Here is something for the capacitor aficionados: Replacing capacitors in old hardware is always a good move and it has therapeutic benefits for some of us. However, it is just as pleasant to know what you are doing and why. The life of an aluminum electrolytic capacitor is mostly determined by the chemical reaction formula called "Arrhenius' Law of Chemical Activity" and therefore to an great extend by the ambient temperature. In short it says that the life of a capacitor doubles for every 10 degree Celsius decrease in temperature. L2 = L1 * (Vr/Vo) * 2^x where x = Tm - (Ta + deltaT) / 10 Ta = Ambient Temperature, Tm = Max temperature rating of the capacitor, deltaT = Temperature Rise from Ripple current Vr = Max voltage rating of the capacitor, Vo = Operating Voltage, L1 = Load Life Rating via Datasheet and L2 = The projected Life at operating Conditions So for a L1=1000h/85° 10V ordinary cap running in a 5V system with no thermal stress(at ~25°) this will result in the ballpark figure of around 20 years. The 20 years are operating hours, not an expiry date as for food:) If you substitute the ordinary with an Europe Chemi-Con gem with 10000h/105° 16V operating at 5V/40° you can expect a lifetime of 1,800,000 hours or 205 years. With power supply capacitors, the deltaT must be calculated with, as this can be an important value when ripple current is flowing to a greater extend than in normal applications. Have fun and enjoy the eventide of your life in 205 years together with your capacitor:)
Honestly the Megadrive is pretty reliable and not known to throw caps. The main issues you’ll find are just the usual dirty cartridge pins and dodgy power connector. The cases however do come up beautifully with some of that black plastic restorer you use on car bumpers. Fantastic to see a MD video tho. Sega never gets the love on YT (actually I should find an excuse to do a video). The Master System will always be my first love, but the Megadrive is a very, very close second.
Very well designed system, it seems. I'm planning to do some mods on this one, so probably more Sega love coming up. Really impressed with it so far and some brilliant games on this platform, too. :) Also, looking forward to seeing your video and hearing your excuse for making it. ;)
Jan Beta Sure, as soon as I finish the three other videos that are half shot, a planned Win98 build vid, and a Videopac G7000 that’s been waiting for months :p
Great work, Jan. It's nice to see you enjoying refurbing other retro equipment like this. I hope you have the opportunity to get your hands on more gear like this.
Can't believe you missed the obvious "gotta go fast like Sanic" opportunity before the recap montage.... Thanks Jan. Something really relaxing about watching people do retro electronic repair.
As a big Mega Drive fan, I really like this video! :D Nice work! I know what pain it is to recap one of these machines since I did it with my own and it took forever! I was kinda shocked to see that many capacitors in there. But it was worth it in the end because I think one or two of them had started to leak as I found some strange substance on the board which I think was electrolyte from one of the caps. The picture quality improved slightly after I was done, so there was without a doubt a tired cap in there. If you're only going to play games from an Everdrive, I highly recommend doing a 60Hz mod since it is super-duper easy on Mega Drives. All you have to do is to cut a jumper and bridge another and you're done! I did that plus added a switch to mine so I can toggle between 50Hz and 60Hz on the fly and it really improved the gaming experience. Sonic games are just way too slow on 50Hz. Once again amazing video Jan, and I'm looking forward to se you stream some Mega Drive goodness :) P.S. Yes you should definetly retrobright it :D
Ah Jan!!! You should have done the 60Hz switch mod while you had it open, makes such a nice difference on PAL consoles with higher speeds and removes the borders. Very simple to do to.
Jan Beta Follow up vids covering modding your MD would be appreciated, Jan :) If you decide to, of course. One day I should get around to doing my old original MD from 1992...
@@Nukle0n Never had jail bars on any of my systems and that is while using RGB so I would notice them on a LCD and CRT TV. The only lines I have noticed are the colour bands that is a trick they done to make a particular colour.
Love the Pitfall game! There is a secret area in the game you can go to and play the original Atari game, and as long as you don't die, you can play the WHOLE game! I'm sure you knew that already, though!
haha I remember that mega drive, I suspect I may have put a gamegear power supply in it which would be center positive, I am only 8 minutes in to the video so far, maybe I did the damage, maybe the reset button was the cause all along. By now I probably could have worked it out myself but I am super happy you got a video out of it, I have a poorly Amiga 500 board coming your way soon too, will be in touch!
Few things: 1. swap that LED for a nice SEGA Blue one 2. look at the video @ 21:58 find JP1,2,3,4 next to your hand, Cut the trace between the 2 contacts at JP3, get a double throw or toggle switch, solder the center pin to JP1 (right side) and the on/on legs of the switch to JP4 (either side) and you have a 50/60hz mod which enables the extra processing power on the megadrive, speeds up games to NTSC performance and removes the annoying boarders :)
SEGA were clever compared to NINTENDO back in the Console days of the 80's, 90's and early 00's with all their systems.. The Master System was backwards compatible with the SG1000 and the Mega Drive was backwards compatible with the Master System. The Saturn was a 2D graphic power house and the Dreamcast was so ahead of its time. Some people think the addons for the Mega Drive were a load of rubbish, I disagree.. I had a soft spot for SEGA because of the Arcades and then I got my Master System in 86 and become a big fan of the company.. As you know Jan I do enjoy the Commodore computers too. I'm not a NINTENDO or other console manufacture hater I like anything and everything I just have a fondness for SEGA.
It Is a great system for sure. I don't have much experience with Sega (although we had a family Game Gear when I was a kid) but I love the design (both internally and externally) and there's A LOT of brilliant games for it.
