Saturn Cartridges - Custom Shells

Saturn Cartridges - Custom Shells

This page gathers a collection of 3D printed custom Saturn cartridge shells, mostly used for Gamer's Cartridge.
All theses shells are not my personal work : theses were designed and 3D printed by Zone66x, and source for some of them can be found in his thingiverse page. Warm thanks to his dedicated work

And no, those cartridges are not for sale : theses are for my personal collection or giving to friends. Cartridges with regular Action Replay shell are however sometimes available for purchase on their own page.

Custom Shell #01

First custom shell 3D printed. No logo, no indentation for label, but transparent plastic used. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. (I definitely like transparent shells ) 2021/11/13: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.483. 2021/11/30: Sold on a cartridge flash sale

Custom Shell #02

Pseudo Saturn Kai text added on front side. Text and logo are a bit hard to notice. 2018/11/30: Reserved for Gamer's Cartridge PCB. Long time I didn't set up custom shell 2018/12/01: Mounted a PCB in this shell, but didn't yet had time to flash Pseudo Saturn Kai, nor to verify that the cartridge works correctly The revision of the PCB used is Rev 3.3 (d), and the particularity of this cartridge is that it uses same kind of voltage regulator as the one used in Wasca and was half-assembled by Seeed Studio. This was my first try of PCB assembly service CPLD and SD card socket were hand-soldered by myself because theses parts are no longer available for sale. Additionally, the decoupling capacitors were hand-soldered, because soldering theses after the CPLD makes the assembly process a bit easier. 2018/12/11: Pseudo Saturn Kai is flashed and the cartridge works correctly In the picture below, the 4.7μF capacitor on the SD card socket is missing, but I realized about the mistake and fixed it the next day I supose that the change in order and quantity of ICs to solder caused this mistake, and I will check for this capacitor when soldering decoupling ones so that this mistake shouldn't happen in the future.

Custom Shell #03

Another text test that came out very well. Added cow logo on rear side. 2017/07/03: installed SGC PCB (rev 3.3 (b), blue color). Transparent enough to distinguish PCB shape and see LED lighting 2017/07/12: used in video in order to test cheat codes support in Pseudo Saturn Kai beta v6.117

Custom Shell #03 (b)

Text test with glow in the dark ABS. 2021/07/xx: Soldered cartridge PCB. 2021/12/04: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai firmware to v6.483.

Custom Shell #04

Text test inside shell. So so results. 2021/07/xx: Soldered cartridge PCB. 2021/12/04: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai firmware to v6.483.

Custom Shell #05

White shell, texture very nice. 2021/02/07: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. 2021/07/16: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.437. 2021/11/06: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.482. 2021/11/13: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.483. 2021/11/15: Sold on a cartridge flash sale

Custom Shell #06

Another white shell. ABS plastic is semi-transparent, so no holes needed for LEDs ! 2018/11/30: Reserved for Gamer's Cartridge PCB. Long time I didn't set up custom shell 2018/12/01: Mounted a PCB in this shell, but didn't yet had time to flash Pseudo Saturn Kai, nor to verify that the cartridge works correctly The revision of the PCB used is Rev 3.3 (c), and the particularity of the PCB used is that it had some defects around voltage regulator. Theses are minor defects that shouldn't prevent cartridge from working, but it's better to put this unique PCB in unique custom shell rather than putting it for sale in a regular shell 2018/12/11: Pseudo Saturn Kai is flashed and the cartridge works correctly Green LED looks a little faint over the white plastic, but is visible anyway. 2021/01/05: Flashed with Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 and sent to a friend Because of postal restrictions, it is sent via surface mail, which costs a bit more than EMS and takes around 5 time more (two or three months ) to arrive

