Sega Katana, SILENT please!

I have a new project!
I really like the Katana. A nice compact kit in mini desktop case. But using it on my desk is a pain without headphones or so. So HDD is SCSI, it has creazy small fans, and the PSU give the rest to it.

So here is the plan:

- replace the HDD for a CF AztecMonster converter (not cheap but the best option to use CF on SCSI bus)
- replace the fans and give the chips new custom cooling blocks (maybe fanless?!)
-replace the PSU fan for a noiseblocker fan
- also replace the battery, mine is dead

im pretty sure after that modifications the Katana is quieter as a retail Dreamcast .

I like to share here my work, hope you enjoy some hardware shots .

Still waiting for parts, the AztecMonster is really hard to find, i bought it from japan...

So i will update this thread by time.



This Fans musst go!!!



Parts:

Aztecmonster CF SCSI converter:


New PSU Fan M8-S2 Noiseblocker, 14db on 1700U/min 47m3/h are pretty nice!:

 

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its a 80x80x25 fan OK ^^.

Yes its a slide out drive like the DTL-H2510 from Sony. you can see the in the picture.
There is not really a need for GDEMU because its a devkit. The Aztecmonster converter will do the drive emulation.

 

For a second there I thought you we're going to butcher this devkit and turn it into a PC :O,
but luckly I see you're just improving it to run it faster and less noisy

 

Nice project, I'll be following it

Too late since you already bought the aztecmonster, but if SD was an option you could have bought the SCSI2SD:
http://www.codesrc.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=SCSI2SD
Installed it in my devkit after recommendation by Kuze - seems to work without problems
http://assemblergames.com/l/threads/recommended-hard-drive-for-katana-dev-unit.51783/

 

Yes, will be interesting to see how the Aztecmonster work. i prefer a industrial CF solution as SD. But it will be the same. Not really a performance boost at any part.

 

Weren't you looking for a small fan to keep it authentic yesterday?

This project is great! You should do a before/after video so we can hear the difference (with the same setup/camera/etc.).
Good luck!

 

yes, but such small fans never are quiet at all..

So next idea was replace it to be fanless.

Have a plate from a MX geforce2 :


i need to cut it in two parts, but will be fit perfect under the pcb for c1/c2
Maybe i put another noiseblocker on it. There is enough place.
And yes i will made a video after i finished, you will hear nothing ^^

I not really want to upgrade performance, it just to have a really silent Kit. Under 18DB.

 

Try a noctua fan. They make some smaller ones.

 

1.5-2.5" 4200-5400 rpm HDD too - almost silent and 10x-20x more space.

 

Without the hdd i have the place to install a fan on the back. The airflow will maybe enough to use the mx block fan less.

 

i replaced the old battery with a socket and a new one.
After that i remove the heatsinks from the chips and made two new ones

 

I hope you made sure the old battery was non-rechargable as well, otherwise it will go pop and you'll have a bad time.
Retail systems use rechargable ML2020 (replace with ML2032).

 

good point ^^. Yes i use a ML2032. just use another battery for soldering. That socket not the best quality...
The new heatsinks fit perfect :

 

CF isn't a great choice for lots of random reads/writes, will probably wear out quickly by comparison to a HDD. I was after a similar adapter but every one I found was $70ish. Too bad SCSI isn't the easiest to acquire.

 

Cool project.
I wonder if it's possible to use an ssd drive too?

 

have you seen the SD version, http://shop.codesrc.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=58

The person who makes this is a very nice person

 

I think "cf" is not so bad. Sure the read/write cycles are not good as hdd. But you can buy industrial cfs. In my last company we use it with small linux maschines for maschine control 24/7 over years without problems.
Im pretty sure i use the katana not so much. So it will ok for home use.

They also used with many amiga setups.

 

looking really nice.

is there any chances you dump v0.71 'Checker' ROM from your SET5 ?
currently we have only older one v0.41

 

Sure, when there is a way to dump it without remove the rom.