Radica Sega Genesis Audio Distortion Fix

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Video clip used was from VideoGameSauce
(used under fair use)linked here out of courtesy:
/ videogamesauce

[@setsukiFR]

people looking for a fix, not finding it online, and making a tutorial once they fixed their problem are the best

[@The8BitGuy]

+setsukiFR just a correction. I did find the fix online, eventually. I just couldn't find a tutorial. So I made one.

[@syndromatic.design]

+The 8-Bit Guy Thanks! But could you make some videos on Apple computers, mainly from the PowerPC era? (1998-2006)? _Please_ ? Thanks!

[@moftsoft]

@@The8BitGuy Is the content in this video not verbatim taken from my minimal tutorial video, errors and all?

[@suprememasteroftheuniverse]

Do a copy strike, Michael Moffitt.

[@senvr11]

@@moftsoft what?

[@syncchannelblog267]

Going out on a limb here just looking at the pictures and not having a schematic, but: The LM358 chip is a dual operational amplifier (opamp). It looks like the original circuit used opamp #2 in the package for first stage amplification, and then opamp #1 in the package for additional amplification. The output of opamp #1 goes through a filter to the audio output. Overamplification and/or a poor filter design was likely the problem. Removing L3 disconnects opamp #1 and the filter from the audio output. The first jumper described connects the audio output to the output of opamp #2. Then, removing the resistor (R21) and adding the second jumper seems to adjust the gain of opamp #2, probably to make the audio loud enough with only the single amplifier. Overall a very simple mod, glad it was this easy.

[@TF80s]

My brain is spinning after reading this comment...can you just come here and fix mine for me??

[@dillonholz5581]

I always get really excited when I see a new video from The 8-bit Guy in my sub box

[@GuihKx]

Yesss!

[@colinvink8862]

+Dillon Holz I know me too! Because it always seems like he puts so much more effort into his videos then other youtbers.

[@themollymachine]

me too!

[@readyplayerjuan_LIVE]

+Dillon Holz same here, he's my new best friend and he doesn't know.

[@MarshallMathersthe7th]

+Dillon Holz Same

[@theantipope4354]

One small correction: 'L3' is an inductor, not a resistor. On schematics & PCBs, the letter prefix indicates what kind of component it is: 'R' is for resistors, 'L' is inductors (coils), 'C' is capacitors, 'Q' is transistors, 'U' is ICs (chips), etc.

[@EdgarsLS]

On *very few* occasions boards will not have standard prefixes, usually it's something like the connectors, transistors, and IC's having non-standard prefixes, but I've seen ones that even have resistor prefixes be non-standard

[@EnjoySynthSounds]

That sound sure was painful until your fix.

[@oldfasiongamer]

Nerd

[@oldfasiongamer]

Jk i cant talk

[@uncannyx]

dangit ..... i had this plug-and-play, and i sold it because the audio was terrible, now i want it again lol

[@urielc918]

Oof

[@xandercreates6766]

Yeah just buy one and get the wires and something to solder and de-solder

[@chartier67]

@Michael O Callaghan Now come on, it also required the removal of two, yes two resistors lol.

[@nerdyneedsalife8315]

@@chartier67 Oof, that's very expensive.

[@chartier67]

@@nerdyneedsalife8315 I know, that's a deal breaker lol.

[@Larry]

My issue was how warped the music is on a lot of these Mega Drive on a chip systems, it's not the distortion just songs play out of key, Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion sounds like a cat being strangled.

[@pferreira1983]

+Larry Bundy Jr At Games handhelds really suffer. Boogerman just sounds wrong.

[@PhantomHavok]

We all read this in his voice.

[@ozrithclay6921]

I literally read that in your voice

[@gardener_leaftail]

@@pferreira1983 yeah. I got one when I was really young, and I assumed that's how it sounded. When I watched a gameplay of some of the same games a few years later, I thought the video was broken, but, nope! That is it's real audio!

