Ross Siggers

I mean, that's the problem, the original configuration doesn't work. I've mixed and matched components between the two systems and it doesn't seem like any combination works. I tried plugging in a mouse with lights on it and they flash on when you power the PC....but then quickly go off, and the machine stays in the same state; powered on, fans ramped up, no display output. Also saw something about a POST self test cards that give you a display for codes, and a speaker for error beeps....does anyone know if that would even work on this machine? As those test cards run off a PCI slot, and I currently have the PCIe for the GPU, running over an M.2 slot. Would be great if it did work, so I could at least see if it's throwing codes.

I mean, the case is plastic so I don't think it's a short or anything like that. But yes, by the time I'd reached the 'two systems' stage, I was just bench testing everything. Tell me more about this destructive component scenario though... what part of the build was it? I did wonder if the PSU was doing something as it was used initially to boot the new motherboard, it's a 200W Pico but the biggest power brick I've tested with is only 120W. So even though it's not being stressed that could be the case, if I was exceptionally unlucky.

Hi all, I'm completely stumped and need more suggestions for advanced troubleshooting! The PC is a small form factor build, so there are a few differences to a regular build, outlined below. It's been a complete and running system for near 2 years now, but I should clarify these because the internal layout is unorthodox. The motherboard is an STX format, smaller than ITX but similar to a 'thin' client that takes direct 19v via a barrel connector. It uses a Pico PSU. So an external brick, and inside the case power is split. One feed goes to the pico for ssd/gpu. And one to the motherboard. Gpu is run off an m.2 slot via a riser cable. THE ISSUE I was upgrading the ram on the PC from 8gb to 16gb. When I reassembled it could only post sporadically. I could get into windows a few times, but eventually it failed to boot on all attempts. The troubleshooting so far as follows: Changed ram back to the original kit. Bought another CPU and ran the system with that instead. Unplugged the GPU from its riser and used the motherboard video-out. Disconnected the ssd. Replaced the motherboard with a brand new STX. Since all ancillaries were now removed, I bypassed the PSU and fed the motherboard directly. Related to the above, I tried x3 different power bricks to rule that out as well. Used my spare components to build a second system... that won't post either. checked cables As you can see...literally every single component has either been disconnected, or replaced. I'm.... completely and utterly lost. I now have two systems neither of which will reach post. I've reached the limit of my troubleshooting expertise, so I'm putting this issue out to the wider community. Y'all...wtf us going on?!?!

Playstation 2 build thread: "Am I a joke to you"

It would be less than half the time if I kept working on it consistently I mean it was complete....I just can't help tinkering and improving... Further updates with the 3D printing; I replaced the old mounting hardware for the GPU. They were bits of leftover Dreamcast plastic, with standoffs trimmed down and attached with epoxy resin. Ugly but functional. At least... until the heat made the epoxy go funny, and they started coming apart. ENTER THE 3D PRINTER. Shaped blocks printed at 100% infill, so I could press brass knurled studs into them. Very similarly to how I mount the motherboard to the Dreamcast shell itself. Much better. And sturdier. The other thing I've printed is a more refined I take for the underside. I saw more refined, it's hard to be worse than a gaping, jagged hole It funnels the air to the fan only, and blocks off and chance of air recirculating. A little tidying up on the join and it'll look smart as anything. At ambient of around 16* degrees, I ran prime 95 for about fifteen minutes, and the CPU peaked at 78* with the lid ON, no GPU load. That's better than even I was expecting. I've also tweaked the fan curve to be less erratic at normal temps, so overall the CPU performance is very satisfactory right now. Finally, I'm starting work on a GPU shroud to integrate with the vent from the previous post. Early stages of prototyping right now, but it's wider than the gtx750 shroud I'm using. Hopefully that will choke out the sides of the cooler less. No hard data but I can only imagine these two things bringing down the GPU temps nicely.

You guys can all have your in-depth tech discussion, I'm just sitting here thinking.... "Isn't kerjigger a word from Futurama?" Has Linus's extensive exposure to the show effecting his language? Am the Big Brain winning again?

