Sega X-Board¶
Sega's super scaler evolution (1987): 2× 68000 + very fast scaled sprites, for AM2's "sensation" games — After Burner, Thunder Blade, Super Monaco GP… Often in motion cabinets (After Burner's hydraulic cockpit). The successor to the Super Scaler, before the Y-Board.
Identification¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sega (AM2) |
| Year | 1987 |
| Type | super-scaler pseudo-3D (scaled sprites) |
| Cabinets | often motion / deluxe (cockpit) |
Architecture¶
| Block | Chip | Clock | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU ×2 | Motorola 68000 | ~12.5 MHz | master (game) + slave (objects/road) |
| Sound CPU | Zilog Z80 | drives the sound | |
| Sound | Yamaha YM2151 (FM) + SegaPCM | FM music + samples | |
| Video | Sega sprite-zoom ASIC | hundreds of scaled sprites |
Protection & de-suicide¶
The X-Board catalogue is mixed:
- Unencrypted: After Burner, After Burner II, Thunder Blade (bare 68000).
- FD1094-encrypted (battery module): Super Monaco GP, Line of Fire, GP Rider, Racing Hero → dead battery = suicide. De-suicide = decrypted ROM / re-key. → Sega X / Y-Board (converts) · System 16 FD1094.
EPROM repair: 68000 program in 27C010 (program in 27C010, FD1094-encrypted on many X-Boards) → game-by-game EPROM table.
Notable games¶
After Burner / After Burner II (1987), Thunder Blade (1987), Last Survivor, Line of Fire (1989), Racing Hero, Super Monaco GP (1989), GP Rider (1990).
Common faults¶
| Symptom | Likely cause | Lead |
|---|---|---|
| Black screen / stuck boot | FD1094: dead key battery (encrypted games) | De-suicide (decrypted ROM / re-key) |
| Sprites no longer zoom | zoom ASIC / sprite RAM | Video diagnosis |
| No sound | Z80 / YM2151 / SegaPCM | Sound-stage diagnosis |
| Cabinet motion dead | motion board / actuators | Mechanical diagnosis |
| No image | Power, dual 68000, contacts | Base diagnosis |
Modernisation & mods¶
The common ground for every JAMMA board
Video, power, control panel and upscalers depend on the cabinet rather than the board: everything is centralised in Modernising a cabinet. To run the board outside a cabinet (at home, on a display): supergun.
- Anti-suicide 🟠: some games/variants of this platform do suicide (battery-backed key) — see the dedicated section above to find out whether yours is affected. If so, the durable route is de-suiciding → conversions and de-suiciding, not merely replacing the battery → save batteries.
- Storage 🟡: the game lives in EPROM/mask ROM on the board. Changing or restoring a game means reprogramming the EPROMs (and, for a mask ROM, using a pinout adapter) → EPROM method.
- Media preservation: replacing the original storage, multicarts, ODEs and modern options by family → PCB preservation hub.
- Scan rate 📺: ~15.62 kHz / 59.6 Hz — standard resolution, a classic 15 kHz chassis is fine — the most common JAMMA case → tri-sync and upscalers.
(Computed from the MAME sources —
sega/segaxbd.cpp— pixel clock ÷ htotal.) - FPGA / emulation: see the Emulation & FPGA section below.
Repair (technician)¶
- FD1094 (battery module) on some (Super Monaco GP, Line of Fire, GP Rider…): flat battery = suicide (dead game, healthy hardware). Replace the battery without cutting the key (piggyback); otherwise de-suicide — backup batteries.
- Dual 68000 (game + objects/road): a freeze = one of the CPUs / its RAM → separate diagnosis.
- Sound: Z80 + YM2151 + SegaPCM — diagnose the sound stage.
- Capacitors: recap PSU + audio filtering. Oxidised EPROM sockets: turned-pin socket.
→ Methods: PCB fault-finding · Recap · EPROM · Traces & vias
Expected clocks — measurement table ✅¶
Values extracted from the MAME sources for this platform. On a scope or frequency counter, a clock that is missing or off-value points straight at the crystal, the divider or the chip at fault — the fastest starting point on a dead board.
| Component | Expected clock | Role |
|---|---|---|
| M68000 | 12.5 MHz | main CPU |
| YM2151 | 4 MHz | FM (sound) |
| Z80 | 4 MHz · 8 MHz | sound CPU (usually) |
How to read this table
Several values for one component = several board variants in this family (or several instances of the chip clocked differently). These frequencies are those of the clock signal at the component's input, not of its original crystal — on many boards the clock is divided down from a single master crystal.
Original manuals for games on this platform ✅¶
Manufacturer manuals for games running on this board. Beyond the instructions, they very often carry the full DIP settings, the connector pinout, the test procedure, the parts list and the expected voltages.
- Thunder Blade — original manual (PDF)
- Thunder Blade — original manual (PDF)
→ Full catalogue: service manuals, wiring & game manuals
DIP settings ✅¶
11 games on this platform, settings extracted from the MAME sources (INPUT_PORTS_START blocks). The Position column gives the switch's physical reference on the board (SW2:!3,!4 = bank SW2, levers 3 and 4) — which is what lets you set it up without the paper manual. Games are sorted by MAME set name.
