10 pin mini-DIN female special connector at the console
The Sega Saturn uses a proprietary 10-pin mini-DIN AV output connector (designated CN5 in Sega’s service documentation, part number 212-5431) introduced with the console’s 1994 launch. It is the most signal-dense connector in Sega’s AV family, combining analogue RGB, composite video, S-Video luminance and chrominance, composite sync, stereo audio, and a +5 V supply in a single socket. Video signals are generated by the Sony CXA1645M encoder (IC21) and all outputs drive 75-ohm loads. The 10-pin mini-DIN form factor is unique to the Saturn and is not physically compatible with other mini-DIN standards such as the 4-pin S-Video connector.
| Pin | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sync |
| 2 | Stereo L |
| 3 | Stereo R |
| 4 | +5VDC |
| 5 | red |
| 6 | green |
| 7 | blue |
| 8 | Composite Video |
| 9 | Luminance |
| 10 | Chrominance |
Notes
The CN5 connector is keyed and polarised; the mini-DIN shell is tied to ground. All video output signals (RGB, composite, luminance, chrominance) are terminated into 75-ohm loads. The Saturn’s sound system provides 32-channel PCM and FM synthesis at 16-bit stereo, with the stereo audio pair routed directly to pins 2 and 3. An alternate Sega part designation for CN5 is 212-5481 (TCS7716-432010). The connector is proprietary to the Saturn and was not carried over to the subsequent Dreamcast, which uses a different 16-pin AV multi-connector.
Signals
- Sync — composite sync output from the CXA1645M video encoder
- Stereo L — left-channel analogue audio output
- Stereo R — right-channel analogue audio output
- +5VDC — +5 V supply on the AV connector
- red — analogue red component of the RGB video signal (75-ohm load)
- green — analogue green component of the RGB video signal (75-ohm load)
- blue — analogue blue component of the RGB video signal (75-ohm load)
- Composite Video — baseband CVBS composite video output (75-ohm load)
- Luminance — S-Video Y (luminance) signal for S-Video output (75-ohm load)
- Chrominance — S-Video C (chrominance) signal for S-Video output (75-ohm load)