Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Anything before or after the GameCube!
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emu_kidid
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Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by emu_kidid » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:00 am

I've been playing a bit of Dreamcast lately (just started Shenmue), but it's taken me about 3-4 years to find a decent Dreamcast for a reasonable price. The last one I had was in 2004 but it kept resetting despite the numerous fixes I'd attempted to remedy it, so I'd sold it as faulty.

Eventually I ended up settling for a PAL Dreamcast that had succumbed to yellowing plastic and some heavy scratching, but it did work. It needed a bit of work to clean it up.

Here's a list of mods I've performed on it:
* PAL Dreamcast
* Replace SRAM battery with slot based battery/holder
* Install internal VGA + Port on the back
* Dual BIOS via piggybacked flashrom to switch between debug (region free) and normal
* Replace internal power supply with 160W Pico PSU
* Replace GDRom drive with GDEmu SD
* Sand and spray paint the console in black vinyl dye

Pictures coming soon
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jlo138
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by jlo138 » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:57 am

Mines factory. It plays burned cd's though. The only thing I've had to do was bypass the resistor on the controller board as both went out one after the other minutes apart. I got mine from a friend who said it was brand new just stored away in boxes. The boxes had water damage but the console itself looked brand new as he said. I just traded him some bootleg movies for it. He wasn't asking much. I've since bought a Black sports edition too. I've been meaning to play it but my tv doesn't like the powerless VGA adapter I have. I have to plug my laptop into that port so the tv will recognize it and then switch to my dreamcast. Otherwise it will be greyed out and I can't select it. My tv is 40" LCD, and Dreamcast doesn't look very good through RCA.
.timil retcarahc 552 a si erehT .ekam uoy stsop ot dedda eb nac taht txet fo kcolb a si sihT
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badsector
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by badsector » Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:12 am

Very nice setup, emu! :)

My setup is:
- PAL Dreamcast
- Toro VGA/Scart Box for 480p over Scart on Framemeister
- GDEMU with GDMENU instead of stock GDROM drive
- installed two buttons on back for switching GDEMU ISOs ingame
- 14v to 12v fix when GDROM drive removed (via capacitor)
- replaced battery with holder and new battery

My consoles plastic is also yellowed, maybe I should try to repaint it, but I never done it. Are there any painting tutorials that you can recommend?
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MockyLock
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by MockyLock » Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:10 am

For myself :

- PAL Dreamcast
- VGA Box Unbranded but like this one : http://www.amazon.com/VGA-S-Video-Adapt ... B000SL4IIG. Working very well
- GDEMU with GDmenu
- SD Card 128Go Komputerbay, set by madsheep's soft
- Trurip (Dumpcast) sets for games archiving

Will soon do the PicoPSU mod because mine becomes really too hot.
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emu_kidid
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by emu_kidid » Wed Dec 16, 2015 10:39 pm

badsector wrote: My consoles plastic is also yellowed, maybe I should try to repaint it, but I never done it. Are there any painting tutorials that you can recommend?
This was my first ever plastic/console painting, I'd probably want to paint it again by using filler and sanding it to remove some deep scratches but who cares, it's good enough and there's no paint runs.
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badsector
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by badsector » Thu Dec 17, 2015 1:36 pm

I would love to see a photo :)
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emu_kidid
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by emu_kidid » Thu Dec 17, 2015 10:42 pm

These are the only photos of it that I have with me on my phone so the quality isn't the greatest.

In between the first and final coat when I had to sand down some imperfections and spots where the paint ran. I thought about leaving it like this since it looked pretty interesting :P If I'd painted it properly the first time this wouldn't have happened but I didn't really know what I was doing at the time.
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Just after I'd painted it the second time and put the logo back on, and the back too. It has a nice matte look and feel like the original to it.
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After about 6 months of use photo, it's holding up very well. I would've rather left the power/eject buttons original colour but they were very badly damaged and needed sanding so I repainted them. They looked like someone had used a screwdriver to lift them up rather than just pushing them down.
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Opened up while I was re-doing my internal VGA mod wiring (very dodgy) and setting the picoPSU in a proper secure spot.
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In action
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badsector
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by badsector » Fri Dec 18, 2015 6:33 am