Custom Shell #07

Metalic silver with label indentation. The plastic is surprisingly semi-transparent : if shined from behind, light can be seen from the cow. 2018/12/01: I wanted to update this page about this cartridge, but I don't have any remember when I prepared this cartridge That's probably the last remaining black PCB I own. As shown in the pictures below, result is visually so-so because of many stains remaining from hand-soldering. Also, this was an occasion to test sticking of a label : as far I remember, this required slightly adjusting label dimension (by 1mm or less) to get it fitting into the enclosure. PCB uses "EPM3032 ATC44-10N" CPLD which is versioned as "1.7" on sofware side. This is not a common model of CPLD used in Gamer's Cartridge since I prefer to use the "ATI44" flavor since it is resitant to higher temperatures and had nearly equivalent price. Unfortunately, the availability of CPLDs wasn't so good so that I had to use "ATC44" chips from time to time. Well, this difference concern temperatures over 70 degrees so whatever it may be, this shouldn't cause any problem 2019/10/03: Flashed with latest Pseudo Saturn Kai and sent to a friend. Just before sending the cartridge, took a video featuring it

Custom Shell #08

Another metallic grey shell. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. There are holes for the LEDs and the metallic color is (in my opinon) quite stylish.
2021/02/28: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.408) and put custom label on the cartridge
2021/11/13: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.483. 2021/11/30: Sold on a cartridge flash sale

Custom Shell #09

Black shell. Didn't clean print surface properly making cover surface ugly. 2018/11/30: Reserved for Gamer's Cartridge PCB. Long time I didn't set up custom shell 2018/12/01: Mounted a PCB in this shell, but didn't yet had time to flash Pseudo Saturn Kai, nor to verify that the cartridge works correctly The revision of the PCB used is Rev 3.3 (c), and the particularity of this cartridge is that it uses same kind of voltage regulator as the one used in Wasca. Mounting this PCB was an occasion to drill holes for LEDs : I was fearing that plastic would break or crack, but that went way better than expected On the other hand, adjusting the position of the LEDs to their respective holes was a bit laborious because of the PCB mounting mechanism used. 2018/12/11: Pseudo Saturn Kai is flashed and the cartridge works correctly It would had been smarter to drill the LED holes, and then solder the LEDs whith front cover being installed (as done with #17), but positioning is OK anyway.
2020/05/09: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.324) of Pseudo Saturn Kai and put Deza_Black label on the shell. As detailed on the second picture below, finishing of the plastic is so-so, but hopefully the label makes the cartridge looking a bit better
2020/07/31: Received after a two months long journey via surface mail ! This was an occasion to test surface mail, which is the only alternative for some countries where EMS delivery is temporarily suspended. Surface mail have a cost similar to EMS, but is something like six times longer to get things being delivered

Custom Shell #10

Better black shell with white cow. Actually maybe it's glow in the dark. Test it out 2022/03/06: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.483) of Pseudo Saturn Kai and put Deza_Black label on the shell.

Custom Shell #11

Blue shell with glow in the dark cow. 2019/11/15: Reserved for Gamer's Cartridge PCB 2019/11/28: Pseudo Saturn Kai installed so that cartridge is ready for use LEDs are visible through their holes as expected. I still need to put a label on this shell but except that no other kind of setup is remaining. And, PCB uses good old "EPM3064" CPLD whose version can be seen as "1.3" from Pseudo Saturn Kai version informations screen. This variation of CPLD was used in early cartridge iterations such as Rev 3.1 and Rev 3.3. Main characteristic of this CPLD is that LEDs are turned off on Saturn power on while later versions (1.5 and 1.7) are keeping theses on until Pseudo Saturn Kai boot. 2020/03/02: Sent to a friend

Custom Shell #12

Glow in the dark. Acetone discoloration were used to weld label plastic to shell. 2021/07/xx: Soldered cartridge PCB. 2021/12/04: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai firmware to v6.483 and put Deza_White label on the shell.

Custom Shell #13

Glow in the dark shell. Acetone discoloration were used to weld label plastic to shell. 2021/07/xx: Soldered cartridge PCB. 2021/12/04: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai firmware to v6.483 and put Deza_White label on the shell.

