Saturn - Loads games then freezes

[EC]

I have a HiSaturn which will play music CDs just fine and games will load up but when it reaches a particular sequence where I am assuming it has to load more, the system hangs. My guess is that somewhere there is a bad connection for the RAM or something of this nature but if anyone has experience with this, I'd greatly appreciate your input!

[NFG]

Typically when a system locks during loading there's only the CD mech itself, or bad programming, to blame.  For example, Metal Slug won't load on some systems because of a bug in the software.

I'd blame a failing CD mech long before I'd even consider bad RAM.  

[Guest]

Well, the thing is that it is not just with loading but for certain games, I can see distortions in some graphic sequences befoer I get the inevitable crash. I thought about the CD mechanism and have replaced the drive but still the same results.

[NFG]

'distortion in graphic sequences'?  What does this mean?

[thumpin_termis]

I have a same/similar problem.  It's a 20-pin model saturn, and it reads audio cds without problems, and loads the games, but once it loads, some of the textures on things don't load properly, and generally looks a bit wacky and scrambled.

I've also tried a few good cd motor assembly units with same results.  I also tried replacing the small daughterboard that sits on the lower right-hand side of the system, but to avail.  (I have a batch of defective saturns, so I have quite a bit of spare parts right now)

It loads the main menu CD player screen, and streams fmv without problems, so I'll take away the possibility of a faulty a/v outlet.  I'm also thinking something faulty with video ram or the chipset.

So it's narrowed down to something on the main motherboard, but I'm not to sure what I can replace, or poke around on that thing.

Any ideas what components and chipsets control the video on the main board?

[Segasonicfan]

Has anyone tried adjusting the lens on their Saturn?  That could very easily fix the problem.  Strange stuff though, I wish I could be more helpful but I've never had any Saturns broken in this way.  I do have a pile of Saturn guts though if anymore wants/needs parts I'll sell them dirt cheap.

-Segasonicfan

[thumpin_termis]

Yup, I not only tried that, but I tried a couple other good whole laser assemblies, so the problem wasn't with the laser/motor.

But in the end, the this particular motherboard ended up hitting the dumpster.  The time I spent working on it just wasn't worth it, and like you Segasonicfan, I have tons of saturns sitting around (a total of 10 working saturns + spares parts for later), so I wasn't too sad to see it go.

If anyone needs a saturn console - lemme know!

[blackevilweredragon]

oh geez, how many Saturn models were there?  it's like a candy store, you got many flavors!

[EC]

I have a same/similar problem.  It's a 20-pin model saturn, and it reads audio cds without problems, and loads the games, but once it loads, some of the textures on things don't load properly, and generally looks a bit wacky and scrambled.

I've also tried a few good cd motor assembly units with same results.  I also tried replacing the small daughterboard that sits on the lower right-hand side of the system, but to avail.  (I have a batch of defective saturns, so I have quite a bit of spare parts right now)

It loads the main menu CD player screen, and streams fmv without problems, so I'll take away the possibility of a faulty a/v outlet.  I'm also thinking something faulty with video ram or the chipset.

So it's narrowed down to something on the main motherboard, but I'm not to sure what I can replace, or poke around on that thing.

Any ideas what components and chipsets control the video on the main board?

That's exactly the same problem I am having! Dashboard loads fine, plays CDs fine, spools FMV fine from discs, just has problems with graphics and then crashes eventually.

[thumpin_termis]

That's exactly the same problem I am having! Dashboard loads fine, plays CDs fine, spools FMV fine from discs, just has problems with graphics and then crashes eventually.

Yeah, it's definitely something on the motherboard.  As I wrote above, I tried mixing and  matching all other combinations to no avail.  So unfortunately, you might just have to replace that HiSaturn motherboard...

oh geez, how many Saturn models were there? it's like a candy store, you got many flavors!

As far as the plain us and jp saturn models go, I know of 3 variations of the oval button model, and 2 variations of the round button model.

Then you add in the special navi saturn, hi-saturn, and v-saturn, skeleton saturn, the Korean samsung saturn... And I think that's about it...

[NFG]

How do you want to count?  For Saturns that actually have different FEATURES, there are three: Normal Saturns, the HiSaturn Navi, and the SunSeibu 7-CD Saturn.

If you want to count cosmetic variations, there are quite a few: JVC, Hitachi and Sega all released two variants (oval button and round) and Sega released some round-button units with a 'loading' light and some without.  Samsung also released an oval-button unit, no idea if there's a round-button one.  Also, in Europe, both oval- and round-button units were released. And then there's the TecToy units from Brazil...

If you want to could internal variations, where the PCBs or drive mechs differ, there are a few more as well, as Sega revamped the guts a few times to reduce costs.

[EC]

I can't easily replace it as it is the HiSaturn GPS....

[NFG]

you mean the Navi?  In that case I'd suggest sending it back to Hitachi.  I had to get one repaired a couple of years ago with a similar problem, the system would choke on a lot of CDs, but others would work perfectly.  I tested it, played fine, sold it, and it came back dead.  Tested it again on the same game, worked fine, but when I tested it on 12 other games they all failed.

[EC]

Yup, it is the Navi or GPS unit. You must have sent it in right before they stopped as I did in fact contact Hitachi and they said they discontinued repair service years ago.

[NFG]

Yikes, that sucks.  I got it serviced in 2002 or thereabouts.  

[Ganelon]

I have been having the same problem with my US SS (round buttons). I ended up getting a new SS without this problem, but the old one is in storage. Here's what I described elsewhere:

My SS sometimes cannot display 1 or more layers of visuals (the red selection boxes in the SS menu, the opening SS mirror animation, the SS logo at the startup, etc.). Some games can be played perfectly despite this issue, some don't show sprites, while others hang when they're loading.

This issue pops up intermittently, but once it occurs, nothing seems to help (restarting via any means). But the next day (or a few days later, or hours later), it may suddenly start working again. Sometimes, a bad game even starts operating normally mid-game (sprites suddenly pop back up) or a good game suddenly breaks apart and slows to a crawl or freezes (a sunburst/broken glass-like effect appears on the screen).

From this topic, it sounds like many SS motherboards have something that can cause this defect.