You got a very nice Dreamcast :) Almost looks like it is the original color.
I still have to decide whether I use one of those oxy formulas to remove the yellowing or if I repaint it. I will let you know ^^
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MockyLock
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by MockyLock » Sat Jan 30, 2016 11:36 am

Me again.
Encouraged by emu_kidid, i've finally completed my PicoPSU setup.
I didn't know which PSU i'd have to buy for this PicoPSU, so i finally decided to use a GameCube PSU :)
I had a dead Cube around so i gathered the PSU socket. I used some balsa wood sticks with double sided tape. The exact height for this is 2.00 cm, a common size in balsa wood furniture, lucky :]
Pics better than comments :
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I'm rather satisfied with it :)
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emu_kidid
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by emu_kidid » Sun Jan 31, 2016 10:46 pm

Nicely done. At the end of it all though it hardly feels like a dreamcast, no drive, replaced PSU, just the bare bones :)
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jdollatari
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by jdollatari » Sat Sep 17, 2016 1:28 pm

i have a couple stock cd-r capable dreamcasts. one has an aftermarket clear shell and came with a millenium 2000 controller. i am looking to do battery and led mods for sure and get some sort of vga setup. possibly going to get an sd card reader until i can get gd emu installed. depending on the psu dying and or heat being an issue i will do pico psu and i would like one of the units to have a custom paint job
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Sierron
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by Sierron » Sat Sep 17, 2016 9:45 pm

MockyLock wrote:Me again.
Encouraged by emu_kidid, i've finally completed my PicoPSU setup.
I didn't know which PSU i'd have to buy for this PicoPSU, so i finally decided to use a GameCube PSU :)
I had a dead Cube around so i gathered the PSU socket. I used some balsa wood sticks with double sided tape. The exact height for this is 2.00 cm, a common size in balsa wood furniture, lucky :]
Pics better than comments :
http://i.imgur.com/PDapzs7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZrBSsGp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nPJk2LC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/75Wgl0Q.jpg
I'm rather satisfied with it :)
That looks quite nice. *thumbs up*
Own a couple PAL and JPN cubes. And three BBAs. Homeland and PSO I/II.
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namesbond
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by namesbond » Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:59 pm

I love this thread! It is cool to see that I'm not alone in soldering the PicoPSU to the pins vs. using a connector. Emu_kidd's black one is sick! So is MockyLock's white one! I go back and forth on white vs. black Dreamcasts. I think the black hides imperfections better through. It is crazy that you used a Gamecube power connector! The rectifier must send the right specs for the PicoPSU.

My last project was a Dreamcast! The thing that I love about the Dreamcast is how it was ahead of it's time and had the superior versions of games for a couple year window. I ultimately made my own version of a Dreamcast Arcade machine. Which cost a ton but when compared to a NBA Showtime/NFL Blitz Sportstation arcade machine it really wasn't so bad. I mainly did this for Showtime, Blitz, and NBA Hoopz but there are so many other awesome arcade games on Dreamcast aswell. Plus my setup can be used with many other systems aswell including the Gamecube!

My Dreamcast:
Sega Sports Edition Black in nearly mint shape "There is one hairline scratch I discovered after owning it for a week"
Pico PSU
40 mm quieter fan with 3d printed mounts
slot loading system battery
USB GDrom with 3d printed insert
5 brand new controllers
3 band new VMU's
3 used rumble packs
Behar Bros Akura, Toro, Hanzo
Awesome PSO 4 in 1 memory card

I have a spare white revision 1 Dreamcast just encase anything happens with the motherboard. I did all the modding myself on the Dreamcast and it was frustrating at times for several stupid reasons such as wiring the new fan wrong, buying a 12v fan instead of a 5v.

