The Sega 32x is compatible with DAC, but with the original video passthrough design, which sent RGB and Sync out from the Sega Genesis, into the Sega 32x and then out to the display. You will need a Mega Sg, Sega 32x and DAC. The Sega 32x came with its own power supply which must be plugged in to the 32x before turning Mega Sg on. The Sega 32x cannot be powered from Mega Sg. After you insert the 32x unit into Mega Sg’s cartridge slot, you must connect the analog output from DAC to the video input port of the 32x. This will require making a custom cable with the Sega 9-pin mini-DIN connector (male) on one end and an HD-15 connector (male) on the other end. The wiring is as follows:
| Sega Pin | HD-15 Pin | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Blue |
| 3 | 2 | Green |
| 5 | 13 | Sync |
| 7 | 1 | Red |
Shield 4, 6-8, 11 Ground (at least one pin must be connected)
You will also need to connect pins 4 & 10 together on the HD-15 connector because DAC uses them to detect that an RGB cable has been plugged in. If you are building your own cable, you can cut pins 5, 9, 12, 14 & 15 to make it easier to get at the other pins and use solder to bridge pins 4 & 10 and the ground pins with the ground wire. The Sega A/V connector does not have separate ground pins for the color signals, so you only need to connect the ground sheath from the Sega cable to one of the ground pins on the HD-15 connector. If you see oddly colored graphics such as the HUD display in DOOM, check your wiring and make sure the detection pin, pin10, is grounded. If the detection pins are left floating, then DAC will output Component Video. Component Video will not display correctly because the 32x must receive RGB Video.
The 32x's video output will be the final video point to connect to your video display or capture device. The 32x's video output only natively supports composite and RGB, so if you want S-Video you will need to modify your 32x.
The 32x can shut off or mask the video coming from the Sega Genesis, so Mega Sg's menu may not be visible at all times when the 32x is outputting video. The 32x's audio channels are mixed in with Mega Sg's internal audio and can be heard on DAC's audio outputs or Mega Sg's headphone connector.
The Sega 32x came in two motherboard revisions VA0 (MK-84000) and VA1 (MK-84000A). The VA0 revision came with a terminator pack that had to be attached to the Genesis' expansion port if the Sega CD was not connected. One of these two devices must be done when using a VA0 main unit with Mega Sg or games may not run properly from the 32x's cartridge slot. The VA1 has termination built into the main unit and does not need a separate terminator pack or a Sega CD to be connected to the expansion slot.
The Sega 32x also came with a plastic spacer to stabilize the unit on a Model 2 Genesis. This spacer was not designed for Mega Sg, so it should be removed from the 32x. The 32x can move a bit in Mega Sg's slot, but it will make good contact so long as you do not attempt to push it forward. You should not try to install the 32x' cartridge shielding in Mega Sg.
The Auto Detect Region setting in Mega Sg's System Settings - Hardware, must be turned on for Mega Sg to detect 32x and configure itself appropriately to support it.