Dreamcast VGA Mod: Help Needed

Discussion in 'Other Consoles' started by Anticonformity11, Jan 30, 2013.

  1. Hello,

    I have a question about the popular VGA mod on the Dreamcast. I took a look at the schematic from gamesx then bought the parts needed and assembled the circuit.

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    I tried it out, but it didn't work. This is most likely due to my inexperience and that I'm self taught at reading schematics (I tried to do a Gamecube Optical Audio mod and I ended up frying my audio altogether :cool: ). But after searching the internet a bit, I found a different schematic and it didn't require the 74HCT244 chip at all!

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    Why would gamesx include the 74HCT244 in their schematics if it wasn't essential to the mod? Also, since I'm new to making circuits, what is the easiest way to go about troubleshooting any issues with a conductivity voltage meter/checker?

    I added audio output by myself and it worked, so at least I did something right... Too bad I can't see crap on my monitor yet. Any help would be appreciated, thanks a lot!
     
  2. I went over my circuit board a few times and actually got the mod to work last night, but I'm still interested in knowing why they used the IC when it wasn't a necessity for the mod.