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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
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This is a guide which explains how to completely disassemble a Sega Saturn, with the exception of the CD drive itself. The Sega Saturn in the pictures is a model 2 with a VA SD board manufactured in June, 1996 with serial # 065025382.
Tools Needed:
*Phillips-head screwdrivers (a few sizes)
*A tiny flat-head screwdriver (for prying)
==Step 1 - Setup==
==Step 5 - Remove the CD Drivedrive==[[File:Saturn-teardown07.jpg|thumb|This screws screw attaches the grounding strip to the drive.]][[File:Saturn-teardown-08.jpg|thumb|200px|A small screwdriver helps when unplugging this.]]
The CD drive sits loosely atop four plastic pegs and is only attached to the motherboard by a gray set of wires, a ribbon cable, and grounding strip. Start by removing the screw and washer that's holding down the grounding strip; be careful not to lose the washer! Proceed by unplugging the ribbon cable, the ends of which can be gently rocked free. To detach the other cord, you could just pull it straight off, but I would recommend first taking a tiny flat screwdriver and using it carefully as a prying tool to create space between the plug and the socket and then pulling the cord out. This may be unnecessary for you, but mine was tightly connected.
Once both cords and the grounding strip are detached, you should be able to lift the drive off the pegs effortlessly. Put the CD drive aside; this guide does not (yet) cover disassembling it.
==Step 6 - Expose the motherboard==
[[File:Saturn-teardown09.jpg|thumb]]
Start by disconnecting the ribbon cable which connect the mainboard to the controller board. Remove the screw holding down the grounding strip (yellow arrow) and set it and the grounding strip aside. Then remove the remaining screws, but take note that the two screws closest to the cartridge slot (blue arrows) have slightly longer screws than the others (red arrows). After you've removed the screws and ribbon cable, you should be able to easily lift off the RF shield.
==Step 7 - Remove the motherboard and controller board==
[[File:Saturn-teardown10.jpg|thumb]]
The two screws indicated by the red arrows secure only the controller board. The motherboard can be freely lifted from the case. Once the screws are removed, the controller board can also be taken out of the case without effort. If you need to access the controller board, you can just slide the RF shield off.
==Step 8 - Remove the bottom RF shield==
[[File:Saturn-teardown11.jpg|thumb]]
If you wish to remove the bottom RF shield, you'll find it's no problem at all; it lifts right out.
==Tips for Reassembly==
Just follow the previous steps in reverse order to put everything back together. Some tips:
*Remember that the RF shield screws near the cartridge slot are longer than the rest
*Don't forget the plastic protector that goes between the RF shield and the power board. Also, reattach the power switch first because its wire runs underneath the plastic protector (see step 3).
*Use the picture in step 4 to correctly orient the ribbon cable that connects the CD drive to the motherboard
*Use step 5 to identify the screwhole when reconnecting the grounding strip to the CD drive. Don't forget that the screw has a washer!
