Dreamcast Hard Drive

[Cast128dreams]

New Peripherials for the Dreamcast will enpower it for sure.
But just think......If a third party company has made Treamcast(which sell very good) everything is possible!!!!
So why not!!!?

[semicolo]

I know the dreamcast can go up to 1,5625 Mbps (see my dcxfer card :-) but you must have maching bitrates, the dreamcast can't do 900 kbps like the xport, the higher common rate beetween the two should be 300kbps.

[DreamDogg]

Dreamcast XPort Ethernet Inteface
(Potential New Peripheral)

Plugs into Dreamcast's Serial IO Port
300 kbps bitrate
Costs ~$65 in parts to build
Cheaper than BBA
Faster than the DC dialup modem
Requires new software to operate (incompatible with existing titles)

Worthwhile Project ? Let's hear people's comments.

[Nikosbuddy]

so did anyone actually go thru with this? cause i wouldlove to do mine but i am far dumber then you guys will ever be, i tried reading all this and i was lost but i had a grin knowing....someone had tried...
or thought about trying...let me know whats up guys :P

[DreamDogg]

I don't know of anyone doing it. Nevertheless, it remains possible.

Genius engineers do contribute to these forums, and their past projects did result in marketable products (for example, the USB-serial coders cable.)

Homebrew peripherals are cool, and perhaps marketable, but the most important test is profitability.

I am optimistic that chip prices will fall in the next 12 months.
Lower chip prices may allow new storage/connectivity peripheral development for the Dreamcast.

[FrierTuck]

you know what we could do, hold a sega enginerr hostage, and make him design a new DC with a HDD, Ethernet, USB, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, Coffee Maker, Clock/Radio, DVD drive, Credit card scanner, 4 diffrent types of screw drivers, knives, a leather bore, all on a seasame seed bun

*200th Post*

[sixtyten]

you know what we could do, hold a sega enginerr hostage, and make him design a new DC with a HDD, Ethernet, USB, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, Coffee Maker, Clock/Radio, DVD drive, Credit card scanner, 4 diffrent types of screw drivers, knives, a leather bore, all on a seasame seed bun

*200th Post*

I'd go for that.

[Erghize]

Has anyone considered the IDE Bus used for the GD-ROM?

I don't know if it's possible to easily connect and use two devices on the same bus with a dreamcast (without much modification)...but it's an IDE bus...seems more logical to me to use that for adding a hard drive.

I havn't a clue though if the DC BIOS would support this or if it even matters about the BIOS.

[semicolo]

I don't thing it's an ide interface, sorry, would've been too easy.

[Erghize]

Yeah, you could well be right. My only basis on it being an IDE Bus is the fact that I saw a schematic with that written on.

I'm sure I did.

Either that or i'm loosing it =\