Modifying the Sega Power Base Converter

[manaman]

Hello all,

I was just wondering if anyone here has modified the Sega Power Base Converter to fit on a Sega Genesis Model 2. If so, do you have any tips/resources you'd like to share.

I am interested in purchasing a Power Base Converter but have never seen one in person and have a Model 2 Sega Genesis. Any pictures you may have of what the end result would look like would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

manaman

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Get a Model 1 Genesis the sound and video quality are much better than the Model 2 and you can play the Power Base Converter no problems or modifications needed. If you still want to use it on a Model 2 then there are guides out there that show you how to trim the plastic off of the edges and make it fit but I still recommend just getting a Model 1.

[manaman]

Hey,

Thanks. I have thought about the Model 1, but for now I'm pretty committed to trying to make a Power Base Converter I work with the Model 2. You mentioned some guides, but I haven't had a lot of luck tracking any down. Do you think you could link me to any you know of?

Thanks,

manaman

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Unfortunately no, as I know that I've seen some somewhere, but haven't researched it in quite a while.

Try Sega-16 as I think they may have had some sort of guide there:
http://www.sega-16.com/

[manaman]

Thanks Mod_Man_Extreme,

If anyone else knows of some walkthroughs or could post pictures from their experience, I'd be greatly appreciative. I will, however, be checking around.

Peace,

manaman

EDIT: After doing some thinking and searching, I'm still interested in what some of you may have done or getting photos, links and whatnot, but I've decided I can't justify damaging a piece of vintage hardware. I will not be making this modification (unless I convinced myself I had the right tools and a little guidance beforehand). I will either buy a Master System down the line or get a Model 1 eventually. (Any thoughts on which route would be better?)

POST EDIT: I thought I'd throw a few links in here in case other people were trying to find something on this particular subject:

Wikipedia
Sonic Retro
Sega 16
This is the most complete walkthrough I could find but it's sorely lacking if you ask me

[Lokkenjawnz]

You don't necessarily need to modify the PBC, there's a second version of it that is significantly smaller, though it lacks the card slot. It was released overseas in Europe. You could probably find them on ebay and the like, though I would assume they'd cost a bit.

If I remember correctly though, aren't the Power Base Convert guts fairly small? I thought I read a guide somewhere that showed the internals to be not much larger than a game cartridge. I could be totally off base though, I've never opened my PBC up. Come to think of it, I've never actually used it. Damn I need to find some MS games.

[manaman]

Hey,

Ideally I would love to find the PBC II. I know it doesn't have the card slot, but I don't imagine that would be a serious concern for me. The only problem is that I haven't been able to even find a picture of one. eBay, Yahoo! and Google didn't turn up a single thing.

Also, I assume it wouldn't be a problem, but would it matter that the PBC II was released in PAL territory? It still would work on an NTSC machine, correct? Seeing as it's really just a pass-through?

Peace,

manaman

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Hey,

Ideally I would love to find the PBC II. I know it doesn't have the card slot, but I don't imagine that would be a serious concern for me. The only problem is that I haven't been able to even find a picture of one. eBay, Yahoo! and Google didn't turn up a single thing.

Also, I assume it wouldn't be a problem, but would it matter that the PBC II was released in PAL territory? It still would work on an NTSC machine, correct? Seeing as it's really just a pass-through?

Peace,

manaman

Yes, it would work with an NTSC console as the SMS had no region lock whatsoever but it's a particularly rare item to come by in Europe and can sell at a ridiculous price.

[manaman]

. . . but it's a particularly rare item to come by in Europe and can sell at a ridiculous price.

That's what I'm afraid of. Any thoughts on the third party versions? I'm not really into third party accessories, but I may cut my losses if the darned thing works.

[MrPopo]

If I remember correctly though, aren't the Power Base Convert guts fairly small? I thought I read a guide somewhere that showed the internals to be not much larger than a game cartridge. I could be totally off base though, I've never opened my PBC up. Come to think of it, I've never actually used it. Damn I need to find some MS games.

Well, I remember purchasing a new converter for the Sega that was just a small PCB that you could stick in a Genesis cart, and a little would stick over the top. It's really a small piece of hardware that mostly just reroutes pins.

Edit: Found it: http://www.tototek.com/store/index.php? ... ucts_id=74