EDIT: Mark wants me to let you all know he's very sorry for soldering the fuse in the wrong place and he is flogging himself with a soldering iron 100 times as penance. Thank you to those who spotted it. ---- Thanks for watching! What do you think of our build? Would you change anything? Do we need to get the Terraonion MODE or have we got all bases covered? Let me know your thoughts! Here are the episode links below, and if you enjoyed it why not give Mark a sub, he's just 200 away from the big 10k! ● Episode Links MarkFixesStuff: ruclips.net/user/markfixesstuff Coaster2K items: www.ebay.co.uk/sch/coaster2k/m.html BitFunx Items: bitfunx.aliexpress.com/store/1406602 RMC Patreon: patreon.com/rmcretro Neil - RMC
Great build! You could shorten the load time from SD by using a program known as GDEMU_SD that indexes and sorts the games in a way that doesn't need it to be done at DC start up
Keen to see a comparison with the MODE - Mark said something else interesting - "digital CRT" - Do the computer CRTs from the late 90s have lag? - I have a PVM which I use with my MegaDrive & I would never play sonic on an LCD - maybe an OLED, but... for the Dreamcast - does my PVM have less lag than a 640x480 PC monitor like the Philips or Sony you are showing off in the opening shot? - I know its popular to plug a Dreamcast into a 90s monitor via VGA. - would be a good follow up vid I think.
Way a head of it s time not only from graphical point of view but the network and pretty much everything back in the 1998 in Japaan and 1999 europe;D when I had my playstation and went to my friend who had dc my jaw just drop on the floor
Given the broadband adapter is way out of most people's reach, the addition of a raspberry pi to support DreamPi would be nice. DreamPi makes the raspberry pi function as a dial up server so the Dreamcast modem can effectively call it up and connect to the internet via the pi's wi-fi. Getting the dreamcast back online and playing Phantasy Star would be a nice lockdown treat.
You guys forgot to cover one little essential mod to the dreamcast and that's the fan replacement with a Noctua NF-A4x10 5V fan as shown on 12:40 . For those who don't know, the original fan on the Dreamcast is very noisy and does little into cooling down the dreamcast, that mod pretty much makes it quiet and cool. There are various sites out there that have kits and it comes to £9 with the 3d printed mounting molds & electrical wires and £54 with the full kit (Noctua fan included).
One problem with blue LEDs is that our peripheral vision is really sensitive to blue. Red isn't noticeable out the corner of your eye but blue stands out a mile and can get a bit annoying.
Yeah, but it was kindly supplied for free, so... I have a green led in my other DC. What colour do you like? I might change it and add some more leds around the inside of the case.
@@MarkFixesStuff actually the blue might be okay with the DC because it's diffused behind that triangle piece? In general I try to go with boring old red now, it's not as fancy and modern as blue but in a dark room it's nicer on the eyes. Good video btw :) I've only changed the fan so far in my DC but will be getting a bootleg gdemu eventually. I'll have to pick up one of those 3D printed trays that you got. Luckily I'm plugged into a CRT so won't need to do that scary hdmi install!
Just a tip: you can leave the game and go back to the Dreamcast system menu by pushing the four colored buttons and start at the same time. You might have to do it multiple times because in many games it first goes back to the game's main menu.
If you use the SD card maker software for the gdemu you won't have to wait on every start-up. It creates an index file which would be read when starting the DC and it would directly start on the game list.
koffieleut is correct! The pause is not from the number of games, it is from the generation of the list. The SD card maker software generates a .ini file which allows the GDEmu to skip the loading screen completely, no matter how many games you have. There's a RUclips video titled "Get the MOST out of your GDEMU - Dreamcast - Custom Box Art - No More Loading Screens" that covers the process.
@Brian Babin Dreamcast is in a league of it's own. I wouldn't rank it with these other consoles. It was actually the first Sega I liked since the Master System. :D
The fave console i ever had was The Panasonic 3DO FZ1, I bought it new in 1994, Need for speed on that was something that no one had ever seen before. i never forgot my friends face when they saw 3D graphics for the first time. Awesome Memories.
I'd personally sooner have it hooked up to a CRT, as with pretty much all my consoles, but the rest of it looked fab. Always wanted to have a go on a Dreamcast.
You won't regret it. Tons of great games, comfortable controller, the sharpest graphics of any console of it's time, including the PS2 AND Xbox. The system is a little loud and the VMU battery beep could get annoying, but they are easily ignorable unless you're a quiet freak.
Over two decades old and is definitely going to go for two more. This thing could out live the rest of it's siblings, if the capasitors and the silicon hold out.
I have a GDEMU clone in one of my Dreamcasts with a 256GB card and 200+ games. It boots instantly because I used a tool called SD CARD MAKER for GDEmu 1.10 by MadSheep. Google it. It makes the experience so much better / easier. Also, if you didn't know, you can press A, B, X, Y and START simultaneously to take you back to the title screen in 95% of games. Do it again to take you back to the GDEMU menu. You don't have to press the 3D printed button in the tray or even be near it. If you used the tool I mentioned above there's zero waiting / loading. Finally, check the Dreamcast Talk forums. In the last week, a bunch of AtomisWave games were ported to the Dreamcast and they are INCREDIBLE. Cheers, guys! ❤️
Dreamcast is one of my favourite consoles, got it around its launch time,all the love its getting over the years online just shows how great and ahead of its time the console was.good video
@@dbnpoldermans4120 because I’ve just lowered the resistance for the battery charging circuit with my mistake. The original fuse is fine on the board which is why my error went unnoticed. Ironic that I’d mess up on the easiest bit though lol
You guys make a good team. Great video. I don’t have a Dreamcast, but if I did I think I would forego the expensive case. All the other mods improve the functionality, the case is just for show.
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling! Joking aside, I love the original case look and getting the replica meant not having to cut a vintage item.
