⟐ Answered July 07, 2017 at 6:12 MST

https://s3.postimg.org/z5dja3yj7/1683349...

(You can't really see it well in a picture, it's more prevalent in person)

Normally when this comes up the game doesn't load up. If I leave the console switched off for several hours or a day it'll work until I go to play a different game. I have a PAL console model 1 and I use a SCART cable. I tried replacing the SCART cable with no results, I also cleaned the inside of the console and the laser lens and tried moving up the spindle and I still get the problem. Does anybody know what is causing this? Does the laser or psu need to be fixed/replaced? Should I just buy myself a new Saturn? Help would be greatly appreciated.

⟐ Edited February 21, 2017 at 22:16 MST

I bought a Saturn pre owned in Ebay for just 9 bucks.

There was no AV cable so I opened it and soldered in a RCA plug. The Problem is, I don't hear sound and see no Picture, allthough my TV gets a signal.

I used the right pinout and soldered everything correctly but the problem still appears. By the way, the CD Spins...

Anybody got an Idea?

⟐ Answer accepted January 20, 2018 at 4:59 MST

I have a PAL Model 2 Saturn. Not sure what VA is this, but it's one of the later models, because there's no 3.3v on the PSU.

About a month ago, my Saturn's power supply died. No chirping, no weird sounds, no degradation of performance, nothing. One day it just wouldn't turn on. Turns out it was the AC/DC transformer on the board. Nothing I could do, so with help from my family, we went the DIY route. We bought a custom 5V power supply, and hooked it up to the console. (On a side note, you might be wondering why am I not using the 9V rail. Turns out you don't need it, it's just used for forcing the video output to 4:3.)

When we booted it up, it did work... Until 2 seconds later.

The console froze at the startup animation, and the audio started looping. With some troubleshooting we found out that, of the 5.05 V the new PSU generates, only like 4.8 were being brought to the console. Using shorter cables bumped that up to 4.98, almost perfect, and it became way more stable, to the point I can play some games until the end.

But it's still not quite there. On certain games, like Panzer Dragoon Saga, it can freeze while exiting from a battle. Not sure if it's because loading data requires more power, or what could be causing it.

We recently readjusted the laser, so it shouldn't be a problem.

So I just need a quick answer. Can this very small lack of voltage (0.02V literally) be causing this freezing issue? Or is it something else?

Thanks in advance.

⟐ Answered July 19, 2018 at 18:12 MST

I have a model 1 Saturn which I bought as untested. I found it would not read CDs or spin. I bought a new untested drive that spins but won't read CDs. Bought another drive which was advertised as fully working but still have the same issue.

I have also fitted a new laser but again same issue.

I am starting to think the issue is with the door lid open close switch. It seems to operate correctly I e. Spin when lid closed and stop when lid is opened. However the Saturn never displays drive door open or drive empty. I assume it should?

Anyone else have this issue and found a solution?

⟐ Answered July 12, 2025 at 1:32 MST

⟐ Answer accepted February 08, 2019 at 9:14 MST

I can't seem to find any decent information on the Internet , so I thought I'd try here. I'm repairing a sega Saturn I got off of eBay, the seller said it wouldn't turn on. So I opened it up and looked at the power supply...everything looks fine.

So I plug it in and all I get is non-stop chirping. I know capacitors can make that sound so I replaced all the radial caps, still chirping and won't power on. I tested voltage and I get 125 ac up until the middle of the board where the coil inductor is. I'm assuming it gets converted to DC then goes to the mother. So I tested the pins that the motherboard connects to.

They all read 0.45 or lower, it's supposed to be ground, ground, 3.3v, 5v, and 9v. I can't seem to track down the cause, as for the chirping I think it's coming from the coiled inductor. Any help on the matter would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris

⟐ Commented September 03, 2017 at 11:11 MST

⟐ Answered May 06, 2017 at 16:41 MST

I recently purchased a Saturn from eBay and after connecting it to my TV it seemed to be fine but after a few seconds the power went. If I leave it for a while and try again the power led will blink green and then it just dies again.

Could this just be a fuse issue as I cannot see any obvious broken bits on the power supply board (I have no meter to test the fuse)

Any ideas?

Thanks

Chris

⟐ Answered October 10, 2016 at 10:30 MST

⟐ Commented September 16, 2023 at 6:58 MST

⟐ Commented March 24, 2022 at 23:49 MST

console won’t power· pressing the power switch and nothing happens. I checked the fuse and varistor and they seem OK. I also tried another power cable but nothing changed. What else could it be?

EU Model 1

⟐ Edited by author March 16, 2021 at 8:22 MST

I hear the sound but no video.

I could try replacing the caps but it works otherwise.

Any ideas?

⟐ Commented September 21, 2019 at 18:28 MST

So, what’s happening: I’m having black visuals and no audio on him. Tried making a ReCap at the board’s capacitor with the serial number CE37, but still got no success. I’m starting to fear that it’s a matter of the graphical chip, maybe because there’s no good schematic of this board’s model and I can’t seem to find anyone making a proper fix out of it. Can anyone help me?

⟐ Edited by author June 04, 2019 at 12:36 MST

so I picked up a sega saturn this year and got a couple games with it. worked like a dream and I played it a few times in the past 6 months. plugged it in the other day because i got a copy of knights and the screen is black but the audio signals are still coming thru. cords are all fine (I've tried multiple composite cords and games by now) what should my next step be? anyone have experience with these bad boys?

⟐ Commented July 08, 2017 at 20:53 MST