Yo, Just got a Sega MD/Gen Nomad off ebay

paul4990 · Post by **paul4990** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:07 am

i just purchased a nomad and I am in the UK, so will it play UK PAL games or do i need to do the 50/60hz mod on GamesX?, the nomad was only Â£30 coz it has a strip of DP's:oops: !

TIA
Paul

Ps
here is the l33tlink

paul4990 · Post by **paul4990** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 5:23 am

noone?

Post by **Sparkfist** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 7:57 am

Simple google search yeild this.

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 1:09 am

Hey, I'm an expert on this if I do-say-so-myself

The nomad plays only in 60hz US region. You need to use that link to modify it to play PAL games. If your a n00b to the modding scene I can give you some help but otherwise it's a straightforward mod. You cut the jumper on the back PCB which sets the console in 60hz. Then, just run a wire from the common point of that jumper to the mode button. When mode is not pressed it's at ground (60hz). When pressed, it's +5v(50hz PAL).

I should also mention you need a special screwdriver bit to open up one screw on the Nomad that is a real pain. However, the bits you can but aren't thin enough to fit :O So unfortunately your best bet is to do what I did:
Unscrew all four corner screws and pry it apart as hard as you can till the internal plastic breaks. Voila it's now open, the four phillips screws will keep it closed perfectly, and you can't tell there's any cosmetic damage from the outside.

-Segasonicfan

paul4990 · Post by **paul4990** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 8:47 am

ok, thanks SSF

and do you know where i could get internal nomad screens for cheap?

coz the crack is getting more irritating

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:34 pm

The internal screens are unfortunately pretty much impossible to replace. They are soldered to the board via a 63 (I think that's the right #) pin ribbon cable which requires some of the finest most delicate soldering I've ever seen (minus small SOIC chips and such). I would be amazed if anyone could fo it by hand.

If you still want one though I think I have an extra. Just let me know.

-Segasonicfan

paul4990 · Post by **paul4990** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:31 am

i thought the ribbon pulled out?

otherwhise how dus that kevin dude do it?

Post by **marshallh** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 3:42 am

It's Kevin Horton dude! That needs no further explanation. Soldering to 64 surface-mount contacts is no problem for him (but definitely not for the weak of stomach!)

paul4990 · Post by **paul4990** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 10:35 am

http://www.tripoint.org/kevtris/Projects/portendo/

i cant link it says copulate you hotlinker lol

that looks like a removavle ribbon to me,

Segasonicfan, could you put your screen on ebay and post the link as its the only way i could buy it.

Thanks

Turbo Tax 1.0 · Post by **Turbo Tax 1.0** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 4:15 pm

paul that sig is to big take somethin out please

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:41 pm

The majority of Mega Drive and Genesis games did not feature regional lockouts, and so a great deal of your UK games will play on the Nomad. I've heard estimates of around 80% of games being compatible, although based on the few dozen games I own, I would say it could be less.

There doesn't seem to be much of a pattern as to what games will or will not work. The entire main series of Sonic games work, for example. A PAL copy of Streets of Rage will work, whilst a PAL copy of Streets of Rage 2 will not. However, whilst a PAL copy of Earthworm Jim will not work, a PAL copy of Earthworm Jim 2 will.

As a side-effect of the 50Hz/60Hz difference, PAL games played on a Nomad will be 20% faster than when played on a native Mega Drive. In most cases, that will mean the game will be playing at the speed it was intended to, and without any ugly borders, as these are side effects of the sloppy PAL conversion practices employed by most non-European games companies. Games that were properly converted will end up playing faster than they should, but not by enough to make it worth worrying about.

paul4990 · Post by **paul4990** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:57 am

sonic 1 and 2 work whereas sonic 3 dont

paul4990 · Post by **paul4990** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 6:47 am

hmm, is that why when i play sonic 1 on a mega drive, it plays the sound slow, but on my nomad, it plays faster?

Unidentified Assilant · Sat Dec 31, 2005 10:10 am

probably paul, I played Sonic 1 on an emulator (I live in Jolly Old England), and the sound was faster, and I hate it like that, the emulator is set to US NTSC running a Sonic 1 (E) rom

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:36 pm

Unidentified Assilant wrote:probably paul, I played Sonic 1 on an emulator (I live in Jolly Old England), and the sound was faster, and I hate it like that, the emulator is set to US NTSC running a Sonic 1 (E) rom

Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the few games that, when played on a PAL Mega Drive, the music slowed down as well as the game - by running it at 60Hz, you're hearing the music as it originally sounded. I think that on the later games, the music plays at the correct speed on PAL consoles.

paul4990 wrote:hmm, is that why when i play sonic 1 on a mega drive, it plays the sound slow, but on my nomad, it plays faster?

Exactly.

paul4990 wrote:sonic 1 and 2 work whereas sonic 3 dont

All three of them work fine in my Nomad (PAL copies).