https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/
TuxTheWise wrote:These are images I never shared before. I use it to help me calibrate Dreamcast reader.
It's common for Dreamcast reader to get bad after some time. However,
the cases I saw could be fixed by calibrating the reader. There is a
screw on the lens block that you can adjust, and depending on what you
do there you'll make it read better or worse. I'm lacking photos at the
moment, so you'll have to look somewhere else for the location of this
screw, and for instructions of how to change them.
What I noticed, is that bad readers have difficulties recognizing multi
session discs (selfboot discs). What also noticed is that it also
depends on where the second session start. Some readers won't work fine
for most releases (where second session starts near the beggining of the
disc), others will have difficulties with discs where session starts
close to the end of the disc (too many CDDA, or big games generated with
bin2boot). If that's your case, calibrating your lens should fix it (I
take no responsability though xD).
These discs can help you calibrating your reader. They're Dreamcast
layout discs with extreme cases: second session starting in the
beggining and in the very end of the disc. If can know if they were
recognized correctly by the noise Reader does. If you keep changing the
reader's screw, you'll notice that there's a point where it recognizes
great the first disc, but won't read the second disc. There's also a
point where the opposite occurs. You'll need to find a point where both
discs are recognized fast, that should be the ideal adjustment.
Since these discs you'll be used as reference, I recommend recording
them on a nice CD-R brand in a moment close to the calibration. I mean,
don't try to use the damaged ones your recorded one year ago on the
cheapest CD-R you could find.
I calibrated my reader twice on my 2000 console during its lifetime,
using these discs on the second time. My Dreamcast is still awesome. I
played for 3/4 years intensively, and used it for all my releases, so
you can have an idea of how long these things can last if you
re-calibrate it.
But is it posible to change the drives motor or the gd-drive itself to prevent it from happening for the next like 20 years?TheCoolinator wrote:To an extent its a myth but it does contain some truth. Burned Dreamcast games do not damage your GDR-drive but as stated above it can wear out the motor and lead to damaging / breaking your Dreamcast.
The problem though is that its going to happen anyway. Dreamcast has moving parts like any new console, so sooner of later it will break down after extended use. Burned games may speed that up. Mine is 9 years old and from the last time I played Shenmue II (Data intensive game) I did notice quite a few "DATA READ ERROR" while I was playing. So while it is a myth to stop piracy it does contain a bit a truth.
Amazing! Curiously this a day one unit? What revision/variation it ended up being a 0 or 1?TheCoolinator wrote: ↑Sun Mar 09, 2025 7:38 pm I STILL play the same DC I bought in 1999 from KB Toys
It is definitely day 1, 9/9/99. I remember bringing it home and playing Soul Calibur on my "big" living room television. My father gave me a very small grace period of using it in there until I was moved into the computer room and downgraded to the smaller CRT television.mistamontiel wrote: ↑Sun Mar 09, 2025 9:21 pmAmazing! Curiously this a day one unit? What revision/variation it ended up being a 0 or 1?TheCoolinator wrote: ↑Sun Mar 09, 2025 7:38 pm I STILL play the same DC I bought in 1999 from KB Toys
I wanted to add, that I used to have two consoles that were purchased at the DC launch (given to me by two friends who had gotten them a couple days before launch day from a store that broke the street release date. They bought them at the same time from the same store. One of them was a rev 0 and the other was a rev 1!mistamontiel wrote: ↑Sun Mar 09, 2025 9:21 pmAmazing! Curiously this a day one unit? What revision/variation it ended up being a 0 or 1?TheCoolinator wrote: ↑Sun Mar 09, 2025 7:38 pm I STILL play the same DC I bought in 1999 from KB Toys
The Rev 0 also had a standard modem, so it wasn't like a kiosk unit they put back in the box and sold either. I think the Hollywood Video rental consoles might not have had a modem either.mistamontiel wrote: ↑Mon Mar 10, 2025 9:56 pm Fascinating!! So rev0s weren't just rentals cheers for clarifying