Dreamcast [DEV] Dreamcast BBA Converter !

[RazorX]

i'd love to see these sold as well as the schematics released

 

[RazorX]

as long as this isn't a look at what i made thread and no info or parts are ever released then i'll be happy

 

[NightBreeze]

This is an amazing discovery Xrider and props for getting it working!

I think it could be pretty interesting to also route the RJ45 connector to the DC expansion PCB, this could allow it to look stock with the Sammy board as a sort of side-car. Or perhaps the Sammy board could be internalized.

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Thanks for sharing the link cyrix, I've been keeping an eye out on eBay but hadn't found this.

That said, I'm not very familiar with Sammy at all, I hope we're not destroying a piece of history by consuming all these Sammy LAN cards for our DCs. At least this mod doesn't require cannibalizing it though, knowing it's reversible is nice.

 

[supersega]

This is an amazing discovery Xrider and props for getting it working!

I think it could be pretty interesting to also route the RJ45 connector to the DC expansion PCB, this could allow it to look stock with the Sammy board as a sort of side-car. Or perhaps the Sammy board could be internalized.


Thanks for sharing the link cyrix, I've been keeping an eye out on eBay but hadn't found this.

That said, I'm not very familiar with Sammy at all, I hope we're not destroying a piece of history by consuming all these Sammy LAN cards for our DCs. At least this mod doesn't require cannibalizing it though, knowing it's reversible is nice.

I also had that feeling about this, but I'll be keeping my Atomiswave casing and screws safe, just in case. Just bought one!! By the way @Xrider , I'd love to take a crack at making an all-in-one 3D printed case for the Atomiswave card and your PCB.

 

[Xrider]

That said, I'm not very familiar with Sammy at all, I hope we're not destroying a piece of history by consuming all these Sammy LAN cards for our DCs.

Important information that I have not specified.
The SAMMY communicator remains perfectly functional in an Atomiswaves, all you have to do is unplug the ribbon cable and re-plug the communicator ;-D

At least this mod doesn't require cannibalizing it though, knowing it's reversible is nice.

You right !

 

[NightBreeze]

Cross-posting myself from Dreamcast-Talk:

I made a quick draft of what a 3D printed case for this could look like. All I had to go on was measurements of my DC and pictures of the Sammy PCB though so not quite accurate. The Sammy PCB would be mounted at an angle and the RJ45 port sticking out at the top. Feasibility TBD.

An alternative approach is to use the original casing for the modem and route the ribbon cable through the gaps. Best option might be to route it to the back (needs a slightly longer cable) and build a separate case for the Sammy. Alternatively the Sammy could be placed under the Dreamcast by raising it (some kind of casing, risers, etc).

Anybody got any other ideas?

I'll do some iterations of it when I receive my Sammy LAN PCB .

 

[T_chan]

Anybody got any other ideas?

Nice design !
The solution under the Dreamcast would be incompatible with karaoke-like options, so I wouldn't go for that
Not sure I would go for the "at an angle" option personally... a slightly bigger modem case (ie, expanding horizontally, not vertically/diagonally) would be good for me, especially since the ethernet port is already at the top...
Another option, probably even better for me, would be to have the ethernet port point to the back of the dreamcast, so having the atomiswave bba board point upwards

 

[NightBreeze]

The solution under the Dreamcast would be incompatible with karaoke-like options, so I wouldn't go for that

True, I'm not really a fan of this method either.

Not sure I would go for the "at an angle" option personally... a slightly bigger modem case (ie, expanding horizontally, not vertically/diagonally) would be good for me, especially since the ethernet port is already at the top...

This would be my alternative approach if the at-angle doesn't work out. To be honest they're not too different from each other. At angle should allow the case to be a bit shorter and the bottom footprint similar to original.

Another option, probably even better for me, would be to have the ethernet port point to the back of the dreamcast, so having the atomiswave bba board point upwards

I did consider it as well, but it would increase the height of the dreamcast substantially. Instead, ideally, if we managed to relocate the RJ45 port onto the extension PCB, then we wouldn't need to make the original RJ45 port accessible.

This is btw what I had in mind for the behind-Dreamcast solution:

The back case only holds the Sammy, the original Dreamcast modem case would be used to house the extension PCB. The back case attaches to the Dreamcast modem case via the RJ45 port hole. The attachment is locked from the inside of the modem case so that they are essentially one unit. The ribbon cable would travel between the modem case and Dreamcast by the gap in the back and into the Sammy case (as I've attempted to picture).

