So, you managed to get a 32X. Somewhere, somehow you ended up with one of these mushroom shaped pieces of fucking trash. And why? Knuckles Chaotix, of course! The evil bastard child of the Sonic spinoffs. Now, you may have the unit, but 99 times out of 100, it doesn't work. Well, that's why this guide is here! Let's see what we can do to get your 32X running!

PARTS

There are way too many parts to a 32X, so let me run you through them:



1. The 32X unit. Known as Sega 32X, Mega 32x, Super 32x, and sometimes mars. It's an ugly, mushroom shaped beast of an attachment.



2. The expander. This will allow you to comfortably rest your 32x on top of a Genesis/Megadrive Model II. It is possible to use the 32x without it, but it will sit loosely in the cart slot, putting pressure on the teeth/pins. That and the fucking thing barely works, and the slightest bump will completely freeze it.



3. Static plates. These come with the 32x to keep the cart slot doors opened. Why? Beats me, they're useless and not needed.



4. A/V Cable adaptor. Not sure what this is called EXACTLY, but it will go from a Megadrive/Genesis model I to the connector for the 32X. THIS CABLE IS REQUIRED TO MAKE THE 32X RUN WITH A MODEL I SYSTEM. The end on the right plugs into the large area in the back of the Gen/MD I unit, and the cable coming from the A/V in will plug into the end on the left. On a Gen/MD II, the A/V in will plug directly into the back of the unit.



5. A/V cord. This will plug into the A/V in on the 32X to either the back of the Gen/MD II, or the left connector of the A/V Cable adaptor pictured above. This cord is REQUIRED.

AC ADAPTOR 6. not pictured because each country is different. Needed to run the 32X, because the 32x feeds off a different power supply then the Gen/MD unit. This piece is REQUIRED.

HOOKING UP THE UNIT

k, so you have all the parts needed? Good. Here's how you hook this monster up:

1. Hook your Gen/MD unit up as normal, but do not connect the AV cords to it.
2. Plug the 32x into your unit. Make sure it's snug and tight. Older systems with worn cart slots on them may have problems holding it correctly.
3. Connect the power to the 32x system. Make sure you have the correct adaptor voltage, because a 32x will fry in half a second.
4. Connect a Gen/MD model II A/V connector to the TV. Plug it into the A/V out on the 32x.
5. Connect part 5 (seen above) to the 32x's A/V in., then into the back of the Gen/MD unit.
   5.A. if you're using a Model 1: plug the other end of part 5 into part 4, before plugging it into the Gen/MD unit.
6. Clean the connectors with a NON-ALCOHOL CLEANING KIT for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive. If you don't have access to one, wrap a paper towel around a thin piece of cardboard, such as a cereal box, and gently insert into the cart slot of the 32x. (You may wish to do this with your Genesis/Megadrive as well)
7. pop in a clean, well conditioned cart, and fire it up!

IT STILL DOESN'T WORK

How shocking. Quite a bit of the time 32x games won't work because the 32x cart slot doesn't support the cart's weight from leaning, causing bad connections. I suggest taking a brand new pencil, and rubbing the eraser on the pins of the cart, carefully avoiding leaving strings of eraser. This will clean the connectors and leave behind a rubber residue that will grip the slot better. If not, pick one of these up:



A Game module protector. Also commonly should as an "import adaptor". (The only thing it does is make the cart ROM able to be read by the Genesis/Megadrive. Newer imports don't play due to lockouts, including 32x games.) These can be picked up in game collector stores, retro game stores, and most commonly eBay. These put a ninja tight deathgrip on a cart and a cart slot, allowing even the most tore up hardware/software to work. It also holds a 32x game in a 32x without a fuss.

IT'S STILL NOT FUCKING WORKING

Pretty obvious why this system didn't take off like a fucking firecracker, eh? Ok, here's our last resort, the final steps to making this son of a bitch run:



Get a phillips head screwdriver and a pair of pliers. I'm unsure if other countries had different screws, but in the USA we had normal ones.



Locate the 4 screws in each "corner" of the bottom of the unit. Remove them.



Open the top lid off and you should see this. The metal plate covering the hardware is the static plate. Remove it.



Once removed, the green circutboard underneath should be visible. with the front of the unit facing you, there should be 2 white, flat cables under the cart slot that look like this:



You'll be removing these.



Taking your pliers, gently tug the wires out, making sure to grab and pull it out evenly.



once the top part of the wires has been removed from it's connector, you can gently pull it out of the other connector with your hand.



Behold the hugest problem with the 32x! The shitty, flat, white wires of death. These things commonly get disconnected from the 32x. And much like a cart in a system, these connectors can look and feel like they're plugged in correctly when they are not.



Reconnecting the wires, very carefully and evenly push them back into the connectors, making sure they are in as far as they can go, and both sides of the wire are evenly in.



Once the wires are in, plug the 32x into the Gen/MD, WITHOUT reassembling it. Put in a 32x cart and fire it up! (Genesis/Megadrive carts will work even if the 32x system is not working!)



VICTORY!!!! Reassemble the unit and have fun in the crashing, buggy, sloppy, poorly made world of 32x games! or: if it's still not working, try repeating the repair directions from scratch. Follow this list:

IF IT STILL, STILL, STILL WON'T WORK:

1. Start from the beginning.
2. Make sure you have all the parts.
3. Make sure the system is in good shape.
4. Obtain a cart connector and try it.
5. Make sure all connectors are clean and in good condition.
6. try to repeat the repair directions.
7. if the pulling and reconnecting of the cables doesn't work, try it again.
8. Try rotating the cables.