Part two of my attempted repair of a Sega Saturn. Following on from the last video, it became evident that this machine has a problem with the CD drive. Part 3 - • Sega Saturn Repair Par...
Thanks for the video. I needed to test the two motors in a Sega CD, and it took me a day and half to come across this video where you are having the same issue. I possibly could have something wrong with the motor controller chip...but I'll try a new laser first.
One of my model 2 drives is all busted up. The plastic bits holding in the drive rail are broken to bits and the disc hub is missing one of the spring-loaded disc-clamping balls.
Loads of insights, thank you. When the motor was tested using the battery, does the polarity matter? Would the voltage from the battery affect other components on the board? Ta.
Thanks =D With an AA battery (or AAA battery) there's very little risk of damaging anything by connecting the battery up there, as it can only provide 1.5v and typically very low current capability.
Thank you very much for your videos! I don't miss an episode as your real world practical knowledge is very easy to follow along with. I am in the process of fixing a Saturn Model 1 that I also got cheap. It seems to read CDs and play the audio, but the only Saturn game I have is Virtua Fighter 2 remix. It only sees the audio portion and it stumbles on track 5. It wasn't spinning the cd up at all until I took it apart and moved the gears for the lens and then it started sort of working. I am thinking that the gears need to be cleaned and lubricated as it seems to bind up on certain parts of the disc. What do you recommend for lubricating these nylon/plastic gears? I've heard white lithium grease or silicon grease but there seems to be some debate on the effects on the plastic. Thanks!
Thanks =D Lithium grease or silicon grease, or tbh I just use plain 3 in one oil - tiny drop and it works well and never causes a problem. Inspect the gears to make sure you've not got a missing or cracked tooth. It could also be that the tracking coils are not working very well (on the laser).
Awesome! I will check it out. I don't know where this Saturn was stored but it looks like there is bug matter in there. or little specs that look like what termites leave behind on the gears too. If it still doesn't work I guess I will need to replace the laser. Glad I have a video reference! Thanks!
Hi, did you ever get this to work? Tried replacing the laser didn't work and when testing the motor with a AA or triple A neither worked. Is this likely to be a faulty motor or the chip you mention in the video its an ntsc-j model 1. Fantastic video as well thanks.
Got it to spin, was just testing it wrong with the battery. The ohms are slightly high across the motor contacts 00.8 I think I got so not sure if it's within tolerance. My try the driver chip ur on about we're did you buy yours from?
A thought. Is it the same ship driving the lasercarrige-motor? I was thinking if this is a 4-channel chip, maby only two channels are used, and you could do a rewire, to use the unused channels?
Ahha! I did wonder the same thing yesterday and I looked at how its wired and unfortunately all 4 channels are used =/ I believe 2 channels are used for the laser, one for focus and one for gain or something, and the other 2 channels are the disc motor and the head motor =( Nice suggestion though - well thought out =) Thanks for posting!
Does anyone know where I can get the motor actuator driver that is mentioned. The number of my one is different it is a Mitsubishi M56754SP. I tried finding this chip for sale but no luck so far. Is there an equivalent?
The only place I've seen these (and where I found mine) - AliExpress. Just checked on there, M56754SP are around $1.70 plus shipping. I would buy more than one, to make sure at least 1 of them works. You often find reclaimed IC's like this on AliExpress. They aren't manufactured anymore (since around 20 years ago).
Hello, can you recommend any stores in the UK that can repair Saturns, just turned mine on and there is a horrible grinding sound coming from the drive, it's just happened out of the blue as I got a new retrobit wireless controller last week and it was working fine when I tried it out, have no idea what happened.
Not sure where in the UK tbh! Why not have a go yourself? What you are going to need to do is probably replace a gear in the drive unit. You would need to find a faulty Saturn first for spares.
Thanks man but I have pretty bad shakes in my right arm from an accident in the past, I'd probably end up doing more damage than good, the Saturn means a lot to me as it was the first console that I bought with my own money having left High school in 1995, I'll keep looking to see if I can find anywhere, cheers.
If there's an anti static blob which you haven't removed - it just won't work. If you left it powered like that for a period of time you could damage something else on the CD board.
Hey if you're still there I had a question? Neither the laser or disc moves so des that mean definitely it's the chip or could it still be the laser? And the motors do work although I know it was used for the disk swap trip by someone back then.
Replacement CD & DVD lasers have a blob of solder on the PCB which shorts the laser diode connections (I think). This is to stop the laser being damaged in transit due to static electricity. You have to remove the blob of solder before installation or it won't work.
Ahh one of the first things I did when I bought my "not working" Sega Multi Mega was but a new laser as it said it doesn't read discs. Never used it because it worked perfectly. I'll take note should ever need to replace it.
