A Simple Video Mod To The SEGA Mega Drive 2 Mega CD 2 Console

[MegaSonicdude10]

I can hear the difference on my Asus Eee PC 1215N's speakers. Recently got a model 2 with a model 2 CD system and a 32X. Now I know how to hook up the audio output so I don't need to do the internal mod to the Genesis unit itself. May try it anyway in case I remove the CD. I plan to make the ultimate original hardware Sega Genesis system with some painting, region mods, BIOS mods, internal 32X, an audio equalizer, Flash cart, and other mods I will think of along the way. This will be fun...

[55pinger]

i heard the difrencce its liike the sound of statick, but slower, i cant describe it any beter than that, and it dosent sound as sharp.

[akuma2002]

@Adam060756 ah damn, i thought something wasn't right ineed ^^;

[akuma2002]

@Adam060756 hey Adam, i just bought all the cables today, but didn,t find an audio jack wire without thr plugs on both end. If i cut them, it'll work anyway?

[Adam060756]

@akuma2002 No don't cut it, there's a chance you might wreck it. You could just connect the speaker wire straight to the RCA male cable but you need something to hold the speaker wire in place.

Try your local electronics store and look for an RCA female jack or an RCA female cable.

[akuma2002]

@Adam060756 Well, i cut it, just to have a look. I think i'm a bit lost now. I have the RCA cable, anf female RCA double sided. The audio wire has two plugs (cut one) to use on a comp, hi-fi, etc... So inside, there's two little wire (red and white, quite logical), and some gold wire around them. So i need to put that thing inside one side of the RCA female? (And then doing the same on the megadrive s-video output?

[Adam060756]

@akuma2002 No, no, no, you cut the wrong cable wire. You need a metre long speaker wire, speaker wire can be purchased at your local electronics store, it's usually on a roll where you can just cut the length you want and then go and pay for it, it doesn't matter whether the wire is positive or negative but it has to be speaker wire that you put inside the female RCA cable and Mega Drive 2 AV out.

You've cut an ordinary RCA jack cable which is the wrong wire. You weren't supposed to cut that.

[akuma2002]

Hello Adam :)

Your mod is nice, but you didn't really explain the trick with the yellow cable going through the back of the megadrive2. So i just purchased a md2 + mega cd2, i'd like to use your trick to get better sound, but how should i do?

And i'm not sure if i understood perfectly, but will it also work for the megadrive games?

Thanks in advance

[Adam060756]

@akuma2002

Just use the Mega CD audio outputs at the back to carry the audio to your telly or hi-fi system, and yes the audio cables will carry the Mega Drive sound aswell to the telly or hi-fi system.

The yellow cable is earthed to a small piece of speaker wire which goes directly into the video signal pin in the AV output of the Mega Drive. It's a cheap trick to get video out from the back without having to use the proper AV cable or RF unit.

[akuma2002]

@Adam060756 Can you be more specific about the part with the yellow cable? I'm kinda noob when it comes to electronics and the likes ^^;

[Adam060756]

@akuma2002 Okay,

1. You need to get an RCA lead cable (does not matter what colour) and you need a metre long speaker wire.

2. After requiring the first two, you now need a female RCA jack cable double sided, once you have that connect the RCA cable to one end of the female jack and earth the speaker wire inside the other end.

3. There is a 9 pin din AV out hole on the back of your Mega Drive model 2 gently put the other end of the speaker wire inside the third hole from the second row

[Adam060756]

@akuma2002

Just make sure you have the audio cables connected up from the Mega CD outputs before attempting to connect the video cable, if you try attempting the video cable mod first without hooking up the audio from the Mega CD outputs then you won't see anything on your TV screen. It's very important that you hook the audio up first.

I know this sounds complicated for you but I can't really make this any simpler for you.

Good luck!

[akuma2002]

@Adam060756 Ah okay, i can see what to do now. So when you say earth the speaker wire on the other side of the female RCA, it's simply putting it inside? And about hooking up the sound first, does that mean it must be connected on the tv before doing the video part and plugging it on the tv too?

Thanks again :)

[Adam060756]

@akuma2002 Yes, earthing means making contact, in simpler words meaning just putting the wire inside the hole of the female RCA jack.

And yes, you must have the audio all connected up first either to your TV or hi-fi system. Then you can connect the video cable to the Mega Drive.

[akuma2002]

@Adam060756 Okay, thanks. Btw, 3rd hole in the second row is by counting from left to right, isn't it? And do you know sites to buy EU mega cd games? I'd like to find Sonic Cd, The Snatcher and Sylpheed :)

[Adam060756]

@akuma2002

Yep (left to right) making it the 3rd hole in the second row, if that doesn't work try the 2nd hole in the second row also (left to right).

I always try ebay for buying SEGA Mega Drive-Mega CD games. Thats where I got the rare Mortal Kombat and SEGA Arcade Collections from. I've heard Amazon is another good site to find games on.