Got a terrainion mode in my Japanese Dreamcast with a 500gb HDD, also done the battery mod. Using a beharbros akura for hdmi. The mode works a treat and I get a great picture using the akura
@ 12:20: That was not the fuse! That was the current limiting resistor for the battery charging (R1). Did Mark wrongly replace that with a fuse? The actual fuse is F1 as seen at 12:14.
Great video, love to see the support the Dreamcast gets still in 2020, Iv also been working on modding my dreamcast, and covering some video on that, one thing I reccomand is the Brooks controller adapter that includes 200 blocks and wireless controller connectivity, I like to see one of those internally connected, also retro bit are apparently working on a wireless dc controller, enjoyed the video and hope for the best.
To speed up loading with the GDEmu use the SD Card maker for GDEmu. The HDMI mod looks very nice, fake scanlines on a digital display never look right (too dark). I use a cheap VGA cable and a VGA CRT monitor for the DC, it looks beautiful in 640x480p with natural scanlines. Not really a mod, but something to add would be a DreamPi, to get that 33k modem connected to the internet for online play. Thanks for the video Neil & Mark. Long live the Dreamcast.
Thank you! Mark mentioned to me that he thought there might be an app to help pre-index the SD Card or something but couldn't remember the name, that clears up the mystery, very helpful thank you!
@@MarkFixesStuff The popular online games are Phantasy Star Online, Quake 3, Alien Front Online and Monaco Grand Prix Online. There are a few more, with people working on getting more games online every year. The full list is here: dreamcastlive.net/games/
@@MarkFixesStuff This site has a good list of the currently online games, as well as a schedule of upcoming times that the community plays different games. Really brings life to the dreamcast, especially when you have the dreamcast keyboard plugged in for the chat lobbies dreamcastlive.net/schedule/
Great video both! I think the Dreamcast is my favourite ever console, some amazing games and some you mentioned here that I wasn’t aware of. So many great memories, including in about 2003, we had expensive lcd screens at work that could rotate 90degrees. Playing Ikaruga in landscape mode through VGA out was immense. Loved Phantasy star online, going on hours long sessions and getting booted out when someone in the house picked up the phone!
One (expensive) mod that might be worth it, if you can find it, is the USB GD-ROM. When you have a large number of games (e.g. the whole library), GDEMU takes a very long time to load the menu (even if you use the Create Menu option in the SD card maker tool). In contrast, USB GD-ROM loads instantly no matter how many games you have. It's also a lot easier to add/remove games on USB: simply copy them directly to the flash drive with the folder structure and name you want. GDEMU essentially requires a separate program to add/remove games.
I've been eyeballing a DCHDMI so i can actually use my dreamcast in my living room. I have a nice RGB CRT downstairs in the basement when i want some classic style play, but sometimes you just want to sit up on the couch with friends and play some Rush 2049
@10:05 if you use the GDEMUSD program to setup the SD card, it will generate a file with a list of all the roms on the SD card which makes booting the GDEMU instantly.
Perhaps consider painting or wrapping the outside of the light pipe in foil then tape, so the LED only lights up the triangle on top and doesn't bleed of of the front? (Personal preference thing). The smoke-clear case for my Dreamcast was a lot cheaper back in the day :)
Excellent video chaps - I had one back in the day but sold it to a mate to pay off some debts! Was lucky enough to pick up a good example about two years ago now - it too has the battery problem...I'll get around to fixing that one day!
I have heard of people running into issues with the bitfunx clone of the DCDigital. Specifically, video sync drops out during gameplay and that the company provides little to no support. Is yours running well so far? I purchased my DCDigital from the original developer www.black-dog.tech/dcdigital.html and it's definitely the best part of this Dreamcast mod! I love that 3rd part shell that you purchased as well
I’ve not had any issues at all. It’s all open source so there’s no reason for the Bitfunx version to operate any differently. I spoke to Dan at Black Dog before we made the video. Unfortunately they were unable to get a device to us but confirmed the Bitfunx version was not illegal. Support wise I’ve not needed to ask any questions but contact from the company has been decent for me at least.
@@MarkFixesStuff thanks for the clarification about the fact that it’s open source - I wasn’t aware of that. I’m glad to hear that yours is working great and overall the Dreamcast looks amazing
Very well done! A good base to start from for having a "real" monster Dreamcast. Some additions you might enjoy to reach the "next level": Terraonion MODE in replacement of gdemu, dreampi for connecting it to the internet and enjoy games such PSO or Quake Arena, wifi controller dreamconn for enjoyng games and get rid of cables, lightconn gun for playing best DC shooters on +65 inches oled screens (wifi). It will cost perhaps extra 1000 bucks but will be all worth it!
I like crisp and clear, I can never understand fixing a machine or using an emulator for a better image only to the turn on scan line effects etc to make them fuzzy again.
I need to do that as it is annoying on boot having date and time adjust pop up every time it is switched on. It charges up a little bit but if not used for more than a day it looses its charge.
This is my kind of collaboration! I've done the rechargeable battery, Pico psu and GDemu in mine so far. A new shell and HDMI out would be nice though.
Why didn't you guys use a terraonion MODE? I'm interested in getting the cable, can you edit video settings with that version as well, or is that only for the built in cable mod.
Great work friends. Might I suggest some clear smoke black controllers to better match the shell? Sorry if it’s been suggested already. I didn’t feel like reading through all the comments to check.
Don't know why my favourite colour Poy-Pull Err-Purple is hardly ever used for an LED Indicator, but Man O Woman once you've seen a neon Purple LED indicator, I swear you too will love it!
Retro Fighters just ended a kickstarter for a wireless version of their N64 controller and they made a wired Dreamcast replacement so hoping that will get the wireless treatment in the near future.