Custom Shell #14

Glow in the dark. 2019/11/15: Reserved for Gamer's Cartridge PCB LEDs are visible through plastic so that shell won't have be drilled to see the LEDs. 2019/11/28: Pseudo Saturn Kai installed so that cartridge is ready for use LEDs are clearly visible even in bright environment so that it was a good choice to keep shell as-is rather than drilling holes for LEDs on it. I still need to put a label on this shell but except that no other kind of setup is remaining. And, PCB uses good old "EPM3064" CPLD whose version can be seen as "1.3" from Pseudo Saturn Kai version informations screen. This variation of CPLD was used in early cartridge iterations such as Rev 3.1 and Rev 3.3. Main characteristic of this CPLD is that LEDs are turned off on Saturn power on while later versions (1.5 and 1.7) are keeping theses on until Pseudo Saturn Kai boot. 2020/03/02: Sent to a friend

Custom Shell #15

Yellow shell. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. Both red and green LEDs can be seen through the plastic.
2021/02/28: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.408) and put custom label on the cartridge
2021/07/16: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.437. 2021/11/06: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.482. 2021/11/13: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.483. 2021/11/15: Sold on a cartridge flash sale

Custom Shell #16

Green shell. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. LEDs can't be seen through the plastic Except that, I like the same tone of green as used on PCBs
2021/02/28: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.408) and put custom label on the cartridge
2021/11/13: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.483. 2021/11/30: Sold on a cartridge flash sale

Custom Shell #17

Violet shell. 2017/07/14: installed SGC PCB rev 3.3 (b), red color, ENIG (gold) plating. When soldering LEDs, positioning was done with front cover installed so that they could fit perfectly with holes on cover. Holes for LEDs is relatively small, but result is better than expected : LEDs can be seen normally within a 10-15 degrees angle, hence "not too much, not too few" in order to see LEDs PCB uses "EPM3032" CPLD which has twice less logic than CPLDs used so far. I had to make small change (LEDs are not turned off on reset, hence will light until end of Sega logo display) in order to get firmware fitting in the CPLD, but except that everything is as before. This custom cartridge #17 is the second one using such EPM3032 CPLD : first one where CPLD was developed and tested was soldered for use on Action Replay shell (with spacers used on LEDs), and this second one was then flashed and tested in order to be completely sure that next cartridges using such CPLDs would work fine
2020/05/09: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.324) of Pseudo Saturn Kai ... this was a nostalgy blast moment because the cartridge was initially containing a super old beta firmware developed before adding cheat codes and classy logo by Alien^PDX. The label was put a long ago (maybe more than one year) and some corners are no longer sticking This will however remain like that for the good reason I don't have any Cassini label remaining in stock. Generally speaking, as affinity between 3D printed plastic and labels seems questionable, it may be a good idea to use label-less shell (for example transparent or with artwork directly printed) next time I have a new project ready for release 2021/02/19: Flashed with Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 and sent to a friend

Custom Shell #18

Tangerine shell. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. Both red and green LEDs can be seen through the plastic.
2021/02/28: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.408) and put custom label on the cartridge
2021/11/13: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.483. 2021/11/18: Sold on a "pre-flash sale".

Custom Shell #19

Red shell. Got discolored during acetone welding. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. Both red and green LEDs can be seen through the plastic. But of course, green LED looks like lighting in red It's however a bit dimmer as the green one.
2021/02/28: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.408) and put custom label on the cartridge

Custom Shell #20

Purple shell. Questionable ABS quality. 2017/09/22: Offered to Stac, with the red PCB pictured below

Custom Shell #21

Gold shell. Plastic semi transparent if thin enough. 2017/09/22: PCB populated, but CPLD not programmed yet 2017/10/xx: CPLD programmed with firmware 1.5 (EPM3032 ATI44-10N). Then, installed Pseudo Saturn Kai without problems 2018/11/30: Some parts helping to close the shell broke when trying to open the cartridge Also, the label enclosure seems quite fragile so that it should be safer not to stick a label on this cartridge. 2020/09/05: Flashed with latest (v6.324) Pseudo Saturn Kai and ready to send to a friend. I tried to carefully stick Deza_Black label, but my fingers were too strong for the label enclosure That could be fixed with glue on enclosure rear side, but I'm not sure it will last well in the long term ... Generally speaking, this material is really fragile, which is is a pity because I like this gold color.

