Great video dude. I kinda wish I had any competence when it came to soldering but sadly I don’t. I tried soldering to fix the audio of a game gear once but ended up taking off the speaker wires and melting a bit of the plastic connector of the audio board because my hands don’t work well with precision and nerves. I guess I may just have to either buy an expensive modded one online or just get used to buying cr2032 batteries. Perhaps someday I’ll get better with it as I’d like to take good care of my consoles.
outta curiosity what happens if you do this mod to two VMU and then connect them? Will they both be charging each other via the 5v pin or does the VMU have no 5V out?
Hi, I tried to recreate the mod. Unfortunately, I don't get the battery you recommend in Germany. I've tried it now with a 252030. As soon as I turn on the Dreamcast, it turns off again after a second. The cause is not the board or the mod, but definitely the battery. Unfortunately, I don't have a data sheet for the battery. Do you have an idea?
I doubt that the data sheet on the battery is needed, unless it’s not within the voltage range for your charging board. But any battery that size is going to be 3.7v, I imagine. It’s more likely that something is soldered incorrectly or a bridge was created; if you can upload high resolution pictures of your work, I can look at it to see if anything sticks out.
The data of the battery I have found easily now. It is 3,7V, because of that I ordered it. I cant find a problem with the specs. There is definite no bridge or something. I do the correct steps. If I solder a 15Ohm resistor in line in the battery plus, Dreamcast isnt switch off. The batterie is charging, but the red LED wont turn off. In fact, blue and red LED shines since ca. 3 hours that Dreamcast is running. I think, there is a problem with the surge detection of the batterie itself. Now Im not sure, if the resistor will make any problems.
@@cheeef82 upload it to a site like imgur.com and post a link. I definitely wouldn’t have glued the battery in place, you should use double sided tape because you don’t want to accidentally puncture the battery.
The price makes sense if you play your Dreamcast once every 1-2 months at minimum, and you care about the beep when the battery is dead. It's about $1.50 for a couple of 2032 batteries, and they last a month in the VMU (powered on or not), so in a year you'll make up the $16. BUT that's only if you turn the system on often enough to notice. If you use the console once or twice a year, I wouldn't bother with the mod.
@@lexlocatelli i mean it's a cool idea but who really plays a OG Dreamcast that much. For me i think i've played my Dreamcast maybe 5 times in 10 years.
@@BasicTechGirl not a lot of people do :D! But there’s a very active Phantasy Star Online community who play on real hardware, as well as Quake online via DreamPi. That’s the most likely target, I think
@@thethiefmaster nope, I just know that it doesn’t work until you take them out. Can’t find a proper schematic, just a block diagram, you’d have to follow the traces.
@@lexlocatelli I ended up leaving the components but locating the board so I could use the micro USB port externally instead of having it self-charge when plugged in, and it's working perfectly. I probably won't test it with self-charging but using a 6V boost board instead of a typical 5V one might be the solution to not having to remove these components. I also ended up using a much narrower 401030 battery and locating it between the beeper and the charge/boost board in the bottom of the VMU, so I didn't end up needing to remove the beeper. Much lower capacity though.
Not using this exact method, no. You’d have to use some diodes I imagine and set up a different type of charging board, but I don’t think you can just replace the lipo wiring with cables going into the normal battery connectors.
Getting into an argument with some dude on the modders Facebook group. He’s convinced that the heat produced by the charging board is dangerous for the battery. I don’t think with the short amount of time it takes to charge such a small battery that it’s really an issue. Thoughts?
The vmu charges quickly and doesn’t get physically warm at all; it’s not pulling a ton of amps or anything. But I haven’t taken measurements. Nobody has reported issues on the old forum post I found this on though; I don’t listen to people who start making those kind of arguments without measurements or data. You can even physically feel the chip yourself while it’s charging and make a decision that way. Or, he could show any kind of data like thermocouple or FLIR pictures. Not saying it’s impossible but it’s a really weird claim to make without backing it up.
I haven’t felt any heat at all really. It charges so quickly and the battery is so small, that it just doesn’t seem like it would ever get there. Appreciate the reply!
If you wanted to see the light better, a repro battery pack that's cloudy transparent should work very well
So far, mod works good for me. Did it on a couple VMUs I had on hand. Nice solution here. Soldering ain't too bad either
Awesome tutorial, thank you. Hoping to bring my VMU's into the 21st Century!
Cant wait to try this.
Thank you for the tutorial, really cool mod
Great video dude. I kinda wish I had any competence when it came to soldering but sadly I don’t. I tried soldering to fix the audio of a game gear once but ended up taking off the speaker wires and melting a bit of the plastic connector of the audio board because my hands don’t work well with precision and nerves. I guess I may just have to either buy an expensive modded one online or just get used to buying cr2032 batteries. Perhaps someday I’ll get better with it as I’d like to take good care of my consoles.
I'll look into trying it
Awesome mod!
Can you fix your link for the charging board. It just takes us straight to the battery you used.
Any idea how long it takes to charge the battery?
I need this tutorial. Thank You
Does charging only work when the game console is turned on and plugged into the pad?
Yes, in this setup. You could make your own setup with a charging port added too, but that would require more cutting.
@@lexlocatelli Thank you friend, I will try making it too. Thank you.
