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Sega 32x : I'm really trying to prefer original hardware over emulation


seastalker

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So I have a 32x now and personally replaced all capacitors on it here in January of 2020...  

 

When I got it months ago it didn't work. Then I got it to work by opening it, cleaning it and adjusting he TWO WHITE CABLES I've learned are the leading cause of failure.  I got Star Wars to load but with some odd gfx artifacts. I've had the typical problems of Genesis games load but 32x ones do not. Right before re-capping I've had were both Genesis and 32x games show as an odd refresh video flicker I've seen is quite common.  After recapping, I now toggle between sometimes NO picture and sometimes the odd refresh flicker, all based on precise white ribbon cable adjusting.  I have 12 internet tabs open about 32x issues including funny banter Joe Redifer had over a decade ago.  I will try checking my cables for continuity both bent and straightened, and I will look into this metal bracket thing (I don't have them) for my non TMSS Model 1.  

 

So far I have minor experiences with the 32x back in the day when a friend had the whole tower of power. I played Brutal - Paws of Fury, and maybe a firefighting game. In recent years I really enjoyed playing Blackthorne to completion in an emulator. When Analogue announced 32x support when you plug a 32x into a Mega SG and use the DAC, I bought my 32x and the 3d printed riser.  I even have a new M3 all in one 'tower of power' power supply which has been reduced to two by selling my Sega Cd for the Mega SD (and I have a Mister), and I wonder if the M3 will lose another port to be an expensive Genesis only PSU if I don't get the 32x to work.  One guy in my open tabs bought a brand new old stock 32x and didn't sort out the same problems. A 32x FPGA solution is becoming my most wanted core because I want to play the 32x library but the look of the mushroom, the cable swapping, and the unreliability of the hardware really is justifying a core to replace said hardware.

 

Has no one made a 20 pin cable set for "awm 2896 80c vw 1" yet?

 

 

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Here is what happens on all games be they sega genesis or 32x. The music is great and the games load otherwise.  The video is just flicker city. This is not in the common problem sections of online troubleshooting when one can load both 32x and genesis titles with sound and picture but the gfx are scrambled.  Maybe one of the special chips on the 32x side of the board are bad?

IMG_1261 - Copy.JPG

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Ugh, that looks awful. I'm not really sure what to say other than that.

 

I've been having troubles with my 32X as well. Games played through it will just lock up after a minute or two (sometimes much less). Years ago it wouldn't play anything and would give me a black screen. Opening it up and re-seating the ribbon cables fixed it, but now it's back to being on the fritz. Opening it up once again didn't fix the current issue it's having. :(

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I'm going all in on this. I tested two patch cables and looked up their intended direction orientation.  Not the problem.  I swapped the new custom M3 PSU with an original OEM one and no change either. I plan to get a replacement 32x as I am suspecting it is the lower board since there were two revisions: The MK-84001 and then the MK-84001A, where both upper boards are the same but the lower board has a revision from VA0 to VA1, which it is said, fixes a lot of issues.

 

I suspect on mine, a specialty chip on the lower board is going bad.  If I photograph and then desolder wires, I can take the lower board from a new one and put it into my current one to update it to the new revision, and better, NOT have to re-cap the other 32x. This will allow me to pinpoint the problem. Maybe I can then donate one to a FPGA dev. The 32x has so many OFFICIAL garbage solder hacks with wires, resistors and patches that really is an insight into how short-viewed Sega was and expected the lifespan was short before the Saturn.  If not a FPGA, a redesigned 32x would be amazing where you could even just take the lower board with the special ICs and put it in a new cartridge with possibly a micro daughter board if need be. 

 

Probably the ultimate would be a Saturn that could play 32x and genesis right from the cartridge slot.

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derFunkenstein, THANK YOU!  I did see the article on RetroRGB and actually came here to post about it!

 

I did not see your first link so I will read it, thanks again. My recapping is based on the kit from Console 5, so I will look at the surface mount thing (I didn't know if was a capacitor) on the daughter board as well as play around with the cap on the main (ok, well, TOP board).  I will post my findings and if I have a positive outcome I may also contact Console 5 about it to suggest it. Maybe it will improve the kit for future buyers. I have some more 32x hardware now to experiment on which is always great to pinpoint a problem. 

 

The bigger question I had when reading that the tech news originated with Kevtris is if he is working on an Analogue 32x solution?  With firmware upgrades and new consoles, I can't imagine him having the time to devote towards the 32x otherwise.  This is ALL respectful speculation on my part though. Call it "respectulation" if you will. :) 

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On 1/26/2020 at 12:23 AM, Yurkie said:

I wonder if the MegaSD could run a 32X core? I would love to see some "cores" for the MegaSD. Would be great for sales too if we could run some extra systems through our beloved Sega Genesis.

 

It wouldnt matter because you need video in and out of it to make it work. All you would see is the backgrounds and nothing the 32x is displaying.

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On 1/29/2020 at 10:10 AM, derFunkenstein said:

Dude your awesome. Very cool post!

