When Retro-Bit released it’s 2.4Ghz wireless Saturn pads back in November of 2019, their choice to use the original Japanese pad design was met with approval across the board from nearly everyone out there… Amirite..?
Admittedly, there’s not that many folks out there who really appreciate the changes made for the western pad re-design… With it’s bulkier shape and it’s somewhat less tactile feeling D-Pad and shoulder buttons, it’s been the butt of many jokes over the years and throughout the Saturn scene.
JAPANESE DESIGN 
WESTERN RE-DESIGN
However, there is a contingent of hardcore devotees to this re-design, wholeheartedly preferring it over it’s original counterpart. We salute these brave individuals for their loyalty and more than happily hand them their pad of choice as we go head to head in a Street Fighter Zero 3 match.
But seriously, it’s easy to imagine that these folks were perhaps a bit disappointed by the absence of a western pad design when Retro-Bit rolled out their wireless pads to the public. So these determined folks were left with no choice but to take it upon themselves to right history’s wrongs by making such a wireless pad a reality…
This is where Drew Kenaz, Saturn gamer and member of online Saturn groups extraordinaire enters the fray… Not ONLY has he accomplished the feat of hacking the Retro-Bit wireless internals into a western “MK1” controller, but he has also generously shared with us a detailed “how to” guide for those that wish to do likewise, expressing ultimate individuality in sporting their wireless controller of choice!
Huge SHOUTS are in order… Thank you, Drew!
MK1 SEGA Saturn Wireless Pad Mod by Drew Kenaz
To begin with you will need the following tools:
- Small Crosshead Screwdriver
- Very small point soldering iron (Along with the usual solder sucker, solder etc.)
- Wire cutters, Pliers, Strippers
- Dremel or similar with Micro Drills and Cutter tools
- Hot Glue Gun
- Anti Static Matt (Along with straps etc.)
Other Items:
- Retrobit 2.4GHz SEGA Saturn Wireless controler.
- Original MK1 SEGA Saturn Controller
- Micro Switches / Tactile Push Button Switch
- 0.2mm Wire (30AWG) – I recommend getting a range of colours for ease of tracing.
Steps:
- Open up the cases to both controllers. Check that the circuit board in the OG controller dosn’t look damaged.
- Remove the Battery from the Retrobit Controller. (Safety 1st)
- Cut all the wires connecting the Side boards to the central board on the OG Controller as we won’t need that central part any more.
- Lift the power / status LED so it sits vertically at the back of the board.
- Cut the Retrobit board using the following pattern (Take care not to cut through the Start button Track in particular.
(NOTE: This layout is slightly different to my original prototype as I found I had a little more space inside than I had originally thought. The plan here is to try to incorporate as many test points which are much easier to solder onto)
- You will need to trim down the screw post that is underneath the start button on the back of the OD MK1 Saturn controller. About 4mm should do it. As the retrobit board sits lower than the OG one.
- Cut 12 of the 0.2mm wires to about 4-5cm (Depending on how much movement you need when soldering, Strip and tin both ends of the wires.
- Solder one end of each wire to the Side boards of the OG Controller.
- Solder the wires attached to the side boards to the main board using the images below as a guide. If there isn’t a test point for the track, you will need to carefully scrape off the covering of the track you want to solder to until you can see the copper of the track and then carefully solder direct onto the track.
- Solder the 1st Microswitch to the Start Button on the Retrobit Board. A 6X6X9.5 Should be the correct height but depending on exactly how your board sits in the case, you may need a slightly different length. It’s best to experiment with sizing.
- Place the board into the front of the case of the OG controller. Using Bluetack or something similar, Offerup the back of the case to work out the position of where to drill the hole for the Status / Power LED. It should press in giving an impression so you can see where to drill. Pick a drill bit that is just slightly larger than the LED and drill where the indentation is.
You can also estimate where the Reset button hole will need to be drilled. The hole only needs to be large enough to fit a paperclip in.
- Offer up the other 2 Microswitches to the side boards to gauge the correct position. I had to use 6X6X9 for the left Trigger and 6X6X7 For the Right Trigger. (When looking at the board upside down). When happy with the positions, remove the board from the body and solder the wires for the triggers along with the Ground (You can tap off the Ground on the side boards for this.)
- Check that the back case fits correctly, incase you need to refine any of the screw legs etc. and that the LED fits through the hole correctly. At this point, I plugged in a USB cable to hold the board in pace.
- Pull off the back and use a Hot glue gun to secure the shoulder buttons and the Retrobit board to the side boards. (Making sure not to put any glue where the screw legs will rest against the side boards.
- Plug in the battery and replace put it all back together.
If you managed to follow along and had success with Drew’s guide, let us know. Feel free to share your results in the comments below or in our Facebook Group.
A huge thanks again to Drew for putting this resource together for the community to share and benefit from. SEGA SATURN, SHIRO!
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