Aaah the Sega Mega Drive my favourite! They are pretty reliable aren’t they. I got 4 of them and a Mega SG for the ultimate Mega Drive experience 😀👍 now just want one of those cool Mega SD cartridge.
Wow talk about a coincidence! I had been looking at buying an original Model 1 the last four days and BAM you upload a restoration video. Def gonna use this for future reference!
So many capacitors! Just got my hand on two working Megadrives for future proofing and had not opened them up yet... Also have an Everdrive clone cartridge underway, so good to know that there can be issues.
I don't see many Mega Drive repair videos as they are very reliable systems. I must recap mine, just because of the age not because its getting faulty. 20:24 why did you swap the game in this jump cut? Was it not working?
I think I forgot to turn the power on or something, console didn't start up. I used the shot with me flicking the power switch because I didn't film that for the next shot where I actually start the cartridge. ;)
I looked into those ceramic caps for recapping consoles and the problem is that they seem to generally not have the capacity for something like an old game system resulting in dim screens, weak sound, and other problems.
@@JanBeta Yeah... I've had a few of those, too. Recently got a Sega Master System lot with a few systems, controllers, and games. I had to take a cable from one controller and put it in another to fix it.
I guess the JP mod that I have a video about should work. But I think the composite video signal will be black and white unless u replace the crystal, but rgb signal is not affected at all. Here's the video m.ua-cam.com/video/trcx9Yt8wIQ/v-deo.html#dialog great video Jan!
I have a Mega Drive 2, box and everything. It's in perfect shape and nothing on it has ever been opened - the guts of the controllers and console hasn't seen the light of day since the 90s. Though it has certainly had some playtime! I don't know how much playtime though, doesn't look like a lot since we only had one game for it (Mega Games 1), and to this day it looks very unused. EDIT: Just noticed the first cart you tried was Mega Games 1 as well! Awesome. I remember being pretty creeped out by Columns :P
First guess is dirty cartridge slot. Either use a credit card ( or similar ) wrapped in a cloth with a bit of contact cleaner or cleaning alcohol and insert it in and out of the cartridge slot a few times. You can do the same with fine grit sandpaper.
@@StRoRo i already did, i also checked broken solder points on it and everything in fact looks fine, still i get just a black screen, is like it tries to play the cartridge but it cant for some reason. Not sure is the voltage regulators or i should recap the whole thing...any idea what it could possibly be?
manystar hi! Mine had the same Symptom but only 5 years later I've discovered it was caused by oxidation on traces around the cartridge slot, and also cold solder joints on some pins in this are, on the bottom side of the board. I've just released a part 1 video about this machine m.ua-cam.com/video/KWAflGCdeaY/v-deo.html .Also have u checked the voltage in and out from the voltage regulators ? On the service manual it also mentions the oscillator maybe the cause of black screen , u can check the manual and all the schematics here gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=schematics:console_related_schematics If u need a help ther please let me know
@@Okurka. Yes ofc, the console also evidently, the led turns red and everything, if i connect the headphones to the jack i hear a subtle hum which means is ON but i dont get video, i dunno if my reset button is jammed or stuck, i tried everything by now...
@@BocaRetroGames oh wow great info im going to read the whole thing right away, thank u very much indeed dear friend. I´ll coment later if i manage to fix it, thanks again.
grüße jan, schönes video. ich hab gerade auch eine bekommen und versuche sie wieder flott zu machen. eine frage: was denkst du, wäre ein RGB mod oder Composite mod sinnvoll, für tec. idioten wie mich? und kann man den RGB mod auch ohne widerstände und kondis basteln, oder ist das nicht möglich?..PS: kann man irgentwo noch neine dieser "fake-evercarts" kaufen? 80 euronen (plus und aus china) sind doch sehr viel für den originalen spaß...lg, danke für deine arbeit und ein super start in den frühling dir..dor krautrockt!er aus chemnitz
Du brauchst da gar nix zu modden, die Mega Drives haben ein recht gutes RGB-Signal am Videoausgang. Composite gibt es auch. Für ein gutes RGB-Kabel brauchst du ein paar kleine Komponenten, aber es gibt auch fertige für wenig Geld. Meins kam glaube ich direkt von Amazon und funktioniert 1A. Die günstigen Everdrives gibt es manchmal bei eBay, allerdings nicht durchgängig (ich vermute die werden immer mal wieder geblockt wegen Fake). Kosten allerdings auch 50-60€ momentan.
@@JanBeta hey, dankeschön für die antwort....werd mir mal eins bestellen, di hufeisen stecker sind nichts für mich um löten ;-) lg und nen schönen tag dir!!!
Hi i have a megadrive and was cleaning with rubbing alchol , where the white is where it says power on i now have black smudge can i fix it i did i ruin it ? thanks
I know this is a older video, but awesome job man. I replaced the caps my main and back up Sega Genesis, put new voltage regulator that you used and replaced the reset switch with the clickly one. I hope i can get another 20 years. but yeah really hate sega for how many caps they used 😅
So you have a working system, you measure a healthy output voltage on both regulators but decide to replace them because a funky cartridge shuts the system down?
Yup, I actually thought the regulators had been replaced before maybe or had seen some stress that prevented them from delivering the current they are rated for. I didn't take the wonkyness of the cart into account at first.
