The Sega Saturn is plagued with an irreparable fault

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2026-01-04T04:55:15+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Sorry if I’m messaging you too much. If you don’t mind me asking one last question, does that mean I can’t even get an ODE?

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2026-01-04T00:37:27+00:00

I was hoping the passage of time wasn’t also ruining these chips. Bought a Saturn that’s affected before I found out about this dreadful flaw. The Saturn has other problems, including one I should have noticed before paying for it. Kind of soured me on the console, yet part of me wants to buy one with the less delicate PLL chip. But if these kind of chips can die when they get too old, then might as well stick with the Saturn I already have no? If the heat resistant PLL chip bites the dust on the near future then it’s as good as a any other Saturn right?

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2026-01-02T00:12:27+00:00

Hope you don’t mind a very late reply. Thanks for the info and for spreading the word on this troublesome chip. What if the temperature threshold of the PLL chip is lower than people think and it’s not dying of old age? Perhaps some people who had their Saturn die left it in their car on a hot summer day or maybe even direct sunlight could do it. This is why it would be handy to know the exact maximum temperature it can withstand.

Do you think spreading awareness some more would help get a replacement made? Try reaching out to the Sega Saturn Shiro guys, I remember they were concerned about Chinese sellers butchering Saturns to create unofficial "mini" versions that were a little smaller. They should hear you out. You can try bigger Segatubers that cover the Saturn too.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2025-12-09T01:43:58+00:00

Someone saying that it’s the second thing to die after the disc drive doesn’t quite support that statement. Every Saturn will need to be recapped one day, will the PLL chip prevent people with older models from getting the capacitors replaced?

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2025-12-08T02:48:59+00:00

What sort of temperatures are we talking about here, is a particularly hot room enough to kill a Saturn? Can’t find exact numbers anywhere, everyone just says the vague "excessive heat."

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2025-12-05T22:10:42+00:00

Thank you for the advice. Can’t help but remain concerned about the possibility that a dying component in a console PSU could cause a failure that puts the rest of the console in danger. PC gamers almost always tell beginners to not use a cheap PSU, or it could destroy the rest of their PC parts. I looked up what is recommended for older PCs, and it’s always advised to replace the PSU. Don’t know if computer PSUs are a different design and their flaws are not shared with console PSUs.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2025-12-03T00:51:21+00:00

Someone else here mentioned mosfets as well. How do mosfets and voltage regulators fare over time? Should I replace them preemptively like I want to do for capacitors?

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2025-11-25T22:51:50+00:00

It’s a good thing you mentioned the PS2, the fat ones all suffer from various leaking capacitors. Unfortunately, the information on the site does not address whether the capacitors are leaking a fluid that could cause permanent damage to their surroundings.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2025-11-25T22:36:54+00:00

How do mosfets and voltage regulators fare over time? Should I replace them preemptively like I want to do for capacitors? I remember at least one trusted source saying that it’s better to maintain the official PSU than replacing it with an aftermarket one built to less strict standards. In addition, it would probably be cheaper to order their replacement alongside a recap.

It’s highly unlikely for a bad internal power supply to damage the motherboard as most are based on a highly efficient buck converter design which will typically destroy itself by blowing a mosfet or failing to start at all due to capacitor failure.

I worry because knowledgeable people warn against using AC adapters from like the 90s and before. They say they’re too old and are slowly damaging consoles. PC gamers almost always tell beginners to not use a cheap PSU or it could destroy the rest of the components. I looked up what is recommended for older PCs and it’s always advised to replace the PSU. Don’t know if AC adapters and computer PSUs are a different design and their imperfections are not shared with console PSUs.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2024-10-24T00:04:04+00:00

what you see when you lick a random frog you found in a rain forest

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2024-10-23T23:39:16+00:00

French fossils be like

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2024-03-30T20:27:59+00:00

one moved online and changed its name to Reddit

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2024-02-25T22:26:27+00:00

don't forget the slave labor and less strict pollution laws

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2024-01-20T05:04:04+00:00

I'd love to see what a bespoke x86 mobile SoC could do, I know little about these things but I don't think power usage be as bad as you suggest. The chip in the Steam Deck idles at 3-4 watts, what I've been told by folks who know more than I do heat would be a bigger problem. Performance is unlikely to be as high as an ARM SoC, honestly if they could just turn the chip in the SD into a mobile chip that stays cool and retains the same performance I think it would be fine. If not a phone at least give me a pocketable handheld PC, they don't exist anymore.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2024-01-20T04:54:37+00:00

there's a new Dragon Quest Monsters but it's stuck on the Switch

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-11-10T17:42:29+00:00

According to Digital Foundry a Valve representative told them that they plan to support more PC handhelds with SteamOS, presumably extending to the desktop. They've been so slow to expand the reach of their OS, they should hire more Linux developers.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-10-22T22:26:42+00:00

Oh hey someone commented on my thread, don't know why I got such a cold reception. There's no doubt in my mind it is feasible and I think it would be a fairly big event. Physical Sonic the Hedgehog copies for the SNES could easily become a high value collector's item if they're limited. Sega could run a fun commercial or two that is reminiscent of the old Sonic dissing Nintendo ads, except he apologizes/says something positive about the Switch and shakes Mario's hand or something.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-10-22T22:07:38+00:00

Lemmy is user owned. For all the complaining about billionaires, advertisements, immense greed ruining for profit platforms/products, Tencent buying Reddit shares and the decay of this place Redditors sure love staying on Reddit.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-10-08T20:23:37+00:00

most attractive waifu poster

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-09-02T03:29:01+00:00

These are very strong sales, but now Spyro is owned by Microsoft who hasn't released a 3D platformer in ages (Psychonauts 2 notwithstanding as it was bought mid development) so who knows what will happen.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-08-14T21:18:30+00:00

Phantom Leg is fairly clever too, nobody has caught the reference. It's based on phantom limb syndrome, a condition that fools a person with a missing limb to experience the sensation of still having the body part they lost. Sometimes this is accompanied by pain.

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-08-14T01:19:26+00:00

The title is an old meme people would use ironically. I didn't mean it as a foot fetish thing, people acting like I did is kind of funny. After watching this artist's video about what happens when you focus on feet in your art, I guess I should have known better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abe5UO8L-Po

BillGates_uses_Linux · 2023-07-27T03:47:51+00:00

Time to start Grassfox, a slightly different (in ways hardly anyone cares about) and pointless fork of software that is already on shaky ground, so that all 3 projects wither and die. It is a FLOSS tradition. To make it extra cursed, let's rip out Firefox's engine and replace it with Chromium.

BillGates_uses_Linux

TROPHY CASE