Sega Saturn (Model 1) Capacitor Replacement Guide
The early Sega Saturn main boards use surface-mount aluminium electrolytics, and they leak. This page lists them by board revision, together with the power supply and CD-ROM boards, which are separate assemblies with their own designators.
How Sega numbered the Saturn
[edit | edit source]On the Saturn, Sega splits the capacitor designators into two series: plain C numbers for ceramic chip capacitors and CE numbers for aluminium electrolytics.[1] Sega's own circuit board diagram for the VA0 PAL board, reproduced here, shows both series side by side, and the VA13 schematics use the same convention.[2]
Two footnotes to that rule, both from Sega's own parts list: CE1, CE2 and CE4 are ceramic 1 µF chip parts fitted in CE-numbered positions, and CE32 is a 10 µF 6.3 V tantalum chip.[1] Neither is part of a normal recap.
The practical consequence: a capacitor list for this machine that gives plain C designators — C1 to C20 at one value, C21 to C30 at the next — is not describing a Saturn. On the real VA0 board C1 to C20 are 0.1 µF ceramics.[1]
Which board do you have?
[edit | edit source]Saturn board revisions differ in more than layout, so read the silkscreen — it carries both an 837- assembly number and a 171- PCB number, for example "837-11493 IC BD SATURN MAIN VA0 PAL / 171-6963B".
- Surface-mount electrolytics — VA0, VA0.5 and VA1. These are the boards covered below.[3]
- Through-hole electrolytics — VA SG, VA SD, VA6, VA7, VA8, VA9, VA10, VA11, VA13, VA15. Those lists are on Sega Saturn (Model 2) Capacitor Replacement Guide.[3]
The shell does not reliably tell you which board is inside. If the board in front of you is a through-hole revision, use the other page regardless of which case it came in.
Beyond the main board there are three further assemblies with their own capacitors: the power supply unit, which is a bought-in module and varies by manufacturer and by mains voltage; the CD-ROM board, which likewise came from several suppliers; and the small SH-1 board (838-10834), on which only C121 (47 µF) is fitted — C108 and C122 are empty positions.[3]
The power supply
[edit | edit source]The Saturn is mains-powered. There is no DC adaptor: the PAL machine (model MK-80200-50) is rated AC 220–240 V, 50/60 Hz, approximately 20 W, and takes a detachable mains lead.[1] Any guide that describes a 9 V or 10 V DC input for this console is describing a different machine.
That means the power supply board carries lethal voltages and stores them. The primary-side bulk capacitor is a 22–56 µF part rated 400 V on 220–240 V units.[3] Before touching the board: unplug the lead, wait, then measure across that capacitor and discharge it through a resistor until it reads near zero. Recapping this board is entirely reasonable work — it is one of the two boards most likely to need it — but do it with the mains lead out and the bulk capacitor proved dead.
The rails it produces are given in Sega's block diagram:[1]
| Rail | Feeds |
|---|---|
| +9 V | The CD drive, and the PLL |
| +5 V | Everything except the SDRAM |
| +3.3 V | The SDRAM |
There is no +12 V rail.
Main board lists
[edit | edit source]The VA0 PAL list below is the one case where a manufacturer source and a community source can be compared directly: Sega's own electrical parts list for the 837-11493 board and console5's list read off real boards agree position for position, including the PAL-specific values at CE30 and CE54.[1][3] That agreement is the reason to trust the remaining revisions, which console5 documents and Sega's hosted manual does not.
