Meet my portables! :)

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:12 am

Hey portable lovers! After being inspired by the great Ben I have embraged on my own trecherous portable construction projects. In case any of you are interested, I have posted pics of my PROTOTYPES, but development has already exceeded far beyond these photos. I am constantly makin improvements:

http://photos.yahoo.com/tuneviperz14

The first system I built (and I am still working on) is a portable Sega CDX. I took the main system and built in a radio, controller, TV (with tuner). I am currently building in a rumble feature and improving the asthetics and wiring. It plays Sega CD/Genesis/32x/SMS with adapters of course. It's also a CD player, Television (youll notice the telescoping antenna, a radio, and a clock with date (not shown in the pics, but I have already added it. It's powered off 7.2v ni-cd packs you will see in the pics that I made. They are oooold though, I need to buy a new one hopefully one of the 3000mah ones. These are from '96 and older, so they're only 1200 and less. But I still get hours of play time so the usage is decent.

The second system is a portable sega saturn/dvd/mp3/mpeg/cd player. It has been completely repainted since those pics and has a dvd player built into the back. I get an hour of battery life for the DVD player (for one pack) and 30 min for the Saturn because it's such a power sucker.

I also worked briefly on a portable N64 project but had to shelve it since I couldn't exceed a 20 minute battery life. My next project will be a VERY small genesis portable...smaller than a nomad with a nicer screen and a tv tuner built in. Ive tested the battery life and i get 1:40 to 2 hours on one battery pack which is fine with me.

Anyway, if any of you have any questions or comments post here!

-Segasonicfan

Link89 · Post by **Link89** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 11:26 am

Very nice sega cd. Did the radio come built in with your tv tuner or did you build one in to it? So you added a DVD player to the Saturn? I've heard of people actually modding it so it plays regular DVD's if you could find how to that it might cut down the size of the saturn portable. Very nice portables though my hats off to you. I had to shelve my N64 portable after frying my seconed one

. What kind of genesis version were you planning on using for your tiny Genesis portable?

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:08 pm

Awww, cute dog

As I said in the other board, nice job with the portables

shelter pitfall · Post by **shelter pitfall** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:35 pm

Cool portables.....
Is that the rare Pannorama Cottton in one of those pics?

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:46 pm

Yep, sure is Panorama Cotton. My all-time favorite game

I got the collectible cup for it, as well as nearly every other Cotton game ever released

As for the radio---I built one in (and modded it). It's a automatic FM scan radio that finds the next channel with the push of a button. Runs off the same 2 AAs that run the CDX CD player. The built in rumble pack I'm adding will also run on 2 AAs (though not the same source, would take even MORE DIP switches...so I'm gonne use to TVs battery case). Yeah, the N64p's are haaarrd...I want to find out how people get significant battery life out of that thing. Suprisingly, it doesn't require the 12V input (it only powers the amp which isn't completely necessary) but it still sucks like a plunger. I broke two myself and finished the casing and memory card slot, cart holder...painted it and everything. really tiny too, but I couldn't justify the battery usage so I shelved it. :/

As for the Genesis mod, I'm using a Genesis 3 with a Casio TV. I got 1 hour and 40 minutes with one of my crappy battery packs from '96...and that was powering both the TV and the Genesis! If I can get a nice case for the thing it will be smaller than a Nomad

(with a new battery it may have longer life too).

Thanks for looking guys!
(and donchu love my little weiner dog?

)

-Segasonicfan

Link89 · Post by **Link89** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 5:04 pm

With my battery diagram it uses 3 AA's (I think) and a 9 volt battery I might need to use two. Did you cut down the genesis board or leave it as is?

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 6:10 pm

how much battery life do you get off that? I'd love to see your diagram.

As for the Genesis, I didn't cut it down...pretty damn near impossible to make the smallest Genesis in the world even smaller

Actually the Mega Drive 3 is technically the smallest, but it doesn't have a cartridge slot and it only plays built in games....it would be the perfect system to make portable if it had a cartridge slot.. :/

-Segasonicfan

Link89 · Post by **Link89** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 7:20 pm

I wired it on to the wrong spots on the power plug so it wouldn't work and then I pluged in the regular power supply witch fried because I had a wire soldered to the lcd from it. I don't know how to post on here but e-mail me at aliens201@yahoo.com if you want to see it.

shelter pitfall · Post by **shelter pitfall** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:08 pm

Cool, I was thinking of going legal and getting one to see it but I'm poor.
BTW: how do ya get foreign games to work on an american genisis?
I need to know now if I need to get any extra parts before I get it from my cousin. I think it is a model one or two, he had a sega cd.

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:24 pm

I thought I heard somewhere that if you take the upper part of the case off, jap games work, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Try googling a bit.

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 11:20 pm

nope that isnt true...you need to modify the jumpers on the top board to play imports. I think Im the first one to find them (lol) theyre marked JP1, JP2, JP3, and JP4 on the left underside. I also know how to do a Genny import mod using only one dip switch

Model 1s are easier to mod than model 2s FYI.

-Segasonicfan

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 11:59 pm

my room mate is afrade of your portable and hes like the uber sega fan
hes got at least two of every system and has the model A megadrive two prototype no clone we got it checked out and every thing, its the same one they showed off at E3. and hes scared of that thing you made good work! and why does it need a built in radio?

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 12:54 am

lol, I'm glad he approves. I am a super-sega freak as well. I have a massive MD/Genny collection but nothing in the prototype area. Sounds impressive though...does he have a Neptune?

BTW, I added the radio because I just wanted it. It's super-tiny and the radio itself only cost me $5. I modded it to work better as well.

-Segasonicfan

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 3:34 am

i dont think so but he might be in the progress of getting one, ya never know we see weird sega stuff all the time

its kind of cool im a nintendo fan and hes all Sega every thing right but i still love the dreamcast! and im always trying to push it as a portable but i dont have a screen for it... makes me think of the pocket tv doing nothing and thinking what the hell. dreamcast portable with a 2.4" screen.

Here comes i think the first DrEamCAsT portable.. ive got some time to wast i might make it right now