Ah yes the Mega Drive, I like to call it that myself actually despite the fact that it's called Genesis here in America. Family used to have one and it's still here along with the old SNES as well was basically my early 90's those 2. Someone else commented about the switch mod which is indeed great for PAL versions of the console to make it work at NTSC or back to PAL as needed. Good to see you repairin' other retro hardware as well, keep it up. As for games to try, well aside the obvious ones The Sonics, Streets of Rages and what not, I would say some other very good games are: Ristar, Gunstar Heroes, Toejam & Earl, the Phantasy Star series, Shining Force series, Beyond Oasis, Landstalker, Rocket Knight Adventures and Kid Chameleon (even though it's unforgivably hard).
SaintKaede why does everyone ignore the konami games? They are some of the best the system has to offer with contra being my favourite game of all time.
@@robertbektas1810 holy crap I forgot that too though I did say Rocket Knight Adventures, but yeah Contra Hard Corps, Castlevania Bloodlines is great, even Zombies ate my Neighbors which is on the SNES as well but it's fine on either, same with sunset riders and lethal enforcer, all great games from Konami, can't believe I forgot them even.
I really do not under stand your problem with 78xx/79xx voltage regulators. In 45 years of electronic repair as a job,not a hobby, I can count the number of these voltage regulator fails on one hand.
I think I might be a bit over cautious with them. I've seen quite a few 7805s fail catastrophically in C64 power supplies. Admittedly they are pushed pretty hard (both thermally and electrically) in those units though.
Just a few Mega Drive games to try: Sonic 1&2, Alladin, Gunstar Heroes, Vectorman, Streets of Rage (1-3), Earthworm Jim. There are so many more great games!
Yes, I will! The TFT is easier to film/test stuff with. And I'm a bit hesitant using the 1084 because I haven't even looked inside. I don't want to lose it. ;)
Of all the things you've recapped I think you could've maybe skipped this one, top notch rubycon caps and I've never heard of anyone have bad caps on a Model 1 Mega Drive. But if you wanna do it then by all means do it.
Yes, you are probably right. Good Rubycons usually last for some time. As I said, it was merely preventative maintenance. Plus, I always find it kind of relaxing to do (I know I'm strange). ;)
Oh, actually using my Flylink SCART to HDMI converter for this. It's not very good but okay for testing RGB and composite stuff and costs only around 30€ usually.
You could do a Game Gear recap video some time as well. That is an awesome system too. Plagued by the same leaky SMD caps as the Amigas. Maybe do a screen mod as well, although the better screen costs a fortune for the GG.
Excellent stuff. Can I ask if you've lived in the UK? I know most European's English skills are better than a Brit's language skills, but yours is near flawless and you use colloquialisms too.
Does it matter where he's lived or what his English is like? People are always so nosy... Too much reality TV wanting to know everything about everyone else's personal life.
@@Liofa73 Alright...wind your neck in. It was a general enquiry about his English speaking ability. No offence meant and it's not the most personal enquiry is it? I would like to know how long you've been a ricockulous bellend though.
Is that a sidecar connector under that red tape on the right of the board? (edit: sorry, I never owned a Genesis/Mega Drive. That's the MegaCD port, isn't it?) also: no 68010 upgrade? 😁 (someone had to say it) also2: you should fix the squeaky controller so we can see what you're talking about with the D-pad.
That cartridge was clearly faulty.. but measuring the ohms from +5V against the ground with the cartridge on/off instead of just powering it would probably have saved you some unnecessary steps and current spikes :)
Servus Jan, Weißt du, ob die fake Everdrive Card auch im Master System 1 läuft? Auf die Idee kam ich weil ich früher immer die Mega Drive spiele meines Freundes auf meinem Master System gespielt habe. For all English Visitors: Does anybody know if the fake Everdrive Card also works in Sega's Master System 1? I got the Idea for this because I always played my Friend's Mega Drive Games on my Master System.
Oh, ich glaube, es funktioniert tatsächlich nur umgekehrt. Die MegaDrives können auch Master System Spiele starten (mit einem Adapter oder einem Everdrive), aber umgekehrt hat das Master System nicht den richtigen Prozessor für die MD Spiele.
As a Brazilian, it is so weird to me to see a Mega Drive with the white/grey patch below the 16 bit logo. The Brazilian model is a hybrid, with the small 16 bit logo, red patch and Mega Drive name. We got some imports from USA and Japan, but never European models.
What? A Jan Beta video that doesn't last 54 hours? I want my money back!!! :) More seriously, I still have fond memories of this puppy. Altered Beast, Shinobi, Aladdin, Mickey Mouse (Castle of illusions, iirc) are must haves. As for the console itself, I had one of the very first batches in France : it had an EXT port at the back and the now famous and very soghy after "high definition graphics stereo sound" sticker above the cartridge slot. Alas, it was stolen during a burglary :( Still makes me sad to this day...
If you're still looking for Mega Drive game recommendations, try Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse. It's a fun platformer with a moderate difficulty curve Also, that fake everdrive will load Master System games as well - no need for a Master System converter.
highly recommend a 6buttons pad (if you have one in the box that you got) for SF2ce and other fighting games some others: streets of rage series shinobi series another world flashback aleste series valis III golden axe alisia dragoon phantasy star series
Thanks! Some of those I played already, definitely going to do more Twitch stuff with the MegaDrive soon. I have a third party 6-button pad that's quite good. Going to try that soon, too. :)
Try cleaning the motherboard the cardtridge connector the Sega cd expansion board it's how I fixed my original Sega Genesis model 1 high definition graphics system and it works excellent I saved 2 original Sega Genesis model 1 high definition graphics systems I bought off eBay and they both work excellent I cleaned the heat sink motherboard cardtridge connector Sega cd expansion and controller ports the less dust the more likely it will work also add new solder to the power pcb board and replace the voltage regulators and all the capacitors
Hi Jan. You shouldn't use the knock off ever drive things. They're circuitry is design for the wrong voltages ( ~3.3 instead of 5V ), there's a chance you could harm your system by using them.