My dream Draemcast build would have gdemu and the optical drive with the option to switch between them. So you can play originals or backups of your originals.
Another possible alternative for DCHDMI is a VGA cable + VGA box. You can also connect your DC directly to a VGA monitor. If you have an old CRT PC monitor, you can even get crisp video output AND lightgun compatibility.
Great vid, I think i'll be doing some of that to my Dreamcast! Have been meaning to do the memory card mod for ages, but it needs a small repair first though as the lid doesn't stay shut. I agree with some other comments here though, as sharp as it looks through HDMI i'd only ever be using mine on a CRT (probably one of my ex-broadcast CRTs, or maybe a normal TV via scart), same as all my other computers/consoles!
The fan is definitely needed. With the GD-ROM drive removed, there is more draw on the power supply which causes the system to get hotter. Best to remove the 12v rail and this won't happen.
They're bad news. Avoid them. They use a different technology to red and green LEDs and they can cause eye damage. medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-eyes-health-authority.html
@@6581punk that's more about cheap white home lighting, than tiny blue LEDs on a device. And it says "it _can_ accelerate retinal ageing", which is quite different from damaging/destroying the retina directly. Anyone who knows anything about LED home lighting will tell you to go with a good quality warm white instead of a strobey cool one anyway. It's bizarre how the article mentions the top manufacturers, who do proper DC rectification, then talk about cheap rectification which ends up strobey. They make it sound like even the best name brands do it. Cheap LED light is a world apart from decent ones, even just in terms of CRI. This article you linked doesn't really tell us anything new that lighting professionals haven't been saying for decades.
I didn't do the HDMI solution because I dont trust my soldering skills enough for that so I bought a pound HDMI cable. I did do all the others and the fan replacement is very satisfying! Man that old fan was loud! The cd drive was loud as well though.
What I'd like in mine (and I am 100% certain this does not exist) is the ability to shift between the original CD's and a SD card solution in my Dreamcast that way the games (the few I own) I collect aren't destined to permanently sit on the shelf.
Not a fan of that hdmi mod seems like the cable is the vastly better option all around, I also would have kept the optical drive but maybe I'm just a pedant and like to have the physical media to hand, I approve of the psu upgrade shame there aren't more kinds for different systems available or maybe there are and I don't know about it yet.
the psu mod isn't useful. you get a less good quality power supply and now have to deal with a box or wall wart. you can buy caps for a couple dollars and make the original supply work better. The hdmi cable adapter is trash, i had one...
Back in the day I worked at a game store and I set up a large format CRT with a DC using the VGA cables and some 3.1 speakers, it was more popular than the PS2 or xbox for in-store play. :D :D
For anyone playing on a CRT, the DCHDMI makes no sense. For everyone else that wants to play on their 60 inch 4k OLED, you're going to want to look into this! The fan mod should be installed in all Dreamcast's, to be honest. I've heard people say to refurbish the original PSU, instead of putting a pico in, but I haven't really poured over the data. The clone GDEMU is pretty much the only option, as the original creator seems to be missing in action, although being able to support the inventor would be rather nice. Either way, you guys did it! That really is the ULTIMATE DC!
To fix the 2 minutes loading time because of the big sd card, use the SD Card Maker tool to adjust your games. Check the Menu checkbox in the tool, and save. It will load GDmenu instantly.
When you have a very large number of games (200+GB worth), even if you use the SD Card Maker tool and save the Menu file, it still takes about 2 minutes to load the menu.
The dreamcast looks awesome. Never had one. Almost most bought one a few years ago, then remembered Crazy Taxi was also available on the gamecube. I am not a fan of fake scanlines. Real yes. Fake, nope. You should get a sony wega tv with HDMI. Scanlines and HDMI best of both worlds.👍 As long as you don't think about the weight 😊
Yep Andy wants to come and visit with the final product for a follow up video but we're in lockdown now (this video was recorded before lockdown) - so it will happen when it's safe and legal to do so
Regarding the bitfunx hdmi adapter (not the dchdmi)... it's a great, cheap little device to get your dreamcast plugged into a hdmi television. However. it does not scale pixels in a 1:1 ratio. with other words you can get slight rainbow effect on the 16-bit dither output that a lot of games use.... (it's mostly visible when representing midtone colors and greys )... but other than that. color representation is good, and the lag isn't noticeable in my opinion if you use "game mode" on your TV. perhaps one frame of lag.
@@RMCRetro hahaha. The nerve! I mean, bitfunx might have replaced the scaler within the adapter since I bought mine 2 years ago. The issue with mine is that the scaler reads the 720x480 output of the dreamcast as 640x480 causing some pixel interpolation which result in diffuse vertical lines aross the dither pattern. it is very subtle and hard to spot. except when playing games like Shenmue, Resident Evil - Code Name Veronica. games that use 16-bits which uses very muted colors and a lot of gray tones.
There are a few mods that are still missing from this whole scheme, namely the DreamPi modem, the wireless Dreamcast controller and backlit rechargable VMU mod, and if you're going the full monty, the 32MB RAM mod, and Atomiswave BBA. Still, for a functional all-in-one Dreamcast without a fuss, this is just fine. A lot better than a certain metalhead had for an "ultimate Dreamcast." On most regards, I'd probably ignore the "Atomiswave BBA" one since it neglects to mention that only about 5 games support the BBA, and that 32MB RAM mod is still a bit of a meme for the time being. But a DreamPi is a must. This and the Xbox were the champions of early online console gaming, it must be celebrated!
The issue with it taking 2 minutes to load the games on the 256gb card... A lot of videos say to use SD Card Maker / GDEMU_SD to setup your sd card, it generates a list.ini file for the menu so upon boot it loads instantly no matter how many games you have.
@RMC - The Cave I think a bilinear filter, something trivial to do, would go a long way to making the image output look more authentic without defeating the point of having the HDMI connection.
