Can you switch Saturn PCBs?

[carbon]

A n00b question: can you switch PCBs between different region Saturns? I wanted to put a regular US PCB into my white JP Saturn because I killed its PCB when I tried to mod it (I totally destroyed the jumpers and pads). Is this possible?

[NFG]

There are a lot of similarities between board revisions, and the majority should be swappable.  There are significant differences between oval and round button units, so try and use a round-button US model if at all possible.  

And if you've already got the saturn and you're asking instead of trying I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to explode now.

[Agentspikey95]

you should be glad people ask before wasting money.  

[carbon]

no, i don't have one, but if figured it'd be cheaper to buy a US saturn and switch'em.

are there any 'usual suspects' when saturns (or game consoles in general) 'die'? like is it usually the cd drive or laser or something? i was thinking of buying a 'defective' saturn off eBay so I could switch the PCBs but the company (VGLQ) has a lot of them so they won't know specifically what is wrong with any given one.

also, when you say round buttons you mean the power and reset buttons right? which model has them?

[benzaldehyde]

j0 know...

The Saturn isn't particularly well designed under the hood. There are several parts floating around, with wires and other miscellaneous crap. You would save yourself a nervous breakdown by installing a region switch or getting a region/ram cart.

Usually, in moving-part game systems, the first thing to die is the moving part. The board should be fine. If a board seems dead, then it's probably just a fuse problem.

Yes, those buttons. Those were the two main (exterior) models released in the US.

Also, if you're going to have to explode, do it outside as not to mess up your den.