Question about GDEMU resistor + airflow + trays

[areyareadyherewego]

Hi guys,

1) Ive read the most conflicting things about resistor specs and sorry to be a pain but 300 ohms 1w, should do it, a single one for 12v rail right in 12v socket and other in ground? Does it matter which end I put in ground and which in 12v? Or does order not matter? (Sorry for noob question, not an electrical person really)

I dont want to remove the 12v regualator bc my solder skills are THAT bad and i dont want to physically mod my PSU for whatever reason.. also if I restore the GDROM i dont want to have to restore the regulator


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have been to cheap to wanna spend $20-30 on a good gdemu tray right now when the GDEMU itself only cost just under $50 (on the way) but i see two styles on eBay: the one that dips down and has SD card holders, and the one that brings the SD card to the top surface and has a slot and reset button...
2) cant you do in game reset with a controller combo anyways?

...Also not a big fan of that one looking like you have to use glue as per the listing description

I have a Sega sports black DC, and though matching black tray is the default , but I really like the look of the red on google images that dips down, I just cant seem to find it anywhere. That seems to have a nice POP effect, bc to me initially a Dreamcast Even w a dip down tray just looks off and like missing parts from google image photos with that matching empty space. Its a weird optical illusion to me. Red interior on a black console would be a wake up, but a good one!

3) if i hold off on getting a tray, I can just add a wall of cardboard on the under part of the GDEMU to allow the PSU heat to dissipate across that lane next to the controller board and out of the case with the stock side fan?

4) if i do nothing, will I be ok? Or should I add that cardboard at minimum? It doesn’t pose any safety risks? I’m open to another material / easier solution to use in the interim, if i must do something with airflow

Thanks in advance!

[Anthony817]

have been to cheap to wanna spend $20-30 on a good gdemu tray right now when the GDEMU itself only cost just under $50 (on the way) but i see two styles on eBay: the one that dips down and has SD card holders, and the one that brings the SD card to the top surface and has a slot and reset button...
2) cant you do in game reset with a controller combo anyways?

Sorry to be the one to break the news to you, but you have been duped. That is not a reset button, that is a skip to next disc button.

3) if i hold off on getting a tray, I can just add a wall of cardboard on the under part of the GDEMU to allow the PSU heat to dissipate across that lane next to the controller board and out of the case with the stock side fan?

Yes here is mine I took pictures of last year. I have since gotten a nice 128gb SD card. and painted the top part of the case black.

4) if i do nothing, will I be ok? Or should I add that cardboard at minimum? It doesn’t pose any safety risks? I’m open to another material / easier solution to use in the interim, if i must do something with airflow

You should at the very least add the cardboard since removing the GDRom drive certainly changes airflow in the case. If you really want to cheap out and make it more air tight you can add some hot glue around the bottom of it, or go even cheaper and use tape.

That all being said, I don't think you have to worry about modding the PSU, adding a resistor or changing it out for a DreamPSU or anything like that. It does get hotter yes but honestly if you don't play it for 12 hours at a time every day it should be ok. I been using mine for a full year now this month, and smooth sailing for me.

[areyareadyherewego]

Thanks!

No harm in adding the resistor for random peace of mind though ,right ? Because I already ordered a 4x pack for like $2 haha (only going to use one, of course)

And thats good to know the cardboard should run between the gdemu and PSU (vertically) not just parallel to the controller board and on the bottom side of gdemu

Some 3d print outs dont even look like they do a good job with airflow, am i wrong?

Like this one piece, looks clean and simple but not sure how much it helps overall

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sega-Dreamcast ... 48dkr66LlA


No safety hazard having that cardboard right next to PSU?
And thats hilarious the button is next game not IGR, all the more reason I guess i dont care if i get one with a button or not now

[Anthony817]

When I borrowed my friends modded DC in 2016 who had a GDEMU and 3d printed insert he had that, It was great and directed the airflow where it needed to be. So yes it works. Also the cardboard is fine like it is, not really a fire risk as the board isn't actually touching the PSU, it is laid across it near but not touching. If you are worried I guess you could always use some electrical tape on the back side. You could use plastic too like from a binder or notebook and just bent it into a L shape. I do eventually plan on getting the oone with SD extender though, but $30+ is a bit more than I care to pay for it for n ow.

But yeah, the resistor will help too, it isn't worthless. A lot of people just never added them to it and the device has been out for about 6 years now at this point and haven't heard any horror stories yet.

[areyareadyherewego]

Cool thanks!

I probably will do a makeshift solution then for now,

Isn’t there already a metal divider between PSU and GDROM? Or i guess this vertical part is to have buffer between the wall created, and that small metal wall?

Or Do you just need to extend it at the bottom so you can wrap it around that corner ?

[Anthony817]

I have it so long to act as both support and to better redirect the air. Less air leakage and it won't fall over.

[areyareadyherewego]

I have it so long to act as both support and to better redirect the air. Less air leakage and it won't fall over.

Makes sense thanks!

I probably will use some kinda cardboard, easy enough. Ill just have to be aware of how tall it is so i can close the top lid enclosure without issue

[NightBreeze]

I had resistors installed previously but the unit still got quite hot, I never measured if they helped but I like to think they did at least something. I've just switched to a picoPSU and the difference is night and day, the console runs so cool now, it's astonishing.

Anyway, I had a PLA printed tray for my GDEMU in place (note, I only had 1 screw in place, in the back) and it had gotten heat warped whilst still using the original PSU. Now, I don't know if this is a common problem, or if it even would've been a problem had I installed all the screws, but I wanted to give a heads up of the possibility.

[areyareadyherewego]

I have it so long to act as both support and to better redirect the air. Less air leakage and it won't fall over.

I have to ask since your avatar is half life, is the DC version you're favorite or have you played the ps2 one?

was watching digital foundry comparisons and found it fascinating! with gdemu are load times tolerable?

[areyareadyherewego]

I had resistors installed previously but the unit still got quite hot, I never measured if they helped but I like to think they did at least something. I've just switched to a picoPSU and the difference is night and day, the console runs so cool now, it's astonishing.

Anyway, I had a PLA printed tray for my GDEMU in place (note, I only had 1 screw in place, in the back) and it had gotten heat warped whilst still using the original PSU. Now, I don't know if this is a common problem, or if it even would've been a problem had I installed all the screws, but I wanted to give a heads up of the possibility.

a modded PSU would be awesome but I'm kinda out of funds for DreamCast project for now

it would be VERY cool though to have a pico, fixed battery, noctua fan, genuine GDEMU, DCHDMI, that replaced fuse as precautionary measure on controller board, a fancy 3d printed gdemu tray, the works haha. cleaning up the hardware can be quite expensive