[figaro589]

what about installing composite jacks on the back?

also, because you're in PAL region, what about buying an RGB cable for your asian model 2? I can tell you where to buy one from if you want one?

[Adam060756]

@figaro589 I don't think i'm that skilled at putting those things on, i'm only a rookie at this stuff.

[figaro589]

@Adam060756

ahh, I see. I think an RGB cable should enhance the picture quality even more though, it just plugs into where the RF goes into :)

[Adam060756]

@figaro589 Yeah you're right.

Ive seen ianwilson1978 hook his Mega Drive Genesis with a RGB scart.

[KieranD212]

I use a stereo RGB scart cable and a model 1 HD graphics Mega Drive.

The original model 1 with HD logo has a different sound chip to the later model 1 and model 2.

[segajcharrua]

hey mate that is an awesme vid ! very informative i must say!!

i have just a question

i recently moded a model 2 mD with compositve and s-video and the audio i use the mega cd2 for the sound and the think is the sound is distorted and very mufled with a lot of humbing on the background , the fault of that is the MD console ? because in your vid you get ther crystal clear sound .

so im kinda confused with that =S

[Adam060756]

@segajcharrua The muffled distorted audio unfortuantely is coming from your Mega Drive model 2. The two sound chips inside the console are not to blame for it though, it's the shitty mixing circuit sega went with that is responsible for it. You're best to keep using the SEGA Mega CD audio outputs for slightly clearer audio.

The thing thats confusing in my video is that I demonstrated it with a Mega CD game, Mega CD games have clear audio from the back, it's only the Mega Drive's half.

[segajcharrua]

@segajcharrua

ahhh i see but all the revisions of the model 2 has that problem?

because i wanted to record some gameplay footage but with that problem i cant do that =/

if that problem happens in all revisions of the model 2 i will do with a hdg model 1 mega drive that i have here =/

cheers!

(((( ))))

[thefidlerontheroof]

soooo, do you reckon you improved on your talking since debuting yourself on this first vid? Hehehe.

[Adam060756]

@thefidlerontheroof A little bit, I still get tounge tied sometimes. These videos aren't easy to put together you know, especially when none of them are rehearsed. They're made on the spot.

[thefidlerontheroof]

@Adam060756 ohhhh, i know how that feels! The pressure, the tongue-tied thing, and the brain cock-up when you forget to say what you wanted to say. I think the thing is not to think about it too much because that's when the screw-ups starts. Well for me they do. But nah. Dude, your monologue and explanations are fiiiiine. No worries!

[Adam060756]

@thefidlerontheroof If I do cock up really badly in my words then I erase it and edit it out so you guys would never see it anyway.

[thefidlerontheroof]

@Adam060756 i'd do the same thing. It's embarassing. And for you well... you're speaking to the world! How much more embarrasing would it be. Clearly, heaps.

[Adam060756]

@thefidlerontheroof It's only embarrasing if you cock up. I didn't.

[thefidlerontheroof]

@Adam060756 i have... which prompted me to start over.

[figaro589]

that's not a japanese mega drive, it's an asian one. there is no PAL japanese mega drive

I bought a model 1 thinking it was a japanese one and it turned out to be an asian one which was disappointing

[Adam060756]

@figaro589 It still looks exactly like a Japanese model though. At the time I thought it was Japanese because of the design but later I learned that it was an Asian model. I'm glad it's Asian and i'm glad it's PAL.

[dissident93]

@figaro589 You're like on every video I go too! :P

[figaro589]

@dissident93

quit stalking me! XD

[MEGADRIVEJeroi]

Does Multimega have dissorted sound also?

[MrAlfieboy]

i had that cable that u brought with the 3 plugs on and my sound was perfect from both megadrive amd mega cd on the model 2 systems i even had a model 1 megadrive and mega cd 1 and the auf=dio lead from the legadrive had no distortion so i dont know why ur did as mine never has

[Adam060756]

@MrAlfieboy Some Mega Drive model 2 models were manufactured with a clear sound circuit on the VA7 board while the majority of them were made with a rough and distorted sound, besides it's only the model 2 Mega Drive's that have the rough sound, not the Mega Drive model 1's or the Mega CD model 1' and 2's but when a Mega CD is attached to a model 2, it''s sound circuit has to pass through the Mega Drive model 2 sound circuit where it gets distorted in the mixing process.

[Riddler95]

I hear the difference.

I always noticed that the Model 2 Genesis had distortion with the stereo sound.

Damn I even cleaned the AV Output on the Model 2 cause I thought it was dirty, but nope.

[megacvo]

will a asian pal mega drive 2 work with a pal mega cd 2 without modding it

[Adam060756]

It sure will.

[megacvo]

will a pal mega cd 1 work with a asian pal mega drive 2

[megacvo]

without modding it aswell

[Adam060756]

Yes, doesn't matter which region they come from, if they're all PAL they will work together.

If you use an NTSC Mega Drive with a PAL Mega CD then nothing will work.