"Multi-Region" Mega Drive

Version 2.0

Matthew Neilson June 13, 2004

Contents

1 Introduction 2 Adding Switches to your Mega Drive 2.1 What you Need. 2.2 Opening up your Mega Drive. 2.3 How the Switches Work. 2.4 Building the Switches. 2.4.1 Language Switch. 2.4.2 50Hz / 60Hz Switch. 2.5 Fitting the Switches. 2.6 Widening the Cartridge Slot. 2.7 Congratulations!. 15
3 Frequently Asked Questions Why do I need to make my Mega Drive multi-region?. Why are some Mega Drive games locked out?. How does the lock-out system work?. What is a bridge adapter, how does it work, and why doesnt it allow me to play all import games? What is a `Universal Adapter'?. What about the Game Genie / Pro Action Replay?. Whats the big deal with 50Hz PAL?. Why is my picture black and white?. Why am I experiencing slowdown in 60Hz NTSC mode?. Is there any way to minimise (or, even better, eliminate) slowdown?. Can I play locked out European games in 60Hz NTSC mode?. I plugged one of my English games into a Japanese Mega Drive, and it now plays in Japanese - why? Which games use lock-out technology?. Is it true that widening the cartridge slot makes my console multi-region?. I heard that the very rst run of Mega Drive consoles had no region lockout. Is this true?. Is there any way to make my Mega Drive change its region automatically?. Is there such a thing as a `lock-out chip'?. What about the licensing screen which appears upon powering up the console?. My modied Mega Drive / Genesis has slightly dierent jumper connections to those outlined in the guide, yet it still works. Why?.
c 2002-2004 Matthew Neilson (matt@gneilson.plus.com) A Constructed using TEXShop, the LTEX frontend for Mac OS X

Version 2.20

Why are the printed traces on my Genesis dierent from the "US" setting shown in the guide?. On my board, JP1 and JP2 are in a dierent area from JP3 and JP4. How do I modify this console? My board has a capacitor across one of the four jumpers. How do I proceed?. Does modifying my console allow me to play any Sega/Mega CD game?. Are there any guides for modifying a Mega Drive / Genesis `mark 2', a Nomad, or a Genesis 3?. 4 Recommended Japanese Import Games 5 Credits 6 Disclaimer

Introduction

By denition, an import is something which has been brought in from a foreign country. In gaming terms, the world is split into three main territories: Europe, America and Japan. If you want to guarantee success with playing import Mega Drive games, you have three options 1. Buy a console from each region (takes up lots of space, but if youre a collector this may be the ideal solution). 2. Buy a universal pass-through adapter which allows you to select a specic region (note that a simple bridge adapter will not suce - you actually require an adapter with region switches). 3. Modify your console by building region-switches, making it multi-region (easily achieved on a Mega Drive 1, and also possible on a Mega Drive 2; this is my preferred option due to its neatness - once modied, your Mega Drive can play anything!). Any of the above will save you from worrying about compatibility issues when buying import games. This document is intended to give you detailed step-by-step instructions for the latter option, namely modifying your Mega Drive / Genesis model 1 console such that it can play import games. The console used to demonstrate this procedure is a European Mega Drive, although this guide is 100% compatible with any region of Mega Drive / Genesis. Owners of a PAL Mega Drive are strongly advised to modify their console for 60Hz gameplay - games will run 20% faster (that is, at their intended speed), AND full-screen (no more crushed graphics!). People seem to get very apprehensive when it comes to opening up their Mega Drive dont be, the modication is incredibly simple and the benets of 60Hz gameplay are remarkable. Before attempting anything on your console, you should rst read through the entire guide and make sure that you are absolutely clear of what needs to be done. If you have any doubts, please feel free to Email me - Ill be happy to help you, and any input will help improve this guide. Similarly, if you notice any typos, please Email me and I will update the guide.
Adding Switches to your Mega Drive
Well, theres my switched Mega Drive - damn, it looks good! Notice the switches at the bottom left, just next to the volume control. It is possible to play any game from any region on this console. Follow these instructions to make your Mega Drive / Genesis multi-region - regardless its country of origin. Note that this guide is only intended for use with the original model 1 Mega Drive1.