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I am having a strange issue and hope others may know something. On my recent 32x hardware purchase, it works... well even! It plays both 32x carts and genesis ones (in good shape) just fine.  I thought I had an issue with it at first and am undecided.  When using my MegaSD flash cart, I can load up and play a game. I'll check the manual if there is another means to swap games without a power cycle, but for now, if I turn the genesis off then on again, oddly the MegaSD doesn't boot to the menu. If I try again a day or so later, all is fine for one or two sessions and it happens again.  I thought this was a 32x heat issue where it needed to cool off before working again.  Today I tested it more, and when the problem happens, I am still able to load 32x and genesis original carts just fine.  My one guess is that the MegaSD needs a bit of power and gets it from the Sega hardware whereas the original 32x/genesis carts don't.  Yet, I can't figure why the MegaSD works the first or second time without issue before a quick power off/on renders it to a state of "wait a while" or "try again tomorrow" even. 

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Since this seems to be a thread for 32X troubleshooting, I recently picked up a 32X that works great - I've played Virtua Racing, NBA Jam TE, and a handful of other games. The issue is that when I turn off power to the Genesis, the system doesn't actually shut off. If I unplug it and plug it back in, it's off, but it seems like the 32X is somehow keeping the Genesis powered. If I disconnect the 32X the Genesis functions (power on/off) normally. So my question is: is the cause the 32X or is it the power supply, or something else?

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39 minutes ago, derFunkenstein said:

Since this seems to be a thread for 32X troubleshooting, I recently picked up a 32X that works great - I've played Virtua Racing, NBA Jam TE, and a handful of other games. The issue is that when I turn off power to the Genesis, the system doesn't actually shut off. If I unplug it and plug it back in, it's off, but it seems like the 32X is somehow keeping the Genesis powered. If I disconnect the 32X the Genesis functions (power on/off) normally. So my question is: is the cause the 32X or is it the power supply, or something else?

Most likely you are using a cheap/incorrect patch cable between the Genny and 32x that has the 5v pins connected on both ends, causing the power to be back fed.

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Are you using an original Sega branded power supply?  This site has great info: https://gametrog.com/how-which-do-i-need-sega-ac-power-supply-information-specs-model-mk-3025-mk-1602-mk-2103-mk-1479-mk-4122-aa-s95j/

 

Check if your current (no pun intended) power supply is 9 volt, 10v etc.  If possible, that is a good place to start.  I am unsure about 3rd party ones, but Bob at RetroRGB mentioned one before.

 

Also, I have enjoyed using the 3 in one 'tower of power'  ones (called the S3 or Trio I think on ebay). 

 

As for patch cables, Nick's advice is sound - for more info on that check this video:

 

 

Edited by seastalker
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1 hour ago, derFunkenstein said:

Since this seems to be a thread for 32X troubleshooting, I recently picked up a 32X that works great - I've played Virtua Racing, NBA Jam TE, and a handful of other games. The issue is that when I turn off power to the Genesis, the system doesn't actually shut off. If I unplug it and plug it back in, it's off, but it seems like the 32X is somehow keeping the Genesis powered. If I disconnect the 32X the Genesis functions (power on/off) normally. So my question is: is the cause the 32X or is it the power supply, or something else?

I ran into the same problem years ago. Taking that pin out will fix it. Its kind of a pita to get it out without messing up other pins.

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Console5 is actually using the cables that have the +5 volt pin in it, but they know to remove it before selling it. I actually use one of these cables myself on my setup and found that it provided a slightly sharper picture compared to the original cable adapter and patch cable of the OEM original I was using on my model 1 to 32x. So I gladly recommend the console5 cables as replacements.

 

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So this is unrelated to Seastalker's issue, but I figured out a way around my 32X woes.

 

I found out that out of the box, the 32X is not compatible with my Genesis Model 2 (VA0 revision). There's a compatibility issue on VA0 units that stems from an un-populated expansion port. If nothing is attached to that port, 32X games will freeze just a few moments into playing them. However, if the port is populated (i.e., a Sega CD), the compatibility issue goes away and games play fine. Sega even bundled an attachment to populate the port for incompatible Genesis units, one that I fortunately still had on hand. I slapped it into the Genesis expansion port, and sure enough, my freezing issues went away completely.

 

The reason the issue only recently cropped up for me is that I always had my Sega CD attached to my Genesis. However, I bought a Mega SG last year and moved my Sega CD over to it. I continued to use the 32X on the Model 2 Genesis since the Mega SG is not compatible with it out of the box, and that's when the problem cropped up.

 

The issue doesn't seem to be well documented at all online and it took stumbling on a YouTube video (with nearly next to no views, surprising me that it even showed up in my search) demonstrating the issue.

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Is it actually possible to run 32X games through the OSSC and not have a ton of flickering? No matter what timings I set it to, something somewhere on the screen is always trying to flicker out of existence. Low pass filter helps greatly for some things while breaking others, and after checking every single setting for the H. samplerate individually, I still have not found one that actually looks good.

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Which 32x Games specifically give you the most trouble? I've quite a few on hand and would be happy to test them out on my setup and give you my OSSC settings? Although mine differ from FirebrandX's settings in some ways because of my Sony not liking most of the optimized mode settings causing me to use the passthru mode most of the time.

 

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