Replacing the DC PSU

Hi, OK here I'm going to show you some pics of my DC's new PSU.
Since the old PSU isn't very power efficient (GDEmu & UGC make the voltage increase to 14v on the 12v rail & causes excess heat) I thought I would replace it with a modern more efficient PSU & now instead of 14v with load its now 11v. (also alot cooler)

Here is the PSU if you would like to buy one.
DC 24pin 12V Pico ATX PSU

I use an old notebook power supply to power the Pico & console.


Images:
Test to make sure it worked, before soldering.


Here the wires are soldered & the switch works the same as the orginal DC.


Here is the back.


All up & running.

 

thats great could you post the pinout because this is something i would like to do also have you tested it without the fan yet? im pretty sure the fan is there simply because of the heat off the psu.
years ago me and my friend played on the dreamcast for like 10+ hours and burnt it out and it was the psu that broke if i remember correctly.

 

the fan connector on one of my dreamcasts broke and the dreamcast wouldnt boot so i soldered a wire on the controller board to bypass it so the dreamcast would boot so it is possible to run it without the fan

 

What is the model of that psu and what power wire are you using on the back end?

 

Crap deleted the post :-/ damn mobile site.

No the fan is still there, I may drop it to 3.3v again since the PSU isn't there now.

Also here is a pinout (24pin)



The DC power pins from left to right.
3.3v - 5v - G - G - G - 12v


The good thing about using a ATX PSU, is there are loads of 5v & 3.3v pins so adding stuff now doesn't effect the DC. (Well there is a limit)

 

There is a link to the PSU in the first post.

Power wire? You mean the plug? Just a 12v plug.

UNIVERSAL AC/DC ADAPTOR PLUG POWER SUPPLY 1500MA 1.5A 3V/4.5V/6V/7.5V/9V/12V/USB

 

The link wasn't highlighted on my phone. So you still need a 12v external power supply or wall wart? If so the that's 2 psu in order for this to work or am I mistaken?

 

Haha, I was the first person to run a DC on a picoPSU years ago (like 8 really), for a DC portable that never saw the light of day in the end! Any version of the picopsu should work as long as it outputs steady 3.3v and 5v and something around 12v. BTW, you should be able to use cheaper PSU for this, this might just do it: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/12V-TO-12V-5...Pi-For-LCD-modification-DC-head-/111392028186

The 12V rail can get way under 12v using the gd-rom drive, I think bacteria had it work with 7.4v but I can't say about GD-EMU.

FG

 

Any Chance you can post an equivalent one for US/JAP users ?

 

FamilyGuy posted one above, but heres one on the US ebay site:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151338868199

looks like this is the same as the op:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-160W...ni-ITX-High-Power-Supply-Module-/161270932210

I am assuming both of these us a 5.5mm input, so this cheap supply should work:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-AC-100-...arger-Converter-Adapter-US-Plug-/360714097676

I wonder how many amps is needed for the 12v power supply.
edit:
missed the link to the power supply. Looks like Rocky5 is using 1.5A.

 

Never new about the RP board, would have got that aswell for testing.

yes the power brick is 1.5amp & works fine, not had any issues (left Shenmue II playing for ages) it also doesn't get hot.

Just tested, the DC runs on 7.5v fine may just run it at that from now on, also according to the DC it requires 0.27amp (will open it up tomorrow & check the 3.3v & 5v rails to make sure there constant, if they are I'm leaving it at 7.5v)

 

Edit: removed link to cheap junk power supply

 

Huh I was just looking at BenHeck's forums to see what others had done with a portable Dreamcast and ran across this project http://benheck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=66144 was that you? I'd be interested in seeing a Treamcast like device with some type of optical drive emulator and a nicer screen. Was looking for ideas on what people use these days for such a project.

 

OK after testing a few games running the DC at 7.5v won't work with the UGC, at some point in a game the HDD will skip & beep due to lack of voltage.

Also the plug (wall wart) I'm using gets hot if I use 7.5v or 9v & makes a whining noise (faint) if I set it to 12v no such noise when the DC is powered & doesn't seem to get as hot.

I also redone the hole PSU connection & soldered directly to the PSU board.

 

Do you have a picture of the exact location on the controllerboard where you made the wire mod ?

 

Looking at the metal fan, tit looks like you may have the USB controller installed on a VA0 board. Is that correct?

 

excellent mod
personally I would stick to the picoPSU brand , I am using them successfully several years now, from mITX systems to old computer mods... I would get something like that: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120W-DC-D...-/130285899605?pt=PCA_UPS&hash=item1e55a50f55

Do we know what power requirements the DC has on the power lines? Maybe the 80w psu is enough. 5v amperage is tricky for new psus since the emphasis is in 12v nowdays.

 

This one isn't mine. I never finished mine as I'm unable to craft a case that's good enough for my taste. The electrical part was all done though. Here's my topic in case you're interested: http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=18283

FG

 

SO has anyone done an external HDD with it's own power supply yet?
Compared to a 2.5 self powered one that plugs into the USB port only?

 

using the DC 24pin 12V Pico ATX PSU you used would be great for led mods and stuff