SEGA Saturn Swap Method
-=Saturn Swap Method=-
Written by Anonymous
Version 1.0
When I recently had to make a backup of one of my Saturn games that was getting abused by my roomates' lack of care for CDs in particular, I had to find out how to play copied cds on my Saturn just like their official counterparts. Throughout the course of my search, I found that most of the available sources of information were either A) hard to understand for the regular guy or B) incorrect. So I've compiled the information that I found and tried to re-write it in plain English.
NOTE: This file was written for North American Sega Saturns in mind. I do not gaurantee that this information may apply to models distributed to other countries, although I'm pretty sure it will work just fine.
Read this entire document before you attempt anything. I take no responsibility what-so-ever for anything you do to your Sega Saturn, and you void your warrantee by opening the case. So if you mess it up, well, look for a new one. :)
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A Section You Could Call "Fooling Your Saturn Into Thinking The CD Lid Is Always Closed As Normal"
STEP ONE: IDENTIFING THE MODEL YOU OWN
The first thing you need to do is quite simple, and it really helps out when you start swapping CDs. Take a look at your Saturn's "Power" and "Reset" buttons. Are they shaped exactly like a circle? If not, you own a model 1 Saturn. If so, you possess a model 2 Saturn.
STEP TWO: OPENING UP YOUR SATURN CASE
This isn't too hard. There's just four screws you need to un-do with a Philips-style screwdriver (or not a flat-tipped screwdriver). You'll see the screws, so I think a diagram is unnecessary. If you can't find them all, stop where you are and forget about swapping, it's not for you. Put the screws in a place where you'll remember them and won't lose them.
Now that your lid is un-screwed, flip your Saturn right-side up and lift the top section of the case off. Be careful not to drop the bottom half of the Saturn, as that's the important part and any damage is bad. The back compartment cover that holds the battery will probably fall out, set it to the side.
STEP THREE: DUCT TAPE FIXES EVERYTHING
This step is pretty simple, but extremely important. As it will fool your Saturn into thinking that the cd lid is closed all the time. Don't worry, it will not damage your Saturn in any manner.
Look at the cd drive where the game cd's go. Off to the left just a little bit is a little device. It looks somewhat plastic on my model 2. But you'll notice that it has a little lever that can be pushed in. Once you're sure you know where it is, get the tape out. Any tape that'll stick will do, but I love duct tape and it stays on forever. Tape the switch completely around in a circle. Make sure it holds the switch in.
Once it's taped, it's time to put the case back together. It should be pretty easy to do. Don't forget the back compartment lid.
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Now's a good time to test to see if your Saturn works normally. As long as you haven't done anything I haven't told you to, or hit something, it should work just fine. You should be able to play a game with the lid open or closed, as your switch you taped now fools your Saturn into thinking the lid is down.
If it worked, congratulations, your ready to swap cds! If not, well, take your Saturn case off and remove the tape. You can attempt this again, just follow the instructions more closely. :)
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Swappin Them Damn CDs
Remember when you identified what model your Saturn was? Well, here's where it comes in handy. If you own a model 1 Sega Saturn, you're in for a good ride. Us model 2 owners are in for nights of cursing and throwing controllers around. It isn't impossible, it's just a bitch to do at first. Once you know what you're doing and when to do it, however, it isn't hard at all.
Well, here's the tricky part, and I've divided this into two different sections for the two different models, so no one gets confused.
Model One Sega Saturns
UPDATED by |Ray|:
The single swap WILL fuck things up. use this instead:
Put in the CDR of the game you want to play. turn on your Saturn. watch the drivelight. It will blink a few times. when it stops blinking, put in an original Saturn CD (any will do). Wait until the drivelight flashes 3x quickly, then put in the CDR again. The game should boot up fine and work.
Model Two Sega Saturns
Alright, I didn't lie to you model 2 owners. Once your copied CD is in the drive, start up your Saturn. Wait for the Sega logo to assemble and listen to the CD laser move. Here you have to remove your copied CD and insert an official game CD. Now wait and listen to the drive slow down, when you hear it moving again and speeding up, quickly remove the official CD and insert the copied CD. As with the model 1 swapping, the game should now work perfectly.
If it worked for you on your first time, congratulations, I asked my Magic 8Ball if you were extremely lucky and it said "Without A Doubt." However, if it didn't work for you, join the club. It's a bitch at first, just keep trying. You'll eventually get the hang of it.
Happy swapping! =)
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