So I have a Model 2 32pin Saturn. I followed the instructions from a PDF for the Phantom Universal and put a bridge on 0014 and the middle, put the +5v connection on, put the right ribbon in, etc. My Saturn will play commercial games just fine. I am burning Darkwater BIN/CUE games, using the CUE with ImgBurn at 4x or 8x speed on Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs. Those same CD-Rs are working for my Dreamcast. However, every time I put in a CD-R the game does not load, it shortly spins up the disc a few times then eventually goes to the music player, says "Checking disc format" and plays the 2nd "song" or others if there are any. I've taken the Saturn apart several times, redid the solder on the bridge and on both ends of the +5v, reseated the ribbon cables and I still have the same problems. Any suggestions? Edit: Problem solved. I had CD21 and MB21 backwards.
Stop using Imgburn, it is known to burn coasters. Also make sure the region of the games match the machine.
I'm using Saturn Region Patcher 3.0 Gold to check the region. I also have an Action Replay Plus to negate the region if I have to. Do you have any suggestions for something else to burn it with? I have Disc Juggler, Nero, Alcohol 120 and ImgBurn all installed. Edit: I'm also using CDMage to check for errors as well. Edit: Just tried Nero, got a "Disc Unsuitable for this System" on the music player. Edit: And Alcohol 120% made a "music" cd. If I did the soldering wrong could it still work with commercial discs?
Do these CD-R work with swap trick or emulators? If so maybe the modchip is just bypassing the info that comes from the ribbon cable.
Never tried the swap trick. I'll give it a shot. Edit: I gave the swap trick method a dozen tries, could not get it to work and I'm not comfortable enough to keep going more than that for fear of ruining my drive motor. I'm still hoping that I'm just not doing the right burn method, I've tried several different methods from different places on the internet and I'm not getting anything to work.
Here are pictures of all my shoddy soldering work. View attachment 11762 View attachment 11763 View attachment 11764 View attachment 11765 View attachment 11766
I burn everything on random cdrs with Nero at 16x to 40x and never got a coaster ever. Then again some of my Saturns can read broken discs to begin with. There are some cd drives that cannot burn Saturn games for some reason - they don't support mode 2 tracks (few Saturn games have them, ex. Nights), I think. Does your Saturn check the ring when loading games? Best way to check it is to load a game with the machines top off, and watch the laser movement on the side, it should seek to the outer rings at boot, then seek back to the inner ring load the game. It makes a very distinct motor noise too. If the Saturn checks for the ring, then the modchip is not working. If the modchip is working and your Saturn games are definitely good, then it may just be the laser that needs tweaking. Back when the chips came out, there was a report by a guy who couldn't get his Saturn modded no matter the chip, he thought it was because it had a late Sanyo drive, but I personally tested the unit and it just needed the laser to be readjusted to see CDRs.
Ignore the idiot with the soldering iron. I had the chip in backwards. I had CD21 going to the motherboard and MB21 going to the CD Drive. Lesson learned folks, read every word of the instructions you have, then read them again.
IMGburn has never failed for me. Where is this known coaster issue posted? Last I heard, imgburn was the software to use. Nero, not so much since like version 6
I have some CDrs I burned with Imgburn that do not work with a Phantom modchip, but they work with Pseudo (they crash at boot sometimes). It turns out my CD burner was dying. It stopped working completely, but the discs I burn with the new, quality burner all work perfectly on both Pseudo and Phantom.
Where can I find the .pdf instructions? Every link I find is broken. Update: Nevermind. I didn't realize how easy it was to install. Imgburn works fine for me with the Phantom.
Most people don't when they message me assuming it's a mess. If you had to deal with the nonsense I've bought in the past (~15+ versions) you'd never think twice about the Phantom.
I've been modding since the first PSX modchips. The Phantom is by far the easiest chip I've ever installed. I'll be buying more for sure in the future for sure. I might buy a large quantity if the price is right.
Just a pointer because I had some trouble myself, I've met a few people who had the chip in correctly but had tried to burn mdf files in imgburn, best use alcohol 120
New I have installed 25+ of these upgrade chips. Today I had a ton of issues with the install. I thought it was a failing laser not reading CDRs, then though perhaps I had a bad ribbon cable etc. Eventually I noticed I had CD21 going to the motherboard and MB21 going to the CD Drive. It's the stupid simple installs that can cause issues. Why I don't know. I need coffee