If everdrive's are 3.3v logic level, then your comment merely indicates that it's the everdrive itself that will suffer an early demise (if it's not 5v tolerant on the in/outputs) tldr; Stop posting fud..
I think it will have some kind of voltage regulator inside that provides the 3.3V from the 5V? Otherwise it’s probably not going to live very long. I don’t think the MegaDrive is going to be harmed. The first ED I tried might have a short across some connector pins, that might have been dangerous for the MD but I don’t think a working Everdrive could do any harm.
@@JanBeta René from DB Electronics did a great explanation of this on The Retro Roundtable. It only affects the clone flashcarts, the original Krikzz Everdrive is fine. I'll try and find what episode it was mentioned in and post a link.
They are very hardy consoles, I have owned my Mega Drive Mk1 from new and never had a issue. I own the original High Definition Graphics - Stereo Sound with the silver 16 - BIT logo. I also own a Mk2 Mega Drive and a MK1 Mega CD and I have the boxes etc for all of them, I got these brand new when they came out in the early 90's. Some flash cartridges are a bad idea to use if they have not been made professionally.. I would only use one from krikzz.com/store as I know these are well made and unlikely to damage the console.
Yes, the real ED from krikzz are definitely the way to go if you want quality. A lot more expensive though so I bought a cheap one first to try things. Might end up getting the real thing because I really enjoy the MegaDrive so far. :)
@@JanBeta If you get the X5 version and get a Mega CD you can change the BIOS on the flash cart to play all regions, games are easy to copy to CD-r (no copy protection) Bin and Cue format. And the X5 has a save feature for the Mega CD. X7 version does more stuff and is more for developers. X3 is basic as it can get. You can play SMS files on you cartridge "SEGA Master System" You pay more because they are built to last and have more functions.
Love your channel Jan. I’ve only been watching your channel for a couple months, but I really enjoy what I’ve seen so far. Also I don’t want to be annoying but check out my channel I also cover retro tech. Anyway from one retro tech youtuber to another, keep up the good work.
Here is something for the capacitor aficionados:
Replacing capacitors in old hardware is always a good move and it has therapeutic benefits for some of us. However, it is just as pleasant to know what you are doing and why. The life of an aluminum electrolytic capacitor is mostly determined by the chemical reaction formula called "Arrhenius' Law of Chemical Activity" and therefore to an great extend by the ambient temperature. In short it says that the life of a capacitor doubles for every 10 degree Celsius decrease in temperature.
L2 = L1 * (Vr/Vo) * 2^x
where x = Tm - (Ta + deltaT) / 10
Ta = Ambient Temperature, Tm = Max temperature rating of the capacitor, deltaT = Temperature Rise from Ripple current
Vr = Max voltage rating of the capacitor, Vo = Operating Voltage, L1 = Load Life Rating via Datasheet and L2 = The projected Life at operating Conditions
So for a L1=1000h/85° 10V ordinary cap running in a 5V system with no thermal stress(at ~25°) this will result in the ballpark figure of around 20 years. The 20 years are operating hours, not an expiry date as for food:)
If you substitute the ordinary with an Europe Chemi-Con gem with 10000h/105° 16V operating at 5V/40° you can expect a lifetime of 1,800,000 hours or 205 years.
With power supply capacitors, the deltaT must be calculated with, as this can be an important value when ripple current is flowing to a greater extend than in normal applications.
Have fun and enjoy the eventide of your life in 205 years together with your capacitor:)
Honestly the Megadrive is pretty reliable and not known to throw caps. The main issues you’ll find are just the usual dirty cartridge pins and dodgy power connector.
The cases however do come up beautifully with some of that black plastic restorer you use on car bumpers.
Fantastic to see a MD video tho. Sega never gets the love on YT (actually I should find an excuse to do a video). The Master System will always be my first love, but the Megadrive is a very, very close second.
Very well designed system, it seems. I'm planning to do some mods on this one, so probably more Sega love coming up. Really impressed with it so far and some brilliant games on this platform, too. :) Also, looking forward to seeing your video and hearing your excuse for making it. ;)
Jan Beta Sure, as soon as I finish the three other videos that are half shot, a planned Win98 build vid, and a Videopac G7000 that’s been waiting for months :p
The Genesis actually gets a ton of love on UA-cam, you just gotta be on the right side of UA-cam.
@@HaveYouTriedGuillotines Agreed.
There are tons of videos loving the MegaDrive. Even old Nintendo fanboys are coming around.
Good old MegaDrive! God bless the 68000!
Awesome videos as always. Thanks! :)
Thanks! Glorious console, yes!
Jan, please use Black car plastic polish on the cases to bring them up like new.
Great work, Jan. It's nice to see you enjoying refurbing other retro equipment like this. I hope you have the opportunity to get your hands on more gear like this.
Thanks! And shhh... more retro console videos coming soon. ;)
@@JanBeta 👍
Can't believe you missed the obvious "gotta go fast like Sanic" opportunity before the recap montage....
Thanks Jan. Something really relaxing about watching people do retro electronic repair.
Ha! Yes, missed that one. Glad you find watching this stuff relaxing. Recapping stuff definitely has a soothing effect on me, too. :)
As a big Mega Drive fan, I really like this video! :D Nice work! I know what pain it is to recap one of these machines since I did it with my own and it took forever! I was kinda shocked to see that many capacitors in there. But it was worth it in the end because I think one or two of them had started to leak as I found some strange substance on the board which I think was electrolyte from one of the caps. The picture quality improved slightly after I was done, so there was without a doubt a tired cap in there.