[@pferreira1983]

@@gardener_leaftail I think what's happening is the At Games stuff only has one sound channel so half the music ends up missing when it comes out of the speaker.

[@sprybug]

Crazy. I ran into the same thing several months ago when I was attempting to wire up a cartridge connector to make it a portable Sega Genesis. It worked, but the audio was total garbage. It wasn't easy finding the solution, but I found a few videos and images that basically showed me the same thing you did, however since I was using this to make a portable and actually using my own audio amplifier circuit, it still sounded kinda cruddy on the small speakers, so I actually played around with it more, and added a 333 capacitor across one of the resistors or capacitors (don't remember which one) and it actually made it decent. It probably helped filter out some of the overmodulation. BTW, that L3 isn't a resistor, it's an inductor. Usually L indicates Inductor, just as C is for Capacitor and R is for Resistor on circuit board screen prints.

[@duncanross5928]

this is not something im likely to ever need to do, but I am so appreciative and impressed with the fact that you went out of your way to help people having the same issue. so glad i found this channel.

[@TechDeals]

You have awesome skills! I loved watching this, those companies making this sub-standard stuff should be embarrassed. Quality control is a thing and it was missed here clearly.

[@eurobum2012]

The symbol "L" designates an inductor. Resistors are identified with an "R".

[@aamaruvi]

Euro Bum thank you i thought i was hearing wrong

[@LongNguyen-dh3bm]

He's just correcting a mistake. Why are YOU such a rude guy? He never said that he knows everything.

[@SpikeKastleman]

Long Nguyễn - Then he cannot read. Because there are at least 25 know it all's saying the same fucking thing. Beating a dead horse into a pulp.

[@insanitywarsrobertwebb5355]

@@SpikeKastleman 1. You replied to a TWO-YEAR-OLD comment. 2. He wasn't *trying* to prove anyone wrong nor was he trying to be rude. He was just pointing something out. God damn, take a chill pill. It's just an informational comment.

[@SpikeKastleman]

@@insanitywarsrobertwebb5355 - Yes acting like a know it all. And you're rehashing old shit, too. What's your point?

[@sega32xxx14]

Thanks David... It was very kind hearted of you to think of other people like this, and I have just performed this fix myself, completing it in 20 minutes. The difference is literally night and day, and my brother went to play the plug and play, and he noticed the difference almost immediately without me even mentioning it. He said "What the heck?! Did this thing just randomly fix itself because it couldn't even stand to hear it's own steel on cheese grater sound anymore?!". Lol, great work as always!

[@Scanlaid]

you're the best kind of person, making a full video instead of the old forum post "I fixed it! from 2005" with no other info. looking forward that comparison video!

[@vwestlife]

All of the Genesis/Mega Drive models after the original Model 1 (with the "High Definition Graphics" logo) suffer from distorted audio to some extent, with the Genesis 3 being the worst. There are various fixes for all of them, but I prefer to stick with my Model 1 so I can also get stereo sound and the nifty headphone jack with volume control. :-)

[@zappy595]

My Genesis came with a mono audio chord and I have the first model

[@SwissArmyTin]

+vwestlife Model 1s are a mixed bag. Pretty much all 'High Definition Graphics' revisions are good (with the pre-TMSS sounding the best), but the Model 1 revisions without the 'HDG' text are a mix. Some sound just as good as earlier revisions, and some sound as bad if not worse than Model 2s. I want to blame the amp, or the different FM synths used, but I've heard some people blame the audio circuitry as a whole. It's a shame Sega couldn't keep it consistent.

[@TNX255]

+Zappy595 You can get stereo sound from it via the front headphone jack.