VA0 — 837-11076 (NTSC)
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 100 µF 6.3 V | CE3, CE6, CE18, CE19, CE30 |
| 10 µF 16 V | CE15, CE16, CE20, CE21, CE23, CE31, CE37, CE42, CE52 |
| 4.7 µF 25 V | CE22 |
| 220 µF 4 V | CE24, CE25, CE26, CE27, CE28, CE29 |
| 22 µF 6.3 V | CE33, CE34 |
| 47 µF 6.3 V | CE35, CE49, CE50, CE53 |
| 330 µF 6.3 V | CE45, CE46 |
| 1 µF 50 V | CE47, CE48 |
| Not fitted | CE38 |
VA0 — 837-11491 / 837-11493 (PAL)
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 100 µF 6.3 V | CE3, CE6, CE18, CE19 |
| 10 µF 16 V | CE15, CE16, CE20, CE21, CE23, CE31, CE37, CE42, CE52 |
| 4.7 µF 25 V | CE22 |
| 220 µF 4 V | CE24, CE25, CE26, CE27, CE28, CE29 |
| 220 µF 10 V (6.3 V acceptable) | CE30 |
| 22 µF 6.3 V | CE33, CE34 |
| 47 µF 6.3 V | CE35, CE49, CE50, CE53 |
| 330 µF 6.3 V | CE45, CE46 |
| 1 µF 50 V | CE47, CE48 |
| 100 µF 10 V | CE54 (PAL boards) |
| Not fitted | CE38 |
VA0.5 — 837-11493 / 837-11076-02
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 100 µF 6.3 V | CE3, CE6, CE18, CE19 |
| 10 µF 16 V | CE15, CE16, CE20, CE21, CE23, CE31, CE37, CE42, CE52 |
| 4.7 µF 25 V | CE22 |
| 220 µF 4 V | CE24, CE25, CE26, CE27, CE28, CE29 |
| 220 µF 10 V (6.3 V acceptable) | CE30 |
| 22 µF 6.3 V | CE33, CE34 |
| 47 µF 6.3 V | CE35, CE49, CE50, CE53, CE55 |
| 330 µF 6.3 V | CE45, CE46 |
| 1 µF 50 V | CE47, CE48 |
VA1 — 837-11613-01 / 837-11891-01
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 100 µF 6.3 V | CE3, CE6, CE18, CE19, CE30 |
| 10 µF 16 V | CE15, CE16, CE20, CE21, CE23, CE31, CE37, CE42, CE52 |
| 4.7 µF 25 V | CE22 |
| 220 µF 4 V | CE24, CE25, CE26, CE27, CE28, CE29 |
| 22 µF 6 V | CE33, CE34 |
| 47 µF 6.3 V | CE35, CE49, CE50, CE53, CE55 |
| 330 µF 6.3 V | CE45 |
| 220 µF 6.3 V | CE46 |
| 1 µF 50 V | CE47, CE48 |
| 47 µF 16 V | CE58 (PAL boards) |
Note the voltage ratings. CE24 to CE29 are 4 V parts in Sega's own list — that is not a typographical error, and a higher rating in the same footprint is a safe substitution, but do not assume a "standard" 16 V value for those positions.[1]
Power supply boards, 220–240 V
[edit | edit source]Identify yours from the label; the manufacturer and model are printed on it.[3]
Panasonic ETXSE077E1C
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 33 µF 400 V | C005 |
| 1200 µF 10 V | C101, C102, C105 |
| 10 µF 50 V | C103 |
Fujitsu KS350-1401-H025/01 (first variant)
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 33 µF 400 V | C5 |
| 4700 µF 10 V | C10 |
| 2200 µF 16 V | C12 |
| 330 µF 16 V | C15, C16, C24 |
| 2200 µF 10 V | C50 |
| 47 µF 16 V | C72 |
Fujitsu KS350-1401-H025/01 (second variant)
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 22 µF 400 V | C2 |
| 2700 µF 6.3 V | C9 |
| 1500 µF 6.3 V | C10 |
| 33 µF 25 V | C15 |
Voltek S-7195
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 56 µF 400 V | C102 |
| 47 µF 25 V | C106 |
| 2200 µF 16 V | C202 |
| 330 µF 16 V | C203, C207, C210 |
| 2200 µF 10 V | C205, C206, C209 |
Saturns for 100–120 V mains use a different set again — Fujitsu KS350-1401 variants, Panasonic ETXSE077J1B, Phihong PSM3507, Voltek S-7194, S-7208, S-7218 and 34288/34507/34588 series, and Yamaha XQ155, XQ468, XQ981, XR258 and XS205 — each with its own list.[3]
CD-ROM boards
[edit | edit source]JVC EXL-P604
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 100 µF 10 V | C102 |
| 2.2 µF 50 V | C117 |
| 47 µF 10 V | C118, C120 |
| 220 µF 6.3 V | C210 |
| 220 µF 10 V | C306 |
JVC EXL-P605
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 100 µF 10 V | C102 |
| 47 µF 16 V | C104, C119 |
| 2.2 µF 50 V | C121 |
| 220 µF 6.3 V | C210, C307 |
JVC ENR-007 B / D
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 47 µF 10 V | C101 |
| 100 µF 10 V | C106, C230, C509 |
| 22 µF 16 V | C202 |
| 4.7 µF 50 V | C211 (rev D) |
