April 2012

I have picked up a Sega TeraDrive Model 2 and it is on the way to me from Japan. It should still be a few weeks before it arrives. Sega offered three TeraDrive configurations. The Model 2 sits in the middle of the range with 1 MB of RAM and... Continue reading

The DC-DC step-down converters for my Sega Saturn external power supply project have finally arrived. I’ve bought three of them, along with a 12 V, 4 A power adapter and a DC socket, all from eBay. Apparently eBay is supplying most of the parts for this particular adventure! The plan... Continue reading

I’ve just ordered a Canon EOS 600D DSLR online. It should arrive in the next week or two. Using this I’ll be able to take decent quality photos of all the items I have purchased. In other news, I am trying to win the bidding on an Amstrad Joystick for... Continue reading

After loading Windows 95 onto the Amstrad Mega PC, it became quite clear that leaving it running like a broken-down horse-drawn buggy was not the best idea. Poking around the internet, Windows 3.11 looks like a much better fit. Lightweight, but still capable of being dressed up to behave more... Continue reading

Now I see why minimum requirements are called minimum requirements. Microsoft’s published Windows 95 minimum called for a 386DX or higher, and my Mega PC started with a 386SX, although I had been experimenting with the 486SLC board by this point. This thing runs like a beast on Windows 95.... Continue reading

One of my Game Gears had bad capacitors, so I replaced them. Then I discovered that the original fluorescent backlight was another part of the problem, which gave me a good excuse to try an LED conversion. Unfortunately, the DC-in socket was also loose. Apparently this Game Gear wasn’t quite... Continue reading

Ahhh, Scorched Earth! The classic DOS artillery game where a collection of tiny tanks attempt to obliterate each other with increasingly ridiculous weapons. Adjust your angle, set the power and fire away! Of course, ordinary missiles are rather boring when you’ve got napalm, nuclear weapons and all sorts of other... Continue reading

Dialled things back a little while waiting for all of last week’s purchases to arrive. Yet there are still some awesome things on the way. First up we have the Sega Genesis Nomad. Essentially a handheld Mega Drive. I’ve also ordered a battery pack to go with it. Sega’s original... Continue reading

Success! It sure does taste sweet. After the trouble I’ve been having with ageing Sega Saturn power supplies, I’ve managed to get an early Saturn running without its original internal PSU. This is only a rather messy proof of concept, but it’s good enough to show that an external DC-powered... Continue reading

I’ve got four Sega Saturns from two owners on the way: three functional and one broken. Broken in what way? Even the seller didn’t know. Should be very interesting. Three of them are Model 1s and one is a Model 2. I already have two functional Model 2 Saturns, but... Continue reading