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- Jul 24, 2001
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The Power Base Mini and Mini FM Converters by Rondo Products let you play Master System games on your Genesis/Mega Drive. Mini FM also adds FM sound for games that support it, like R-Type, Rastan, Double Dragon, etc. (see full list here).
The first version of the Japanese Master System came with an extra Yamaha YM2413 soundchip already built in which provides 9 additional channels of FM voices while it was left out of all American and European models that only had the standard 4-channel PSG chip.
I ordered a Mini FM from Castlemania Games for $69.99 ($49.99 for the Mini) for my model-1 Mega Drive but it also works with other official Genny console versions except for Genesis 3 and Nomad which need to be modded first to accept SMS carts. The cart is small enough to fit in both US/EU and JPN slot types. You can disable FM by holding down the pause button on the cart while a game boots.
The converters do not support Sega Card games or lightgun/3D equipment.
Considering the current going prices for original Sega PowerBase converters for model-1 and 2 consoles of $100 or more, 70 bucks seems like a good deal to me and you also get FM sound which really adds a lot to the games. Here is a video with a comparison of standard PSG and FM sound:
There are multiple ways to add FM sound to your SMS games, most of which require original Master System/Mark-II/-III consoles and modifications with custom-built hardware add-ons while others are meant to work on Genny/MD. FM-modding a model-1 Master System is relatively straight-forward as the console comes with an internal connector for it but things are way more complicated on Master System 2, it's a mod job that I would not recommend to a soldering n00b. If you don't happen to own an Everdrive X7 and up or original hardware with FM support but still want to play your original SMS carts on Genny with FM music and fx, I think the Mini FM converter is one of the better solutions available.
The first version of the Japanese Master System came with an extra Yamaha YM2413 soundchip already built in which provides 9 additional channels of FM voices while it was left out of all American and European models that only had the standard 4-channel PSG chip.
I ordered a Mini FM from Castlemania Games for $69.99 ($49.99 for the Mini) for my model-1 Mega Drive but it also works with other official Genny console versions except for Genesis 3 and Nomad which need to be modded first to accept SMS carts. The cart is small enough to fit in both US/EU and JPN slot types. You can disable FM by holding down the pause button on the cart while a game boots.
The converters do not support Sega Card games or lightgun/3D equipment.
Considering the current going prices for original Sega PowerBase converters for model-1 and 2 consoles of $100 or more, 70 bucks seems like a good deal to me and you also get FM sound which really adds a lot to the games. Here is a video with a comparison of standard PSG and FM sound:
There are multiple ways to add FM sound to your SMS games, most of which require original Master System/Mark-II/-III consoles and modifications with custom-built hardware add-ons while others are meant to work on Genny/MD. FM-modding a model-1 Master System is relatively straight-forward as the console comes with an internal connector for it but things are way more complicated on Master System 2, it's a mod job that I would not recommend to a soldering n00b. If you don't happen to own an Everdrive X7 and up or original hardware with FM support but still want to play your original SMS carts on Genny with FM music and fx, I think the Mini FM converter is one of the better solutions available.