Dreamcast-Talk.com

Yep, and from my latest attempt I suspect I have butchered the ribbon cable because the ROM no longer seems to be detecting any kind of disc at all, not a huge problem because I can always mod a PC Drive's 16 pin cable to work (they're a bit more sturdy as well), but is there a remote possibility of actually using a PC's CD-ROM drive as a substitute, and living off ROMs that I've burned onto a CD-R? Sega sadly really did a number on the console with regards to construction, even if it saved them a bit of cash short term.

I don't think that's possible, and if it is, it would require a LOT of knowledge.
My guess is that the communication between the Dreamcast GD-ROM drive and its motherboard must be made in a way that it would not work if you substitute the drive for a CD-ROM one, without some kind of modding at least.

Well, I've finally decided to ditch repairing my existing console, I think my endless tampering with the laser killed it off for good. For now, it will be a spares unit.

Assuming I get a replacement, I'll apply what I've learnt over the last year or so, which are:

• Recalibration is only a last resort, due to the ease of breaking the switch. Exactly the same with taking apart the motor and similar components, because that will just mess it up.

• The PSU is worth more attention than it seems, because that is what cause the system to restart randomly and sometimes refuse to read discs. The same with actually cleaning the lens itself, rather than actually modifying its setup.

On top of that I need to store the console in a place that is less likely to to get humid, such as on top of a desk. Fortunately I now have an external monitor which I can plug my Dreamcast into once I get a VGA box.

So there you have it. I'm selling off a bunch of old PS2, DC and PSP games so I can afford a replacement. Hopefully I will be able to actually enjoy playing on it in the future rather than worrying about whether it is going to fail or not.

If you (or anyone else) is looking for a replacement GD-Rom drive, I can vouch for this seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-Seg ... 1305128407

It's more expensive than just buying a new DC, but these are new so you don't have to worry about a replacement DC having the same issue.

For me, I have a nice Rev. 0 DC that I killed the laser on by messing with it too much and instead of hunting down another Rev. 0 I just ponied up the cash for a brand new drive.

I just got a REv 0 July 99 system and the laser is busted would you recommend just replacing the whole GDROM drive then?

I messed around with buying just the pickup and bought like 2 or 3 of them but couldn't get them to work. I'm not a dummy when it comes to electronics either, so yes, I would recommend replacing the whole drive.

Maybe try this stuff too =)
http://dreamcast-talk.com/forum/viewtop ... =42&t=5644

But hang on, aren't the replacement drives destined to fail immediately as well? It's not like they're manufactured anymore, only NOS is available. What are we going to do after they're all gone?

Why would a replacement drive "fail immediately?"

It's not the age of the laser that causes them to fail, it's the accumulated hours of use.

Paspie wrote:What are we going to do after they're all gone?

Unless someone has made an accessible HDD mod or a way to easily adapt regular CD-ROM components for the Dreamcast, everyone will be forced to use nullDC.