Things are happening. Only 3 prototypes down so far, but it's clear after only a couple of trial runs that it's super effective. The amount of heat coming out the controller ports when stress testing, is impressive. I can imagine that swirling around inside the case...eugh. Modifications so far include making sure the ports are accessible, and also widening it by about 10mm, to line up with a planned new shroud for the rest of the GPU. The fins at the sides of the cooler are really choked ATM so hopefully I can open them up just a tiny bit. But I'm kind of stalling on the first test for that shroud... because it's a 9 hour print

I don't get it, you made a thread just to comment on the fact he isn't smiling? Honestly...so what

I've successfully cut my pipe too short. Is this a rite of passage? Am I a water cooler now? R.I.P

So, first thing that happened was I finally bit the bullet and bought my low profile SODIMM. I must say, I'd been putting this off for a while. I mean, £160 (that's 210usd) for a pair of 8gb sticks? Ouch. But, well here they are, and yes, they're very smol. They're not even as tall as the retention clips on the socket! It's sort of adorable ngl. And, look at all that space when the motherboard is mounted! Before, the regular ram would touch the metal spine of the case. Not only was that well, not ideal. It also made the motherboard sit a few mm proud of where it was meant to, so now the plastic PS2 shell slips over the top slightly better as well. And not having a 'barrier' there will definitey help with running cables and all sorts once we get to that stage. So with regards to CPU bracket I tried and failed to make. Well I ended up buying a cheap 3D printer, so now I can try and fail repeatedly and brush it off as 'prototyping'! For real though, a £50 printer? I could hardly go wrong, and this sped up the design process tenfold. I dropped the longitudinal bracket....started designing one in the oppose orientation....and then ended up bridging it all together into a square anyway for strength. The waterblock is currently mounted with just some thumbscrews, that's temprary; I'd like to have some spring loaded screws for nicer mounting, but that's a problem for another time. I still need to design the GPU mount, although that's proving to be a little bit more difficult because the 2060 has less than idea hole placements in the pcb. We shall overcome, though. Next up, we prep for water!!! As in, we need to mark out where inlet/outlet fittings are going to land. Some of this is set in stone; The motherboard for example I know exactly where the ports for the block are going to be. In other cases, I actually had to wait until I got some piping, to test out how tight I could go with my bends. How close can I mount the pump to the motherboard? Well, the tighter the bed, the closer. As it turned out, I was really worried about how tricky it was going to be to do hardline for the first time. Hell, I've never done any kind of watercooling before! My first attempt was a 180* bednd, and to be honest, I think it came out really well. But it wasn't particularly tight radius, so I heated it back up, and made it muuuuch smaller. Admittedly, this wasn't quite as clean, probably because I was trying to alter an existing bend rather than doing it from scratch. I also tried a really small 90* as well, to see what it would do. The inside edge kind of kinked a little bit, even though I was using an insert. I think this may be something I have to put up with trying to manipulate such tight turns. Also maybe I need to heat up more on the outside, and stretch that rather than compress the inside? I don't know, anyone who's dealt with hardline before I'd love to ehar your thoughts. Anyway that's all folks! See you in another 10 months (I hope not)

Yeah I think one factor to me repeatedly shelving my builds is a lack of dedicated workspace. I'm always packing stuff up after working on it, which is really disruptive. Sometimes I just don't get space at all, to work on pc builds

Man....yknow....I just...... I JUST LOVE RESURRECTING DEAD THREADS... And putting builds on indefinite hold... And disappointing followers with lack of updates... I'm going to assume you all forgive me. You're nice like that, right? So, the last post was May? Last year? Geeez.....Well, I picked this project back up, and I'm gonna make a proper post this weekend. I got some new bits that will make life easier for this build, but for now I'm gonna leave you with this picture;

So this is kind of random, but I Googled Dreamcast PC to see if any other builds would show up. Believe it or not, I found a thread I've not read before! So I dug in, I was curious to see how they'd gone about building their own Dreamcast. After reading for only a short while it became apparent that they'd seen my build, and it had inspired them to do their own! There are references to both this thread, and a second one I made on smallformfactor.net. A copy of my diagram that outlines the power setup for STX/PICO too! It's very humbling that someone would do this based off of my build; I know how much time and effort these things take to build. So shoutout to @cityle, and if you enjoy a good build thread you should take a look at his one over at the Level1Techs forum. It's mad, it's actually a Gamecube build and a Dreamcast one both in the same thread, so there's plenty to look through! P.S. It also made me realise that my idea about magnetic connectors wasn't as brilliant as I thought; they'd already done it on their Gamecube build

