Sega SC-3000 - RGB Upgrade! 

I grew up on the SC-3000, still have it to this day with the SF-7000, tape deck, modem, printer and a veriety of controllers for it. Absolutely love this system along with the games and that version of Wonderboy is the best ! 🙂

My first computer! Think I was 15. Better graphics than the more popular C64 games. In fact, the BASIC language I learnt on the 3000 was more fully utilised than the 64's version - the computers my school used to teach it on. (Simple commands were fine, but doing more complex things like drawing graphics... So instead of using BASIC's "line" command to draw lines, on the C64 you would have to use a proprietary peak or poke command with a correct memory address.) Years later, when I moved to BASIC programming on IBM PCs in Year 10, I already knew all the commands from my Sega SC-3000's BASIC!! The other students struggled as they hadn't learnt the full command set.

I did this conversion a little while ago BUT you can do it very neatly using the same type of connector (DIN-8) simply by replacing the existing DIN-5. On my SC3000 adding the DIN-8 was simple as the motherboard even had the extra pin holes with traces that led to solder points where I could add the RGB signals from the TMSRGB. The beauty is then after the mod you can still use the existing DIN-5 composite cable (as it’s backwards compatible with the DIN-8 pin out) and the new pinout is compatible with SMS and MD1 RGB connector.

14:15: Somehow it's unreasonably funny to me how this machine says "Export Version With Diereses" right there in pride of place on the home screen. [There's a Diaeresis (diacritic) Wikipedia article, in case anyone's wondering.]

In the introtekst machine has 12k bytes free, at the end it has an rgb mod and suddenly 26k bytes free. Wunderbar!

@10:22 is encouraging to me. I'm apparently not the only person who sometimes gets the shakes working on these things. I get so worked up over worry about screwing up a fix that I sometimes wonder if it's just hypertension or Parkinsons'. Thank you Mr. Lurch for sharing.

I like exploring (at-least to me) obscure things, Especially computers. Interesting that they are based off the SG1000 early home consoles.

great to see some SEGA love, made my day :)

Great improvement to the image.

When you popped the connector into the hole, I was half expecting you to whip out a hot glue gun.

Nice video, I just got a SC-3000 last week as well as a mk1 sg. The mk2 sg actually has rgb and sync test points you can pull from and run through a triple bypass while the othello multivision and I believe mk1 sg use a 9918 chip. Just subbed!

Ah, I've been eyeing up a SC-3000 for a long time myself. 💖 I'll definitely have to keep in mind that they can be RGB modded relatively easily.

You prounce sega correctly! 👍

Clean install! I love the idea of using a mini-DIN where the modulator was and bonus points for wiring up a disconnect. Have you seen the new & inexpensive F18a alternative that's been developed recently? It replaces the VDP entirely and give you HDMI output.

Everyone have their own childhood computers and collect them will be satisfying no matter how good the computer it is.

We were also a Sega household. If the Sega SC-3000 had been released here in the states, I would have bought one, for sure.

Amazing item, like you, master system was my first game console, best regards from Portugal

A family friend had the SC-3000H when I was a kid. I enjoyed playing with it when I went to their place, mainly because it was different to the Commodores I used at school and home. That's a schmick looking RGB mod, and congrats on extracting this SC-3000 from Mark, it must've been a tough job. 😆

That is nuts dood!

LGR would love to get his hands on your monitor.....nice video

I still kick myself for letting my SC3000H and modem for it go. :)

10:40: D'oh! I would have like to have seen the "header socket" connector that mates to the pin connector up close. Possibly even see you plug and unplug it. Never mind, carrying on...

I dunno, I reckon it's quite a stylish-looking system. Anyway, that was a very neat and satisfying mod!

Great work and a very interesting machine. I'm tempted to get one of those RGB boards for my MSX as I'm fairly sure it uses the same chip.

The French Yeno one has SCART RGB out of the box 😅 But it has an AZERTY keyboard 😢

I have this feeling you just lost your Aussie Card, it's "See-ga" 😀

Seems like a fairly easy install. I've got a few TI99 4/a that I could see adding this to one.

I would recommend you go with a screw mounted connector as you wouldn't need the printed part and wouldn't have issues "pulling out". Searches for "panel mount s video connector female" or "screw mount s video connector female" show a few options. I know your options are more limited where you live.

I love my 3000H because it's so, so bad. I adore that it looks like such a cool computer, but it's just such a terrible machine. I don't think I'd ever do this mod because the poor video quality is part of what makes it so great.

Great vid as always! Love the SC-3000, have spent a LOT of time with them now. If you ever want to revisit, might I recommend using a 9-pin mini DIN and pinout compatible with Sega Mega Drive 2 AV cables. You can also pick up composite signal right on the TMS-RGB for the cable

I remember these machines been like the poor end of the video game market, the Vic 20 and 64 outdid the Sega, and it mainly went well in the US while Australians had the C64 as a success

Is that a Mac SE30 in the background? :D

So what is it? Who used it and where? What did you do with it and what are the specs? More info please. Another video perhaps?

Nice, I believe the early models of the SG-1000 Mk II can be modded using the same method as they should have the same chip. (later models have a Sega chip that outputs RGB and can be modded more easily)

Very nice! That Loderunner port seems to run fast, right?

And no you can not do this on an SG-1000, it has the more basic TMS-9918 which isn’t directly supported by TMSRGB

seegah

Something not quite right about the available ram on the boot screen on the first half of the vid....

By SC-1000, do you actually mean SG-1000? Same goes for the Mark II? Maybe I'm just talking about things I know nothing about, having never used one of these machines.

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