If you're only going to play games from an Everdrive, I highly recommend doing a 60Hz mod since it is super-duper easy on Mega Drives. All you have to do is to cut a jumper and bridge another and you're done! I did that plus added a switch to mine so I can toggle between 50Hz and 60Hz on the fly and it really improved the gaming experience. Sonic games are just way too slow on 50Hz.
Once again amazing video Jan, and I'm looking forward to se you stream some Mega Drive goodness :) P.S. Yes you should definetly retrobright it :D
Thanks! Yes, the MD is amazing. I'm definitely going to do some mods to it soon. :)
Ah Jan!!! You should have done the 60Hz switch mod while you had it open, makes such a nice difference on PAL consoles with higher speeds and removes the borders. Very simple to do to.
Oh, will do that in another video I think. I've just started reading up on possible mods. Interesting stuff for sure!
Jan Beta Follow up vids covering modding your MD would be appreciated, Jan :) If you decide to, of course. One day I should get around to doing my old original MD from 1992...
Could also look at the mods to remove jailbars.
@@Nukle0n Never had jail bars on any of my systems and that is while using RGB so I would notice them on a LCD and CRT TV. The only lines I have noticed are the colour bands that is a trick they done to make a particular colour.
Nukleon that’s more of a USA model problem.
Beautiful work. It looks just how I remember my Megadrive brand new!
Love the Pitfall game! There is a secret area in the game you can go to and play the original Atari game, and as long as you don't die, you can play the WHOLE game! I'm sure you knew that already, though!
With the Everdrive Cartridge you can run also Sega Master System (SMS) Games on your Mega Drive which is pretty nice ;)
Yes, tried that in the meantime! Amazing! :D
I miss my megadrive i had the same model as this. Played "The Terminator" to death. No pun intended. Another nice video thanks for making.
haha I remember that mega drive, I suspect I may have put a gamegear power supply in it which would be center positive, I am only 8 minutes in to the video so far, maybe I did the damage, maybe the reset button was the cause all along.
By now I probably could have worked it out myself but I am super happy you got a video out of it, I have a poorly Amiga 500 board coming your way soon too, will be in touch!
It was just the stuck reset switch causing it to power off?.... I feel a bit silly now haha
Few things:
1. swap that LED for a nice SEGA Blue one
2. look at the video @ 21:58 find JP1,2,3,4 next to your hand, Cut the trace between the 2 contacts at JP3, get a double throw or toggle switch, solder the center pin to JP1 (right side) and the on/on legs of the switch to JP4 (either side) and you have a 50/60hz mod which enables the extra processing power on the megadrive, speeds up games to NTSC performance and removes the annoying boarders :)
SEGA were clever compared to NINTENDO back in the Console days of the 80's, 90's and early 00's with all their systems.. The Master System was backwards compatible with the SG1000 and the Mega Drive was backwards compatible with the Master System. The Saturn was a 2D graphic power house and the Dreamcast was so ahead of its time. Some people think the addons for the Mega Drive were a load of rubbish, I disagree.. I had a soft spot for SEGA because of the Arcades and then I got my Master System in 86 and become a big fan of the company.. As you know Jan I do enjoy the Commodore computers too. I'm not a NINTENDO or other console manufacture hater I like anything and everything I just have a fondness for SEGA.
they were like scrappy underdogs, sort of, they made brilliant machines and its a shame they dont make consoles anymore
One of my favourite consoles, followed by the Dreamcast and Saturn
I also see my favourite CPU the Z80, followed by the 6510
It Is a great system for sure. I don't have much experience with Sega (although we had a family Game Gear when I was a kid) but I love the design (both internally and externally) and there's A LOT of brilliant games for it.
Can you please recommend which capacitors to use for a recap?
9:58 good old Jan!
Lovely Job Jan
Thank you Michael! :D
Aaah the Sega Mega Drive my favourite! They are pretty reliable aren’t they. I got 4 of them and a Mega SG for the ultimate Mega Drive experience 😀👍 now just want one of those cool Mega SD cartridge.
Yeah! Definitely an amazing console. (Also, I just put some links in the description for the Everdrive I got.)
Yay, I've got a stack of these to rehab in the next month!
Wow talk about a coincidence! I had been looking at buying an original Model 1 the last four days and BAM you upload a restoration video. Def gonna use this for future reference!
So many capacitors! Just got my hand on two working Megadrives for future proofing and had not opened them up yet... Also have an Everdrive clone cartridge underway, so good to know that there can be issues.
I think recapping is not really necessary in these. Good Rubycon caps usually last a while. Hope you get one of the good Everdrives. :)
Aladdin is a very fun mega drive game.
I don't see many Mega Drive repair videos as they are very reliable systems.
I must recap mine, just because of the age not because its getting faulty.
20:24 why did you swap the game in this jump cut? Was it not working?
I think I forgot to turn the power on or something, console didn't start up. I used the shot with me flicking the power switch because I didn't film that for the next shot where I actually start the cartridge. ;)
Hey Jan, any chance of you doing a video on the gamegear? I'd love to see you restore it with tantalum or ceramic capacitors
I looked into those ceramic caps for recapping consoles and the problem is that they seem to generally not have the capacity for something like an old game system resulting in dim screens, weak sound, and other problems.
@@ncc74656m I use ceramic caps only on the motherboard, power and sound are indeed better suited for electrolytic
26:30 Ah yes. The good ole "clean the contacts and pads" that make most all controllers work again.
Yes, it works (nearly) all the time indeed. The only serious other problem is a broken cable in my experience.
