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Modded Boxed Japanese Dreamcast (240v, region-free BIOS + more)


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Update 4/4: Sold

 

Hi all.

 

Time to clear out some more modded stuff, this time a boxed Japanese DC. Similar to the last round of Saturns, here's the modding notes:

 

Region free BIOS fitted with devkit BIOS splash (original BIOS removed via SMD rework station, new BIOS fitted and wired up to suit VA0 consoles including using a +5v IC for perfect stability on the +5v bus). Have tested PAL, US and Japanese games with no issues direct booting.

 

Power supply converted to 240v using Nichicon capacitors and Vishay metal film resistors that match or exceed recommended performance specifications.

 

R422 modded for PAL colour encoding to ensure full compatibility with all video modes and superior colour performance for s-video and composite video cables (see below for how to manually set the DC's in-built flags to take advantage of these settings).

 

An R512 switch has been installed to change flash memory settings. This allows you to write to the DC's flash memory to control the system's internal checks for region, language, default refresh rates and the colour of the DC swirl. Successfully tested changing all settings (including DC swirl to blue in the Devkit boot sequence!) and PAL50 tested for PAL-optimised titles that break on NTSC systems (such as the PAL release of Skies of Arcadia). Region settings in flash memory have been set to Country=Japan, Broadcast=NTSC, Language=English, DC swirl=Orange. I'll throw in a copy of Dreamshell v4 RC4 which you can use to change these settings (along with plenty of other tools). The critical part for this switch is to leave it in "READ" mode at all times unless you're programming the flash memory, as some games write to the flash memory in-game with the expectation that the flash memory is protected and will clear after boot (HotD2 does this for example). If you want to change your settings, with the DC powered off change to "WRITE", power on and load Dreamshell then load the Region Changer app. Apply the changes, reboot and check they've stuck, then power down the DC and flick the switch back to "READ". If a game writes to the flash memory with "WRITE" enabled you'll brick your DC. I've included this mod as part of making this DC capable of handling virtually every game at it to be truly universal. The switch is positioned near the serial and AV ports to leave room for adding in one of the HDMI mod boards in the future if you so wish (these boards take up the rear-LHS of the back panel).

 

Battery holder changed to upright holder for easy future maintenance and a new rechargeable battery has been fitted. The battery should have a decent charge on it since I stress-tested for around an hour and a bit.

 

Language set to English, time and date set.

 

Yamaha GD-ROM is present, tested for compatibility with titles Samsung drives struggle with and all worked fine.

 

All moving parts cleaned.

 

All ports polished.

 

Casing and shielding removed and cleaned. There's some slight yellowing on the plastic, but it isn't too bad (my launch PAL DC is worse). I noticed some surface scuffing on the lid, but it's not noticeable from a distance.

 

Controller disassembled, cleaned and external contacts polished.

 

Official composite AV cable included, all connectors cleaned and polished.

 

MIL CD compatible.

 

No 60hz upper screen flicker (a phenomenon I’ve only found on launch model PAL DCs).

 

CE certified Australian figure 8 power cable (new, only used for testing).

 

GD-ROM unit tested for performance. Potentiometer lowered from 1.252k ohms to 973 ohms, cogs and rails greased with specialist plastics lubricant, lens cleaned. GD-ROM stress tested on Crazy Taxi, no skips or streaming assets errors noted after calibration.

 

Box is in fair condition with some creases on the outside and some tears on the inner cardboard (see images). Includes the separate cardboard box for the accessories, but I'm unsure if there should be anything else in there cardboard-wise as I've never had a Japanese Dreamcast new. Serials match between the box and the DC. The manual and console care leaflet are included as well (see images). DC is a VA0 model revision.

 

http://www.users.on.net/~sean.boden/aussie_arcade/2019-04-DC1-1.jpg

 

http://www.users.on.net/~sean.boden/aussie_arcade/2019-04-DC1-2.jpg

 

http://www.users.on.net/~sean.boden/aussie_arcade/2019-04-DC1-3.jpg

 

http://www.users.on.net/~sean.boden/aussie_arcade/2019-04-DC1-4.jpg

 

http://www.users.on.net/~sean.boden/aussie_arcade/2019-04-DC1-5.jpg

 

http://www.users.on.net/~sean.boden/aussie_arcade/2019-04-DC1-6.jpg

 

http://www.users.on.net/~sean.boden/aussie_arcade/2019-04-DC1-7.jpg

 

I'm looking for $200 - pickup's fine if you live locally, otherwise will post at cost.

 

Apologies for the level of technical detail - always want to ensure I've got everything covered and be transparent with what I'm selling.

 

Any questions give me a shout.

Edited by MangledLeg
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Very comprehensive! I didnt know half of those things were available to be done to the console :)

 

Could I throw some questions at you via PM about a problematic DC I have?

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Very comprehensive! I didnt know half of those things were available to be done to the console :)

 

Could I throw some questions at you via PM about a problematic DC I have?

 

No worries - how about starting a thread and tagging me in rather than PM? That way others can learn (or correct me!) based on the issues you’re having.

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