What you Need

You will need the following: 1. A screwdriver 2. Some long wire 3. A soldering iron 4. Solder 5. A sharp knife 6. Two SPDT switches 7. An RGB SCART lead
Figure 2.1: Mega Drive ipped upside down. Note that
the six screws holding the machine together are located around the perimeter of the case.

Figure 2.2:

Mega Drive opened in the correct manner, with no strain being put on the "power on" LED.
Opening up your Mega Drive
First of all, turn your Mega Drive upside down (as in Figure 2.1), and unscrew the six screws on the bottom of the machine. Now turn your Mega Drive over such that it is in the normal playing position, and slowly lift the top casing as shown in Figure 2.2. Be careful of the wires that connect to the red "power on" LED. To disconnect the wires, simply bend the LED legs so theyre straight, and pull the connector o. When it comes to reconnecting the LED, note that one LED leg is longer than the other - the red wire attaches to the longer leg. Alternatively, you could write R[ed] and W[hite] next to the legs - its inside the case so its not like anyone will see it. Bear in mind that your Mega Drive wont have the red wires shown at the left hand side of Figure 2.2 (yet). Now unscrew the screws that hold down the shielding. Dont forget about the gold screw on top! NOTE: Once youve nished, remember to put the shielding and casing back to the way they were! Be sure to match up the "on" switch and the volume control on the casing with their corresponding parts on the circuit board when putting the upper casing back on. Once the shielding is removed, you should see something similar to Figure 2.3 (minus the extra red wires, of course!). Youre now ready to perform the modication.
Figure 2.4 shows a blow-up of the section we are most interested in on the circuit board of this particular Mega Drive (located in the bottom-right of the circuit board shown in Figure 2.3). There are four sets of jumper switches labeled "JP1", "JP2", "JP3", and "JP4" (as in Figures 2.4 and 2.5). Working from left to right for JP1 through to JP4, each solder point has been denoted a number from 1 to 8, respectively this simply makes referencing somewhat easier later on. Take a sharp knife, and cut a straight line through

If your Mega Drive has a volume control and a headphone jack, it is a "Model 1" Mega Drive.
Figure 2.3: The inside of a Mega Drive once its shielding had been removed.

JP1 JP2 JP3 JP4

Figure 2.4: A magnication of the section of the board
in Figure 2.3 containing the necessary jumper switches.

Figure 2.5:

The diagram corresponding to Figure 2.4, where each end of the four jumpers has been labeled.
the middle of the jumpers (the dotted line in the Figure 2.5 represents the area you need to cut). Youll need to cut quite far into the board - but dont over do it! Those of you with access to a multimeter may use this to determine whether or not you have cut suciently deep. Throughout the Mega Drives life, there were many dierent circuit board revisions. In some versions, the jumpers may be found at a dierent part of the board from the one shown above; in others, the same jumpers may be laid out in a dierent order. As such, your Mega Drives circuit board may look slightly dierent from the one shown in this guide. Dont let that worry you. You should nd that JP1 and JP2 are both located in the same part of the board, with JP3 and JP4 also being paired together. You can deduce
the orientation of each jumper by looking at its printed label (e.g. "JP1" goes from left to right, which tells you which way round my diagrams are in relation to your circuit board).

How the Switches Work

JP1 and JP2 control the language of your machine. Connecting a piece of wire between the points labeled "2" and "3" will set your console to "Japanese mode" (Figure 2.6), while connecting "3" and "4" will put you in "English mode" (Figure 2.7). Similarly, JP3 and JP4 control the output of the console. Connect a piece of wire between points "5" and "8" for 60Hz NTSC output (Figure 2.8), and between "5" and "6" for 50Hz PAL output (Figure 2.9).

