- Thread starter deibit
- Start date
These PSU’s are only needed if you have an ODE. And the purpose is to reduce heat. As an owner of the GDEMU and Phoebe, I can confirm the increased heat is an issue. Otherwise, no need to replace the OEM PSU.
I got the same one. As you can see, it’s just a wafer, copper, and connectors. All you need is the Pico PSU, the 3D printed jack mount, and a DC adapter. I’m going with the Pico manufactured PSU and the recommended DC adapter from Laser Bear. Will get the 80watt Pico PSU’s directly from Pico ($25 USD shipped/each). My buddy has 3 commercial 3D printers at his office, so will have him print me the jack mounts. Will buy the eBay Saturn Pico PSU. Toss that cheap PSU that comes with it and use a genuine Pico one. Boom done. Life’s too short to try to reclaim a failed hobbyist attempt when a better viable one exists.
Us/we arcade collectors are snobs. If we were just console gamers, we could rig up unsightly fans and call it a day. But we are arcade collectors.
We have reputations to uphold.
xodaraP
Legendary
Exactly why originality should be upheld wherever possible
A resistor on the 12V rail to imitate the load of the now removed GD-ROM or removing the regulator pins from their holes on the board is the InfiniKey to the PicoPSU Phoenix ROMs
There is also the argument with older games of original linear vs modern switching supplies and that is probably closer in this situation... And I can't lie, switcher wins for me.
I can see both sides of the argument. I personally will be upgrading the fan in my console and keeping the original PSU so I don't have to use a power brick
ODE use runs realllllllly hot. Shocking to me hot it was in there after opening the lid. You’ll probably have to carve out intakes and vents too. However reducing the heat is achieved, as long as the mission is accomplished. Point is, modern PSU has it’s place.
The Dream PSU thing........psssssh. Why bother at this point?? Take the L and move on. Life is too short.
The Dream PSU thing........psssssh. Why bother at this point?? Take the L and move on. Life is too short.
Is your GDEmu console natively 240V?
I ask as I have a GDEmu installed into a Japanese DC console, no other mods aside from twisted's awesome 3D enclosure, and it doesn't run hot at all.
I ask as I have a GDEmu installed into a Japanese DC console, no other mods aside from twisted's awesome 3D enclosure, and it doesn't run hot at all.
FirebrandX
Student
I have GDEMU + DCHDMI, and yeah, heat was a serious issue even after I removed the 12V regulator. So I went the full 9 and got a DreamPSU and cut an exhaust hole in the metal shroud for a laptop fan to vent the heat out the back. Stays super cool now:
Fully modded Dreamcast
How could heat be an issue with the 12V reg removed?
I'm beginning to think the heat issue only applies to certain DC hardware revisions. Sega did improve heat management in later revisions...
I'm beginning to think the heat issue only applies to certain DC hardware revisions. Sega did improve heat management in later revisions...
FirebrandX
Student
To be fair, the heat wasn't coming so much from the PSU, bu rather the CPU. The metal shroud was burning hot to the touch, that's why I cut a circular hole in the shroud and added a laptop fan.
120v here in the US.
I have several Dreamcasts (my fave console of all time). The one with the GDEmu installed and stock PSU runs hot. It has twisted's tray too. Shocked me how hot it was when I opened the CD lid and a puff of hot air could be felt on my skin/face. My Dreamcast w/GDEmu will be spending much of its time in a cab. Heat is a concern for me. The spare Dreamcasts I have for typical console use, ISO's and such, don't run as hot in comparison. Of course, hot is a relative term. Might be a revision thing too. Who knows. It is a worthwhile pursuit for me to move the heat producing AC-to-DC out of the console. Don't care about the aesthetics as much as the function. I'll hang onto the OEM parts if I ever need to go back.
But yeah, the DreamPSU thing, stick a fork in it. We all got hoodwinked. If you got one, cool. But at this point, Pico PSU/fan mods/case mods, etc. > Wasting further resources on a failed hobbyist project.
#metoo
Sp33dFr34k
Champion
Which video?
J
jassin000
My Dreamcast isn't noticeably hotter with GDEmu installed, Saturn/Rhea however is.
ninjaz0mbie
Student
I'm curious, and forgive me if this is incredibly naive. In a scenario where one is putting a Dreamcast into an arcade cabinet, could you use a pico PSU and then wire it up directly to a 12V output from the cabinet's own PSU, rather than going with an external power transformer brick?
xodaraP
Legendary
Provided your cab PSU outputs enough amps, yep. Sega PSUs have very little +12 for example so may not be suitable.
Some folks have used the Dreamcast's PSU to power NAOMI's. No reason why you can't use a NAOMI's PSU to power a Dreamcast provided the amps are correct.