[@markpenrice6253]

Actually, the thing with the later chips is that they're LESS distorted than the originals, they use a later variant of the original YM2612 that, amongst other things, fixes the "ladder effect" bug in the original... Neither Sega nor Yamaha however considered that people would by then have made an awful lot of music (and other sound) that took that slight bit of weirdness for granted. Hence, same as in almost all such cases where an original buggy release of some hardware is around for a while and programmers take advantage of it, it breaks a bunch of things because those glitch-based audio, video, and code effects suddenly don't operate as they did before, or at all... What's going on here is a simpler case of some moron not specifying the sound amplifier output level properly (given that these consoles internally gang both stereo audio channels into one, it's probable that the total value is set to twice what it should be and almost twice what the downstream hardware can withstand. Hence, over amplified clip-city. Good job it's such a quick fix. (specifically as it's a discrete component mixup, you can't really blame the all-in-one chip or most of the rest of the design, it's just whoever was responsible for ordering and installing that part cocked up.) Hmm, actually it still seems a little clipped, is there any way to add an extra low-ohm resistor in anywhere? And does this still transmit all of the stereo image still (merely flattened to mono), or is it more simply cutting out either the left or right channel?

[@meleniumshane90]

The model 2 Genesis systems are perfectly fine. If anything, they'll sound better than the model 1s due to dirty POTS and old capacitors. The model 3 and the CDX are the ones that have issues.

[@Zairin.]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these fix videos. They're so interesting and you're really good at narrating. Editing is also really good.

[@mike0rr]

I love you 8-Bit Guy. So very, very much.

[@nosearose]

i absoltely love your videos! i love youtube drama and roasting as much as the next guy but sometimes its nice to watch someone as wholesome as you who just wants to promote their hobby 👍

[@theallknowingsause8940]

your videos are my a.s.m.r. i love how soothing your videos are and i also love learning about how old computers worked. basically...keep up the good work :D

[@mfarver]

L is the prefix used for inductors. Therefore L3 is probably not a resistor, but an inductor. Physically similar but different purposes electrically.

[@Ace9921]

There's still some audible distortion in the audio signal, and while I have to properly inspect the audio circuit, it sounds to me like the resistors that bring the FM output to the amplifier are too small. I believe the FM chip cloned by the Radica Genesis is the YM3438, not the YM2612 like used in most Genesis Model 1s and two particular board revisions of the Genesis Model 2 (VA2 and VA2.3), and from my experience working with this chip while designing the Mega Amp replacement audio circuit, if the resistors you use are too small, you get excessive current drive from the chip resulting in the distortion that is still audible on your fixed Radica Genesis. I'm going to take a look at one of my own Radica Genesis systems (I've got three of them) and see if there's more that can be done to give this thing perfect sound.

[@dbozan99]

Have you made any progress with this?

[@Ace9921]

Unfortunately not, I received two large boxes full of arcade PCBs that are untested or broken which are keeping me quite busy. Once I have a little more time, I will take one of my Radica consoles and figure out what to do about the amp.

[@meleniumshane90]

Looking forward to that. I still have one on a shelf torn apart.

[@moftsoft]

This fix is cheap and incomplete because it was a quick hack I whipped together, and 8-bit guy here has copied it verbatim, including the errors and step order.

[@thysonsacclaim]

Michael- where's your hack description at (so I can reference it and give credit)? Also +Ace9921 -- any update yet? No worries if not, I'm only curious because I'm learning about microprocessors and circuitry.

[@mrlofii5641]

Thank god it's been 54 years and I finally found a fix to my issue!! 😂😂😂

[@squaller9254]

LOL

[@somecallmejah1104]

Wait but the Sega Genesis first came out in 1989 soooo What?!

[@itzspencerr1403]

+Supershadic1000000 it came out in 1991, so... What?

[@OfficialAbass]

+Mike Knupfer he is from an alternate reality guys

[@MarshallMathersthe7th]

+MCD456 The Snes came out in 1991, Sega Genesis really came out in 1989...

[@JohnnyCanal]

These videos are amazing haha I'm have to send u some broken things to fix for a video lol just playing but keep up the good quality content I really enjoy it

[@spacecorgi3074]

Holy shit! I actually experience this problem as well! Thanks so much 8-bit guy, I might whip it out and start working on it.

