Got my Treamcast bundle!!!

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 10:20 am

Finally got my Treamcast bundle, thought I'd post a little about it for those maybe considering buying one.

I got mine off lan-kwei, used the cheap shipping, it still got to my house in a week. Minimal interaction from the sellers, but it got here in one piece, so I'm not complaining. It cost my 230.00 US shipped.

The Treamcast unit itself is a pretty cool machine. The LCD screen is over 5 inches (4:3) with fairly decent quality. It features an on/off swith for when you use external screens, and a contrast / brightness adjustor. My only real gripe with the console itself is that I'm constantly adjusting these two controls to get a decent picture, but it's nothing too bad. The system is pre-modded, and plays my Sonic Adventure Two import birthday set just fine.

All connectors (serial port, modem port, display port, all 4 controller ports) are present, although the unit is short a modem.
The system includes a handy carrying case, and two of Tream's 6-button joypads. While they lack an Analog stick, all buttons have a turbofire feature, and make great controllers for the emulators.

Tream includes the Dreammovie Deluxe kit (MP3/VCD player) with the console. The remote reciver isn't built into the system, you still have to hook up the dongle. The player's interface blows, and the MP3 playback is beter on To-11, but the VCD playback is outstanding.

I'm stoked to have a DC again, although I think it could have cost about 50 bucks less. Damn Hong-Kong.

It runs all homebrew fine, if anyone was wondering.

If anyone has any questions about it, let me know.

impetus · Post by **impetus** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 1:25 pm

decided to do it eh?

X525 · Post by **X525** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 5:15 pm

i been bobblin the idea for some time...might be my x-mas present to myself...hehehe...can u still plug in the original controllers?

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 10:11 am

Yeah, decided I needed my Phantasy Star, even offline it's still better than two White Russians and a shot of Jack. Now, four White Russians and a line of blow, that's a different story...

And yeah, it still works with the original controllers.

ShadowofBob · Post by **ShadowofBob** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 11:36 am

Does it look like it is moddable so that the BBA/Modem could be used?

ShadowofBob · Post by **ShadowofBob** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:21 pm

Hollywood Hasney wrote:
ShadowofBob wrote:Does it look like it is moddable so that the BBA/Modem could be used?
As said, the modem port is there

Whoops. Didn't see that. Do you just need to remove a plastic cover and attach the modem/BBA then?

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 10:13 am

Whoops. Didn't see that. Do you just need to remove a plastic cover and attach the modem/BBA then?

Ditto. I'll have my wireless 56 rig in there in about 2 weeks.

qatmix · Post by **qatmix** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 6:18 pm

you wont. The port si there but it the actual modem will mot fit into it as the fitting for the modem isnt deep enough. I took the modem out of its case to try to fit it and it still didnt fit. As you say the port is there, and the interface hole is the righ size. The actual space where the modem fits isnt deep enough though, so I cant clip it in.

Sorry if this doesnt make sense, as Im drunk and tierd. but As long as I get the message that no Modem or BBA is gonna fit unless some case mods are being made gets thorugh.

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 6:26 pm

fatheadpi is making some form of homebrewed adaptor allowing him to use his cellphone, rather than actually just clipping on the modem.

Post by **I.M. Weasel** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 10:48 am

could you give a picture fathead? does it look like a iMac?

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 11:01 am

I.M. Weasel wrote:could you give a picture fathead? does it look like a iMac?

http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=2963

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 2:19 pm

Yeah, I was wondering about the oddball size of the modem slot, I figured I might have to do some modding. What I may do is just pull the modem hardware off the mounting and shove it in there for a temporary solution. It'll be a jerry-rigged setup at best, and I'll post some pics when it's done. When my barracks wall locker based dc setup is finished, it'll look something like this:

Video - I'm going to run the Treamcast's video out into my Naki BGA box. This will then be used to integrate it to my portable DVD playr, which has a larger screen (8 inch widescreen vs. TC's 5.5 inch 4:3 screen)

Modem - I'll find some way to shove the modem hardware in. The slot is probably tall enough to fit in the actual modem,just not deep enough to allow for any mounting brackets.

Uber-jig cable - Standard high quality phone cable, jacked into jerry-rig-mounted modem. Grounding wire will go god only knows where, ringer power cables too. Actual + and - leads will be patched (either soldered or electrical taped, depending on what I have available) into matching leads from a broken headset I have for my cell phone, then into the minijack for the headset in on the cellphone itself.

Cellphone - Jacked into DC by the Uber-jig cable, set to dial into local Prodigy server in Augusta.

I guess I'll go ahead and explain my theorey for net access again, since it gets more attention here then in Hardware modding. What I'm going to do is use my cell phone, featuring free weekend and nighttime minutes, as a hardline for my DC's modem. The theorey works like this:

1. I set the Dreamcast to blind-dial any 7-digit number (ie, 555-5555) and not check for dial tone. (This is doable through most any version of PlanetWeb, like DCTV through Psilocybin Dreams 1.0.) The DC will have no actual control over the dialing or connection process, but will only have to spit out and recieve modulated audio through the uberjig connection cable.

2. I connect the audio out and in leads to the matching side on a cell phone headset, which features the proper mini-connector to interface into my cell phone.

3. I connect to the dial up sever using my cell phone, establishing a hard line.

4. I initiate the custom dial-up sequence through the Dreamcast. The numbers it dial mean nothing, and the connection should automatically click.

My only real worry is with line noise at this point, but I don't really know what all I can do about that.

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 2:21 pm

How many free minutes do you get a day/month?

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 12:34 pm

200 anytime minutes, and free nights and weeknds. I screw 'em on the free nights and weekends. My last cell phone bill was $5.13 (yes, you read right, 5 American dollars and 13 American cents). My bill was 3 pages long. I rack up about 2000 minutes of use on my phone a month. Hands free adapters are great. I can talk and play PSO, talk and shine boots, talk and do push ups... endless possibilities.

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 5:49 pm

That's a damn good deal.

Warmachine · Post by **Warmachine** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 6:52 pm

fatheadpi wrote:200 anytime minutes, and free nights and weeknds. I screw 'em on the free nights and weekends. My last cell phone bill was $5.13 (yes, you read right, 5 American dollars and 13 American cents). My bill was 3 pages long. I rack up about 2000 minutes of use on my phone a month. Hands free adapters are great. I can talk and play PSO, talk and shine boots, talk and do push ups... endless possibilities.

How much are you supposed to pay per month??? What service

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 2:53 pm

AllTell. My bill erratically jumps up and down. In theorey, I should pay ~45 - 50 bucks a month because it's got some premium features (killer long distance, home area = continental US). Still, the average for the time I've used it is about right, and I'm not complaining.

Just wait till I get my modem cable built this weekend (Thanksgiving). It should be working by the 2nd, unless I spend all my time with my girlfriend and my guns. Which is probably going to happen anyways. BOOYAH!!!

jkjk · Post by **jkjk** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 11:27 am

I don't understand how you pay only $5/month. Is that in addition to the normal $45?

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 10:07 am

No, just my last bill was 5 bucks. The one before that was 60, and the first one was 30. So basically I've paid about 100 bucks for a phone and my first two months of service with about 6000 minutes of long distance usage combined.

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Fri Nov 28, 2003 1:17 pm

*sets down girlfriend*

Okay, I'm beginning to work on the cable now. There's only one real thing I'm worried about right now besides blowing some things up, as I'm unsure if my cell phone's modulation scheme will pick up on the phase changes from the modem. I should know In a few hours.

I rigged a modem up to my Treamcast BTW, pulled it out of the mounting completely. I'll figure out something better in a little while, might fire up the dremel.