How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

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tripletopper
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How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#1 » Fri May 26, 2023 12:10 am

I bought someone's homemade Dreamcast dreampi the has a couple wires Frankensteined in it.

I assume that specifically for the dial-up modem.

I would like to try dream pie. But all the instructions on the internet assume that you have a PC. I have a Macintosh

I look for instructions on how to flash something for a Pi on a Macintosh, but the instructions don't make sense specifically to dreamPi.

The program that you use for PCs is not the same as you use for Macs and I don't see how to translate the instructions for the dream pie specifically for a Mac Pi flasher.

And it's even harder now that Apple remove PC compatibility even on Intel based macintosh's if you want to have the latest operating system.

I really need help because I can't figure it out myself.

By the way February was the first time I ever got more than 10 megabits while not using a 4G connection. I don't know if 4G additionally complicates things but if it does, now I have the luxury of going on a real hardwired Network instead of having to work through my phone and hotspot.

May I have some help please?

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peanut_unlimited
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Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#2 » Fri May 26, 2023 1:22 am

Are you referring to writing the dreampi image onto an SD card? All you need is any Mac compatible software for burning images onto an SD card. I'm pretty sure Balena Etcher works on a Mac.
https://etcher.balena.io/

then just download the dreampi image
https://dreamcastlive.net/downloads/

Burn that image onto the SD card using Balena Etcher and Boom. Plug it into the Raspberry Pi and connect that to your dreamcast! There will be some configuration settings you'll have to suss out on the Dreamcast side afterwards but thats the crux of it.

tripletopper
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Posts: 133

Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#3 » Fri May 26, 2023 2:29 am

A few years ago. I got stuck on Balena. I couldn't figure out how to use it.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to try it.

So what order do I do everything? Do I download Dreampi on my mac first then flash it with Balena, or do I run Balena and directly flSh it as I load the Dreampi program?

I'll try tomorrow at 10 AM Nee York time.

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peanut_unlimited
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Posts: 42

Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#4 » Fri May 26, 2023 9:14 pm

Balena is the easiest program you could use for this type of application, there is only a few steps.
Download the dreampi image
Open Balena
Select the dreampi image
Select the target SD card
Flash
Then you're done and its ready to be installed into your raspberry pi

tripletopper
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Posts: 133

Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#5 » Sat May 27, 2023 3:30 am

Ok I'll try that tomorrow.

Maybe I had a bad modem. So I bought a second modem. See it that's the issue or .y previously poor connection of 1.6 M in. 400 k out was the issue.

Maybe you need a minimum broadband speed for Dreampi to work right.

tripletopper
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Posts: 133

Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#6 » Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:05 pm

I can't tell if my program is wrongly flashed or if some connection is wrong with my modem. I tried going with every setting suggested on the Dreamcast now video.

I tried both blind dial on and blind dial off.

I tried both of two different modems I had one of which was purchased because I was trying to get online and I'm getting errors.

According to your order you're supposed to first flash the raspberry Pi card and then turn it on then turn on the Dreamcast.

Every time I try dialing 111 - 1111 it says no dial tone detected.

What I say try until connection it loads up a part of a web page then stops thinking that most of the information you got was on the disc not online.

By the way I'm using the last issue of the official Dreamcast magazine discs which has web browser 2.6 on it.

I don't know why it's not connecting to the internet.

How do I tell if my program is Miss flash or if it's a problem with the modem or the connections in my Pi.

My pie had a very special connection that was Frankensteined together specifically for dream pie it has an extra bulb in it with two ends of a dial-up cable coming out of it I don't know if it matters if there's symmetrical or not.

I'll show you a photo of it right now if I can add a photo.

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peanut_unlimited
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Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#7 » Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:42 pm

I doubt there is anything wrong with the flashed image on the SD card of the pi. My guess would be the physical connection, or configuration on the dreamcast. My gut feel is you need a line voltage inducer connected? depending on the region. The fact you say its been Frankensteined together makes me think the issue is physical

tripletopper
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Posts: 133

Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#8 » Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:48 pm

There is a Pi with a Dell modem and a little swimming buoy attached to wires going through the HDMI port and has dial-up connectors on both ends.

I tried using the modem with that pre-installed loose cord that's connected by a swimming buoy, and I tried connecting using a totally free cord bypassing the swimming buoy.

If I were to buy a premade voltage-inducing modem might that solve the problem?

Also how do I tell what version my pi machine is. I don't know if I have the right version for the right machine but it's pretty easy to download if you've got a hundred Meg inbound which one year ago would have been a very big issue as we were maxed out at 5 Meg in 5 Meg out and two years ago we were maxed at 1.6 Meg in 400k out

tripletopper
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Posts: 133

Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#9 » Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:48 pm

By the way I would send a picture but I don't know how you show pictures on this form. I don't see an option that says get photograph or get picture file

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peanut_unlimited
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Re: How do I flash Dreampi with a Mac?

Post#10 » Sun Jun 04, 2023 9:15 pm

"There is a Pi with a Dell modem and a little swimming buoy attached to wires going through the HDMI port and has dial-up connectors on both ends."

This part really confuses me? why is going into a HDMI port? I think without photos this setup is sounding really confusing. No idea what you mean exactly by swimming buoy

Nearly every version of raspberry Pi works with this, so I honestly doubt your Pi is the issue, unless you werent able to burn the dreampi image to the SD card.

Are you running NTSC or PAL?

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