So both my computer projects have been on the backburner, no updates on the PS2 build if anyone is following that either. But I've slowly been working on a new shell for the Dreamcast. I de-soldered the DVI connector on the graphics card, and along with some shroud changes that should improve airflow out of the case. As you can see I'm retaining some plastic across the back so it's not a horseshoe shape like before. It's much stronger than the last one Still working out how to retain the spring loaded mechanism for the lid, but that's looking unlikely.... brainstorming is ongoing! Aside from being bulky, the original one sided spring was so strong, that it made the lid sit twisted when it was closed. I'm looking at slightly weaker springs, on both sides. As for the front panel buttons and led....I discovered why my reset button stopped working clearly dismantling the shell repeatedly has taken its toll. To try and reduce the risk of frayed wires, I'm going to take a rather cool approach for getting the wiring between the two halves of the shell. Magnetic contact pins, often seen on things like lithium ion batteries. They're expensive...but should allow for seamless opening and closing of the case

I was full on using it as my daily PC since the last post, however many months ago! It's been performing great, for photo editing, and I played through the entire master chief collection with it just before my butterfingers broke it Honestly I can't even remember why it was dismantled in the first place. But here we are haha

A rather unfortunate update to the Dreamcast; I managed to snap the top part of the case clean in two So....yeah. Needless to say I was incredibly annoyed at myself, these things don't make themselves, that was a lot of cutting and filing to get right. I glued it back together but it's not perfect, and anyway the glue will discolour. Thankfully, fast forward about a month and I managed to track down a new top half of a case. Surprisingly hard to do, and you can see just how much was trimmed out of the case for the v1.0 But HEY! I'm going to make the best of this situation, now I have a second chance to make this shell I'm going to make a few changes. Retain the hinge: now the components aren't changing, it looks like I may be able to cut less away, and retain the hinge mechanism to the lid can open and shut like it's meant to, instead of have it clip on with magnets Retain the 'OPEN' button: I need to try and make it work with a different mechanism to clear the GPU, but if I'm keeping the hinge I wanna keep this too. It's currently being used as the reset button, but that can be relocated More material around the power LED: to prevent this sort of thing happening again, I'm going to make sure not to trim away the plastic around the LED. This would make the case 'double skinned' in that area, which will be much stronger. Whilst the thing is apart, I'm also going to look into some other unrelated case mods. Making the controller ports hinge open. This way you can access the front I/O properly. Maybe some hinges, and one of those little push lock clasps you used to get on VCRs! We'll see Improve the CPU intake fan. Instead of just being a hole in the bottom, I'm going to make a 3D printed funnel to channel the air into the right part of the cooler, as well as getting a metal fan grille to go over the whole lot. I'm tired of picking the console up and fingering the fan blades Better shaped Noctua fan mount, because I'm pretty sure the current one is blocking airflow a teeny tiny bit. A vent that directs the air from the front of the GPU, directly out of the case, instead of letting it swirl around inside. This is particularly tricky due to the shape so is quite low down the list.

Oh yeah, look how nice these countersunk cooler brackets came out!! Hey.....wait a second.....hand me that waterblock.... ..... I think cutting them out would be too weak, so I'm going to redesign the brackets to be wider in the middle

@RollinLower Good shout, although I think I saw that but dismissed it at the time because this cheap block was slimmer. Although it turned out to not be as slim as advertised, it's still lower profile than the XPX. I would use a better quality block and just cut a hole in the metal layer, having it poke through to the adjacent compartment. But the CPU die overlaps the radiator so if I did use anything taller they'd interfere

I bought another of the cheap chinesium waterblocks, literally from the same Amazon page...and a completely different one turned up The orientation of the screws on this one means it can't be modified to be shallower...but it looks like it has a better pattern in the copper. It's a good job the GPU die is lower to the PCB than the CPU socket, because I'll probably be able to get away with not modifying this one. Plus....I can't be arsed to return it If anyone knows of a legitimate company that makes a low profile side-exit block, let me know because using these crappy ones is making me die inside....

I modelled the new brackets for the CPU, so I can fit my cheapo amazon waterblock. Hopefully a friend will be printing them soon! And if all goes well, I'll be printing more parts for this build. I may round off the ends to make them a little....prettier. but I've not designed OR printed anything before so I want to make sure they work right first!