[@JoeJoeTater]

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO TURN OFF SANIC MODE?!?!?!?!?!

[@sheik124]

Robert Elkins too fast cool

[@SpikeKastleman]

Funhaus fan? XD

[@PhantomHavok]

Because dank memes are overrated?

[@andrive]

Because dank memes died a few years ago?

[@Frijolero18]

@@andrive ...Did you see the "four years ago" next to his username??

[@calvindejong4566]

This is the 1st time I've seen this channel upload a video that involves some sort of Sega console

[@lemonslice2233]

Somehow I read "Radica Sega Genesis Audio Distortion Box" and thought "good idea!"

[@DrGabber]

Sounds much better after the fix! Thanks for a clear description and picture on how to do this.

[@Moonteeth62]

Wouldn't L3 be an inductor?

[@SpikeKastleman]

Who fucking cares? He fixed the problem.

[@bittersweetjesus]

@@SpikeKastleman laughed my ass off

[@DaveFlynn1]

Just did this fix on my Mega Drive version. The internals were exactly the same. That was some small soldering work! It took me a while to solder to the leg of that chip, I'm surprised it didn't short it. Thanks for posting such clear instructions.

[@SyphistPrime]

Thanks to people like you we have great video tutorials that are concise and easy to understand. It's nice when people take the time to refine those text only and hard to understand tutorials. If I do find my copy of this thing, I may attempt this.

[@angiethelastancient]

Looking through your old stuff and found this. Very interesting. I wonder what the designers were thinking and why it ended up sounding so distorted in the first place. I'd love a more in depth explanation of what was going on

[@Automatik234]

Nice! Atleast the audio wasn't out of pitch. There is a newer plug and play Genesis, which has a unpleasently higher pitch. The sound still sounds a bit butchered. Is it mono or stereo?

[@Dan-TechAndMusic]

+Automatik Seeing how it only has 1 audio out lead, I'd say it's mono.

[@Automatik234]

Daniël's Tech & Music Channel Would be nice if that could also be fixed. Some Genesis soundtracks are to awesome to be heared in mono.

[@Dan-TechAndMusic]

Automatik That would depend on whether the audio gets mixed down to mono after it leaves the chip that emulates the MegaDrive, or if it's already mono. If it's already mono once it comes out of the chip, there's no way to fix it.

[@doramilitiakatiemelody1875]

Oh the atgames megadrive classic i have a real mega Drive and it sounds a whole lot better then the atgames

[@zedeighty]

I just want to add that this mod also worked on my Radica Sega Mega Drive II version (the second release with the red controller and Sonic II). It was a very tricky job (at least for me) and took me about two hours to do but it was worth it in the end. It's now gone from being one of my worst plug and play consoles to one of my best. The distortion is still there to a degree but much improved. I can now make out the music in The Ooze!

[@NeonTheProtogen]

get atgames much better

[@DiCasaFilm]

Hey 8-bit guy! I'm a big fan of yours, as a youtube who makes tutorials myself. I wonder if you would be so kind as to make a video explaining why what you did to that circuit board fixed the problem? What is the L3 resister? How did you know that that pin was the primary audio output? Why does putting that output through the amplifier fix the problem? Wouldn't amplification add even more distortion? Why pin 7? I'm so curious as to all of this! I could imagine I could google another tutorial about it, but I wouldn't even know how to search for it and I'd imagine you would explain it so so much more clearly. If this is a waste of time for you, I understand, but I'm sure more people would like to learn circuitry 101 from you. Thanks!

[@ABaumstumpf]

Finding out what pins deliver the audio is incredible easy if you have an osciloscope (and you can get cheap ones for like 50$). Finding out how to fix it - that is a different story. But sadly, he didn't figure it out on his own but used a guide - so it would be easier/faster to just search for how that initial guy did it.