@@JanBeta Yeah... I've had a few of those, too. Recently got a Sega Master System lot with a few systems, controllers, and games. I had to take a cable from one controller and put it in another to fix it.
You should do a 50/60hz mod.
I will eventually. Just started reading up on MegaDrive mods. :)
I guess the JP mod that I have a video about should work. But I think the composite video signal will be black and white unless u replace the crystal, but rgb signal is not affected at all. Here's the video m.ua-cam.com/video/trcx9Yt8wIQ/v-deo.html#dialog great video Jan!
WHAT TYPE OF PRODUCT YOU HAVE USED TO WASH AND POLISH PLASTIC PARTS
You can use a little vaseline to lubricate the buttons, making the plastic not grind but run smooth.
I used some silicon lubricant for that purpose before. Works well, too. :)
Is that red thing for the sega cd?
Nice job, you doing the 60hz mod next?
I'm definitely going to do some mods to it soon, yes. :)
I have a Mega Drive 2, box and everything. It's in perfect shape and nothing on it has ever been opened - the guts of the controllers and console hasn't seen the light of day since the 90s. Though it has certainly had some playtime! I don't know how much playtime though, doesn't look like a lot since we only had one game for it (Mega Games 1), and to this day it looks very unused.
EDIT: Just noticed the first cart you tried was Mega Games 1 as well! Awesome. I remember being pretty creeped out by Columns :P
Jan, Take a look at Mega Turrican, i think you'll probably like it, especially if you like the Amiga version.
My sega genesis (megadrive) turns on but just give black screen can u plese help me , what it could possibly be? thanks in advance
First guess is dirty cartridge slot. Either use a credit card ( or similar ) wrapped in a cloth with a bit of contact cleaner or cleaning alcohol and insert it in and out of the cartridge slot a few times. You can do the same with fine grit sandpaper.
@@StRoRo i already did, i also checked broken solder points on it and everything in fact looks fine, still i get just a black screen, is like it tries to play the cartridge but it cant for some reason. Not sure is the voltage regulators or i should recap the whole thing...any idea what it could possibly be?
manystar hi! Mine had the same Symptom but only 5 years later I've discovered it was caused by oxidation on traces around the cartridge slot, and also cold solder joints on some pins in this are, on the bottom side of the board. I've just released a part 1 video about this machine m.ua-cam.com/video/KWAflGCdeaY/v-deo.html .Also have u checked the voltage in and out from the voltage regulators ? On the service manual it also mentions the oscillator maybe the cause of black screen , u can check the manual and all the schematics here gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=schematics:console_related_schematics
If u need a help ther please let me know
@@Okurka. Yes ofc, the console also evidently, the led turns red and everything, if i connect the headphones to the jack i hear a subtle hum which means is ON but i dont get video, i dunno if my reset button is jammed or stuck, i tried everything by now...
@@BocaRetroGames oh wow great info im going to read the whole thing right away, thank u very much indeed dear friend. I´ll coment later if i manage to fix it, thanks again.
I have a Genesis my brother found but it is rusty. I might have to fix it some day. You have inspired me. I want one of those ever drive knockoffs.
Nice! Hope you manage to fix it. I just put some links in the description for the Everdrive, too.
grüße jan, schönes video. ich hab gerade auch eine bekommen und versuche sie wieder flott zu machen. eine frage: was denkst du, wäre ein RGB mod oder Composite mod sinnvoll, für tec. idioten wie mich? und kann man den RGB mod auch ohne widerstände und kondis basteln, oder ist das nicht möglich?..PS: kann man irgentwo noch neine dieser "fake-evercarts" kaufen? 80 euronen (plus und aus china) sind doch sehr viel für den originalen spaß...lg, danke für deine arbeit und ein super start in den frühling dir..dor krautrockt!er aus chemnitz
Du brauchst da gar nix zu modden, die Mega Drives haben ein recht gutes RGB-Signal am Videoausgang. Composite gibt es auch. Für ein gutes RGB-Kabel brauchst du ein paar kleine Komponenten, aber es gibt auch fertige für wenig Geld. Meins kam glaube ich direkt von Amazon und funktioniert 1A. Die günstigen Everdrives gibt es manchmal bei eBay, allerdings nicht durchgängig (ich vermute die werden immer mal wieder geblockt wegen Fake). Kosten allerdings auch 50-60€ momentan.
@@JanBeta hey, dankeschön für die antwort....werd mir mal eins bestellen, di hufeisen stecker sind nichts für mich um löten ;-) lg und nen schönen tag dir!!!
Hi i have a megadrive and was cleaning with rubbing alchol , where the white is where it says power on i now have black smudge can i fix it i did i ruin it ? thanks
It might very well be that the alcohol dissolved the paint of the silkscreened text. You‘d have to repaint it to save it probably. :(
thanks the text is there whattype of paint woukd be good for this thanks
I would suggest to try rub-on letters. Should be easier to get a clean/original look.
I know this is a older video, but awesome job man. I replaced the caps my main and back up Sega Genesis, put new voltage regulator that you used and replaced the reset switch with the clickly one. I hope i can get another 20 years.
but yeah really hate sega for how many caps they used 😅
Thanks! May your Sega live on for a long time to come! :D
So you have a working system, you measure a healthy output voltage on both regulators but decide to replace them because a funky cartridge shuts the system down?
Yup, I actually thought the regulators had been replaced before maybe or had seen some stress that prevented them from delivering the current they are rated for. I didn't take the wonkyness of the cart into account at first.
Great video! What's that paste you used for the heat sink? Thermal paste?