JP1 JP2

JP3 JP4

Figure 2.6: Japanese.

Congratulations!

You can now play Import Mega Drive games! Simply switch to "60Hz" and "Japanese" for Japanese mode, "60Hz" and "English" for US mode, and "50Hz" and "English" for European mode.
There are many interesting dierences between the European release and the Japanese releases of this game. First, the developers call themselves Technosoft in the Euro version and Tecno Soft in the Japanese version. Secondly, the 100 lives cheat doesnt work in the Japanese version - instead, you start with 0 lives! 4 The following are Sunsoft games: TEL TEL Mahjong, Batman, TEL TEL Baseball Staduim, Shi Kin Joh, Super Fantasy Zone, Lemmings, Flashback and Panorama Cotton.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to make my Mega Drive multi-region?
If you want to play the majority of Japanese (and American) import games, your only options are to either buy a bridge adapter or to perform a hardware modication on your Mega Drive. The former merely allows the Japanese cartridges to t into your Mega Drive, and wont allow you to play all import games (Japanese or American). The latter will allow you to play ANY Mega Drive game, regardless of where it was released.
Why are some Mega Drive games locked out?
In order to answer this question, well have to go through a brief history of the Mega Drive. The Mega Drive was originally released in Japan, then in the USA (with the name changed from Mega Drive to Genesis), and lastly in Europe (where it was called Mega Drive again). Now, Sega was (and still is) split up into three main divisions - Sega Japan, Sega of America, and Sega Europe - and each of these divisions work independently of one another. This means that if European Mega Drive owners had imported all of their games from America, Sega Europe would have made no money, and the Mega Drive would have been discontinued in Europe. With the Mega Drive ocially discontinued in Europe, there would have been no TV ads, no Mega Drive magazines, and no awareness of the Mega Drive for most of the European public. As most games were released in Japan and America before they were released in Europe (and since the games-playing public are a pretty impatient bunch), importing was a popular way of buying games. So Sega introduced the lock-out system.
How does the lock-out system work?
Without going into too much detail, heres a quick outline of the three major gaming territories: Region Japan USA Europe TV Signal 60Hz NTSC 60Hz NTSC 50Hz PAL Language Japanese English English
So a Japanese game could be programmed to run if and only if the console has a Japanese language setting (i.e. Japanese games will only play on a Japanese Mega Drive). Similarly, an American game could be programmed to run if and only if the console has an English language setting AND a 60Hz NTSC signal. Likewise, European games could be programmed to run if and only if the console has an English language setting AND a 50Hz PAL signal.