The "feet" are to add stability when stationary, provide access to air-vents and DCDigital.

 

[FamilyGuy]

True, I'm not really a fan of this method either.

This would be my alternative approach if the at-angle doesn't work out. To be honest they're not too different from each other. At angle should allow the case to be a bit shorter and the bottom footprint similar to original.

I did consider it as well, but it would increase the height of the dreamcast substantially. Instead, ideally, if we managed to relocate the RJ45 port onto the extension PCB, then we wouldn't need to make the original RJ45 port accessible.

This is btw what I had in mind for the behind-Dreamcast solution:

View attachment 9275

The back case only holds the Sammy, the original Dreamcast modem case would be used to house the extension PCB. The back case attaches to the Dreamcast modem case via the RJ45 port hole. The attachment is locked from the inside of the modem case so that they are essentially one unit. The ribbon cable would travel between the modem case and Dreamcast by the gap in the back and into the Sammy case (as I've attempted to picture).

The "feet" are to add stability when stationary, provide access to air-vents and DCDigital.

I dig that design. Once the DIY kits are available I'd like to print/order these.

 

[T_chan]

back -> Cool solution indeed.
You would need to leave some space at the back for the DC lid to open however - 5mm - 1/5th of an inch ?
Passing the ribbon cable through the hole would also not be that straightforward I suppose...

 

[s8n]

phenomenal work Xrider , also it's great to see the community appreciation and interest. Kind of curious anyone thought of ISO loading similar to Netboot for NAOMI ?

 

[NightBreeze]

I dig that design. Once the DIY kits are available I'd like to print/order these.

I'm pro open-source, I would be releasing the design files once they're ready, for sure.

back -> Cool solution indeed.
You would need to leave some space at the back for the DC lid to open however - 5mm - 1/5th of an inch ?
Passing the ribbon cable through the hole would also not be that straightforward I suppose...

Good observation, depending on it's height it may indeed be needed, seems 4,5mm should be enough. I've thought about passing the ribbon cable through the RJ45 hole instead of through the gap between console and modem, but I'm not sure how feasible it will be. I'll definitely investigate because I think it would be a nice solution. Essentially a 15-pin 1mm pitch ribbon cable would fit quite well, so if we could bend the 30?-pin cable down along the middle it could just work. But how well will the connector side deal with bending? I don't know.

 

[RazorX]

still no info about when schematics will be released?

 

[supersega]

Cross-posting myself from Dreamcast-Talk:

I'll do some iterations of it when I receive my Sammy LAN PCB .

Dangit! Everything I do, someone else has already done haha. Nice work!

 

[Xrider]

New assembly tutorial video is available :


The Dreamcast BBA converter available very soon

 

[neo]

New assembly tutorial video is available :


The Dreamcast BBA converter available very soon

Looks very straightforward, great kit and great install video.

Excited to be able to order one soon. Thanks for making this

 

[SiZiOUS]

New assembly tutorial video is available :


The Dreamcast BBA converter available very soon

Very nice! Super cool! Génial !

 

[BlueCrab]

Looking forward to getting a few kits and throwing them together.

Now, if only there was a source for the G2 bus connectors without harvesting them from modems...

 

[Xrider]

Hello,

The kit BBA Converter DIY is now available on ebay :

Dreamcast bba converter kit diy for sega dreamcast console | eBay

Com, this kit allow to create the Dreamcast BBA with an Atomicwave Communicator. - Dreamcast BBA Converter Kit. - Dreamcast reconizes the Network adapter look like genuine Dreamcast BBA HIT-400. - Get the connector from your dreamcast modem.

www.ebay.com

 

[FamilyGuy]

Hello,

The kit BBA Converter DIY is now available on ebay :

Dreamcast bba converter kit diy for sega dreamcast console | eBay

Com, this kit allow to create the Dreamcast BBA with an Atomicwave Communicator. - Dreamcast BBA Converter Kit. - Dreamcast reconizes the Network adapter look like genuine Dreamcast BBA HIT-400. - Get the connector from your dreamcast modem.

www.ebay.com

Any way to reduce the shipping to Canada? With it plus the import fees, that'll end up more than doubling the price...