It's standard thermal paste for transistors. You can also use the stuff for CPUs but I think that is more optimized for higher temperatures.
@@JanBeta I've opened my Mega Drive before but I never noticed paste in there. I have CPU thermal paste in hand... I guess it shouldn't do any harm
Ah yes the Mega Drive, I like to call it that myself actually despite the fact that it's called Genesis here in America. Family used to have one and it's still here along with the old SNES as well was basically my early 90's those 2. Someone else commented about the switch mod which is indeed great for PAL versions of the console to make it work at NTSC or back to PAL as needed. Good to see you repairin' other retro hardware as well, keep it up.
As for games to try, well aside the obvious ones The Sonics, Streets of Rages and what not, I would say some other very good games are: Ristar, Gunstar Heroes, Toejam & Earl, the Phantasy Star series, Shining Force series, Beyond Oasis, Landstalker, Rocket Knight Adventures and Kid Chameleon (even though it's unforgivably hard).
SaintKaede why does everyone ignore the konami games? They are some of the best the system has to offer with contra being my favourite game of all time.
@@robertbektas1810 holy crap I forgot that too though I did say Rocket Knight Adventures, but yeah Contra Hard Corps, Castlevania Bloodlines is great, even Zombies ate my Neighbors which is on the SNES as well but it's fine on either, same with sunset riders and lethal enforcer, all great games from Konami, can't believe I forgot them even.
I really do not under stand your problem with 78xx/79xx voltage regulators.
In 45 years of electronic repair as a job,not a hobby, I can count the number of these voltage regulator fails on one hand.
depends really.. i see the JRC brand ones fail quite often. It depends how hot they have been running too.
I think I might be a bit over cautious with them. I've seen quite a few 7805s fail catastrophically in C64 power supplies. Admittedly they are pushed pretty hard (both thermally and electrically) in those units though.
I would like to see you retrobrighting this because it's turned black already. Except for the part that is labelled "Power - On".
Maybe it's going to turn into a Super Nintendo? ;D
Just a few Mega Drive games to try: Sonic 1&2, Alladin, Gunstar Heroes, Vectorman, Streets of Rage (1-3), Earthworm Jim. There are so many more great games!
Tried some of those in the stream I did on Twitch after this video. :)
Great videos
You should play it on the 1084.
Yes, I will! The TFT is easier to film/test stuff with. And I'm a bit hesitant using the 1084 because I haven't even looked inside. I don't want to lose it. ;)
Of all the things you've recapped I think you could've maybe skipped this one, top notch rubycon caps and I've never heard of anyone have bad caps on a Model 1 Mega Drive. But if you wanna do it then by all means do it.
Yes, you are probably right. Good Rubycons usually last for some time. As I said, it was merely preventative maintenance. Plus, I always find it kind of relaxing to do (I know I'm strange). ;)
Dude, links for the Everdrive clone PLEASE?
Just added links in the video description. :)
What are the keywords to search for the knock off Everdrive? The original everdrive seems a bit steep at 150USD.
I just put some links in the video description.
Jan, what's that HDMI converter you have set up for this, and what do you think of it?
That's a RetroTINK-2X : retrotink.com
Oh, actually using my Flylink SCART to HDMI converter for this. It's not very good but okay for testing RGB and composite stuff and costs only around 30€ usually.
@@JanBeta Sorry Jan, I saw a RetroTINK-2X on your workbench and assumed you were using that. My mistake :(
the bit that broke is called a dpad keep up the good work oh yea and road rash wash best on the mega drive
Yes! I didn't remember the word when making the video, only afterwards. Thanks. ;)
@@JanBeta np lol
Melvins shirt -nice
Yes!
You could do a Game Gear recap video some time as well. That is an awesome system too. Plagued by the same leaky SMD caps as the Amigas. Maybe do a screen mod as well, although the better screen costs a fortune for the GG.
Yes, definitely need to get my hands on a Game Gear sometime. One of the few consoles I actually had back in the day. :)
Excellent stuff.
Can I ask if you've lived in the UK? I know most European's English skills are better than a Brit's language skills, but yours is near flawless and you use colloquialisms too.
Does it matter where he's lived or what his English is like? People are always so nosy... Too much reality TV wanting to know everything about everyone else's personal life.
@@Liofa73
Alright...wind your neck in.
It was a general enquiry about his English speaking ability. No offence meant and it's not the most personal enquiry is it?
I would like to know how long you've been a ricockulous bellend though.
What, no RGB mod? Missed opportunity!
Is that a sidecar connector under that red tape on the right of the board? (edit: sorry, I never owned a Genesis/Mega Drive. That's the MegaCD port, isn't it?)
also: no 68010 upgrade? 😁 (someone had to say it)
also2: you should fix the squeaky controller so we can see what you're talking about with the D-pad.
It is a edge connector for the Mega CD..
It's a red plastic cover, no tape.
That cartridge was clearly faulty.. but measuring the ohms from +5V against the ground with the cartridge on/off instead of just powering it would probably have saved you some unnecessary steps and current spikes :)
Yeah, you are probably right. I didn't realize that the cart was wonky at first. I really suspected the regulators rather. Lesson learned. ;)
Servus Jan,
Weißt du, ob die fake Everdrive Card auch im Master System 1 läuft? Auf die Idee kam ich weil ich früher immer die Mega Drive spiele meines Freundes auf meinem Master System gespielt habe.
For all English Visitors:
Does anybody know if the fake Everdrive Card also works in Sega's Master System 1?
I got the Idea for this because I always played my Friend's Mega Drive Games on my Master System.
