DC PC Add-On/Peripheral!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:28 am

Can anyone help in the creation of such a PC add-on?

I have almost no experience in electronics wiring, soldering, or reading schematics, but have built a custom PC before.

Such a device would be a godsend for anyone that is tired of emulator bugginess, and would love the simplicity of playing DC games without an extra console laying around with wires all over the place!

I could throw in a few bucks to someone willing to put together easy-to-read blueprints on how to do this. Not to mention you'd be 1nt3rn3t f4m0u5.

Love all the DC work you've all done so far. Keep the DC alive!!!

EDIT: This project shouldn't need any operating system interaction (just basically a custom-made dreamcast case that can be frankensteined into/onto a PC case, hides all wires, and has a one-touch button to activate DC power and VGA adapter).

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:37 am

This idea could extend to all of the consoles as well.

Your PC tower could be your one-stop tower of gaming (rather than having consoles laying around all over the place).

Common pieces of hardware such as disc drives could be used by multiple consoles. For example, the DVD/CD drive could be used by either the xbox, playstation, playstation 2, 3do, etc. This would eliminate a bulky part of the add-on. Perhaps even the power supply could be used for any of the systems if a proper power throttle exists.....

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:07 am

Someone named Yoshi did something similar, creating the Boxx. Tech TV has an article on it somewhere, or you can Google it.

Also, you must keep in mind that you have to splice together power, audio, and video connections at the VERY least, and there are so many incompatible custom controller and cartridge/CD types that you'll need to have the cartridge/CD and controller interfaces of most of the machines available and intact. You could integrate an NES and SNES with the same controller, and perhaps a fair number of the 9-pin units could be integrated, but using a PC CD/DVD drive to read a game would take a good deal of software which would be hard to write.

In short, it's possible, but not so much in the way you want to do it. The blue prints would also be anything BUT easy to read, and would require a fundamental understanding of electronics and schematic diagrams to even comprehend.

I'm not saying you can't do it, but you'll need to hone your skills first, and that's assuming anyone else can design this.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:25 am

OK, let's forget any additional consoles. Focus on the DC. Forget the complexity of this yoshi guy's box (I watched the video).

Splicing audio/video/power wires shouldn't be neccessary for this. The VGA adapter, or a mod of it, takes care of video to the PC monitor by itself. Audio could be solved by using a RCA-to-microphone adapter (radio shack has them). Plug the mic adapter into the PC sound card. The power is the possible obstacle to functionality.

The DC already has a vga adapter so it can be used with a PC display.

All that needs to be done for this project is:

1.) a narrow custom case that can be bolted/adhered to the top of a flat PC tower.

2.)a button that can activate the power and VGA unit.

3.)It needs to look nice.

Anything else would be extra. If using the PC power supply is too difficult it doesn't need to be included in the project.

It seems to me like this would be easier than a portable DC as the space and weight is not as much of an issue.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:52 am

This sounds simalar to a PSone mod. The person put a PSone and the CD-Rom at the top of the tower with a lid for the disc.Here is the guide for how the person modded the PC case to fit the PSone. This should help you fit the Dreamcast.

Also keep in mind about the VGA output, this should help you get it working.

Enjoy.

atari2600a · Post by **atari2600a** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:56 am

I once saw an article in a magazine around 5 years ago about a guy who fit an Xbox, PS2, & a GameCube (& maybe a PC, I don't remember) into a single PC case. So...yeah, that might be a subject you'll want to look into...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:05 pm

Sparkfist wrote:This sounds simalar to a PSone mod. The person put a PSone and the CD-Rom at the top of the tower with a lid for the disc.Here is the guide for how the person modded the PC case to fit the PSone. This should help you fit the Dreamcast.

Also keep in mind about the VGA output, this should help you get it working.

Enjoy.

Now we are getting somewhere! Thanks, Sparkfist.

However, my idea is a bit different from the Playstation idea in that the PC should still function. In the playstation mod it looked like the PC doesn't work anymore. This way my PC and Dreamcast are in one package.

Like I said in the first post I don't know how to read schematics (I majored in finance not engineering). I can read balance sheets and income statements but not schematics. That vga adapter diagram might as well be hieroglyphics for me.

This is why I came here for help. I don't have the expertise for this, but I know some of you do.

minkster · Post by **minkster** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:37 am

Took me a second to google...it might have some useful information you may want to look at Boxx

cheese007 · Post by **cheese007** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 1:48 pm

It's a bot, it doesn't care.
Anyways, this project sounds damn awesome. Reminds me of that 3D0 on a card that you put in a PC that played 3D0 games (duh). Forgot what it was called.