[@SianaGearz]

L3 is an inductor, obviously, not a resistor, it's likely just there for regulation compliance. If you have the device right there, you could make nice high-resolution photos for me, or maybe find some from the net, and I'll figure out what the fix does exactly, because I can't find a textual description of the mod either, and I think 8bitguy hasn't linked to it. I'll probably need both sides. The IC is LM358 dual audio amplifier and pin 7 is the one of its two audio outputs. I think either they forgot that they were only feeding the IC too low a voltage to get appreciable gain out of, or they set the gain on both sides and then accidentally chained them.

[@SpikeKastleman]

DiCasaFilm - He got instructions online. Watch and listen closely and you'll hear him say it.

[@SpikeKastleman]

Siana Gearz - Shut the fuck up, no one cares whether it's a resistor or inductor. He fixed the sound, and that's all that matters. Stop being a know it all and trying to prove everyone wrong.

[@MarriedToLetsPlay]

You replied to a year old comment by being an A-hole? Dude was explaining what he saw and his theory on why it fixed it which was the question at hand.

[@bwack]

Cool. Huge improvement. This reminds of the color fix for the C64DTV joystick. I bet some buisness suit said "I need this console yesterday !" and then the design never got polished.

[@The8BitGuy]

+bwack Indeed. I have fixed several of those 64DTVs. Also the Hummer unit (which uses the same chip) had an audio problem that I actually came up with the fix myself. But that's a long forgotten piece of history now.

[@GoingtoHecq]

+The 8-Bit Guy Hey dude. You make awesome videos and I really enjoy them. I think the story and fix could make another good short video like this one. I'd like to see it.

[@Kippykip]

The 16-bit Guy

[@datavalisofficial8730]

When I watch your videos I just think "how could channels like cellbit be more famous?" Because.. really, I love this channel since I saw the how 8--bit sound worked

[@chadbarrett3545]

And suddenly their will be a revised version.

[@jerrychandler7094]

The 8 Bit Guy and Sonic the Hedgehog. Two of my favorite characters in one short video.

[@Alianger]

Now im curious about how they managed to screw it up in the first place

[@ArianKordi]

Bad engineering, I'm sure little thought was put into the audio system.

[@HereForAStorm]

... China

[@RanaRandom]

Graphics and (re)playability 😂

[@RyanMartinez]

Nice. I just bought this at Goodwill and just now found this simply by typing the words "Radica Sega Genesis" into KZbin search. Nice to know there's a fix. Now I've just got to get skilled in soldering.

[@nibba803]

0:28 when you finally get those subwoofers for your civic

[@Benlucky13]

a detailed fix for an obscure problem? i don't even have this issue and i feel relieved knowing the solution. much appreciated tutorial

[@RunnerPack]

Very good video, but I found one tiny error: L3 is most likely a "ferrite bead" (i.e. a very low value inductor), not a resistor. Easy mistake...

[@randall642]

ah man the sound of the rings distorting/clipping over the music is engrained in my head forever

[@tohopes]

1:45 "this resistor L3" durr...

[@brayatan1990]

This guy understands me...

[@youdontwantit5231]

Inductors function as resistors to alternating current, so he's probably referring to it in that context.

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

Surface mounted resistors and inductors look very much alike, and I would suspect the reference material for the fix probably said L3 was a resistor, so I wouldn't assume David is entirely to blame for the mistake. And, at the end of the day, you don't really need to know what the components are to do the fix, you just need to know how to use a soldering iron.

[@SoulGrind81]

Eray Bilgin, depending on the context of how it's being used. (in this case output of the opamp) It is still a inductor designator regardless. I'd say the opamp was driven to hard through the feedback (creating clipping). So putting a resistor on the output wouldn't have done anything.

[@BillAnt]

Some people do have memorable introductions of themselves... oh well... congrats xD

[@chrobo]

Oh damn I used to play the plug n play years ago when I was younger, just found it again. I need to find it!! Ahh so many memories...

