Definitive Answer on GDEmu and Heat?

[megavolt85]

So it's entirely a choice, not a necessity.

You were just lucky with the power supply, most of it overheats, which leads to artifacts on the screen, and subsequently to a complete freeze of the console

[Esppiral]

Mine overheats a lot, to the point that if you touch it it feels like it's burning...I have a Pal unit, should I replace any component? I've seen PSU replacements online but I don't know how reliable are or if it will solve the issue.

[fraggle200]

Mine overheats a lot, to the point that if you touch it it feels like it's burning...I have a Pal unit, should I replace any component? I've seen PSU replacements online but I don't know how reliable are or if it will solve the issue.

I took the 12V rail off my PSU and recapped it and with my MODE it's a lot like yours I imagine. it's ridiculously hot. even just sitting in the MODE menu it'll heat up beyond what I would have thought was normal. I really want to avoid a Pico PSU if possible but with the amount of heat it gives off I may just have to.

[Sketcz]

I installed a USB-GD and played Time Stalkers for like 3 hours yesterday and the heat seemed tolerable. The shell was just a little warm, and quite comfortable to touch.

Is USB-GD better regarding the heat problem?

Am I not playing long enough?

Or is that gentle warmth actually the overheating being described? Like, is it a furnace beneath the shell, and the fact I can only feel a slight warmth a sign of problems? I have not yet put any cardboard shielding in to redirect the air in a better manner. Someone told me it's a not a big deal, so I thought I'd play for a few hours and see.

[Traxus]

Laserbear did these tests back in 2018 that measure the increase in heat after installing the GDEMU, and a drastic decrease in heat after removing the 12v regulator.

https://twitter.com/collingall/status/1 ... 82176?s=09
https://twitter.com/collingall/status/1 ... 46720?s=09
https://twitter.com/collingall/status/1 ... 99776?s=09

That seems pretty definitive to me. My Dreamcast has no 12v regulator I've had zero problems with heat.

[Zoarb]

I would recommend the power supply mod regardless. The power supply in the Dreamcast puts off a decent amount of heat. So for longevity sake, I would recommend doing the power supply mod. They're not too expensive. And are super easy to install. That, and now the inside of your Dreamcast has so much more room for activities lol.

Bit of a story here. I bought a premodded system off eBay with a Gdemu (possibly a clone), LED replacement, and battery mod. I bought it to swap out the internals of my dying Dreamcast. It worked fine for a while, but one day, I felt a shock come through my controller. Everything continued to work, but after that, it started overheating after about an hour or two of any activity. From sitting on the GDEMU menu screen, or playing Phantasy Star Online. I tried the resistor method, and that didn't fix it. Once I did the power supply mod, it stopped altogether. I've read many things stating that it isn't needed, but I know in my personal experience it was.

[Sketcz]

I've read people have problems with vertical banding after replacing the power supply.

Can anyone link to a reputable, reliable replacement that won't have this problem?

[fraggle200]

I've read people have problems with vertical banding after replacing the power supply.

Can anyone link to a reputable, reliable replacement that won't have this problem?

I'd trust one from here https://8bitmods.com/mod-kits/sega/dreamcast/ but I know the price is probably a lot more than most people are willing to pay.

[megavolt85]

I've read people have problems with vertical banding after replacing the power supply.

Can anyone link to a reputable, reliable replacement that won't have this problem?

buy a high-quality external power supply 12V 3A and there will be no stripes

[Sketcz]

So it's the external supply which can cause the problem? Thanks for the tip.

I'd trust one from here https://8bitmods.com/mod-kits/sega/dreamcast/ but I know the price is probably a lot more than most people are willing to pay.

Actually, last night after a mammoth TimeStalkers session the DC was quite hot. Like too much so to the touch. Even the USB-GD board inside.

So I would 100% buy on of those right now even at that price.

Sadly they're out of stock.

Do they restock regularly?