Is there a way to disable the DC's built-in clock?

[Bill Brasky]

Everytime I turn on my DC, which is usually only once a year, the watch battery for the internal clock is dead again and I have to go through that annoying set-up everytime I put in a new game. Is there a wire or trace you can clip to eliminate this annoying feature?

[Artlover]

Not that I'm aware of. I googled around the usual DC sites, and didn't find anything.

 

When was the last time the bettery was changed? I've left mine off for about a year before without loosing the setup. Could be going bad, and just not holding a charge very well anymore.

 

I just replaced one of mine tonight for this very reason. You may want to do a better job then I. Not having a recharageable solder lead 2020, I soldered legs on a non recharageable 2032 coin and used that. One day I expect to hear a pop and then be cleaning acid out of the thing. With any luck, I'll get around to putting what "should" be in there before that happens.

[liveinabin]

Mine does the same thing. Of all the consoles I have, the DC seems to be the least future proof of them all. Stupid bloody thing. Even the Saturn had a removable battery!

[shadow460]

So how do you keep the charging circuit from trying to charge the 2032? Won't that cause problems?

 

If Sega wanted a rechargeable battery in the DC, it should have been lithium ion or lead acid. Nickel anything requires some conditioning, and won't last too long without it.

 

Instead, they used NiCd, perhaps the most obsolete type of rechargeable battery in existence.

[Cheese007]

the dc and saturn both have built in batteries for the clocks?

i thought they needed a vmu/memory card for that lol

btw both of mine have dead internal batteries because the clocks keep resetting

and do you have to open the saturn to get to the removable battery?

EDIT:sorry about the n00b questions it just seems to be happaning today

Edited January 31, 2006 by Cheese007

[Artlover]

So how do you keep the charging circuit from trying to charge the 2032?  Won't that cause problems?

1009831[/snapback]

I didn't do anything to stop the charging circuit, and I doubt it will really cause problems in a short term. Most batteries are recharageable to some extent, even if they don't say it. To that end, I have charged watch batteries before successfully.

 

However, those watch batteries tend to be less tollerant. You can't quick charge them, or they pop. But a slow normal voltage trickle works well enough. It's still going to damage it, causing problems of not holding a charge and leaking over time. But again, I'm planning on replacing it with a propper recharagable at some point. I've just been playing mine more lately, and did what I did now because I was sick of the setup thing all the time too, and happened to have a left over battery from a VMU that wasn't dead.

[Artlover]

Instead, they used NiCd, perhaps the most obsolete type of rechargeable battery in existence.

1009831[/snapback]

BTW: They used LiMn2O4 (Lithium Manganese). Atleast mine was - ML2020.

[jaybird3rd]

That's funny, I always assumed it got its time from the VMU. When my VMU is either unplugged or with a missing battery on startup, I always get the setup screen, and I assumed it was because the Dreamcast had no internal clock to fall back on. I don't get the screen when I have a working VMU in the controller.

[JB]

That's funny, I always assumed it got its time from the VMU.  When my VMU is either unplugged or with a missing battery on startup, I always get the setup screen, and I assumed it was because the Dreamcast had no internal clock to fall back on.  I don't get the screen when I have a working VMU in the controller.

1010339[/snapback]

Nah. It's got a clock, and a battery, inside.

 

What's going on is that the internal battery's dead and the DC has a nasty electric vampire effect on VMUs. When you turn a DC off but don't unplug the VMU, it starts sucking electricity out of the VMU, presumably through the same lines it uses to supply power to the VMU while the system's turned on.

[Dones]

If you are skillful in electronics, you could replace the soldered lithium battery with a 9volt battery cap or a small AAA/AA battery case (by attaching some leads in the right points where the original battery used to be. That way you could use normal re-chargeable AA or AAA batteries. There is not a lot of space in that frontal DC case area, but it's doable.

[Artlover]

Yeah, I was thinking of doing that. But would still have to open it to change the batteries (not that it matters, mine isn't screwed together anyways). I was thinking of running a side insert coin clip to the back of the case and molding it in so it would be externaly accessable without being an ugly mess. That or running the same kind of coin clip behind the modem so it would still be externaly accessable with no visual impact at all.

 

Tho, I'd have to buy a coin clip and recharagabe coin cell. As a long term temporary solution, I'll probably just throw a pair of rechargeable AAA's in, as I have those batteries and holders laying around.

 

Yes, I'm cheap and hate buying stuff, especialy if I already have stuff that I can make work.

Edited February 1, 2006 by Artlover

[shadow460]

Yes, I'm cheap and hate buying stuff, especialy if I already have stuff that I can make work.

1010470[/snapback]

 

No, you're just a typical OKC resident. Nothing is wrong with that, either.

Serious, why buy extra stuff when you've got something to make it work?

[okto]

Yeah, I was thinking of doing that. But would still have to open it to change the batteries (not that it matters, mine isn't screwed together anyways).

[...]

Yes, I'm cheap and hate buying stuff, especialy if I already have stuff that I can make work.

At the rate the clock uses the battery, a pair of AA alkalines would probably last you five years.