VMU Gaming Thingy
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Unidentified Assilant
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VMU Gaming Thingy
I've doing the VMU battery mod, but I don't use my dreamcast anymore, and the port where it fits in the dreamcast controller, I want to make cartridges to fit in and the VMU to send signals to it and play the games from cartrdiges, I already know VMU programming, and its really really small, is it possible?

Somebody please buy my Dreamcast >_> £20+shipping
Well if you really know VMU programming then you tell us!
It all depends on how much of the language you know. I think it would be, whats the power of the VMU (CPU and RAM and such?)
When in Japan with access to just about every system ever made and those that have yet to see international soil, gather your forces, and make the cool ones your own.
If I had to guess, I'd have to say that the VMU is a 4-8 bit processing machine with decent sized memory.
I'd equate it to the old school game boy, except with lower resolution and 2 color instead of 4 "color" (shades of grey)
It is likely possible. Here is what I'd do...
1. Take out the memory that holds the data(The VMU OS and stuff should be stored on non-volatile ROM.
2. Use the connections to the memory to make a cartridge with more memory inside.
The only problem I forsee is using the same type of memory in the cart, since it would be volatile, so I juggest using something like a USB flashdrive's FLASH memory for your cartridges. You might be able to get that to work with the current memory connections, and have enough space on the tiny cartridges to save your gamesaves for YEARS.
Only thing I see is that the VMU uses..what 3 volts?
The USB thumbdrive runs on 5 Volts(Every non-self powered device on a USB system does, but manybe if the memory chip is CMOS, or connected in series after another group of components...).
Good luck, anyway. What you need to do, really, is find a compatible NON VOLATILE solid-state storage system, prefferably equal in size to the VMU(So as not to confuse its BIOS/OS), with similar latency.
I'd equate it to the old school game boy, except with lower resolution and 2 color instead of 4 "color" (shades of grey)
It is likely possible. Here is what I'd do...
1. Take out the memory that holds the data(The VMU OS and stuff should be stored on non-volatile ROM.
2. Use the connections to the memory to make a cartridge with more memory inside.
The only problem I forsee is using the same type of memory in the cart, since it would be volatile, so I juggest using something like a USB flashdrive's FLASH memory for your cartridges. You might be able to get that to work with the current memory connections, and have enough space on the tiny cartridges to save your gamesaves for YEARS.
Only thing I see is that the VMU uses..what 3 volts?
The USB thumbdrive runs on 5 Volts(Every non-self powered device on a USB system does, but manybe if the memory chip is CMOS, or connected in series after another group of components...).
Good luck, anyway. What you need to do, really, is find a compatible NON VOLATILE solid-state storage system, prefferably equal in size to the VMU(So as not to confuse its BIOS/OS), with similar latency.
Warranty-Voiding fun!


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Unidentified Assilant
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2531
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:26 pm
- Location: Yea I like machine head
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Unidentified Assilant
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2531
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:26 pm
- Location: Yea I like machine head
I am also planning on making a Genesis to VMU adaptor as well, which will plug into a special port on my Megadrive and fits on the Megadrive underneath, and has 2 controller ports to play VMU games with a joypad, and feeds signals from the LCD to the Genesis RF to display the games on the screen (in form of screen emulation of an LCD, similar to some game boy emulators)
Also i found a way to do it, by taking apart my VMU, and removing the Rom, tracing a wire from where it should be to the connector, and getting the Rom and putting the wires, and find a way to bypass the rom inside the master VMU to load that, and the games will be playable!
Update: The VMU that plays the games will be bigger, and the cartridges will be about the size of GBA cartridges, but the VMU will still not be very big. I will get some drawings up soon.
Also i found a way to do it, by taking apart my VMU, and removing the Rom, tracing a wire from where it should be to the connector, and getting the Rom and putting the wires, and find a way to bypass the rom inside the master VMU to load that, and the games will be playable!
Update: The VMU that plays the games will be bigger, and the cartridges will be about the size of GBA cartridges, but the VMU will still not be very big. I will get some drawings up soon.

Somebody please buy my Dreamcast >_> £20+shipping
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Unidentified Assilant
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2531
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:26 pm
- Location: Yea I like machine head
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Unidentified Assilant
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2531
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:26 pm
- Location: Yea I like machine head
I'm still working on this, I'm just getting a GBP (Game Boy Pocket) as thats the case I'm gonna use, expect with other strange things on it instead of Game Boy, and the VMU Screen, it will have the port that links to another VMU on the top, but that will instead go to a flash card, where games can be transferred from the PC to it, and the VMU can play from them, so you can put on your favourite games and play them wherever you are.

Somebody please buy my Dreamcast >_> £20+shipping