[@PhillipBateCoda]

Being a complete pedant, but L3 is an inductor ;-) nice fix though :-)

[@SpikeKastleman]

Who cares? Stop being a know-it-all.

[@Kummahndough]

Spike Kastleman No need to be an asshat.

[@MarksofDistinction]

I know this is off subject but after watching your videos it got me in the mod to get an old PowerBook G4. Love it brings back so many memories

[@zaprodk]

Interesting mod. FYI, L is an inductor.

[@johnsonlam]

You're so kind to share the solution with others (well, in my neighbor country sharing means losing money when you have a chance to make cash out of others)

[@waldemarii]

I actually liked that distortion. :D

[@insanerabbitstudios]

The way it sounded reminded me of this accessory for the Genesis back in the day that was a backpack that was supposed to be used for haptic feedback, it accomplished this by blowing out the bass on the audio and playing it through a speaker inside the backpack and it sounded about like it does in the video. Looking it up, it seems it was called the Aura Interactor, but I still remember it blowing out the sound like this to help with it's vibration for some reason.

[@-DeScruff]

Cool! I'd love to read what exactly this fix is doing, and why the audio was that distorted in the first place if someone technical enough could explain.

[@HernanRivasAcosta]

+Sypran Seconded, this video left me with more questions than answers.

[@Schimnesthai]

Sometimes with things/problems this specific is hard to find solutions, really nice from you for doing this!

[@intergalactic7783]

2:58 :O, the 8-bit guy said cringe!

[@quas392]

this is amazing, I thought I was the only one with one of these. thanks for the help! sonic jumping with no jumping sound was so annoying

[@HeeminGaminStation]

I am dumbfonded... they could have easily made it a worthwhile product? dang, well I'm not wizard so I'm not going to attempt what you did but good on your for telling other wizards the spell to cast to make it awesome.

[@ZHaxorable]

>soddering

[@HeeminGaminStation]

it's a joke -.-

[@catgirl_eva]

To me, it sounds like the audio was oversimplified before the fix.

[@MikeDawson1]

+Jonathan Domenech to me, it sounds like the audio was clipping badly

[@catgirl_eva]

Mike Dawson I actually meant overamplified. iOS autocorrect for the win!

[@eggy7346]

This little plug n play was my first time playing a video game when I got it for my birthday at age 4. Thanks godparents

[@liumander]

How did u figured out that solution to fix it? :O

[@The8BitGuy]

+Edu "Turupá" Sánchez As I mentioned, I googled for it.

[@albi55uk]

+Edu "Turupá" Sánchez thats a passive aggressive way of saying pay attention.

[@liumander]

+albi55uk XD I'm not english native speaker, so I sometimes miss a point

[@albi55uk]

Passive Aggressive: denoting a type of behaviour or personality characterized by indirect resistance to the demands of others and an avoidance of direct confrontation.

[@liumander]

+albi55uk hahaha i understood that one. I missed the point in the video where "he mentioned it" lol

[@Lexilove2016]

Aftermarket consoles and controllers will eventually become the new rare collector's thing.

[@austinreed7343]

How do you fix the AtGames Genesis models?

[@CanadianRetro]

That is the one I was looking for when I saw this as well. Perhaps he might do the same for it.

[@dinierto]

This is what I was wondering. It seems like they aren't a bad device aside from the audio.

[@If_Only_I_Knew_Why]

You throw it at a wall.

[@spr00sem00se]

The ATgames one seems to run all of the games a little slow. It really annoys me.

[@fireaza]

Here's how: 1) Take it out of it's packaging. 2) Open up the system with a standard Phillips head screwdriver. 3) Take a standard-size lighter. 4) Set fire to the piece of shit. 5) Buy a real Sega Mega Drive secondhand.

