Ace_1

Uh-oh! Your VA3 HAL has a Samsung encoder! That's not good. Do you get line noise with your VA3? And are sprites heavily pixelated around the edges? Your VA0 also might have straining audio and squeaks, because it uses LM324 quad op-amps, which causes the audio to strain A LOT(though not as bad as the Gen-X and GN Twin clones). I have a VA1.8 made in China(LEAD PAINT!) that has LM324 quad op-amps, and its sound SUCKS! I made recordings of Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II running on some Genesis hardware over at Sega-16. If you check those out, you'll hear that there's a squeak at the beginning of the title screen song and the drums seem to have some kind of a "crunch" sound(that's the straining) on top of the static(as a side note, all Genesis Model 1 recordings except for the VA7 Model 1(which was modified with Tiido's Audio Mod) are done in Mono) on the Made in China VA1.8 Genesis 2. One thing I'd like to know is this: why don't I ever find a REAL Zilog Z80 inside the Genesis 2s I take apart? It's either the Sega clone like in your VA0, the clone that has a T on the chip, or it's integrated inside an ASIC. RECORDINGS: I'm surprised the VA0 Genesis 2 didn't strain, but it still is LOADED with static(the hissing noise you hear), about as bad as a VA7 Genesis 1(which is REALLY BAD). The VA3 is nice and clean, though you may want to re-record the audio because it seems like the sound clips. Try recording the thing with the Master Volume of your PC turned lower, because the VA3 sounds worse than it really does, and some sounds seem to be missing from the VA0(are you using Stereo or Mono A/V cables?).

Motherboard revision, please(don't mean to be a pain, but I always want to know the motherboard revision of Sega hardware). Also, if you post your recordings on YouTube, you think you'd be able to add some commentary(voice, not text)?

Oh, I just remembered: to record audio, you can use a cable like this one - http://www.cuc.fr/cuc.en/liaison/multimedia/10948.jpg - and use the Line In on your computer with either Windows Sound Recorder, or my personal favorite: Nero Wave Editor.

I use something like that for my videos on YouTube, though mine isn't that specific one. I use this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/VideoXpress-BRAND-NEW-...bayphotohosting It's essentially the same thing, and it works well. Just make sure you have good software, because some of the video capture tools only seem to get half the video(makes objects that flicker quickly invisible).

Erm... direct capture is the only way I'll truly tell how bad the audio is. With just a camera, I won't be able to.

80 bucks got me this today: -Not one, but TWO Intellivision IIs -5 controllers -Intellivoice module -29 games plus duplicates, most of which are boxed and come with overlays

Damn! What a deal. I paid double that for mine, except mine came with no Zapper and a cartridge(Ninja Gaiden).

Sonic 2 will work perfectly for the audio recordings.

That thing is the exact same thing as a VA7 Model 1 Genesis, just with a different motherboard layout made to fit the Genesis 2 casing. I've never come across any of those, but I know for a fact that, with the sight of the KA2195D encoder, the picture quality is @^##, and because it's identical to a VA7 Genesis Model 1, it has audio that has a lot of static. I want to ask you something: what kind of quad op-amps are used to amplify the audio? The op-amps are the 2 chips next to the power button. Can you record a game's audio from the unit(if you have either Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II, Thunder Force II or Thunder Force IV(Lightening Force), those would be ideal, but Sonic games will do just fine)? Also, where is this Genesis made?

Good to know I'm not the only one that got screwed over by swapped ROM boards. I bought 2 Sega Master System games, which said "Space Harrier" and "World Grand Prix" on the cartridge, but those weren't the games in the casing! Space Harrier had Gangster Town in it and World Grand Prix had Global Defense. Global Defense isn't too bad(minus some quite crappy music), but Gangster Town, despite being a game that uses the Light Phaser, I hate. Yuck. And the worst part is, I GOT BOTH GAMES AT THE SAME TIME FROM THE SAME PLACE! Man, I was so pissed off, especially that someone would even DARE to replace Space Harrier by another game.

Just what I thought. It's a VA2. The serial number must have something to do with the motherboard revision like OoXxXoO told me on Sega-16. Why did you resist the urge to add a power LED? It isn't so hard. Just connect the positive lead of the LED to the front pin of the power switch with a resistor and connect the negative to ground. As for placement, before my Genesis 3 died, I thought of cutting out the place where the orange sticker was placed under the power switch and sticking the LED in there. As for compatibility fixes, there's only one that's known: Game Genie. You need to connect cartridge slot B19 to solder spot C42, preferably with a capacitor. And remember, DO NOT connect the wire to both pads, only the one closest to the Sega 315-6123 chip. For Virtua Racing, you need to connect cartridge slot pin B26 directly to the ASIC, which is VERY difficult, and the proper pin for B26 is as of yet unknown. Same goes for Sega Master System and 32X compatibility, though I might have found the pin needed for Master System compatibility. I have a picture of my Genesis 3's motherboard before the ASIC got completely trashed, so I'll use it to show the possible mod location for Sega Master System mode on the VA2 Genesis 3.

