Help my dreampi isn't working
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- shadow
- Posts: 14
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: Phantasy Star Online
Quake 3 Arena
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
I just bought new batteries and when I remove them from the adapter it says it can't make connect but when the batteries are in it says the line is busy (even with only one battery) and I got a guy called William M. Nash to make the cable for me from the dreamcast online Facebook group, he makes them for other people and they work for him so I really have no clue what's went wrong :c
- Xiden
- Developer
- Posts: 2363
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: All the DC games!!
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
Id ask for a replacement. Im certain its your cable. I had the same issues as you. I tried new batteries and yook them out and got exactly the same messages. Those cables can short out. You could take it apart and use a voltameter on it to check. Or see if something got disconnected.
My cable randomly shorted out on me. So im thinking that happened to you.
My cable randomly shorted out on me. So im thinking that happened to you.
- DR TEAMCAST
- Uber
- Posts: 1026
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- Location: New Jersey
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Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
OP, this might sound silly, but did you try re-installing the DreamPi image?
Sometimes, because there is no power button on the Pi, the image can become corrupt from unplugging it. Which could obviously make the software behave erratically. Occasionally I need to re-install because I'll get the error "Unable to contact host: Could not look up it's name", usually restoring router to factory settings fixes this, but it's been once or twice that I needed to re-install the image
I'm not sure if the DreamPi ever worked for you yet and you've just setup, I just skimmed through the thread. So if that's the case TL;DR lol
Sometimes, because there is no power button on the Pi, the image can become corrupt from unplugging it. Which could obviously make the software behave erratically. Occasionally I need to re-install because I'll get the error "Unable to contact host: Could not look up it's name", usually restoring router to factory settings fixes this, but it's been once or twice that I needed to re-install the image
I'm not sure if the DreamPi ever worked for you yet and you've just setup, I just skimmed through the thread. So if that's the case TL;DR lol


Forum for Dreamcast and Saturn browsers http://bb.dreampipe.net
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- shadow
- Posts: 14
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: Phantasy Star Online
Quake 3 Arena
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
See I thought that was the case so o tried it three times but nothing changed :c also it hasn't worked for me yet I just got it :cDR TEAMCAST wrote:OP, this might sound silly, but did you try re-installing the DreamPi image?
Sometimes, because there is no power button on the Pi, the image can become corrupt from unplugging it. Which could obviously make the software behave erratically. Occasionally I need to re-install because I'll get the error "Unable to contact host: Could not look up it's name", usually restoring router to factory settings fixes this, but it's been once or twice that I needed to re-install the image
I'm not sure if the DreamPi ever worked for you yet and you've just setup, I just skimmed through the thread. So if that's the case TL;DR lol
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- shadow
- Posts: 14
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: Phantasy Star Online
Quake 3 Arena
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
Yeah I'm starting to fix the same thing too, tbh. I'll ask for a replacement cable, hopefully I get one.Xiden wrote:Id ask for a replacement. Im certain its your cable. I had the same issues as you. I tried new batteries and yook them out and got exactly the same messages. Those cables can short out. You could take it apart and use a voltameter on it to check. Or see if something got disconnected.
My cable randomly shorted out on me. So im thinking that happened to you.
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- shadow
- Posts: 14
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: Phantasy Star Online
Quake 3 Arena
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
If my cable has shorted out on me, what would I replace in the cable or do I need to get a new one all over again?Xiden wrote:Id ask for a replacement. Im certain its your cable. I had the same issues as you. I tried new batteries and yook them out and got exactly the same messages. Those cables can short out. You could take it apart and use a voltameter on it to check. Or see if something got disconnected.
My cable randomly shorted out on me. So im thinking that happened to you.
- Xiden
- Developer
- Posts: 2363
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: All the DC games!!
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
It could be the capacitor or the resistor unless you have a voltage meter its hard to know what's bad in the connection. You can swap it with another .47uf Capacitor, and replace the resistor with another 380 Ohm resistor.
You should be able to easily desolder and replace the parts. Just make sure you have enough solder on there to make a good connection. (I'm assuming of course the original person actually soldered them together)
Its possible the phone cable itself could be old which could cause problems too.
Have you took off the tape or whatever is holding it together to see if one of the connections game loose?
PCWizard has a good video on how to create a voltage inducer, in case you take it apart and forget where things go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPvNQAi-yeM
I'd still highly recommend using a phone line simulator over a phone line inducer, but that's just me lol. Sometimes they come up reasonably priced on ebay. Search Viking DLE-200B, sometimes you can snag one for $40.
You should be able to easily desolder and replace the parts. Just make sure you have enough solder on there to make a good connection. (I'm assuming of course the original person actually soldered them together)
Its possible the phone cable itself could be old which could cause problems too.
Have you took off the tape or whatever is holding it together to see if one of the connections game loose?
PCWizard has a good video on how to create a voltage inducer, in case you take it apart and forget where things go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPvNQAi-yeM
I'd still highly recommend using a phone line simulator over a phone line inducer, but that's just me lol. Sometimes they come up reasonably priced on ebay. Search Viking DLE-200B, sometimes you can snag one for $40.
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- Graffiti Grind
- Posts: 312
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
I've had a similar problem. I can connect but takes a few attempts and then eventually the line will disconnect after 5-10 mins. Strangely PSO works fine, though! But Quake 3, Toy Racer etc all disconnect.
aka DavidHK on DC games.
- Xiden
- Developer
- Posts: 2363
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: All the DC games!!
Re: Help my dreampi isn't working
I'm guessing for you its also a phone line issue. When mine was starting to go out I'd get dropped in games as well as having horrible lag. Make sure you aren't using an old phone line and make sure you Voltage Line Inducer isnt shorted out.dave_van_damn wrote:I've had a similar problem. I can connect but takes a few attempts and then eventually the line will disconnect after 5-10 mins. Strangely PSO works fine, though! But Quake 3, Toy Racer etc all disconnect.
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