Sega CDX

[+RangerG]

I had a Sega day at the flea market today. I paid a lot ($50) but I brought home some good stuff. I got a box of Sega stuff from a guy (Sega Genesis and controllers, 32X, Sega CD player, 25 loose Sega CD games, multiple controller adaptor and a Konami gun. Everything works great and the games are pretty fun. However, the best part is that in the box was a Sega CDX. It is a Sega Genesis and Sega CD in one and it is compact and so cool looking. I never knew this existed, but I am glad I bought it.

[BTHOTU]

yeah I_ want to get one of those. I have a question for a sega cd wiz. Is there a way to tell if your sega CD powers up and is running, if you have no games. I have the sega cd that has the base that holds the genesis, and the CD next to it, with the top of the sega cd opening, so you can put the CD in. I just got one, but am not sure if I have all the cables, what do you need to hook it up??

[Nukey Shay]

For the add-on CD unit (lower or side model), there are no cables required to use it. You can use the L/R audio jacks on the CD part to pipe the sound out...and you can also use a 1/8" headphone cable to mix the on-board sound from the Genesis into the L/R channels, but neither is absolutely required. That was the way that I hooked up mine...headphone cable between units, L/R audio cables, and video cable from the DIN connector...plugged the cables into a VCR's input jacks.

The CD's access light will come on when you power it up...and the screen will display the SegaCD intro if everything is working OK. If you have no disc or an audio disc in the player, the CD control panel will come up when you press the start button (the intro is a space picture of the planet and the logo bouncing around). You can press one of the buttons to display the CD+G channel to watch a karaoke disc if you have one. Some other discs have graphics on them as well (like Information Society). If you are playing a SegaCD game, audio that is fed directly off the disk will not be heard if you don't have the L/R audio hooked up...but the video will still work.

 

Problems:

The parallel edge connector on the SegaCD is crap...and is the first place that I'd check if the unit is not working (after the power adapter, of course). Try cleaning it, like the way that carts are polished. BTW, the adaptors for the Genesis1, SegaCD, and 32x are pretty much the same...so you can swap them to check if one isn't working. Easier to find a replacement, as well.

[BTHOTU]

thanks for the info, The access light is not coming on, and there is nothing on the screen, when I power up the connected genesis. just a black screen. There is an ac adapter plug on the sega cd, what is that for?? Also, what buttons were you talking about I dont see any on the CD unit. So, since the access light is not coming on, I should try cleaning the connection bettween the genesis and the CD unit?? what is the best method to do that??

 

Thanks for all the help.

[Nukey Shay]

There is an AC adapter port in the CD unit because it requires it's own power supply. If you had a 32x module, that TOO would require it's own adapter. When you have all three of those plugged in, it can help heat the house in the winter Anyway, that seems to be the problem...you need an adapter.

And the buttons I was referring to are on the screen...you use the controller to move a pointer and press it's buttons.

[BTHOTU]

Does the power supply look the same as the others??

 

This is the lot I got, and that is the sega CD. The genesis works, but I cant get the CD to work. If I have both hooked up, I need to have 2 power supplies pluged it ?

 

http://atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29224

[JB]

Both need to be plugged in.

 

The specs on the SegaCD supply are 9 volts, 1.2 amps, and a negative tip.

 

You should have all the bricks you need, based on the photo.

 

Paradoxically, teh SCD power supply claims it's for use with the Genesis console. But the plug won't fit, so it's obviously lying.

 

 

 

RangerG: Nice score. I think the CDX alone is worth signifigantly more than 50$.

[Nukey Shay]

The original lower CD unit that I had (the big one that sits below the Genesis) had the same "barrel" adapter plug that the Genesis model1 has. So the print on the adapters is correct...kinda...depending on which model you had. Dunno about the CDX or Genesis model2.

[+RangerG]

I hope you get it all working. When you have the Genesis, 32X and Sega Cd player all hooked up it sure looks like a fire waiting to happen . It all works, but it sure looks funny (almost as bad as the big Atari 2600 adaptor sticking out if the Atari 5200. By the way, in the box was a CD back-up ram cart -- what exactly does this do? I still love the CDX. It seems like it also plays like a regular CD player. I wonder if I could hook up the Supercharger to it and play the Stella Gets a New Brain disc - hmm!

Well - it is back to playing Batman Returns -- fun game!

[Lemmi]

The Ram cart is for extra memory for the Sega CD, but i dont know if it will work on the CDX, i have one and i havent tried it yet

[Gabriel]

The RAM cart is a battery back up cart to archive saved games. It's very useful (almost invaluable) if you have any of the RPGs or strategy games. It doesn't actually boost memory, just storage space.

 

Nukey Shay wrote:

If you are playing a SegaCD game, audio that is fed directly off the disk will not be heard if you don't have the L/R audio hooked up...but the video will still work.

 

This is incorrect. I don't have the L/R audio or the sound mixer jacks hooked up and music fed directly from the disc always plays through the TV speakers just fine.

 

I presently use a front loader, but the top loader I used for a while was the same way. I've never been able to try out a CDX or a third party Sega CD.

 

And, yes, many problems with SegaCD operation can be solved by cleaning the parallel connector.

[BTHOTU]

what is the best way to clean the connector, and what power supply is used to power the CD portion?

[Nukey Shay]

@Gabriel

Seeing how I no longer have the console, I'll have to take your word for it. When I originally bought it, the demo discs included with the setup would not play the audio thru the RF (just the audio from the Genesis itself)...but then worked fine when I did the full setup with the audio cables. I left it that way ever since, so I dunno.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Doesn't matter which sega CD model you have front or top loader..they both use the same power supply adapter. That adapter is the exact same one that is used on the model 1 genesis. These are the larger barrel jacks.

 

As for the audio..I can't say since I don't actually own a SegaCD yet...but I have seen them and I do know about the adapters. And yes..it is a pain to think that all of these addone required extra power supplies to make them work.

 

[BTHOTU]

thanks for all the help guys, I will see if I can get it to start kickin.

[JB]

The original lower CD unit that I had (the big one that sits below the Genesis) had the same "barrel" adapter plug that the Genesis model1 has.  So the print on the adapters is correct...kinda...depending on which model you had.  Dunno about the CDX or Genesis model2.

Gen2.