The Genesis 3 is made in Mexico, no matter whether it contains a VA1 or VA2 motherboard. But I think it's a little different for the Genesis 3 because the motherboard says "Made in Korea", while the system says "Assembled in Mexico". I'm under the impression that the unit was put together in Mexico(with the plastic made there, too), but the motherboard was made in Korea. Your VA2 Genesis 3 has what serial number? Also, can I see the motherboard in it? The Genesis 2 has so many variations it's not funny. I've had first-hand experience with these types of Genesis 2s: -Made in Japan -Made in Thailand -Made in China The Made in Japan Genesis 2 has a VA1 motherboard, and it has the best audio of all my pre-VA2 Genesis 2s, with the least amount of static. What's odd about it is that even though the video encoder is a Samsung KA2195D(which equals crap), it has less pixelation than my other Genesis 2s with the KA2195D encoder(plus brighter colors, but it still has noise). My Made in Thailand Genesis 2s(almost all the Genesis 2s I own) are all the same, with audio LOADED with static and heavily-pixelated graphics(on top of duller colors and noise). I have 4 Made in China Genesis 2s, each containing different motherboards(VA1.8, VA2, VA3, VA4). The VA1.8 is the worst Genesis 2 in existence. Along with the staticky audio and pixelated, dull, and noisy video, the sound STRAINS! It kind of has like a "crunch" type sound, with some other sounds causing squeaks(avoid this unit at all costs!). The VA2 is a MUCH better unit, but there's a possibility it has the Samsung KA2195D, or even the Sony CXA1645 video encoder, so for the picture quality, it varies. Sound is superb, but there's a problem with volume balance. The FM Synthesis coming out of the Genesis is too loud, causing the PSG sound channel, as well as the Sega CD's PCM and 32X's PWM, to be too silent. Also, DON'T EVER play Master System games on a VA2 Genesis 2. PSG has a problem, which is identical to the VA1.8: it strains, but not only that, the sound channels have bad volume balance(the Noise sound channel and 2 of the 3 Square wave channels are WAY too loud). The VA3 is another hit-or-miss unit when it comes to picture quality, but in terms of audio, it has perfect volume balance and very nice sound quality(no static). Same goes with the VA4, except that the VA4 ALWAYS has a Sony CXA1645 video encoder. There's just one problem: the VA4 Genesis 2 is VERY hard to find(out of the 50+ Genesis 2s I've seen, only 2 were VA4s).

Just what I thought: any Genesis 3 whose serial number starts with AG81(my VA2 starts with AG82) The signal is 224P(or 240P?) regardless of whether you use Composite or modify the system for S-Video or RGB, but it wouldn't hurt to try and get S-Video/RGB out of the Genesis 3. If your TV can't handle the resolution, then I don't think adding S-Video/RGB will make it work. I can't say for sure. As for finding out whether your Genesis 3 has Stereo sound, use one of the Sonic games. Every odd number(1, 3, 5,...) of rings will output sound to the left speaker, and every even number of rings will output sound to the right speaker.

Reaperman, let me ask you something: what's the serial number on your Genesis 3? I've been told I can tell the motherboard revision of a Genesis 3 by its serial number(you can get it from the bottom of your Genesis 3).

Slower, like any typical PAL NES. The screen was squished, the games played a lot slower, and the audio was slower, too(sounds like crap).

I've seen in the Gen-X and FC Twin that there's a set of jumpers that switch the NES sides between NTSC and PAL, though I know for a fact that on the FC Twin, switching to PAL mode will result in really weird colors.

Can't edit my post for some reason, so here's the edited image showing the mod spots for region switches, and the Game Genie/Virtua Racing compatibility fix:

Wanna sell it to me? Nah, I'm just messing with you(though, really, I'm looking for a Genesis 3 with that motherboard). That's a VA1 Genesis 3 you have. I think what makes the system output only Mono sound is the fact that only 1 LM324 quad op-amp chip is used. On a VA2, there's only one LM324, and looking at your VA1, it's the same thing. I'm gonna make an edit of that picture showing the solder points for the region mod, as well as the Virtua Racing/Game Genie fix(the Game Genie is rendered incompatible because pin B19 on the cartridge slot is disconnected, and it also make Virtua Racing incompatible). Little factoid about Virtua Racing, if cartridge slot pin B26 is disconnected, the Genesis doesn't even load the TMSS screen. What exactly does pin B26 do(I heard it's called !CE_H, whatever the hell that means)?

