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Sega X-Board / Y-Board converts (super-scaler)

The X-Board and Y-Board are Sega's big super-scalers (After Burner, Galaxy Force, Power Drift…). For conversion/preservation it's still the FD1094 story: some games have a battery-backed encrypted 68000 (suicide), others a bare 68000. These are dedicated multi-board sets (not JAMMA cartridge games).

Field Value
Platforms Sega X-Board (1987), Y-Board (1988)
Type FD1094/FD1089 de-suicide (encrypted games) ; multi-board sets
Difficulty 🟠
Suicide? Yes on FD1094 games; no on bare-68000 games

X-Board (1987)

Block Chip
CPU 2× 68000 @ 12.5 MHz (main one sometimes FD1094)
Sound CPU Z80 @ 4 MHz
Sound YM2151 + SegaPCM
Video super-scaler: sprite scaling/rotation (pseudo-3D)

Games: After Burner, After Burner II, Thunder Blade, Super Monaco GP, Line of Fire, GP Rider, A.B. Cop, Racing Hero, Last Survivor…

  • Unencrypted (bare 68000): After Burner, After Burner II, Thunder Blade.
  • Encrypted (FD1094): Super Monaco GP, Line of Fire, GP Rider, Racing Hero, A.B. Cop, Last Survivor… → suicide possible.

Some X-Boards want a STANDARD 68000

On the unencrypted games you need a vanilla 68000 (not an FD1094) — and vice versa. Check what the ROM board expects before wiring in a CPU.

Y-Board (1988)

  • More powerful version: 3× 68000 + a revised graphics chipset (improved super-scaler).
  • Sound: Z80 + YM2151 + SegaPCM.
  • Games: Galaxy Force, Galaxy Force II, Power Drift, G-LOC: Air Battle, Strike Fighter, Rail Chase.
  • FD1094 on some (Power Drift, G-LOC…) → same suicide problem.

Program EPROM, game by game

68000 program in 27C010 (128 KB). Many X-Boards are FD1094 (see below): the EPROM holds the encrypted program. (Source: MAME sega/segaxbd.cpp, sega/segaybd.cpp. Board views: X-Board · Y-Board.)

Board Game Program EPROM Protection
X After Burner II 27C010 — (bare 68000)
X Thunder Blade 27C010 —
X Super Monaco GP 27C010 FD1094
X Line of Fire 27C010 FD1094
X GP Rider 27C010 FD1094
X Racing Hero 27C010 FD1094
X A.B. Cop 27C010 FD1094
Y Galaxy Force II 2× 27C010 —
Y Power Drift 4× 27C010 —
Y G-LOC: Air Battle 4× 27C010 —
Y Rail Chase 4× 27C010 —
Y Strike Fighter 4× 27C010 —

Y-Board = the R360 hardware

The Y-Board (3× 68000) runs G-LOC, used in the R360 cabinet. FD1094 X-Boards go through the FD1094 de-suicide (below); After Burner / Thunder Blade are bare 68000 (no suicide).

De-suicide / conversion = FD1094

For an encrypted game it's the standard FD1094 procedure:

  • Hot battery swap (keep the key), or
  • Re-key the key (Arduino), or
  • Decrypted ROMs + bare 68000 (permanent de-suicide).

→ Everything is detailed on System 16/18/24: FD1094/FD1089 (the mechanism is the same; only the number of 68000s and the boards differ).

Multi-board sets

X/Y-Board = several stacked PCBs (CPU + video/road + sound), built for dedicated cabinets (sit-down, motion). A "conversion" assumes the full compatible set; it's not a simple JAMMA cartridge swap.

Converting to another game

  • Unencrypted → unencrypted: reprogram ROMs + bare 68000.
  • Encrypted game: FD1094 re-key to the target game + encrypted ROMs (original), or bare 68000 + decrypted ROMs (de-suicide). Check the board compatibility of the set.

Before / after

  • De-suicide: a dead FD1094 super-scaler (flat battery) lives again.
  • Conversion: possible between hardware-compatible games (same board set).

Where to read more

Sources & attribution

Review & corrections

How this space is used

Spotted a wrong value, an outdated procedure, a chip reference that does not match your board? Say so here, with what you observed (model, board revision, serial number, measurement). Every report is cross-checked against a source before anything changes — an unverifiable correction is published as “reported by …, not cross-checked” rather than silently applied.

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