Mg chemicals brand flux is good. It helps flowing solder
About how long will this last, playing Chao Adventure or Pintas Quest, on a full charge?
I haven’t done a test nonstop playing a game, but on standby it lasts about 6 weeks without a charge
Thanks for this tutorial
outta curiosity what happens if you do this mod to two VMU and then connect them? Will they both be charging each other via the 5v pin or does the VMU have no 5V out?
Nothing; they don't output 5v when connected to each other, which could've been neat.
You mean to say... UNLIMITED POWER!!!
Hi, I tried to recreate the mod. Unfortunately, I don't get the battery you recommend in Germany. I've tried it now with a 252030. As soon as I turn on the Dreamcast, it turns off again after a second. The cause is not the board or the mod, but definitely the battery. Unfortunately, I don't have a data sheet for the battery. Do you have an idea?
I doubt that the data sheet on the battery is needed, unless it’s not within the voltage range for your charging board. But any battery that size is going to be 3.7v, I imagine. It’s more likely that something is soldered incorrectly or a bridge was created; if you can upload high resolution pictures of your work, I can look at it to see if anything sticks out.
The data of the battery I have found easily now. It is 3,7V, because of that I ordered it.
I cant find a problem with the specs. There is definite no bridge or something. I do the correct steps. If I solder a 15Ohm resistor in line in the battery plus, Dreamcast isnt switch off. The batterie is charging, but the red LED wont turn off. In fact, blue and red LED shines since ca. 3 hours that Dreamcast is running. I think, there is a problem with the surge detection of the batterie itself. Now Im not sure, if the resistor will make any problems.
I forgot to say, I modded 4 devices. All with the same issue.
I made a picture, but dont know how to upload it here.
And im sure, you cant see enough, because battery is glued in place.
@@cheeef82 upload it to a site like imgur.com and post a link. I definitely wouldn’t have glued the battery in place, you should use double sided tape because you don’t want to accidentally puncture the battery.
I'm not sure i want to pay $16 per VMU just to get a rechargeable battery but this does look like a fun project.
The price makes sense if you play your Dreamcast once every 1-2 months at minimum, and you care about the beep when the battery is dead. It's about $1.50 for a couple of 2032 batteries, and they last a month in the VMU (powered on or not), so in a year you'll make up the $16. BUT that's only if you turn the system on often enough to notice. If you use the console once or twice a year, I wouldn't bother with the mod.
@@lexlocatelli
i mean it's a cool idea but who really plays a OG Dreamcast that much. For me i think i've played my Dreamcast maybe 5 times in 10 years.
@@BasicTechGirl not a lot of people do :D! But there’s a very active Phantasy Star Online community who play on real hardware, as well as Quake online via DreamPi. That’s the most likely target, I think
Do you know *why* we need to remove IC5 / D5?
Yes, if you leave IC5 in and don't remove and bridge D5, the battery will not supply the VMU when unplugged from the controller.
@@lexlocatelli any idea why? If I use a 6V boost board, it should be the same as the original batteries shouldn't it?
@@thethiefmaster nope, I just know that it doesn’t work until you take them out. Can’t find a proper schematic, just a block diagram, you’d have to follow the traces.
@@lexlocatelli Thankyou I may do that
@@lexlocatelli I ended up leaving the components but locating the board so I could use the micro USB port externally instead of having it self-charge when plugged in, and it's working perfectly. I probably won't test it with self-charging but using a 6V boost board instead of a typical 5V one might be the solution to not having to remove these components.
I also ended up using a much narrower 401030 battery and locating it between the beeper and the charge/boost board in the bottom of the VMU, so I didn't end up needing to remove the beeper. Much lower capacity though.
If you have a translucent VMU you will easily be able to see the charging light.
pretty cool mod!
Cool mod, can this be recreated using MLCR2303 Rechargeable coin batteries to keep it as original as it can be ?
Not using this exact method, no. You’d have to use some diodes I imagine and set up a different type of charging board, but I don’t think you can just replace the lipo wiring with cables going into the normal battery connectors.
Curiosamente está invertida la polaridad de la batería en tu modelo
I imagine it would be very bad to invert the polarity in any battery setup :D!
How long does that battery last? Cool mod
Roughly 6 weeks without a charge, with the VMU in sleep mode
Getting into an argument with some dude on the modders Facebook group. He’s convinced that the heat produced by the charging board is dangerous for the battery. I don’t think with the short amount of time it takes to charge such a small battery that it’s really an issue. Thoughts?
The vmu charges quickly and doesn’t get physically warm at all; it’s not pulling a ton of amps or anything. But I haven’t taken measurements. Nobody has reported issues on the old forum post I found this on though; I don’t listen to people who start making those kind of arguments without measurements or data. You can even physically feel the chip yourself while it’s charging and make a decision that way. Or, he could show any kind of data like thermocouple or FLIR pictures. Not saying it’s impossible but it’s a really weird claim to make without backing it up.
I haven’t felt any heat at all really. It charges so quickly and the battery is so small, that it just doesn’t seem like it would ever get there. Appreciate the reply!
@@kevinhagan1742 No problem! Like I said I haven't taken measurements myself, but I'll let you know if any of mine explode :D!
Cool :]
D5 could just be a solder blob.