Dreamcast was capable of pure sharp VGA when it launched in Japan in 1998. There's nothing authentic about smearing Vaseline all over the picture. Hooked up to a VGA monitor it is nothing short of beautiful.
@@ScottWozniak You're welcome to your opinion, not everyone agrees. Most people played a Dreamcast on a CRT TV with the naturally occurring pixel blending effect that went with it. And while playing on a VGA CRT was a novelty to behold, it was far from the norm.
@RMC - The Cave are there any VMU MODS for the Dreamcast... Maybe a Full color screen & an SDCard for the VMU as well to have all of the VMU games portable?
[ pauses ] 6:44- I wonder why you go for the internal option when the A/V out includes a VGA 'switch' that leads to zero lag. I use the external switcher box, most cheap HDMI TV's also had the VGA plug. The 16 inch Alba I use on a Raspi has one, both the 40 inch JVC's have them [ £249 off of Argos :-D ] 'The ultimate' in my book would include a PCI riser [ cheap NIC's ] and a desktop =]8¬_D PS your soldering iron needs a much better tip! [ presses play again ]
Hey guys great video as usual but i noticed you put the fuse in the wrong spot its actually the other one (blue) you replace ,I've change numerous of does fuses before.
Agreed, they swapped the wrong component; I'm pretty sure it's labelled F1 on the board, but regardless, it should have been the one closer to the capacitor.
This is why Mark can't have nice things. Good spot, we smashed through so much that day I'm not surprised our eyes failed us somewhere along the way...no damage done thankfully
The reason the DCHDMI is superior is a bit more than just latency. First, it's a lossless digital to digital conversion where the signal never exists as analog (flawless video quality). Second, it does proper scaling for 240p games where the external adapter would not. Third, it can scale to 1080p which may match your screen's native resoltion and bypass your TV's scaler. Fourth, it works with every game whether they support the VGA adapter or not. It's just better! :)
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
EDIT: Mark wants me to let you all know he's very sorry for soldering the fuse in the wrong place and he is flogging himself with a soldering iron 100 times as penance. Thank you to those who spotted it.
----
Thanks for watching! What do you think of our build? Would you change anything? Do we need to get the Terraonion MODE or have we got all bases covered? Let me know your thoughts! Here are the episode links below, and if you enjoyed it why not give Mark a sub, he's just 200 away from the big 10k!
● Episode Links
MarkFixesStuff: ruclips.net/user/markfixesstuff
Coaster2K items: www.ebay.co.uk/sch/coaster2k/m.html
BitFunx Items: bitfunx.aliexpress.com/store/1406602
RMC Patreon: patreon.com/rmcretro
Neil - RMC
If you create a list of games GDEMU boots up much quicker.
Great build! You could shorten the load time from SD by using a program known as GDEMU_SD that indexes and sorts the games in a way that doesn't need it to be done at DC start up
I subscribed to Mark’s channel a while ago. Always good to watch.
Keen to see a comparison with the MODE - Mark said something else interesting - "digital CRT" - Do the computer CRTs from the late 90s have lag? - I have a PVM which I use with my MegaDrive & I would never play sonic on an LCD - maybe an OLED, but... for the Dreamcast - does my PVM have less lag than a 640x480 PC monitor like the Philips or Sony you are showing off in the opening shot? - I know its popular to plug a Dreamcast into a 90s monitor via VGA. - would be a good follow up vid I think.
Resistance is fu(se)tile.
The Dreamcast is like the one console that is quite far ahead of it's time that it ages pretty well even till today wow.
Especially with Marseille mcable gaming
Way a head of it s time not only from graphical point of view but the network and pretty much everything back in the 1998 in Japaan and 1999 europe;D when I had my playstation and went to my friend who had dc my jaw just drop on the floor
The graphics are a lot sharper than the PS2's even.
Given the broadband adapter is way out of most people's reach, the addition of a raspberry pi to support DreamPi would be nice. DreamPi makes the raspberry pi function as a dial up server so the Dreamcast modem can effectively call it up and connect to the internet via the pi's wi-fi. Getting the dreamcast back online and playing Phantasy Star would be a nice lockdown treat.
Phantasy Star Online was my first online experience. :) Played it later on PC Schtserv and Ephinea.
LED is orange in all regions from factory
Thank you for this. I modded my LED so long ago I can’t even remember.
The color of the Sega logo is different per region.
@@gordoncreAtive yes, I did at least know that. In the boot up animation as well.
'Amber' :-þ
It is actually octarine, but it appears orange to non-wizard eyes.
You guys forgot to cover one little essential mod to the dreamcast and that's the fan replacement with a Noctua NF-A4x10 5V fan as shown on 12:40 .
For those who don't know, the original fan on the Dreamcast is very noisy and does little into cooling down the dreamcast, that mod pretty much makes it quiet and cool.
There are various sites out there that have kits and it comes to £9 with the 3d printed mounting molds & electrical wires and £54 with the full kit (Noctua fan included).
it's not essential
One problem with blue LEDs is that our peripheral vision is really sensitive to blue. Red isn't noticeable out the corner of your eye but blue stands out a mile and can get a bit annoying.
Yeah, but it was kindly supplied for free, so... I have a green led in my other DC. What colour do you like? I might change it and add some more leds around the inside of the case.
@@MarkFixesStuff actually the blue might be okay with the DC because it's diffused behind that triangle piece? In general I try to go with boring old red now, it's not as fancy and modern as blue but in a dark room it's nicer on the eyes. Good video btw :) I've only changed the fan so far in my DC but will be getting a bootleg gdemu eventually. I'll have to pick up one of those 3D printed trays that you got. Luckily I'm plugged into a CRT so won't need to do that scary hdmi install!
I used blue LED's on my MAME arcade machine. Wow they are nice but annoying.