Next step is probably making a bracket to mount the CPU waterblock. That way I can start cutting holes in the metal backplate for piping.....then I can actually order piping....and finalise the positions for the pump/pico on the other side.

I also drilled and tapped the M3 holes for the motherboard standoffs. I also had to shorten the standoffs too, so that's one component hard-mounted now. I did want to mount up the GPU as well the same day, but I had second thoughts about the way it was positioned. I did have a 15cm riser cable, but it touched the power delivery for the CPU, because the PCIe connector is right up against the edge of the motherboard. And I'd already removed a heatsink from there, to get the riser to fit, so I wasn't confident in having it touching. I'm going to order a 25cm riser cable, and see if I can't orient the GPU a different, safer way. For now, here are a few pictures of the motherboard in place.

So it's been so long, I had to read through the thread to actually see what I'd last posted... Not too much obvious progress, but more structural stuff; I realised that not only was the plastic spine of the PS2 not strong enough to hold components, as almost all of it would have to be cut away. The smaller section of the PS2, is about 36mm tall, the height to the middle divider that's inside the case. And a lot of the components being fitted into it, fans, radiators etc, were all 40mm deep. And you'd then have no way to mount them, if you cut away at the internal structure. The solution? Create a new internal spine myself, that's stronger and can still have components attached directly to it. It just so happened, that there are a load of plastic threaded standoffs on the PS2 case, that align perfectly with the 40mm height of my radiator. So I picked a few of your around the edge of the plastic panel, to use as my mounting points for my new internal 'floor'. And then I cracked out the CAD, Cardboard Aided Design Not all the mounting points were the same height, so some had to have plastic dowel sections glued on top to level them out. Transferred the template into metal, and BOOM! Excuse the slightly mottled look of the sheet metal; I had some laying around my garage and had to clean it up as best I could for now. The two screws at the bottom labelled with the red dot aren't actually tied to the plastic of the case. My AlphaCool radiator has 4 threaded holes along each side. I don't know if this is specific to server/sff radiators, but it was very useful because it meant I could literally hard-mount my radiator to the metal sheet with very little effort(don't worry, there's no damage to the radiator). The second picture down shows how much the internal floor has moved upwards; You can see the edge through the hole for the power button. You can see in the last photo we've skipped forward a bit, and I've cut out almost all of the plastic structure inside the case so I can start mounting components directly to the metal. I cant to the same as I did with the rad, so I'll be fabricating little brackets for the other components. Next up, a little modification to my Add2psu. This is the little circuit that holds my HDplex, I used something similar in my last build. Unfortunately, the standard one sits in a way that it takes a lot of space. What i ended up doing was de-soldering the connector, severing the traces on the bottom on the board. Flipping the connector the other way around and soldering wires on to the back, to reconnect the traces to the appropriate(reversed) pins. Unforutnately, the soldering came out really bad in this case and I....uh..... forgot to take pictures >_> here's a couple more pictures of me modifying the CPU block. I just attacked it with a Dremel and a grinding stone, and then sanded the result to a nicer smooth finish using some small hand files. After so much work using files and a Dremel on the Dreamcast build, I'd say I'm pretty handy with them now... Okay this next one is gonna make a few of you wince....I didn't realise that the chips on the SSD would sit facing outwards....and because my tolerances are so tight, this meant that it touched the lid when assembled. I had to take a Dremel to the standoff, and take a few mm off it's height. Now the SSD bends downwards slightly at that end, although it's hard to see in the picture. It gives me just enough peace of mind that it won't touch.

Was the theme of the new LTT channel public knowledge before, or did that news actually just drop in Corridor's video? And I hope you can find somewhere to use that logo

The fact that Anthony loves Dreamcasts made my day. I looooove them, I'm a bit of a collector for them, got a respectable amount of stuff, including a few sealed games. Although I'm yet to delve into the modding scene for them. I have one that I plan to heavily mod(dchdmi, gdemu, clock battery mod, coloured case), then I'll have some sort of freakish holy trinity; A modded Dreamcast. An original Dreamcast A Dreamcast turned into a PC Oh p.s. @GabenJr the controller is a little better with a PS4 thumbstick. It's quite an easy mod