What is a bridge adapter, how does it work, and why doesnt it allow me to play all import games?
A bridge adapter just acts as a bridge to allow Japanese Mega Drive games to t into a non-Japanese Mega Drive. If you look at a Japanese cartridge, you will see that it is not the same shape as a European or US cartridge. Due to the dierence in shape, a Japanese Mega Drive cartridge will not t into a non-Japanese Mega Drive (unless the cartridge slot is widened). So if a Japanese game has no in-built security, it will play on a non-Japanese Mega Drive provided you can physically t the cart into the slot. As mentioned earlier, though, some games are programmed to recognise the territory of the console on which they are playing, and
so a bridge adapter will only allow you to play some Japanese games. Bridge adapters do NOT make your console play games in 60Hz mode.
What is a Universal Adapter ?
Universal adapters (such as the one released by Datel) are becoming increasingly hard to nd these days, and are often confused with bridge adapters. Like a bridge adapter, the universal adapter is placed between the game and the console. However, a universal adapter will always contain several DIP switches which allow you to select the region of the game you wish to play, and the label on the cartridge will explain which switch settings are to be used for each region. However, a universal adapter does not make a European/Asian Mega Drive output 60Hz.
What about the Game Genie / Pro Action Replay?
Both the Game Genie (Galoob) and the Pro Action Replay (Datel) are cheat cartridges, designed to let the user hack into the game of their choice and alter parameters which control various aspects of the game. This means that such a device can be used, for example, to give the user innite lives, unlimited energy, access to hidden levels, and control of the game speed. Due to the nature of these devices, codes may be "invented" for just about any game, with many bizarre (and game-enhancing) results - such as the ability to execute special moves in mid-air for the Street Fighter II series. The devices use lock-on technology (similar to the bridge adapter and the universal adapter), meaning that the cheat cartridge plugs into the Mega Drive with the game plugged directly on top of the cheat cartridge. As such, both the Game Genie and the various incarnations of the Pro Action Replay may be used as a bridge adapter for foreign games. However, many people have noticed that these devices have a distinct advantage over simple bridge adapters, namely that by entering specic region-free codes an import game can be forced to run on a domestic console. Unfortunately, each game requires a dierent code in order to play in a specic territory, and so there is no universal code which works for all games. Furthermore, I must point out that a large number of games do not currently have region-free codes available for use with cheat cartridges, and that codes are not compatible between dierent devices (i.e. a region-free code which works with the Pro Action Replay will not work with the Game Genie). In short, this option only works if someone has invented a code for the particular game you wish to play and the cheat cartridge you intend to use. However there are a couple of documents in the "Genesis Hardware FAQs" section of GameFAQs which list a large number of region-free game codes, so if you already have one of these devices you should denitely check these out. As in the previous cases, a Game Genie / Pro Action Replay will not make a European Mega Drive output 60Hz.

in the CPU in NTSC MDs running at a slightly faster clock speed, but not so much that youd notice! The frequency is divided by 12 or 15 depending on what the 50/60Hz jumper/pin is set to. This means that if you have a PAL MD set to 60Hz or a NTSC MD set to 50Hz, the colour subcarrier is at the "wrong" frequency (hence you need a RGB SCART cable when playing games at 60Hz on a European MD, otherwise you get a black-and-white picture). None of the above is relevant for the Mega PC, actually (because it doesnt use a composite or RF connection, so doesnt need a colour subcarrier), but I just thought Id mention it :-) -Mike
Why am I experiencing slowdown in 60Hz NTSC mode?
As many gamers will attest, some sections of games are notorious for slowing down when theres a lot of action going on. This is because the CPU cant process the game information quickly enough to run the game at full speed. In 60Hz mode slowdown is generally more prominent than it is in 50Hz mode. European gamers may remember some slowdown when playing (usually when one player loses lots of rings). Well in 60Hz this the game is running faster in the rst place. It is important to not experience more slowdown than an unmodied US Genesis that matter. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in two-player mode slowdown is slightly more noticeable, since note that a modied PAL Mega Drive will or an unmodied Japanese Mega Drive, for
Is there any way to minimise (or, even better, eliminate) slowdown?
Yes, there is a way of doing this. Apparently, Sega underclocked the Motorola 68000 (the Mega Drives core processor) to run at 7.67MHz. The reasons behind this are unknown (possibly to prevent overheating or premature parts failure?), but people have found ways of overclocking the processor to reduce lag and allow even the most slowdown-ridden games to play without a hitch. The Mega Drives processor has been forced to run at speeds of up to 16MHz while maintaining stability (contrary to popular belief, overclocking a Mega Drive does not cause its games to run faster than their intended speed). Note that overclocking will require a separate modication and, for most people, the eort involved isnt really worth it. However, the hobbyists among you should denitely check out Epic Gamings website at http://www.bluespheer.com/host/epicgaming//md oc/ for information on the procedure involved. Please note that overclocking is not covered in this guide and is completely separate from making your Mega Drive multi-region. I cannot answer any questions regarding overclocking - although Im happy to hear from anyone who has successfully overclocked their console.