@@MarkFixesStuff yellow would look really cool with this build
@@MarkFixesStuff Amber is the best colour for a LED indicators.
The Dreamcast is my all time favourite console, it was so ahead of its time no it holds up well on 2021
Just a tip: you can leave the game and go back to the Dreamcast system menu by pushing the four colored buttons and start at the same time. You might have to do it multiple times because in many games it first goes back to the game's main menu.
What?? Never knew this
If you use the SD card maker software for the gdemu you won't have to wait on every start-up. It creates an index file which would be read when starting the DC and it would directly start on the game list.
When you have 200+GB of games on the SD card, the game list itself takes about 2 minutes to load, due to the time it takes to read the index file.
koffieleut is correct! The pause is not from the number of games, it is from the generation of the list. The SD card maker software generates a .ini file which allows the GDEmu to skip the loading screen completely, no matter how many games you have. There's a RUclips video titled "Get the MOST out of your GDEMU - Dreamcast - Custom Box Art - No More Loading Screens" that covers the process.
Dreamcast is still my favourite console, closely followed by the Saturn
@Brian Babin N64 > PlayStation > Altair 8800 > Saturn :)
@Brian Babin Dreamcast is in a league of it's own. I wouldn't rank it with these other consoles. It was actually the first Sega I liked since the Master System. :D
@@toaster4634 N64? 7800? You absolute wrongun
The fave console i ever had was The Panasonic 3DO FZ1, I bought it new in 1994, Need for speed on that was something that no one had ever seen before. i never forgot my friends face when they saw 3D graphics for the first time. Awesome Memories.
I'd personally sooner have it hooked up to a CRT, as with pretty much all my consoles, but the rest of it looked fab. Always wanted to have a go on a Dreamcast.
Can’t beat a CRT. And of course you can still do that even after the mod because the DCHDMI can detect a cable
I agree completely and I say that as as someone who paid for a DCHDMI. The DCHDMI looks nowhere near as good as a VGA CRT.
You won't regret it. Tons of great games, comfortable controller, the sharpest graphics of any console of it's time, including the PS2 AND Xbox. The system is a little loud and the VMU battery beep could get annoying, but they are easily ignorable unless you're a quiet freak.
The best is my 50 inch qled and Marseille mcable. I tried so many setups, but that is the ultimate one
@@christophermorin9036 yesterday I cut the speaker cables of my VMUs ;) it's just like heaven
Over two decades old and is definitely going to go for two more.
This thing could out live the rest of it's siblings, if the capasitors and the silicon hold out.
I have a GDEMU clone in one of my Dreamcasts with a 256GB card and 200+ games. It boots instantly because I used a tool called SD CARD MAKER for GDEmu 1.10 by MadSheep. Google it. It makes the experience so much better / easier.
Also, if you didn't know, you can press A, B, X, Y and START simultaneously to take you back to the title screen in 95% of games. Do it again to take you back to the GDEMU menu. You don't have to press the 3D printed button in the tray or even be near it. If you used the tool I mentioned above there's zero waiting / loading.
Finally, check the Dreamcast Talk forums. In the last week, a bunch of AtomisWave games were ported to the Dreamcast and they are INCREDIBLE. Cheers, guys! ❤️
Dreamcast is one of my favourite consoles, got it around its launch time,all the love its getting over the years online just shows how great and ahead of its time the console was.good video
You installed the fuse in the wrong spot. The fuse is labeled 'F1'. You installed the fuse in place of resistor R1.
Cheers Ryan. I shouldn’t rush! Good spot and I’ll swap that around in a bit!
So but the dreamcast still functions fine.
My little brain is like: wtf so many questions! like how ...?
@@MarkFixesStuff are fuse not sort of circuit breakers
@@dbnpoldermans4120 because I’ve just lowered the resistance for the battery charging circuit with my mistake. The original fuse is fine on the board which is why my error went unnoticed. Ironic that I’d mess up on the easiest bit though lol
@@linuxstreamer8910 these are, yes.
My Portuguese model had an orange LED. I also had a VGA adapter which made the output super crisp. Good times!
Todas tinham o LED laranja, o logo é que era azul nas regiões PAL.
@@RaenYrtham Confirmo!
This is the α-Dreamcast. Jolly good work lads! Keep the Dream alive.
yes!!! RMC and japanese consoles is just a pure WIN!
I love the tiny Noctua fan.
You guys make a good team. Great video. I don’t have a Dreamcast, but if I did I think I would forego the expensive case. All the other mods improve the functionality, the case is just for show.
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling! Joking aside, I love the original case look and getting the replica meant not having to cut a vintage item.
Got a terrainion mode in my Japanese Dreamcast with a 500gb HDD, also done the battery mod. Using a beharbros akura for hdmi. The mode works a treat and I get a great picture using the akura
My old Dreamcast used to have the official Sega millenium crystal yellow top shell but I lost it when I moved... :-(
Stolen
@@NoNoseProduction Possibly I guess.
@ 12:20: That was not the fuse! That was the current limiting resistor for the battery charging (R1). Did Mark wrongly replace that with a fuse? The actual fuse is F1 as seen at 12:14.
Yes! You got me. In my haste I did the wrong part. I’ll swap it over now. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll ask Neil to put a note under the video.
Great video, love to see the support the Dreamcast gets still in 2020, Iv also been working on modding my dreamcast, and covering some video on that, one thing I reccomand is the Brooks controller adapter that includes 200 blocks and wireless controller connectivity, I like to see one of those internally connected, also retro bit are apparently working on a wireless dc controller, enjoyed the video and hope for the best.
To speed up loading with the GDEmu use the SD Card maker for GDEmu. The HDMI mod looks very nice, fake scanlines on a digital display never look right (too dark). I use a cheap VGA cable and a VGA CRT monitor for the DC, it looks beautiful in 640x480p with natural scanlines. Not really a mod, but something to add would be a DreamPi, to get that 33k modem connected to the internet for online play. Thanks for the video Neil & Mark. Long live the Dreamcast.