Oh, ich glaube, es funktioniert tatsächlich nur umgekehrt. Die MegaDrives können auch Master System Spiele starten (mit einem Adapter oder einem Everdrive), aber umgekehrt hat das Master System nicht den richtigen Prozessor für die MD Spiele.
As a Brazilian, it is so weird to me to see a Mega Drive with the white/grey patch below the 16 bit logo. The Brazilian model is a hybrid, with the small 16 bit logo, red patch and Mega Drive name. We got some imports from USA and Japan, but never European models.
Interesting that there are so many slightly different versions of this.
i grew up with a megadrive you should definitly play risky woods amazing game
Thanks for the tip! Going to check it out soon. :)
11:57 God, it sounds like that Sonic game has been abusing sleeping pills! (I know, it's just not optimized for PAL.)
Haha, yes, it's way faster on NTSC. I'm definitely going to add a 50/60Hz switch at some point.
Funny Tv brand you have there LIPS :P
What? A Jan Beta video that doesn't last 54 hours? I want my money back!!! :) More seriously, I still have fond memories of this puppy. Altered Beast, Shinobi, Aladdin, Mickey Mouse (Castle of illusions, iirc) are must haves. As for the console itself, I had one of the very first batches in France : it had an EXT port at the back and the now famous and very soghy after "high definition graphics stereo sound" sticker above the cartridge slot. Alas, it was stolen during a burglary :( Still makes me sad to this day...
Haha, longer videos coming up soon... ;) Sorry to hear your MD got stolen. That sucks. :/
If you're still looking for Mega Drive game recommendations, try Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse. It's a fun platformer with a moderate difficulty curve Also, that fake everdrive will load Master System games as well - no need for a Master System converter.
hello
jan!
Sir would you restore my Mega Drive ? I want the same professional quality work but is hard to find. Can we talk vía email or something ?
highly recommend a 6buttons pad (if you have one in the box that you got) for SF2ce and other fighting games
some others:
streets of rage series
shinobi series
another world
flashback
aleste series
valis III
golden axe
alisia dragoon
phantasy star series
Thanks! Some of those I played already, definitely going to do more Twitch stuff with the MegaDrive soon. I have a third party 6-button pad that's quite good. Going to try that soon, too. :)
Try cleaning the motherboard the cardtridge connector the Sega cd expansion board it's how I fixed my original Sega Genesis model 1 high definition graphics system and it works excellent I saved 2 original Sega Genesis model 1 high definition graphics systems I bought off eBay and they both work excellent I cleaned the heat sink motherboard cardtridge connector Sega cd expansion and controller ports the less dust the more likely it will work also add new solder to the power pcb board and replace the voltage regulators and all the capacitors
Hi Jan. You shouldn't use the knock off ever drive things. They're circuitry is design for the wrong voltages ( ~3.3 instead of 5V ), there's a chance you could harm your system by using them.
If everdrive's are 3.3v logic level, then your comment merely indicates that it's the everdrive itself that will suffer an early demise (if it's not 5v tolerant on the in/outputs)
tldr; Stop posting fud..
I think it will have some kind of voltage regulator inside that provides the 3.3V from the 5V? Otherwise it’s probably not going to live very long. I don’t think the MegaDrive is going to be harmed. The first ED I tried might have a short across some connector pins, that might have been dangerous for the MD but I don’t think a working Everdrive could do any harm.
@@JanBeta René from DB Electronics did a great explanation of this on The Retro Roundtable. It only affects the clone flashcarts, the original Krikzz Everdrive is fine. I'll try and find what episode it was mentioned in and post a link.
Definitely interested! Didn’t know that obviously.
@@JanBeta Found the episode. 26:00
ua-cam.com/video/1Aq9VoLzGNs/v-deo.html
Honestly I would have just replaced the caps under the heatsink and been done with it. But hey that's just me.
This does what nintendon't
Yeah, Sega does what Nintendon't, they fade into obscurity 😂
Shiny! I need to source a knock-off everdrive...
@@Okurka. I doubt that can be said about 100% of said devices.
I just linked the one that worked for me in the video description. Can't guarantee all of those work obviously. ;)
Not very keen on recapping. I understand that :-)
Haha, yes. Not strictly necessary for this one I guess. All good Rubycons.
They are very hardy consoles, I have owned my Mega Drive Mk1 from new and never had a issue. I own the original High Definition Graphics - Stereo Sound with the silver 16 - BIT logo. I also own a Mk2 Mega Drive and a MK1 Mega CD and I have the boxes etc for all of them, I got these brand new when they came out in the early 90's. Some flash cartridges are a bad idea to use if they have not been made professionally.. I would only use one from krikzz.com/store as I know these are well made and unlikely to damage the console.
Yes, the real ED from krikzz are definitely the way to go if you want quality. A lot more expensive though so I bought a cheap one first to try things. Might end up getting the real thing because I really enjoy the MegaDrive so far. :)
@@JanBeta If you get the X5 version and get a Mega CD you can change the BIOS on the flash cart to play all regions, games are easy to copy to CD-r (no copy protection) Bin and Cue format. And the X5 has a save feature for the Mega CD. X7 version does more stuff and is more for developers. X3 is basic as it can get. You can play SMS files on you cartridge "SEGA Master System" You pay more because they are built to last and have more functions.
Love your channel Jan. I’ve only been watching your channel for a couple months, but I really enjoy what I’ve seen so far. Also I don’t want to be annoying but check out my channel I also cover retro tech. Anyway from one retro tech youtuber to another, keep up the good work.
2nd
The most disliked aspect of a technical video is out of frame actions, inaudible murmuring and big hairy arm in your face.
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