Sorry for the response delay, maniacminer.the music is good and "Expander" pushes both the sound chips to the max.
The MD1 doesn't have the sound issues of the MD2, which has a cost reduced version of the MD1 PCB.
Although the components are similar to MD1 quality, the integration of the glue logic isn't the same as far as audio and visual signal quality output goes.
The sound chip is built into the custom Sega 315-5660 FC1004 ASIC mostly found in PAL MD2 consoles, a Yamaha version of one of the AY series AFAIK and this chip is a likely cause of MD2 boot failure.
They can be obtained NOS although quite pricey;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166153115371
Seller doesn't seem to have any listings, though!
Although the 7805 has a good heatsink, a switching regulator is a must because the ASIC is close to the regulator and some of MD carts I've tried cause the audio signal to clip noticeably.
This could be down to the audio signal output, preamp or regulator output issues, not conducive to cool running.
The website at retrorgb.com has a lot of info and also the 3BPV2 mod is available at;
https://8bitmods.com/mega-drive-genesis ... bypass-v2/
Quite a job to fit one, like desoldering a MD2 heatsink.
Statistics: Posted by sP1d3r — Sun Jul 07, 2024 10:11 am