So not too long ago now, I upgraded my Saturn, SNES, N64 and PS2 to all use S-Video instead of composite (and my Wii to component, but that's neither here nor there). I'd been wanting to do the same to my old Genesis 2, the one I've had since at least 1994 or so (I got it with Sonic 3, among other games, if that helps date it any), but noticed that it only supported up to composite, and decided then wasn't the time. So, I've stuck with the RF connection (ugh) that I've used most of my life with this thing. Not like I've got a whole lot better to use at this time... A couple of months ago I busted out some old games I'd bought at the local thrift store (X-Men and The Lion King) to see if they worked (they do), when I noticed just how muffled the audio was. Never noticed it before (probably because I'd never hooked it up to this TV before); I'd just chalked it up to the crappy RF connection I was using, and that if I upgraded to even composite, it'd go away. So now, out of morbid curiosity, I was looking into the S-Video mod again, and noticed it doesn't apply to a good deal of Model 2s. Even worse, looking into it, I see the muffled audio is a problem with the circuitry itself, and not just the crappy connector I'm using (although I'm sure that doesn't help matters). So, out of curiosity (and thanks to this amazingly comprehensive guide on Genesis/Mega Drive variations), I cracked open that old Genesis this morning, and I can say fairly definitively that it's a VA1 mobo with a Sony CXA1145M video encoder. From the looks of things, that means the S-Video mod shouldn't be too difficult to do, although it also means I'll be wanting TmEE's "Crystal Clear Audio" mod (having listened to audio clips of both the unmodded and modded circuits which compare the outputs, the differences are pretty blatant). Only thing is, I'm not an expert with a soldering iron. Hell, I haven't soldered anything since sophomore year of high school, and I'm two years out of college now (so about 8-9 years ago). Don't even think I was especially handy with the iron then, either; can't even remember what projects I was doing with the things anymore... As such, I'm not exactly feeling comfortable with the idea of soldering any new circuitry onto a Model 2, and was wondering what the best course of action was, here. I could suck it up and try the soldering iron anyway, probably saving myself a fair amount of dough in the long run at the risk of really screwing something up from my inexperience. Alternatively, I could try to find somebody who's willing and able to do both mods for me in one fell swoop, but figuring out who could do it is a bit of an issue, and I'm also concerned the asking prices would be too rich for my blood (I've seen at least one guy asking $160 plus S&H to install TmEE's CCA mod, which is frankly obscene; conversely, the S-Video mod could be done for $40 assuming this guy is reliable, although I have no idea if he'd be willing to do TmEE's CCA mod as well). I'm also kind of concerned about the consequences of modding something like this; I don't believe the audio mod will impact any potential Sega CD or 32X purchases down the line (although frankly I'm interested in neither at this immediate moment; about all I'd get would be EWJ:Special Edition and Sonic CD on the former, both of which I already own elsewhere, and Chaotix on the latter), but I'm not so sure about an S-Video mod; I know the 32X has its own separate A/V output, and I'm honestly not sure how the Sega CD handles that kind of thing. I'm not exactly committed to anything yet, if you hadn't noticed. I'm still exploring my options in this area. Kind of wanted opinions from those much more well-versed on this subject than I am before I go and do something really stupid. (And yes, I'm aware that an RGB video output mod, assuming one's even necessary, would be a better option, but I kind of like the idea of having all my older consoles using S-Video, so there we are.) Also, if this topic would be better in Technical Discussion, by all means...
