The serviced purchased was:
- PS1: Installation of MFO and In-game-reset on a console modded with a PSIO. PSIO was not provided
- Mega Drive 2: Installation of a triple bypass, region mode + DFP and in-game reset
Playstation 1
The console was received already modded with a SIOX board to support a PSIO cart, but the cart itself wasn’t provided.
The installation of the MFO was first. Only the GPU clock was required as this version of the board, PU-18, doesn’t need a subcarrier mod even if the MFO modkit supports it. A DFO modkit would have worked all the same
Nothing unusual in the in-game-reset installation.
I observed that the SIOX board was populated with a modchip but it wasn’t wired. The customer was happy with me to proceed to the wiring, which will allow the customer to play both PAL and NTSC discs, as well as burnt media. I also protected a couple of old enamel wires that looked quite weak with some kapton tape.
Unfortunately the laser is not in its best condition. Nevertheless, I successfully tested a burnt homebrew disc and a japanese import, which wasn’t possible before the wiring of the modchip. The fact that the japanese import appears in colour shows that the MFO mod is working. I wasn’t able to test the rest mod without the PSIO but there is not reason why it shouldn’t work.
Mega Drive 2
The consoles was received with a “switched” region mod. Before removing it to install the switchless mod, I installed the triple bypass. This consoles had a couple of bodge wires and a capacitor from what looks factory. In preparation for installing the TBP board on the back of the DIN connector, I removed the capacitor and moved one of the bodge wires for more space
The mod requires the following steps:
- Lift three pins of the video encoder by the DIN connector on the top of the board
- Remove 8 capacitors from the top of the board. The audio wires from the TBP will be connected to some of the vias left by removing the capacitors
- Remove 4 SMD resistors and bridge the pads left by two of them
- Install the TBP board and wire it up
I tested the console before and after the installation to make sure everything worked as expected
Next up, I installed the region mode (which includes a DFO). To do this, first I removed the previous mod, which had a physical switch installed on the back of the console (which left a small hole) and 3 wires connected in various places in the console. This mod requires cutting traces. The original mod had already cut 2 of them (not particularly neatly), and the new mod needed an additional one for the reset side of things.
The new region free mod + DFO requires the removal of the clock chip and installation of the mod board on it, as well of the remove of the LED and replacement for a new LED board which uses different colours depending on the region. I note the LED had already been replaced (from usual red to blue).
Finally the last mod if the In-game-reset. This is the simplest mod of all of them and is located at the back of the board. The mod allows the changing of the region from the gamepad, by pressing reset + A + B + C for at least 1.5s. There are two options as explained in the Retroupgrades website LO or HI. I installed the mod with the HI option as it is recommended if the region free mod is also installed
Just a couple of pictures more with top and bottom of the board with all the mods
