The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Consoles => Topic started by: Frigo on September 23, 2010, 11:31:18 am
-
Just found this while searching Youtube:
Dreamcast SD Card Mod - Play Homebrew And Games From SD Card (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh6SxdUk_Xk#ws)
If I'm understanding this right, the OS loads the .gdi file (Dreamcast ISO image) through the SD card via the serial port. If so, then I'm guessing this mod can also be done externally, right?
Reason I ask, is because I don't know how to read schematics, and I'd be willing to pay someone to fabricate one of these guys for me. I'd guess parts would be no more than 10.00, so I'd be willing to pay up to 30.00 if costs all add up.
Any takers? :)
I'm dumb. I forgot that serial speeds are not equal to CD speeds, let alone multiple CD speeds which is what the DC reads at. Nevermind! :)
-
More info. here:
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=38263 (http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=38263)
-
dreamcastlol
old..dead..AND burried
-
you think you can find all those parts for less than 10 bucks in low quantity plus shipping? I could make a board, lets find a cheap SD Module
looking into it, maybe I could make these at 30 each, anyone else want one?
I dont have a DC anymore, so I could test it for functionality but Ive been working with an soldering iron for years, use to repair and rebuild antique radios
-
dreamcastlol
old..dead..AND burried
I still play mine, played Tokyo Extreme Racer 2 earlier today.
-
dreamcastlol
old..dead..AND burried
::)
-
just saying lol..
it was an amazing system and way ahead of its time. played nearly everyday.
-
dreamcastlol
old..dead..AND burried
If only there was a place where people who liked really old video games could meet and discuss...
-
just saying lol..
it was an amazing system and way ahead of its time. played nearly everyday.
You laugh at it in one post, and praise it in another. Which is it?
-
Yeah, I was approaching it from the standpoint that I could actually load non-downsampled/stripped gdr images through the SD card, until i remembered that serial is uber slow, and would be worse than a 1x cd rom when it came to load times. If there were only a way to implement this feature via the network attachment (kind of like how the wii can play games streamed over a network), it might work a little better.
-
thats where I was getting at. this mod is completely useless. perhaps this "hacker" should invest his time on something else......... :dunno
-
yeah a hdd would have been nicer :badmood:
-
I'm a little confused here. Is the serial bottleneck on the Dreamcast or on the SD card itself?
-
Yeah, I was approaching it from the standpoint that I could actually load non-downsampled/stripped gdr images through the SD card, until i remembered that serial is uber slow, and would be worse than a 1x cd rom when it came to load times. If there were only a way to implement this feature via the network attachment (kind of like how the wii can play games streamed over a network), it might work a little better.
You're off, but not by much. 1x CDRom transfers at ~150kBs while Serial or RS-232 will transfer at ~ 230kBs. If the DC uses a 1X CDRom then it maybe possible to load faster off the SD Card
-
Huh, I could have sworn serial was slower. It's been years since I took my A+, though, so I'm sure you're right. Unfortunately, it's a moot point as the DC transfers at 12x.
-
it tops out at 12x and is a GDRom (1.2GBs)
-
How can a GD-Rom be read at 1.2Gb/sec if the entire disk is right around amount?
-
How can a GD-Rom be read at 1.2Gb/sec if the entire disk is right around amount?
because I was saying a GDrom is 1.2GBs?
I didnt say "it tops out at 12x (1.2GB/sec)" I was clarifying that it wasnt a CDRom :)
-
Ah, ok. I just misread it then.
-
But it can read CDs, anyways, yea it is very moot in the case that its 12x.
I work with serial and RS232 all the time because a lot of the equipment I service is ancient and RS232 is ungodly slow and i dont recommend it if you can work around it.
-
clearly the solution is a homebrew bba. :laugh:
-
why stop there, lets put some wifi on this bad boy, some new LEDs, and stick a RAID in there. Maybe allow it to use share drives.
-
indeed! Why bother with collecting isos at all? We need a p2p based filesystem where all isos are persistently available.
I bet with enough nodes it'd be faster than the serial port :P
-
Don't forget the racing stripe for added performance!
-
indeed! Why bother with collecting isos at all? We need a p2p based filesystem where all isos are persistently available.
I bet with enough nodes it'd be faster than the serial port :P
you may be on to something
this is a fantastic idea