Your Genesis 3 has Stereo sound? You must have one of the few with Stereo sound, then, as I know that not all VA1s have Stereo. Since your Genesis 3 is a VA1, its motherboard should look like this: http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3521/sega3013bm8.jpg What you have to do is to remove the resistors on pads R28 and R26(there's a list showing C27, R28, R27, R26, R25, they go in that order from left to right after resistor R5), then solder a wire from the common point to the center pin of an SPDT switch(you can see a trace on the closeup showing the common point on the NTSC/PAL jumper and on the US/JAP jumper; take a look at this closeup - you'll see what I mean: http://www.gamesx.com/grafx/genmodgen3b.jpg), then solder the 2 other points to +5V and Ground. For Virtua Racing, I was able to figure out how to get it working with the help of my VA4 Genesis 2. You have to remove capacitor C70 and solder a wire from cartridge slot pin B19 to the solder spot(if you will attempt this mod, show me the motherboard BEFORE you solder the wire; in other words, right after the capacitor is removed).

The Sega 315-5960 ASIC has the Z80 integrated within the chip, just like it integrates the main Genesis processor(Motorola 68000) and its sound processor(Yamaha YM2612). The same is true for the Genesis 3-exclusive Sega 315-6123 ASIC, for which no proper mods exist for Virtua Racing/Sega Master System compatibility(though a compatibility fix has been found for the Game Genie on that model). One thing I should point out: VA1 motherboard revision Genesis 3s(those have the Sega 315-5960 ASIC) have pin B26 already connected. You can use a copy of Virtua Racing to find out what motherboard revision a Genesis 3 has. If the TMSS screen shows up, it's a VA1, if not, you have the harder to mod VA2 with the Sega 315-6123 ASIC. I killed one of those trying to find the proper connections for Virtua Racing(which I failed to do, but might have found that of the Sega Master System backwards compatibility), and am now looking for a VA1 Genesis 3. All those things about the Z80 missing is BS. ALL Genesis units have them, though pre-VA4 Genesis 2s might have Zilog's Z80, a Z80 clone made by Sega(not sure what it's called, but it says 315-xxxx on the chip), or a Z80 clone with a T on the chip. Anything Genesis 2 VA4 and later have them in their ASICs. You can tell if you have a VA3 or VA4 by the model # on the bottom. The VA3 is MK-1631. The VA4 is MK-1451. That's not necessarily true. My VA4 Genesis 2 has model number MK-1631, just like my (dead) VA3. The proper way to tell which of the 2 motherboard revisions you have is to open the unit. But identifying those from a VA0-VA2 Genesis 2 is easy. Man, I should really put up pictures of what I'm talking about.

Several major differences: -No more headphone jack -RF unit eliminated(now an external RF box that plugs into the A/V out) -Piss-poor video quality with pixelated sprites and Top-Loader NES-style noise(not all Genesis Model 2s(that's the one you have, right?) are affected by the noise, but a vast majority of them are). -Absolutely dreadful sound quality - LOADS of static, and the audio sometimes strains(it kind of crackles when that happens). Again, like with the piss-poor video, most Genesis Model 2s have DREADFUL audio, not all of them The big issue with that revision of the Genesis is its disgusting video and audio quality, not just that it's bad, but that ALMOST EVERY SINGLE Genesis Model 2 in existence has either bad audio with good video, good audio with bad video, or both put together. I've only come across 4 Genesis Model 2s which had both good video and good audio, but then again, you have a problem with volume balance on some of the good audio Genesis Model 2s between the sound channels(FM is louder than the Genesis' PSG, the Sega CD's PCM, and the 32X's PWM), on top of Master System games sounding like @%!^ on them(though I may have a solution to that issue). It's hard to find a Genesis Model 2 that has good video and audio because most of them don't.

Hey, did the TurboGrafx HSC go dead or something? When will Round 3 start?

I see you've found my Gen-X/GN Twin VS. Original Hardware series of videos. That's not true with the GN Twin and Gen-X. They use a TecToy chip on the Genesis side, which is just like any original Genesis anywhere(this chip originates from Brazil, where the Genesis is still in production). Oh, God, I HATE when people say the consoles mess up the emulation. IT'S NOT EMULATION! It's reverse-engineered hardware(the chips are dumped and their code is programmed onto an ASIC-based chip, except on the GN Twin's Genesis side, where hardware made by TecToy is used. Anyways, the reason why the Genesis side sounds so bad is because the circuitry that amplifies the sound is of poor quality. When my Gen-X was working, I had soldered the sound circuit from my Genesis 3 in there just to see how it sounds like, and sure enough, it sounded just like an original Genesis(although I had to add 2 transistors to one of the Gen-X's 3 Genesis sound outputs).

Bump for a new score: 328,600

TmEE over at Sega-16(saw your account there today) made a TMSS bypass mod that will automatically switch it back on only when a Sega CD or 32X is plugged into the Genesis. See if you can get the circuit from him, that should help with Micro Machines Turbo Tournament '96. As for your projector issue, I have no clue. I don't use projectors, so I can't help you with that.