| 10 µF 25 V | C220 |
| 220 µF 10 V | C301 |
| Not fitted | C208 |
Hitachi JA00292
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 22 µF 6.3 V | C501, C502, C504, C506, C623, C701, C712 |
| 47 µF 16 V | C511 |
| 47 µF 6.3 V | C609 |
| 2.2 µF 50 V | C614 |
| 10 µF 16 V | C615, C626 |
| 100 µF 6.3 V | C722, C724 |
Sanyo CDK94V5SGC
[edit | edit source]| Value | Designators |
|---|---|
| 100 µF 6.3 V | C101, C127, C128, C150, C207 |
| 10 µF 16 V | C103, C130 |
| 220 µF 6.3 V | C111 |
| 330 µF 6.3 V | C114 |
| 47 µF 10 V | C117 |
| 0.33 µF 50 V | C119 |
| 1 µF 50 V | C133, C303 |
| 4.7 µF 50 V | C153 |
| 22 µF 16 V | C157 |
Doing the work
[edit | edit source]- Unplug the mains lead. Remove the case screws and the top shell, then the CD compartment lid, the shield plate and the SH-1 board, then the four screws holding the CD drive unit supports and the five holding the main board. The power, power-indicator and R.SW boards come out last, on three, one and two screws respectively.[1]
- Lift the surface-mount electrolytics with hot air or by rocking with two irons. Saturn pads lift easily; do not lever.
- Wash every footprint with isopropyl alcohol and inspect under magnification. Electrolyte that has run under an adjacent part will keep corroding after the capacitor is gone — see Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage.
- Fit 105 °C low-ESR parts at the original value, or the original value with a higher voltage rating. Stripe to the negative end.
- Leave the trimmers on the CD board alone. They are servo adjustments and setting them needs an oscilloscope and a test disc.[1]
General tooling is on Recommended Tools; the symptom-by-symptom picture is on Capacitor Failure Symptoms.
After the recap
[edit | edit source]- Check +5 V, +9 V and +3.3 V at the power connector on the main board.[1]
- With a disc loaded and playing, the RF eye pattern at the RF test point should be 0.8 to 1.4 Vp-p. Below 0.8 Vp-p, Sega's instruction is to replace the pickup.[1]
- A machine that boots, plays an audio CD and runs a game from disc has exercised almost everything the electrolytics sit in.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Sega Saturn (Model 1)
- Sega Saturn (Model 1) Troubleshooting Guide
- Sega Saturn (Model 1) Maintenance Guide
- Sega Saturn (Model 2) Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Capacitor Failure Symptoms
- Recommended Tools
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Sega Enterprises, Ltd., Service Manual — Sega Saturn (PAL), No. 013-1, June 1995 — hosted on this wiki as File:Sega service manual - sega saturn pal - no. 013-1 june 1995.pdf (see Sega Service Manual - Sega Saturn Pal - 1 June 1995). Section 1 gives the ratings, section 5 the disassembly, section 6 the CD drive maintenance and adjustment figures, section 7 the block diagram with the power supply rails, section 9 the circuit board diagrams and section 11-3 the electrical parts list for the VA0 main board.
- ↑ Sega Saturn VA13 Service Manual (PAL) — hosted on this wiki as File:Sega Saturn VA13 Service Manual PAL.pdf (see Sega Saturn VA13 Service Manual (PAL)). A partial scan: block diagram, power supply and CD unit sheets and eleven main-board schematic sheets. It carries no parts list, but its schematics use the same C / CE designator split as the VA0 manual.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 console5 TechWiki, Saturn, https://wiki.console5.com/wiki/Sega_Saturn . Secondary source — per-revision capacitor lists read off real boards, covering VA0 through VA15, the power supply units by manufacturer and model, and the CD-ROM PCBs. Its VA0 PAL list (837-11491 / 837-11493) agrees position for position with the parts list in Sega’s own PAL service manual, including the values at CE30 and CE54 that are specific to PAL boards.