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Dreamcast external power supply
danny_galaga:
Finally did the external power supply mod on my Dreamcast. Had the parts, just never got around to it. Very simple to do. I used an old 12v 2.5a Netgear power supply.
First pic shows the original Dreamcast internal power supply on the left, and on the right (the little white thing) is the mod that replaces it internally (it basically just converts a 12vdc input into the various voltages required. Also shown is my wall wart. You supply your own.
Maybe now I can finally finish Shenmue. Yay! There are not a lot of saves and the DC would restart due to the hot power supply before I could make a new save :angry:
This mod is a no brainer.
Zebidee:
--- Quote from: danny_galaga on January 04, 2024, 04:16:07 am ---Finally did the external power supply mod on my Dreamcast. Had the parts, just never got around to it. Very simple to do. I used an old 12v 2.5a Netgear power supply.
Maybe now I can finally finish Shenmue. Yay! There are not a lot of saves and the DC would restart due to the hot power supply before I could make a new save :angry:
This mod is a no brainer.
--- End quote ---
Nice! New life. Looks very straightforward.
Ironically I once replaced a power supply for a Netgear NAS with a modified ATX power supply (I just had to swap two pins on the main connector). Much bigger than yours, obviously more like a computer PSU. NAS ran much happier and cooler with new ATX PSU too. Only problem was, didn't fit inside the case. Glad to see you don't have that issue, tolerable for a NAS but it would suck for a console.
ZTylerDurden717:
Amazing.
I didn't think moore's law would have as big an impact on power supplies. Can't believe that's giving enough juice to a 20+ year old board.
edit: nvm re-read as external psu where the chonkiness is residing. Still awesome.
danny_galaga:
--- Quote from: ZTylerDurden717 on January 06, 2024, 11:31:28 am ---Amazing.
I didn't think moore's law would have as big an impact on power supplies. Can't believe that's giving enough juice to a 20+ year old board.
edit: nvm re-read as external psu where the chonkiness is residing. Still awesome.
--- End quote ---
😄
There is a sort of Moore's Law happening though. The old supply has a transformer and linear regulators. Linear regs work well, but they dump the excess power as heat, right in that little console. By mass, all the new parts including the external PSU is probably half the old, because the new PSU is using buck converter tech. Even if it all went back inside the console there would be less heat in there. They still produce SOME heat though, so it's nice it's not inside anymore.
It's not all beer and skittles though. Linear regulators might waste a lot of energy by turning it into heat, but they produce a very smooth voltage. On the other hand, a $2 power supply may just kill your electronics. Hence I was glad I had a Netgear (ie a 'name' brand) supply.
This guy compares cheapo USB chargers to name brand. Same tech. Quite an eye opener
https://www.righto.com/2012/10/a-dozen-usb-chargers-in-lab-apple-is.html?m=1
Zebidee:
I had a "Counterfeit iphone" (though there is no writing on it at all) charger melt on me a year or two ago. I took a photo (attached). I see your guy gave it a massive one-bolt rating :)
Bought about five of them years ago for cheap.
Anyway, I still have a couple that haven't melted or mysteriously vanished yet, and use them occasionally, but never near anything flammable, and check regularly. If getting a bit too warm, unplug.
EDIT: after reading the article fully, I might not use them at all anymore (safety).
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