Hi again! I'm back so soon with yet another another problem. It seems I don't have much luck when it comes to second hand systems...
I recently bought a White Sega Saturn from a local auction site. It has been modded, and comes with a custom stepdown converter, since we operate with 220/240v here. Everything runs fine, except for the fact that the system smells like it's burning when it's on. It's only a mild smell, but it's made me slightly distraught. Could this be from a bad mod? Is it the power supply inside? Perhap, is this smell normal?
I happen to have a PAL model 2 Saturn on hand, and I've heard the process of replacing the Power Supply is quite simple. Could this perhaps be the solution to my problems?
White Saturn smells when on
Re: White Saturn smells when on
So it's a Japanese Saturn and you're using a converter to step down your 220/240v to what? American outlets are 120v, but Japanese outlets are 100 or 110v.
That smell doesn't sound good, could very well be over heating. I would suggest not using the system until we get this figured out.
That smell doesn't sound good, could very well be over heating. I would suggest not using the system until we get this figured out.
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gtmtnbiker
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 4320
- Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:14 pm
- Location: Massachusetts
Re: White Saturn smells when on
The power supply is inside. A burning smell can't be a good thing. I would suggest opening it up and see if you can pinpoint where the smell is coming from.
Re: White Saturn smells when on
Hey, thanks for the quick replies! I got around to opening both of my working Saturns this evening. The screws were wound pretty tight on the White one, geez!
After opening the system up, I'm not entirely certain which part of the system the smell is coming from. I think it's one of the capacitors on the power supply.
The modchip is connected to the power supply, so that throws away any confidence I had in transplanting the power supply from my other Saturn, since I don't have much confidence in soldering. I checked the power supply on my PAL Saturn and they don't look very similar so it might not be transplantable. I do have a Model 1 Saturn, which can't read discs but powers and boots fine, so I might take a look at the power supply. I can take photos of each power supply, if that would help?
I turned on my other Saturn and there definitely isn't any smell coming from that one. Either the modchip, the stepdown converter I'm using, or even a capacitor on the power supply could be the culprit here. All three of these things are going to be an awful nuisance to try replacing.
As for the stepdown converter, it converts 220-240v to 110v, according to the label. I hope this information helps in the meantime if you could give me some suggestions. I'll take some photos and try smelling again, and get back to you tomorrow (never thought I'd have to say that in a sentence before
).
After opening the system up, I'm not entirely certain which part of the system the smell is coming from. I think it's one of the capacitors on the power supply.
The modchip is connected to the power supply, so that throws away any confidence I had in transplanting the power supply from my other Saturn, since I don't have much confidence in soldering. I checked the power supply on my PAL Saturn and they don't look very similar so it might not be transplantable. I do have a Model 1 Saturn, which can't read discs but powers and boots fine, so I might take a look at the power supply. I can take photos of each power supply, if that would help?
I turned on my other Saturn and there definitely isn't any smell coming from that one. Either the modchip, the stepdown converter I'm using, or even a capacitor on the power supply could be the culprit here. All three of these things are going to be an awful nuisance to try replacing.
As for the stepdown converter, it converts 220-240v to 110v, according to the label. I hope this information helps in the meantime if you could give me some suggestions. I'll take some photos and try smelling again, and get back to you tomorrow (never thought I'd have to say that in a sentence before
).