Sega Master System Model 2 Switchless Region & BIOS Support Mod Kit

Description

A switchless region mod kit designed for the Sega Master System model 2 which features support for Tim Worthington’s FM Sound Module as well as support for a Japanese BIOS.

A feature packed switchless region mod for the Sega Master System model 2 games console.

50/60 Hertz Video Rate Switching

PAL games consoles output the audio and video in 50Hz, but most games were designed for NTSC consoles that output the signal in 60Hz. This has the unfortunate consequence of making the games run slow and in a distorted aspect ratio when played back on consoles designed for PAL TV systems. This is because the PAL standard has more lines of video which results in those extra lines being blank if a game was developed for the NTSC standard. This can be overcome by forcing the console to run in 60Hz mode which will make the games display as the developers intended, i.e., in the correct speed and aspect ratio. It is very fortunate that these early consoles can be switched so easily, it means you can get the best out of all games regardless of region and the standard it was designed for. The majority of Master System games are designed for 60Hz and need to be played in 60Hz.

FM Sound Module Support

If you want to run Tim Worthington’s FM sound module you usually have to install an On/Off switch by drilling a hole in the back of the console. With this region mod the FM sound module can be turned on and off via pushing the reset button. This feature is activated by closing the FM jumper to the Y position. In this mode there are four modes selectable via the reset button. Standard 50Hz (Red LED), Standard 60Hz (Green LED), 60Hz with FM sound activated (Yellow LED), and 60Hz with FM sound module & Japanese region activated (Yellow LED). The extra Japanese mode is required for games like Wonder Boy 3 which will only output FM sound when the console is set to the Japanese region.

Japanese BIOS Support

If a Japanese BIOS has been installed into the system along with the original BIOS, this mod kit can switch to the Japanese BIOS when the Japanese mode is activated.