Can I play locked out European games in 60Hz NTSC mode?
Yes, you can. Once you have performed the modication, set your Mega Drive to 50Hz PAL English mode, and at any time after the SEGA logo has appeared switch the frequency to 60Hz. In most games, you will be able to play the game at its intended speed. In some games, however, the music will be out of sync (PAL Cool Spot, for example) or there will be some graphical glitches at certain points of the game (as in the PAL versions of Alien Soldier, Virtua Racing, Another World and Gunstar Heroes).
I plugged one of my English games into a Japanese Mega Drive, and it now plays in Japanese - why?
Many early Mega Drive games were burned onto what is called a dual-language ROM. Take the European release of Streets of Rage II, for example. If you play it on its intended console (that is, a European Mega Drive) itll work as expected, with all of the text in English. However, plug the exact same cart into a Japanese Mega Drive and youll nd yourself playing Bare Knuckle II, the Japanese version of Streets of Rage II, which has almost all of its text in Japanese (plus a few other cool dierences: "Skate" is renamed "Sammy", Mr X now smokes a cigar on the nal stage. etc). So, how did the same game change languages simply by plugging it into a dierent machine? Because the European release of Streets of Rage II contains exactly the same ROM as the Japanese release, and the game was simply programmed to recognize a European machine from a Japanese one - the console determines which version of the game is run. So someone living in the UK could buy Bare Knuckle II, plug it into their European PAL Mega Drive (after the appropriate cartridge slot modication), and it would magically play in English. Other games which feature this characteristic include Quackshot, GhoulsN Ghosts and Gauntlet IV. Note that the console does not translate anything; sort of like a magic act, the trick was carried out well before anyone knew what to look for - in this case, the trick was performed at the factory where the ROM was burned. Another interesting point is that the dual-language in Streets of Rage II only works between European and Japanese consoles (when set to US mode, the European release of Streets of Rage II gives the usual message explaining that you need either a PAL or a Japanese Mega Drive).

Which games use lock-out technology?
Any game released prior to 1992 will run on a Mega Drive of any region. However, there is no easy way of determining which import games released during and after 1992 are playable on a domestic console. To add even more confusion, just because a game is region-free in one territory does not mean that it is unprotected in another - for example, the US release of some games will play on any [unmodied] console, whilst the corresponding European release may only run on a European Mega Drive (and so on). This means that the only way of being sure of which games are locked out is to test each one. The "Territory Lock-out List" on the "Genesis Hardware FAQs" section of GameFAQs attempts to list which games contain a territory lock-out, and is worth checking out.
Is it true that widening the cartridge slot makes my console multi-region?
No. The cartridge modication allows Japanese games to physically t into a non-Japanese Mega Drive, but it does not allow locked out games to play.
I heard that the very rst run of Mega Drive consoles had no region lockout. Is this true?
No. All Genesis / Mega Drive consoles block protected import games by default. There are no exceptions.
Is there any way to make my Mega Drive change its region automatically?
There is no known way of modifying a Genesis / Mega Drive to automatically switch its region depending on which game is inserted. Im inclined to believe that it would be impossible to do this, since there are a
number of dual-language games out there. For example, the Japanese and European releases of Streets of Rage 2 use exactly the same ROM - so how would an auto-switching console know which region to choose? It would either crash, or ignore one of the language-settings altogether (e.g. Bare Knuckle 2 - the Japanese version of Streets of Rage 2 - may be impossible to play on such a machine).
Is there such a thing as a lock-out chip ?
There is no such thing as a lock-out chip in Genesis / Mega Drive games. Territorial lock-out is performed in the form of software, and is therefore eectively PART of the game. When a protected cart is inserted, the rst thing the game does is check the console on which it is being run such that it can determine what to do next. For example, say we insert a Japanese game which uses territorial lockout (such as Monster World IV) into a non-Japanese (unmodied) console: 1. First, the game checks the console to determine which region it is from. 2. If the console has the same conguration as a Japanese Mega Drive, the game will then load - otherwise, the game will refuse to load and will instead display a pre-programmed warning message. As you can see, theres no point including an expensive chip to prevent importers playing games when simply adding a tiny (eectively free) amount of code to the game would do the trick.

