Trouble with burned games on the Saturn (SOLVED)

[SomeGuyWithASega]

Okay, I used a different burner, and it still gave the same result. I'm starting to think that the problem stems from the image I was using and not the burner.

For the next burn, I've mounted an MDF/MDS file into a virtual drive that I have tested in an emulator beforehand, where it worked perfectly. I'm going to use CloneCD to burn the virtual drive's files onto a blank CD. I'll let you guys know if it works or not.

[SomeGuyWithASega]

Using a perfectly working MDF/MDS still didn't work.


Also tried dialing back the power of the laser since I thought I turned the screw too much...still didn't work. It HAS to be my laser that is the problem.

Do I need a replacement? Real games still work fine on it, so I don't know if I should replace it. I also heard about twisting the axle the spindle stands on upward to make the laser read it better, although all discs can still spin freely on the spindle and the real ones read perfectly.

I really don't know what to do here...

[krssn]

If you decide to tinker with the pot again, first measure the resistance with your multimeter.

That way you always have a working reference point to return to in case you screw up (no pun intended).

[SomeGuyWithASega]

At this point I can definitely blame the problem on the laser. I also tried cleaning it with Windex on a Q-tip, which still didn't work (as in it didn't play burned games properly. It still plays normal games fine).

Also, turning the orange screw in my Saturn is very difficult; the shape on the top of it that the screwdriver goes into is misshapen, so it's hard to turn unless I have just the right angle and pressure. Last time I had to take out the laser assembly to get the right angle to turn it.

[itsthinkingstill]

do legit games work?

[SomeGuyWithASega]

do legit games work?

Yes, I said in the last post that legit games work perfectly. It only has trouble reading burned games.

Anyways, zyrobs over at the SS:UK forums has been helpful and recommended that I adjust the height of the spindle on my Saturn's laser assembly. At first I set it too high for the laser to recognize (the disc would touch the inner surface of the lid when fully closed!), then I lowered it a bit, back to the height that it originally was; it read normal discs again, but burned discs still suffered from the same issues. According to what I've read, the gap between the spindle and the protective plastic piece on the assembly should be about 1 mm, which is what mine was already set at.

[SomeGuyWithASega]

Here's a picture of my spindle's gap between it and the laser:

[hawkzer0]

honestly man you might just be swapping wrong. try all the methods. try them over and over and over again. its not the easiest thing in the world to do. back before i had psuedo saturn on my ar cart, it took me DAYS of trying and failing the swap trick before it worked for me the first time. dont give up! if it plays retail games fine, there really isnt a reason why it shouldnt play burned copies as well.

[itsthinkingstill]

There is nothing wrong with the Saturn, if you still cant get it to work it might be worth just buying a cart with pesudo Saturn already built in. If you look around Ebay for a while you can find them for as low as 15 bucks but they seem to be out of stock now so here is a good one https://www.ebay.com/itm/SALE-Sega-Satu ... Swo4pYD9vH

[krssn]

honestly man you might just be swapping wrong.

Part of the OP's first post:

Some of them have different levels of non-function to them, and the ones that work have insufferable load times and take too long to load some audio files on the disc. Some also have weird graphical glitches and just stop spinning after a while (Sonic 3D Blast, which has been tested working in an emulator).

I'd say he knows how to swap. So I'm pretty sure that's not the problem.

I'm also pretty sure if the games that do work and have problems after booting will still show these problems after booting with pseudo Saturn...