My arcade setup:
Recroommasters pedestal arcade cabinet
X-arcade tankstick with all the system adapters and the 4 way switching box to switch between systems
Custom overlay for the tankstick that I designed
two belkin conserve power strips so I can leave the Dreamcast power button pressed in and turn it on from the side of the cab, the second strip is to be used with TV's that auto power on when plugged in such as my tv

Another cool thing about this setup is that it costs a ton for a 4 player arcade setup so in the rare occasions that I want to play 4 player with this I can have player 3 and 4 use controllers. Normally I have controller three always plugged in with a VMU. Plus this setup can accommodate any modern TV and when not gaming you can just watch TV on it.
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namesbond
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by namesbond » Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:59 am

I also have a Dreamcast keyboard for Typing of the Dead! Here is a pic of the inside of my console.
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emu_kidid
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by emu_kidid » Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:47 pm

Very cool Dreamcast! Yeah, it's still great to play and the VGA output is super crisp.
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liquitt
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by liquitt » Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:12 am

a dreamcast thread??? <3
please search before you ask - a lot has been discussed already!
(or use google with "site:gc-forever.com *term*")
http://is.gd/MDmZcr

we also have a wiki filled with knowledge
http://is.gd/dX58Rm
GizmoTheGreen
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by GizmoTheGreen » Mon Aug 20, 2018 12:59 pm

I knew about gdrom emu and vga-adapter/mod, but whats the point of the pico-psu exactly? more stable than stock?
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by emu_kidid » Mon Sep 03, 2018 12:07 pm

GizmoTheGreen wrote:
Mon Aug 20, 2018 12:59 pm
I knew about gdrom emu and vga-adapter/mod, but whats the point of the pico-psu exactly? more stable than stock?
Yes, the gdemu draws more power causing extra heat from the stock PSU. I used to have random reboots with the stock PSU as well and those are now gone too.
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namesbond
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by namesbond » Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:15 am

There is all kinds of stuff about removing a regulator or putting different value resistors on the stock PSU. It seemed like a better idea to me to replace it with a more modern PSU. Plus the rectifier circuit "power brick" is outside of the console with the pico psu. I doubt heat is really an issue with the Dreamcast but I didn't want my PSU to fry and possibly take out my mainboard or USBGDROM
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namesbond
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by namesbond » Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:26 am

I have a question for you guys. On my Dreamcast I replaced the clock battery with a battery holder and easily replaceable rechargeable battery. I have the power button on the Dreamcast always in the on position because I have it connected to a remotely controlled power strip. So it is essentially unplugged from the wall when not in use but has the power switch in the on position.

Everytime I fire up my Dreamcast after not playing it for a few hours it prompts for the system time. Then it will be fine for a few hours after use. Does leaving it in the on position while being unplugged drain the clock battery faster? I know that I can do some experiments and narrow it down but I was wondering if someone already knows.
GizmoTheGreen
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by GizmoTheGreen » Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:44 am

edit: nevermind I misread your post. and possibly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
probably the battery is "empty". when you have it on it gets powered from the socket and your battery "recovers" a little bit in that time since there's no load on it. it's just how the chemistry of it works.

then when the DC is off the load on it from an RTC is so light it does last an hour or two on the slight charge it recovered.

Time to change it. heh.
novenary
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by novenary » Thu Sep 13, 2018 11:20 am

namesbond wrote:
Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:26 am
Does leaving it in the on position while being unplugged drain the clock battery faster? I know that I can do some experiments and narrow it down but I was wondering if someone already knows.
That's very unlikely. Usually the backup battery circuit is entirely independent from the main power and is possibly active even when the system is on. It draws very little power, so that the coin cell can last as long as possible.
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namesbond
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by namesbond » Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:14 pm

Last night I left the surge protector on so the system was plugged in but with the power off. Tonight, I'll see how it behaves.

I believe I may have another ML2032. If I can find it I'll try swapping it.

My Dreamcast also has a self resetting fuse on the controller ports if that has any effect.
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namesbond
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by namesbond » Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:22 am

I tried my Dreamcast today and it did the same thing. I have a spare battery but found that my batteries are lir2032s 3.6v so I ordered a ml2032 at 3v hopefully that solves my issue.
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namesbond
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Re: Dreamcast owners - post your setup

Post by namesbond » Tue Sep 18, 2018 11:58 am

The ML2032 fixed my issues.
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