What about the licensing screen which appears upon powering up the console?
This is the famous Mega Drive Boot-ROM. Later revisions of the model 1 console (those manufactured after February 1991, I believe) introduced a licensing check to prevent companies from releasing unlicensed games (as opposed to territorial lockout, which is used to prevent people from importing games). As such, original model 1 systems are able to play some of the early [and unlicensed] Accolade games. The story goes something like this: Basically, Accolade [under the Ballistic alias] and Electronic Arts [neither of which were ocial Sega licensees] decided to reverse-engineer some ocial Mega Drive / Genesis games in the hope of learning how to write their own games. At one point, some apparently meaningless code was found near the beginning of each reverse-engineered game (i.e. it served no purpose - when removed, the games loaded and played as expected), so they decided not to include this code in their games. A huge court battle between Sega and Accolade ensued and, in the end, Segas later board revisions of the model 1 Mega Drive / Genesis included a check for the omitted "ocial" code to disable the unlicensed releases. Assuming we are attempting to play a protected game, the order in which these two [completely independent] procedures work is as follows: 1. First, the console scans the game to determine whether or not it may be run. 2. Then the game checks the console to determine whether or not that specic console may run the game. Do not confuse the ability to play unlicensed games with the ability to play region locked games! For example, games which checks the frequency of the console before loading (such as PAL Alien Soldier) will refuse to load on a US Genesis - regardless of its model. I have found that consoles with "high denition graphics and stereo sound" printed on the rim of the
disc surrounding the cartridge slot and an "EXT" port on the back are the only ones which might not display the licensing screen (unfortunately, the last batch of consoles to use this "old-style" case also included a license-test). If anyone knows a better method of identifying license-free machines, please let me know.
My modied Mega Drive / Genesis has slightly dierent jumper connections to those outlined in the guide, yet it still works. Why?

The guide is based around the way I modied my Mega Drive - and the set-up shown will work when applied to a Mega Drive of any region (US, Europe, or Japan). However, there are slightly dierent set-ups that also work perfectly well. Galen Tatsuo Komatsu neatly demonstrates this using his modied Genesis. The console was modied in such a way that it has one switch for each jumper, and after a couple of tests he came up with the following tables:

Language

JP1 open open closed closed JP2 open closed open closed output English English Japanese *short*

50Hz/60Hz

JP3 open open closed closed JP4 open closed open closed output 60Hz 60Hz 50Hz *short*
As you can see, selecting two conicting states simultaneously (i.e. "English and Japanese" or "50Hz and 60Hz") results in the power line being connected directly to the ground line and the console fails to power up. It is also worth pointing out that "English" and "60Hz" appear to be the dominant settings. So on this console we could have wired it such that our language switch connects across JP1 when switched to one position, and is open when icked to the other. Referring to the diagram in Section 2.3 we could have, for example, "1" wired to the middle connection, "2" wired to the right connection, and leave the left connection open. Similarly, our 50Hz/60Hz switch could have been wired such that we have JP3 closed in one position, and open in the other. I believe the modication would have also worked if we had used "1" and "7" as the central connections for our language and frequency switches respectively, since "1" is soldered to "3", and "5" to "7" on the backside of the board. NOTE: I strongly recommend you stick to the original settings used in Section 2, as these have been thoroughly checked and better explained.
Why are the printed traces on my Genesis dierent from the "US" setting shown in the guide?
The printed traces on a US Genesis go across JP2 and JP4 (thats 3-4 and 7-8 in the diagram). As explained in the above answer, points "5" and "7" are are already connected - so end result is the same. In short, just stick to the guide and youll be ne! For the record, the printed traces on a PAL Mega Drive go across JP2 and JP3, and on a Japanese Mega Drive they go across JP1 and JP4.
On my board, JP1 and JP2 are in a dierent area from JP3 and JP4. How do I modify this console?
This will not aect the modication procedure. JP1 and JP2 control the language of the console, and work independently of JP3 and JP4 (which control the output frequency [50/60]Hz). So instead of wiring both switches to the lower-right section of the circuit board, simply wire one switch to the section in which JP1 and JP2 are located, and the other to the area in which JP3 and JP4 are located.