DIP settings — MAME set abcop
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | SWB:1 | 1 to Start, 1 to Continue · 2 to Start, 1 to Continue |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:2 | Off · On |
| Allow Continue | SWB:3 | No · Yes |
| Time | SWB:5,6 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
DIP settings — MAME set aburner
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Type | SWB:1,2 | Moving Deluxe · Moving Standard · Upright |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:3 | Off · On |
| Lives | SWB:5 | 3 · 3x Credits |
| Allow Continue | SWB:6 | No · Yes |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
DIP settings — MAME set aburner2
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Coin A | SWA:1,2,3,4 | 7C 1C · 6C 1C · 5C 1C · 4C 1C · 3C 1C · 2C 1C · 2 Coins/1 Credit, 3/2, 5/3, 6/4 · 2 Coins/1 Credit, 4/3 · 1C 1C · 1 Coin/1 Credit, 5/6 … |
| Coin B | SWA:5,6,7,8 | 7C 1C · 6C 1C · 5C 1C · 4C 1C · 3C 1C · 2C 1C · 2 Coins/1 Credit, 3/2, 5/3, 6/4 · 2 Coins/1 Credit, 4/3 · 1C 1C · 1 Coin/1 Credit, 5/6 … |
| Cabinet Type | SWB:1,2 | Moving Deluxe · Moving Standard · Upright 1 · Upright 2 |
| Throttle Lever | SWB:3 | No · Yes |
| Lives | SWB:4,5 | 3 · 4 · 3x Credits · 4x Credits |
| Allow Continue | SWB:6 | No · Yes |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
DIP settings — MAME set gprider
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet | SWB:1,2 | Ride On · Upright |
| ID No. | SWB:4 | Main · Slave |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:5 | Off · On |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
DIP settings — MAME set gprider_double
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet | SWB:1,2 | Ride On · Upright |
| ID No. | SWB:4 | Main · Slave |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:5 | Off · On |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
DIP settings — MAME set lastsurv
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| I.D. No | SWB:1,2 | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 |
| Network | SWB:3,4 | Off · On (2) · On (4) |
| Difficulty | SWB:5,6 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:7 | Off · On |
| Coin Chute | SWB:8 | Single · Twin |
DIP settings — MAME set loffire
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Language | SWB:1 | Japanese · English |
| Cabinet | SWB:2 | Cockpit · Upright |
| 2 Credits to Start | SWB:3 | Off · On |
| Difficulty | SWB:4,5 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
| Allow Continue | SWB:6 | No · Yes |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:7 | Off · On |
| Coin Chute | SWB:8 | Single · Twin |
DIP settings — MAME set rachero
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | SWB:1 | 1 to Start, 1 to Continue · 2 to Start, 1 to Continue |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:2 | Off · On |
| Allow Continue | SWB:3 | No · Yes |
| Time | SWB:5,6 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Very Hard |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Very Hard |
DIP settings — MAME set smgp
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Machine ID | SWB:1,2,3 | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 |
| Number of Machines | SWB:4,5,6 | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 |
| Cabinet | SWB:7,8 | Deluxe · Cockpit · Upright |
DIP settings — MAME set thndrbd1
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Type | SWB:1 | Deluxe · Standing |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:2 | Off · On |
| Time | SWB:3 | 30 sec · 0 sec |
| Lives | SWB:4,5 | 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 |
| Allow Continue | SWB:6 | No · Yes |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
DIP settings — MAME set thndrbld
| Setting | Position | Options (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Type | SWB:1 | Econ Upright · Mini Upright |
| Demo Sounds | SWB:2 | Off · On |
| Time | SWB:3 | 30 sec · 0 sec |
| Lives | SWB:4,5 | 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 |
| Allow Continue | SWB:6 | No · Yes |
| Difficulty | SWB:7,8 | Easy · Normal · Hard · Hardest |
Check against your own board
These settings apply to the game and revision described by MAME. One title may have several DIP sets depending on region or revision, and some systems use soft-dips (settings in memory, via the test menu) rather than physical switches. In case of a discrepancy, the board's silkscreen and the test menu are authoritative.
See also: DIP reference · game manuals
Emulation & FPGA¶
- Emulation: MAME (
sega/segaxbd.cpp) — FD1094 included. - FPGA / MiSTer: no dedicated core (complex super scaler) → MAME.
Lineage¶
After the Super Scaler (Hang-On/OutRun), before the Y-Board (Galaxy Force). Contemporary with the System 16.
Photos / assets¶
(To add: X-Board, dual 68000, zoom ASIC, FD1094 module.)
Sources & attribution¶
- MAME —
sega/segaxbd.cpp(2× 68000, Z80, YM2151 + SegaPCM, sprite zoom, FD1094 on some games) — https://github.com/mamedev/mame - Wikipedia — Sega X Board — CC-BY-SA — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_X_Board
- Internal page: Sega X / Y-Board (converts)
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.
Reading is open to everyone; posting requires signing in with Discord. Reports from the wiki's declared reviewers are handled first; anyone else's are read too, but go through a human before anything is changed.