[@PlasmaHH]

Btw. L3 is not a resistor, its an inductor and it looks like it forms some filter (hard to say what kind without a schematic). It looks like what you did there is to convert the opamps current amplification configuration into a voltage buffer. It would be useful to have an actual look at the signals with an oscilloscope since it still sounds pretty distorted, but maybe thats what the chip outputs. Your resistor idea likely did not work because whatever you did input it into already has a high input impedance. What might have worked is voltage divider.

[@Brian_Buckley]

Now if there was only a fix for the out of tune sound issues with the @games Version of this Genesis, the one with the 80 build in games!.....it makes this issue seem petty! everything sounds in minor key......!

[@spacemoonkey]

I've had one for years and just assumed the audio was supposed to sound like. Thank you for making this video for the fix i may one day try it if im not too afraid to mess up the board

[@theultimatebloxxerarchive]

Where the notification crew at!?

[@Saxie81]

+TheUltimateBLOXXER hai lol

[@MontageZz]

+Saxie81 yass

[@bassblaster505]

+TheUltimateBLOXXER right here fam

[@matthewkinney5474]

Hello

[@zappy595]

hi

[@hunterrau5900]

I have one of these and I never even thought about fixing the audio. I was just like "It's just plug & play. If I wanted a good experience I'll play on the real deal." Fixing it tonight!

[@Brand2Tiny]

what about the AtGames Sega Genesis?

[@ImaginationMeme]

Don't talk about that

[@Brand2Tiny]

@@ImaginationMeme Yeah I learned later there was just no hope for it anyway.

[@jorgitoislamico4224]

Holy mother of God, the samples after the fix sound so good they don't even seem to have been compressed to 8 bit

[@aLinuxIce]

please do more episodes !

[@segagamersonic832]

The funny part is i remember owning this console, and i actually bought this at the nearby goodwill. And then took it home and played it. I remember the sound was really different from all games. But i didn't mind it and grew to love this sound.

[@liquidcontainers]

Atgames' sound is worse.

[@sypialnia_studio]

Man, I never even had this console nor do I plan to buy it but I still enjoyed this. You are rad man, rock on!

[@Rosenzweigjcb]

WTF? That fix makes no fucking sense. What is that doing? How does soldering two sides of two different resistors together and wiring the audio output to the amplifier fix this problem? Seriously, that makes no fucking sense. It's such a hacky piece of bullshit call, but it somehow works. Goddamn, what the fuck did the author of the fix do to get that result? Some fucking electrical engineering wizardry we have here.

[@Crusader1089]

+rosenjcb I am not an electrical expert, but if I understood it correctly the two resisters he removed from the board were what was causing the distortion and the jumper wires he added connected up the PCB without requiring the resisters be replaced. As if you just leave it with two components missing the circuit won't complete and the board won't work. I am not sure if this is because they are dodgy resisters or just incorrect, but that appears to be what the fix is. Get rid of those resisters, connect up the board so the circuit completes.

[@The8BitGuy]

+rosenjcb Another poster suggested they were routing the signal through the amplifier twice, since it is a stereo amplifier circuit (well, 2-channel anyway) and so it is simply removing one of the amplification stages that is not needed. The idea is sound, no pun intended, so I agree unless a better explanation comes up.

[@drkastenbrot]

rosenjcb distortion has to do with the amplifiers internal signal path. one of those resistors mustve been floating somewhere above ground, providing feedback to the amplifier, which results in distortion. might be something different tho, as i didnt look that chip up.

[@afriend9428]

*Fantastic sir! You are clever and technical too!!* ⭐️

[@freebretth]

I just ordered one of these consoles from eBay. Glad I saw this video ahead of time!

[@JD-sv1ot]

YOU'RE THE GOAT. ALL OF YOUR VIDEOS ARE FANTASTIC.

[@LazerLord10]

I bought a genesis a little bit ago. Combined with a SD card converter, it's a great little thing. I did have one of those "100+ in one" things that had a port for real cartridges, but the audio was horrible. It wasn't distorted, everything was just pitched down about 1/2 a semitone, so it sounded like dying cats most of the time.