Thank you! Mark mentioned to me that he thought there might be an app to help pre-index the SD Card or something but couldn't remember the name, that clears up the mystery, very helpful thank you!
Thanks for the info! What games are played online these days?
@@MarkFixesStuff The popular online games are Phantasy Star Online, Quake 3, Alien Front Online and Monaco Grand Prix Online. There are a few more, with people working on getting more games online every year. The full list is here: dreamcastlive.net/games/
@@RMCRetro No problem Neil, thanks for the great weekly videos.
@@MarkFixesStuff This site has a good list of the currently online games, as well as a schedule of upcoming times that the community plays different games. Really brings life to the dreamcast, especially when you have the dreamcast keyboard plugged in for the chat lobbies dreamcastlive.net/schedule/
I love it when Marks Fixes Stuff.
Great video both! I think the Dreamcast is my favourite ever console, some amazing games and some you mentioned here that I wasn’t aware of. So many great memories, including in about 2003, we had expensive lcd screens at work that could rotate 90degrees. Playing Ikaruga in landscape mode through VGA out was immense. Loved Phantasy star online, going on hours long sessions and getting booted out when someone in the house picked up the phone!
The two of you make a good duo 🙂👍
Thank you Daniel son
Cheers Dan!
13:40 I saw a bit of tearing at the top of the screen. Did the original hardware have that present?
Always tape the bits around the soldering area. It will save you so much hustle
Good tip!
I just love this channel. Great content in exquisite detail.
Mark is nuts 😁👍
One (expensive) mod that might be worth it, if you can find it, is the USB GD-ROM. When you have a large number of games (e.g. the whole library), GDEMU takes a very long time to load the menu (even if you use the Create Menu option in the SD card maker tool). In contrast, USB GD-ROM loads instantly no matter how many games you have.
It's also a lot easier to add/remove games on USB: simply copy them directly to the flash drive with the folder structure and name you want. GDEMU essentially requires a separate program to add/remove games.
I've been eyeballing a DCHDMI so i can actually use my dreamcast in my living room. I have a nice RGB CRT downstairs in the basement when i want some classic style play, but sometimes you just want to sit up on the couch with friends and play some Rush 2049
@10:05 if you use the GDEMUSD program to setup the SD card, it will generate a file with a list of all the roms on the SD card which makes booting the GDEMU instantly.
I add my humble vote for the crisp picture.
Completely forgot about the blue startup logo so used to the red one here in Canada
The Dreamcast is so cool. I need to get one soon! Interesting and entertaining video guys! :)
No mention of the Fan mod? The dead silent, more efficient Noctua fan in there? With printed mount
There is a caption that pops up when I show that mod as I didn't mention it during the chat
@@RMCRetro Excellent video, I've done all these mods on my DC but a jet black case and MODE. I don't appreciate you tallying up the total costs🤣🤣
All those upgrades and you didn't opt for the new Dreamcast controller?
Why is mark using a huge soldering tip @ 5:02?
I left my small tip at home!
@@MarkFixesStuff ok👍
The amount of LE in HDMI and SD FPGA is probably bigger than in dreamcasts' chip itself :)
Well done Mark, and a special mention to the Cameraman.
A nod to the pair of my favorite youtube presenters.
Thanks Brendon
Love my DC, great episode!
Perhaps consider painting or wrapping the outside of the light pipe in foil then tape, so the LED only lights up the triangle on top and doesn't bleed of of the front? (Personal preference thing).
The smoke-clear case for my Dreamcast was a lot cheaper back in the day :)
Excellent video chaps - I had one back in the day but sold it to a mate to pay off some debts! Was lucky enough to pick up a good example about two years ago now - it too has the battery problem...I'll get around to fixing that one day!
Oh my, I’ve been there David!
@@MarkFixesStuff I’d likely have done the battery fix some time ago but I could never find the battery holders in anything less than packs of 50 😂
Awesome machine, Soul Calibre, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi and Le Mans were awesome. Very under rated console.
I have heard of people running into issues with the bitfunx clone of the DCDigital. Specifically, video sync drops out during gameplay and that the company provides little to no support. Is yours running well so far? I purchased my DCDigital from the original developer www.black-dog.tech/dcdigital.html and it's definitely the best part of this Dreamcast mod! I love that 3rd part shell that you purchased as well
I’ve not had any issues at all. It’s all open source so there’s no reason for the Bitfunx version to operate any differently. I spoke to Dan at Black Dog before we made the video. Unfortunately they were unable to get a device to us but confirmed the Bitfunx version was not illegal. Support wise I’ve not needed to ask any questions but contact from the company has been decent for me at least.
@@MarkFixesStuff thanks for the clarification about the fact that it’s open source - I wasn’t aware of that. I’m glad to hear that yours is working great and overall the Dreamcast looks amazing
Very well done! A good base to start from for having a "real" monster Dreamcast. Some additions you might enjoy to reach the "next level": Terraonion MODE in replacement of gdemu, dreampi for connecting it to the internet and enjoy games such PSO or Quake Arena, wifi controller dreamconn for enjoyng games and get rid of cables, lightconn gun for playing best DC shooters on +65 inches oled screens (wifi). It will cost perhaps extra 1000 bucks but will be all worth it!
I like crisp and clear, I can never understand fixing a machine or using an emulator for a better image only to the turn on scan line effects etc to make them fuzzy again.
Excellent video. Absolutely need to get that rechargeable battery installed into mine.
I need to do that as it is annoying on boot having date and time adjust pop up every time it is switched on. It charges up a little bit but if not used for more than a day it looses its charge.
This is my kind of collaboration! I've done the rechargeable battery, Pico psu and GDemu in mine so far. A new shell and HDMI out would be nice though.