Custom Shell #22

Red shell. New clip system. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. Both red and green LEDs can be seen through the plastic. But of course, green LED looks like lighting in red It's however a bit dimmer as the green one.
2021/02/28: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.408) and put custom label on the cartridge
2021/11/13: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.483. 2021/11/30: Sold on a cartridge flash sale

Custom Shell #23

Another red shell. New clip system. 2021/02/21: Put a Gamer's Cartridge PCB and installed Pseudo Saturn Kai v6.408 on it. Both red and green LEDs can be seen through the plastic. But of course, green LED looks like lighting in red It's however a bit dimmer as the green one.
2021/02/28: Flashed the firmware to latest official version (v6.408) and put custom label on the cartridge
2021/07/16: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.437. 2021/11/06: Updated Pseudo Saturn Kai to v6.482. 2021/11/09: Sold on a "pre-flash sale". (First EMS parcel USA after more than 1 year without being able to use this postal service !)

Custom Shell #24

Light blue shell with "Saturn Gamer's Cartridge" text printed. 2019/11/15: Reserved for Gamer's Cartridge PCB In a dark enough environment, light can be seen through plastic so that this shell won't have be drilled to see the LEDs. 2019/11/28: Pseudo Saturn Kai installed so that cartridge is ready for use LEDs are barely visible in bright environment but should be just enough in a dark one. And, PCB uses regular "EPM3032 ATI44-10N" CPLD whose version can be seen as "1.5" from Pseudo Saturn Kai version informations screen. Main characteristic of this variation of CPLD is that both LEDs are turned on until Pseudo Saturn Kai boots. 2020/09/14: Flashed with latest (v6.324) Pseudo Saturn Kai and sent to a friend

Custom Shell #25

Lime shell. Plastic quality really good. Layer lines very uniform. 2019/11/15: Reserved for Gamer's Cartridge PCB In a dark enough environment, light can be seen through plastic so that this shell won't have be drilled to see the LEDs. 2019/11/28: Pseudo Saturn Kai installed so that cartridge is ready for use LEDs are clearly visible through plastic, but surface itself is slightly "sticky". I don't know if it is inherent to the material itself, or if it can be removed with appropriate cleaning. As it's not problematic enough, I plan to let that as-is. And, PCB uses regular "EPM3032 ATI44-10N" CPLD whose version can be seen as "1.5" from Pseudo Saturn Kai version informations screen. Main characteristic of this variation of CPLD is that both LEDs are turned on until Pseudo Saturn Kai boots. 2019/12/12: Sent to a friend

Custom Shell #26

Transparent shell with text. New printer settings to make plastic more transparent 2017/07/03: installed SGC PCB (rev 3.3 (b), blue color). Super transparent that makes visible sunlight coming holes for JTAG header → Can see PCB shape, and where main parts (CPLD, flash chips, SD card connector) are located, but can't read what's written on ICs. 2017/07/12: used in second half of video about cheat codes support in Pseudo Saturn Kai beta v6.117

Custom Shell #30

Three shells with micro SD card and USB port enclosures. Supports large PCB so that it is compatible with Rev 2f and Rev 3.2 PCB revisions. 2017/07/03: installed SGC+USB PCB (rev 3.2, green color) in one shell. Had to drill holes for SMD LEDs, with mixed success. Anyway, that's more than enough for my personal purposes

Custom Shell #31

Red shell with SD card (standard size) and two USB port enclosures For use with future (TBD) wasca prototype

Custom Shell #32

Another shell for wasca prototype, with yellow transparent plastic. Broke one clip when trying to open it Still my favorite shell anyway