCART, then convert to HDMI. Nicely upscaled, it seems like it outputs incredible quality on HDTVs. Just need to watch out for an input delay.

 

 

Modded PAL Mega Drives usually have a couple of switches on them to change their region and Hz range, so you'll be able to play everything on it with no trouble, though Japanese cartridges won't fit into the slot unless it's been altered.

 

That's good to hear. You know, people sometimes modify their retro consoles into cute things like a toaster (nintoasters are adorable xD). I think instead of cutting an ugly hole into a genesis we might be able to preserve quality by considering other or well modified cases. Could allow for japanese cartridges to fit.

 

 

These modded consoles can sometimes have video issues however. You will HAVE to have an RGB SCART cable and it can sometimes cause sync issues but that can be fixed with further modding.

 

This is something special that I worry about. I wonder if a good SCART to HDMI will fix sync issues along the way.. or am I really missing the point here? xD

 

 

If you're getting a Genesis model 1, you want the power supply to be centre negative polarity, but if you're getting a Genesis model 2 with different power connector, you want it to be centre positive as far as I can tell. This is probably good to keep in mind even if you locally find a loose original power supply, that MD1 and MD2 have different power supplies and different connectors to prevent you from mixing them up.

 

I would have never known about that. I'll make sure to get the right model's power supply.

 

I'm so grateful for all the help. Thanks so much!

[WeWantWaffles]

Hey-hey. I just want to ask about the power stuff one more time, just to be clear. I found no cheap official mega drive cables, but I think I got it right.

 

Genesis 2 requires:

120v input 60Hz

10v 850mA center positive

 

So I should get an AC/DC adapter that lets me do 10v and has at least 850mA. AC/DC means it inputs AC from the wall socket and outputs DC into the console. When it comes to polarity, the plugs on a universal adapter will determine whether it is positive or negative. I don't know if 60Hz or 50Hz means anything when it comes to these things, though! I assume that the DC conversion of the adapter negates the Hz requirement. If I'm wrong at all, do let me know!

 

I'm getting:

1000 mA

Input: 100 - 240 V (AC)

Output: 3-12 V (DC)

Changable plugs

 

Goodgood?

 

Edit: Also what do I do if I can't set something to 10v, but it does 9v and 12v? O.O I have a hard time finding the 10v online.

Edited July 15, 2015 by WeWantWaffles

[zylon]

use the 9v when in doubt. all my NTSC SMS and Gen's used it except for Gen2's. My current Gen2 is running fine on a 9v cord from a first model. I have it soldered in as mine came with broken power socket. The item below will work for a Gen2 and is compatible with either 120v or 220v wall power. All you would need is a plug adaptor to fit yours.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261787188013?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[WeWantWaffles]

Perrrrfect, thanks. Converters are remarkably cheap. I think I'm done and all I need is for my actual genesis to come home in a few weeks ^_^