@allegedly I've been using it for over a year now and have had no issues as of yet.
Why didn't you guys use a terraonion MODE?
I'm interested in getting the cable, can you edit video settings with that version as well, or is that only for the built in cable mod.
Could maybe choose a Terraonion mode if you prefer to use a hardrive or SSD. and also a striker DC controller for more comfortable play
Yes. The MODE is a great ODE. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one. Replaced my USB-GDROM, which I don't recommend.
How did Mark manage to curb his innuendo when talking about the "smaller package"?
It involved a vice under the table which I could tighten at any moment :D
Great work friends. Might I suggest some clear smoke black controllers to better match the shell? Sorry if it’s been suggested already. I didn’t feel like reading through all the comments to check.
Don't know why my favourite colour Poy-Pull Err-Purple is hardly ever used for an LED Indicator, but Man O Woman once you've seen a neon Purple LED indicator, I swear you too will love it!
I use RGB or S-Video on a CRT on all my older systems 50 or 60hz, NTSC and PAL not a issue.
The only thinkg the dreamcast needs is wireless controller mod and a broadband adaptor (1gb if possible) clone and were golden.
The only issue is that very very few games even supported the BBA.
Retro Fighters just ended a kickstarter for a wireless version of their N64 controller and they made a wired Dreamcast replacement so hoping that will get the wireless treatment in the near future.
@@Maldroth would be very cool.
@@slightlyevolved Nope only a few games supported it. See here for the full compatibility list. segaretro.org/Broadband_Adapter
My dream Draemcast build would have gdemu and the optical drive with the option to switch between them. So you can play originals or backups of your originals.
Gotta love that Noctua fan cooling it. 👍👍👍
Great graphics! Consoles really came into their own in the late 90s. Without being too perfect and uninteresting like nowadays.
nice build!
Another possible alternative for DCHDMI is a VGA cable + VGA box. You can also connect your DC directly to a VGA monitor. If you have an old CRT PC monitor, you can even get crisp video output AND lightgun compatibility.
Great vid, I think i'll be doing some of that to my Dreamcast! Have been meaning to do the memory card mod for ages, but it needs a small repair first though as the lid doesn't stay shut. I agree with some other comments here though, as sharp as it looks through HDMI i'd only ever be using mine on a CRT (probably one of my ex-broadcast CRTs, or maybe a normal TV via scart), same as all my other computers/consoles!
My question is. "Is the fan still needed"?.
Less so with that new PSU, but you can never be too careful
The fan is definitely needed. With the GD-ROM drive removed, there is more draw on the power supply which causes the system to get hotter. Best to remove the 12v rail and this won't happen.
blue led's make my eyes go weird.. something about the blue affects my eyes.
They're bad news. Avoid them. They use a different technology to red and green LEDs and they can cause eye damage. medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-eyes-health-authority.html
I absolutely hate blue leds. If I can’t turn them off, I will replace them or remove them.
@@6581punk that's more about cheap white home lighting, than tiny blue LEDs on a device. And it says "it _can_ accelerate retinal ageing", which is quite different from damaging/destroying the retina directly. Anyone who knows anything about LED home lighting will tell you to go with a good quality warm white instead of a strobey cool one anyway. It's bizarre how the article mentions the top manufacturers, who do proper DC rectification, then talk about cheap rectification which ends up strobey. They make it sound like even the best name brands do it. Cheap LED light is a world apart from decent ones, even just in terms of CRI. This article you linked doesn't really tell us anything new that lighting professionals haven't been saying for decades.
I didn't do the HDMI solution because I dont trust my soldering skills enough for that so I bought a pound HDMI cable. I did do all the others and the fan replacement is very satisfying! Man that old fan was loud! The cd drive was loud as well though.
the sd solution is great for most users, though i rather liked the add in card that uses an ide interface, there is also an addin card that has usb
Looks like you've got a jedi knight with you today Neil
He FORCED me to Sith there... sorry
What I'd like in mine (and I am 100% certain this does not exist) is the ability to shift between the original CD's and a SD card solution in my Dreamcast that way the games (the few I own) I collect aren't destined to permanently sit on the shelf.
Buy the cable solution of SD reader.
Not a fan of that hdmi mod seems like the cable is the vastly better option all around, I also would have kept the optical drive but maybe I'm just a pedant and like to have the physical media to hand, I approve of the psu upgrade shame there aren't more kinds for different systems available or maybe there are and I don't know about it yet.
the psu mod isn't useful. you get a less good quality power supply and now have to deal with a box or wall wart. you can buy caps for a couple dollars and make the original supply work better. The hdmi cable adapter is trash, i had one...
I keep looking for mods for mine. I got the psu and terra onion mode installed.
Back in the day I worked at a game store and I set up a large format CRT with a DC using the VGA cables and some 3.1 speakers, it was more popular than the PS2 or xbox for in-store play. :D :D
Great video. Thanks for the book, it's great and arrived very quickly. Will you be writing a volume 2?
You're welcome! There seems to be a demand for it so yes, I'll get to work on vol2!
For anyone playing on a CRT, the DCHDMI makes no sense. For everyone else that wants to play on their 60 inch 4k OLED, you're going to want to look into this! The fan mod should be installed in all Dreamcast's, to be honest. I've heard people say to refurbish the original PSU, instead of putting a pico in, but I haven't really poured over the data. The clone GDEMU is pretty much the only option, as the original creator seems to be missing in action, although being able to support the inventor would be rather nice. Either way, you guys did it! That really is the ULTIMATE DC!
To fix the 2 minutes loading time because of the big sd card, use the SD Card Maker tool to adjust your games. Check the Menu checkbox in the tool, and save. It will load GDmenu instantly.
When you have a very large number of games (200+GB worth), even if you use the SD Card Maker tool and save the Menu file, it still takes about 2 minutes to load the menu.