My board has a capacitor across one of the four jumpers. How do I proceed?
On some of the older boards you may nd a capacitor on one jumper (usually one of the language jumpers). If you have a capacitor here, note that it is on the unused jumper for your consoles region - for example, on an English-language console the capacitor will be across JP1. It has been determined that this serves no purpose, and so its completely safe to de-solder the capacitor at either end (i.e. remove it). You can now use Section 2 of this guide to modify your console. NOTE: Thanks to Carlo Savorelli and Lorenzo Nocentini for risking their Mega Drive to verify this.
Does modifying my console allow me to play any Sega/Mega CD game?
As far as unmodied consoles go, you cannot pick and mix Sega/Mega CD and Genesis/Mega Drive systems. A US Genesis will only work with a US Sega CD. The Sega CD (US version of the Mega CD) needs a US Genesis in order to function - it simply wont work with a foreign console. Of course, with switches installed on your base Mega Drive (or Genesis) you can get round this by switching to US-mode before loading a Sega CD game. As for playing Mega CD (that is, European or Japanese) games on a US Sega CD, you need a converter cartridge such as the Pro CD-X released by Datel in the UK. This plugs into the cartridge slot of your system, allowing games from the selected region to play on your Sega CD - you dont need switches on your system to play Jap CD games if youre using a US Sega CD. The downside? You cant have a back-up RAM cart and an import converter in your system at the same time - so games that rely on a RAM cart, like Japanese Shining Force CD, are pretty much out of the question. Note that you cant switch your Mega Drive to Japanese mode to play a Japanese CD game on your US Sega CD, as the two systems would think they are from dierent regions - and the Sega CD wouldnt work. You need an adapter to force two systems from dierent regions to work with one another. If you live in Europe and wish to play import CD games on your European Mega CD, youve got an extra hurdle to overcome - namely the dreaded 50/60Hz problem. When you load an import game using the Datel adapter on a European Mega CD, things generally work OK until you reach FMV-heavy sections of the game (in fact, the CD audio works independently of the game speed, and so all CD audio will be out-of-sync with the graphics). Now I havent tried this myself (as I dont have a Mega CD), but I believe it should be possible to play imports on a modied European Mega Drive by switching to 60Hz, plugging in the Pro CD-X adapter, and then loading the import you wish to play. Alternatively, you can obtain the so-called "switchable MultiBIOS" for your Mega/Sega CD. You swap your current CD BIOS with this MultiBIOS and install the appropriate switches, allowing you to play import CD games on your system without the need for an adapter. For more information, check out Arakons guide, available at http://arakon.hn.org/tutorial/bios.html.

Credits

SEGA Enterprises, Ltd.

http://www.sega.com

Manufacturers of my favourite games console of all time, the Mega Drive. Without Sega, this guide would not exist!

Apple Computer, Inc.

http://www.apple.com
Computer manufacturer, developer of Mac OS X. This guide was written on an Apple Powerbook G4 running Mac OS X.
TEXShop http://www.uoregon.edu/koch/texshop A Frontend for the powerful LTEX typesetting system, primarily used for scientic document typesetting.

Eidolons Inn

http://www.eidolons-inn.net
Site devoted to the classic Sega consoles. The Tavern message board in particular was an invaluable source of information during the compilation of this guide.

GoogleTM Groups

http://groups.google.com
A complete archive of every Usenet post since 1981. The alt.sega.genesis newsgroup was used to discuss many aspects of Mega Drive modication.