[@zappy595]

i want to hear that now

[@CrazyRoadblockisbae]

+Zappy595 same.

[@LazerLord10]

Zappy595 I'll probably upload a vid of it.

[@buhmpers]

ah one of the atgames ones

[@WickedGamerCollector]

Nice video !!! Thanks for this info !!

[@wolf-im3yg]

Thank u so much at first i thought my ears was just not used to 8bit music or so but after i fixed it now i know it's just the thing being weird.

[@Psyrgery]

Once again, a wonderful video. And starring my favourite console to boot!

[@Josh-of-all-Trades]

Thank you so much! Sonic was the perfect example of distorted sound, always drove me nutty.

[@nepsox]

Well done. I had fun watching this one. They mass produce those things and some things inevitably get skipped over. Glad to see it's fixable, at least!

[@Andrew_G4CH]

VERY big difference.. It sounds much better after fixed. Well done!

[@saraha180]

The "after" sounds "better," and it's clearly a cleaner, less clipped sound. The "before" sounds more like what I remember from the Genesis consoles I played in the early 1990s.

[@DaKnightsofawesome]

This is kinda hilarious to me how you actually opened your antique console up and modded it to make a difference that some people wont even notice.

[@minecraftbestmods]

It's funny that you called it an antique console

[@-terabitten-8703]

for hardcore gamers, its practically ear rape...

[@Dargonhuman]

Antique? He opened up the multi-in-one reproduction console he was testing, not a real Genesis.

[@angelpichu1]

Just bought one of these from a thrift store not knowing it was one of these. I've got the same problem but it's even lower pitch than yours on top of being distorted, but when I get my hands on some soldering tools I'll use this video as a reference!

[@mattmalenda6585]

considering that i wasn't even alive when most of these computers were released you manage to make it interesting, nice job! :)

[@1ucasvb]

+Matt Malenda These were wonderful machines. Anyone who's into electronics should check out how things worked back in the days.

[@mattmalenda6585]

+1ucasvb I know, such limited hardware and such a new device and people found a way to make it great.

[@zebular]

Kinda off topic but I recently added a RGB to Component conversion board to my Genesis 3 and rewired it so that you could play 32x, Virtual Racing and use a power base converter on it. Pretty neat having a gorgeous picture and with an Everdrive the entire Master System to 32x library that fits in your pocket on real hardware!

[@peshozmiata]

I would've liked more info on what this fix actually does instead of just instructions, but it's still helpful for people who are having the issue.

[@Lachlant1984]

In the "before fix" sample where you were playing Sonic, you couldn't hear Sonic jumping, but in the after fix shots, you could. So this tells me that one of the resistors you removed and the jumper wire you put on fixed that problem.

[@Nabbasan]

Always great to see a new vid David :)

[@MrDave1502]

i think having the audio distorted is part of making it sound like a very powerful console

[@sugarhieroglyph]

Oh, I love your channel, by the way! Great videos, interesting content, loved the CGA video.

[@Daehawk]

Nice fix!!! Genesis is my all time favorite console ever!!

[@madmodders]

Just FYI, L3 is an inductor, not resistor. And it does not help to put one resistor in series with an audio signal. Unless you put a couple of hundred k there, but then you get considerable amounts of noise instead. You need a voltage divider between the signal and ground to make that kind of external fix to work. ;)

[@plate4416]

he literally documents processes that are undocumented to help others... how generous! subscribed!

[@Monacomaverick]

At least the audio wasn't off key like most of the clone systems. Great tutorial!

[@brucewayne-px4lv]

Excellent. Cant wait for the full episode. Also do you have a twitter account?

[@KE8NKO_Radio]

Really glad I came across this channel. This stuff is so interesting. Between the, LGR and Ancient DOS Games Im in heaven lol.

[@sega32xxx14]

Check out The Obsolete Geek, his channel will most definitely be a welcome addition to your stable of enjoyed channels.