Never new that there was a LED there when I had my Dreamcast.
Older leds where very dim and the first ones they could make where red or orange it's not too surprising it slipped under your radar :)
I've never been so jealous in my entire life.
Pretty common mods, but cool nonetheless. Thanks for including REZ in your footage reel! Cheers guys!
I really love Rez. So much so in fact, that I bought a PSVR to play it!!
The dreamcast looks awesome. Never had one. Almost most bought one a few years ago, then remembered Crazy Taxi was also available on the gamecube.
I am not a fan of fake scanlines. Real yes. Fake, nope.
You should get a sony wega tv with HDMI. Scanlines and HDMI best of both worlds.👍
As long as you don't think about the weight 😊
Sony never released a Wega TV with HDMI in the UK. Just like we never got a PS3 with full PS2 compatibility.
can you do a followup piece with the sinden light gun?
Yep Andy wants to come and visit with the final product for a follow up video but we're in lockdown now (this video was recorded before lockdown) - so it will happen when it's safe and legal to do so
Regarding the bitfunx hdmi adapter (not the dchdmi)... it's a great, cheap little device to get your dreamcast plugged into a hdmi television. However. it does not scale pixels in a 1:1 ratio. with other words you can get slight rainbow effect on the 16-bit dither output that a lot of games use.... (it's mostly visible when representing midtone colors and greys )... but other than that. color representation is good, and the lag isn't noticeable in my opinion if you use "game mode" on your TV. perhaps one frame of lag.
One for Mark to answer as it ran flawlessly while here, but would you believe it....he took the DC home with him! An outrage I tell you
@@RMCRetro hahaha. The nerve! I mean, bitfunx might have replaced the scaler within the adapter since I bought mine 2 years ago. The issue with mine is that the scaler reads the 720x480 output of the dreamcast as 640x480 causing some pixel interpolation which result in diffuse vertical lines aross the dither pattern. it is very subtle and hard to spot. except when playing games like Shenmue, Resident Evil - Code Name Veronica. games that use 16-bits which uses very muted colors and a lot of gray tones.
There are a few mods that are still missing from this whole scheme, namely the DreamPi modem, the wireless Dreamcast controller and backlit rechargable VMU mod, and if you're going the full monty, the 32MB RAM mod, and Atomiswave BBA. Still, for a functional all-in-one Dreamcast without a fuss, this is just fine. A lot better than a certain metalhead had for an "ultimate Dreamcast."
On most regards, I'd probably ignore the "Atomiswave BBA" one since it neglects to mention that only about 5 games support the BBA, and that 32MB RAM mod is still a bit of a meme for the time being. But a DreamPi is a must. This and the Xbox were the champions of early online console gaming, it must be celebrated!
another great mod and another one saved from the dump
Love your work guys
The issue with it taking 2 minutes to load the games on the 256gb card...
A lot of videos say to use SD Card Maker / GDEMU_SD to setup your sd card, it generates a list.ini file for the menu so upon boot it loads instantly no matter how many games you have.
I’m still glad I bought one on a whim for $20 they’re absolutely epic
you could add new thermal pads there are two on the pcb but maybe i missed that part in the video
@RMC - The Cave
I think a bilinear filter, something trivial to do, would go a long way to making the image output look more authentic without defeating the point of having the HDMI connection.
Dreamcast was capable of pure sharp VGA when it launched in Japan in 1998. There's nothing authentic about smearing Vaseline all over the picture. Hooked up to a VGA monitor it is nothing short of beautiful.
@@ScottWozniak You're welcome to your opinion, not everyone agrees. Most people played a Dreamcast on a CRT TV with the naturally occurring pixel blending effect that went with it. And while playing on a VGA CRT was a novelty to behold, it was far from the norm.
The big question I have, has anyone come up with a third-party broadband adapter yet?
atomiswave adapter was found to be repurposed but caused the value to spike also. still about half price from a BBA
I love the Dreamcast. I've flush mounted one to the side of my MAME arcade machine. Soulcalibur with arcade controls is pretty fun.
@RMC - The Cave are there any VMU MODS for the Dreamcast... Maybe a Full color screen & an SDCard for the VMU as well to have all of the VMU games portable?
[ pauses ]
6:44- I wonder why you go for the internal option when the A/V out includes a VGA 'switch' that leads to zero lag. I use the external switcher box, most cheap HDMI TV's also had the VGA plug. The 16 inch Alba I use on a Raspi has one, both the 40 inch JVC's have them [ £249 off of Argos :-D ]
'The ultimate' in my book would include a PCI riser [ cheap NIC's ] and a desktop =]8¬_D
PS your soldering iron needs a much better tip!
[ presses play again ]
Hey guys great video as usual but i noticed you put the fuse in the wrong spot its actually the other one (blue) you replace ,I've change numerous of does fuses before.
Agreed, they swapped the wrong component; I'm pretty sure it's labelled F1 on the board, but regardless, it should have been the one closer to the capacitor.
This is why Mark can't have nice things. Good spot, we smashed through so much that day I'm not surprised our eyes failed us somewhere along the way...no damage done thankfully
Yeah. Good spot. I’ll change it around! Thank you 😊
@@RMCRetro no problem, us retro restores have to help each other keep these beautiful machines up and running for many years to come.
I'd say the only thing missing is some option for bringing it online.
The reason the DCHDMI is superior is a bit more than just latency.
First, it's a lossless digital to digital conversion where the signal never exists as analog (flawless video quality). Second, it does proper scaling for 240p games where the external adapter would not. Third, it can scale to 1080p which may match your screen's native resoltion and bypass your TV's scaler. Fourth, it works with every game whether they support the VGA adapter or not. It's just better! :)
Nice mods. My PAL model had an orange LED. I swapped it out for the Blue