GameFAQs

http://www.gamefaqs.com
Home of numerous useful Mega Drive documents which were consulted throughout the evolution of this guide. The Genesis message board raised some of the questions included in the FAQ section of this guide.

Special Thanks.

THANKS!
Mike G, Galen Tatsuo Komatsu, Flavio, |Ray| (Arakon), Eidolon, Dark Grue, Samudra, Amano Jacu, Carlo Savorelli, Lorenzo Nocentini and everyone else that has contributed to this guide. I couldnt have done it without you guys thanks!

Disclaimer

This guide has been checked and double checked. To the best of my knowledge, all of the information given here is correct. However, I am not responsible for any damage which results form the [mis]use of this guide. If you have any questions or wish to point out any typos, please contact me via Email. One of the reasons for me writing this guide was because I found it dicult to obtain thorough, reliable information on Mega Drive modications - so I encourage you to distribute this document as much as you want, using any methods you see t (e.g. through websites, le-sharing programs, message boards,. etc.), so that others can have an easier time nding it. Finally, and most importantly, if you feel that you should be credited for any part of this guide, please Email me and you will be added to the "Credits" section in any future releases. Thanks!

16-Bit Games System Specs Just the specs, and nothing but.
ATARI 520 ST (1985) CPU Graphics RAM Sound
Karen Collins www.gamessound.com
68000 Central Processor running at 8mhz capable of three resolutions, Palette of either 512 or 4096 colours depending on model 512 K YM 2149 Software-Controlled Sound Generator capable of producing 3 voices in mono (On the STFM). The STe had stereo sound.
Commodore Amiga 1000 CPU Motorola 68000 @ 7.16 mhz (16-bit) RAM Graphics Sound 256Kb expandable to 512Kb internal, Up to 8 MB external Graphic chip capable of three resolutions, palette of 4096 colours Paula: 4 channel stereo Sega MegaDrive CPU: Motorola 68000 at 7.61 MHz. CoProcessor: Z80 @ 4 MHz Controls sound 1 Mb ROM Area 64 Kb RAM Area 64 simultaneous colors of 512 colors. 320 x 224. 2 scrolling playfields, 1 sprite plane, 80 Sprites PSG chip (TI 76489), FM chip (Yamaha YM 2612- 4-operator), 6-channel stereo , 8 Kb RAM , Signal/Noise Ratio: 14dB Sega Mega CD Motorola 68000 @ 12.5MHz, same co-processor. 6Mb 512Kb (PCM waveform memory) 1Mbit (Boot ROM Same as mega drive Sega 32x Dual Hitachi SH-2 RISC Processors @ 23 MHz each, 40MIPS. Co-Processors: Genesis 68000, and Z80, Genesis 32X VDP 512k (4 MBit) additional RAM to original megadrive CD memory 32,768 simultaneous colours on screen, Texture mapping, Hardware scaling and rotation Stereo PCM chip, Audio mixing with Mega drive sound, Additional 2 channels (8 Channels total, or 16 with SegaCD)

Memory Graphics

PCM Sound: Stereo, 8 Channels. Sampling wavelength: 32MHz max. 16-bit DAC, 8x Internal oversampling digital filter, PCM and CD sound mixing. 10 channels stereo FM sound, plus 8 channels of Stereo 16bit sound at 32KHz
Super NES/ Super Famicom CPU MEMORY graphics
WDC 65816 16-bit: 2.68 / 3.58 Mhz 16-bit RAM: 1 Mbit (128 Kbyte) Video RAM: 0.5 Mbit (64 Kbyte) Cartridge Size: 2 Mbit - 48 Mbit Max Resolution: 512 x 448 pixels Colors: 32,768 colors Max Colors at Once: 256 Max Sprite Size: 64 x 64 pixels Max Sprites: 128 sprites 8-bit Sony SPC700: 8 ADPCM Channels, 64KB Audio RAM