Sega Neptune - Building a Sega Neptune

[MicroNut99]

Hello,

I've created a blog that should help anyone interested in building a Sega Neptune Core.
In addition, there will be affordable Neptune shells available very soon.
These shells fit both a regular Genesis 2 and most custom Neptune cores.

Sega Neptune - Building a Sega Neptune

 

[hoffmeister]

@MicroNut99 This looks great

I've been trying to replicate this as part of a pet project to test my technical capabilities and im a huge fan of both Sega and fan passion projects in general.

I've looked at the guide and it seems somewhat incomplete.

From a UK stand point, there doesnt seem to be a way to source some of the parts and i've started looking elsewhere and in some cases they are a challenge to find alternatives.

We dont have a Home Depot here, so sourcing parts is a little more trying.

Ive managed to find an alternative to the rubber stopper to wedge between the 32x and the Genesis 2, but the screws are bit of a pain to find.

The bulb isnt in stock in the UK either, do you have a part number we could use instead?

Also, the cost of using PCBWay to manufacture the case is insanely expensive.

Plus, there isnt a guide on how to configure the order for specific parts for the case either.

Are you able to assist please?

 

[MicroNut99]

Yes. Please ask any questions.
Between myself and MachoNachos video building one on your own should be simple enough.
https://gbatemp.net/blogs/blog/sega-neptune-building-a-sega-neptune.4931/details

If it helps the rubber stoppers come from the plumbing section of the HomeDepot store. Its a plumbers part.
The screws need to be longer and the same diameter. Hopefully you can source these locally but I need to fix this anyway.
The HomeDepot changed the part numbers so that part of the BOM needs to be updated.
The orange led is totally optional.
I thought the color matched the decore of the originally proposed system.
However Dreamcast is known for Orange so Blue might be a better choice.
Its all crazy expensive.
It all aspects PCBWay is the cheaper option when compared to Shapeways.

About Ordering from PCBWay
I think you'll have to spray paint the buttons gloss black on your own.
PWR black and UTR black can be used for internal parts to reduce cost. But do not use for the main shell.
Order main shell painted Pantone Black using Resin Standard white material UTR 8360.

 

[hoffmeister]

@MicroNut99 Thanks for responding so quickly

The rubber stoppers I found are from a lab based website where they use them for test tubes. They are orange in colour and whilst they are not hugely expensive, eBay seems a much cheaper option.

Some can actually be purchased with holes in them, which ill personally avoid as I dont want the holes to be too wide and would prefer to do it myself.

What is PWR black and UTR black? Are they colours or specific parts for the shell?

Macho Nacho appears to use Hexa Chrome Black U for the shell in matt, but the buttons he uses Hexa Chrome Black U with gloss finish.

In regards to PCBWay, do you press "submit request" for each part to add to the order?

 

[MicroNut99]

You are welcome.
As the primary creator of this method, I've chosen mostly pictures to commuicate the idea.

As for the group project it took literally months of discord chat, pics and a phone call that resulted in Macho's excellent work.
Up to that time there was very litttle interest. The parts BOM went from 20 downloads to over 1000 over night.
And without DVIZIX shell I am sure this would not have happened at all. Anyway... I digress.

rubber stoppers - Good idea
PWR black and UTR black are cheaper types of resin.
There are two internal parts for the switches that can be made using the cheaper plastic, shave some pennies.

Macho did a great job. Deciding what to order thru PCBWay, was and is still confusing.
Yes. PCBWay is a pain like this.
We wanted a one click option but PCBWay doesnt work like that so DVIZIX went out of his way to make the ordering page as easy as possible.

Hexa Chrome Black U for the shell in matt are good for the top, bottom and ext. cover.
and Hexa Chrome Black U with gloss... Perfect. I totally forgot that parts can be ordered painted in gloss black.
Maybe shave some pennies on the two internal switch parts that dont need paint or presentation.

If its all ordered at the same time then they will package it all in one box.
Returns are handled the same way.
About returns...
If PCBWay sends you a bad print then do not hesitate to make them print it again.

 

[hoffmeister]

Pictures are the absolute best way since we are very visual creatures

Thats amazing!

I did try contacting DVIZIX via Facebook directly as I wondered how he approached building this since he is UK based too.

Im having to source all my gear from the USA because the VA3 motherboard isnt available in the UK.

Plus the 32x is just insanely expensive. I have to really commend you on this project because its a crazy amount of time and effort in building, testing, rinse and repeat.

I dont know how much money you've invested in producing a working prototype, but I suspect it was more than you would have liked

I did find another Reddit forum that indicated that using a UK plug for a USA Genesis should be fine because the plug is basically acts as a step down transformer anyway.

I have yet to try and put an actual case together yet as a list of requirements, but im eager to source all the bits and pieces.

Did you have a specific preference on which AWG wires to use for the build? They look fairly thick since they are carrying voltage, but I suspect video data can probably be thinner since the demand on current isnt as high.

Post automatically merged: May 21, 2024

Interesting stuff... I know little about resin and case types.

Definitely need to shave those pennies. Im also planning on putting an Ashida Wii together too - i've probably bitten off more than I can chew at this point and I dont have all the tools.

Im just sorting stuff out at home which is a bit of a pain since home improvement is because expensive and can be quite the time thief.

Macho definitely did a great job. Sadly he tends to speed through some things whilst taking time with others. However, I suspect as a content creator its difficult to do everything.

A one click option via PCBWay would have been awesome as it would just save time and hassle since its quite obvious what the product is and what we want it to look like.

DVIZIX definitely made things easy, fortunately he also responded to questions on the page. Its great that PCBWay even thought to put in such a feature because otherwise its nearly impossible to know what parts arent necessary.

I didnt even realise there were 2 different builds.

Personally I prefer the modular build because its segregated as a separate "product", rather than just modifying an existing piece of gear.

I mean it makes sense that if you plan to put in all that work to resolder an entire console, that you'd want to give it a fitting home.

 

[MicroNut99]

About five years ago I got very sick,
So its a bucket list item and I justified the puchase as art.
I am lucky to have five 32x modules. Three of them are in Neptune shells and two are standalone.

This modular design, as I have called it, came together after another Neptune creator, infidelity on Twitter, sourced the Rt.Angle cart adapter. We were sharing ideas and I showed him a hardwired version and he said wait I got this.

Being in the US does make it easier. Its a massive country and Genesis parts are everywhere.
shopgoodwill is a fantastic resource.

26 or 28 AWG wire is good.

The money spent is stupid.
The truth is that I never even thought about this until late one night I was looking for sexy "Sega Neptune stuff" on the internet.
And there is was DVIZIX shell for sale at Shapeways. Not even designed for Longhorn, the core fit, and wow so cool.
Why not post it on the Twitter X thing...
Also I dont even really like the 32x.
Only Doom 32X Ressurrection.
As a result I dont even know how I got here.
I was driven and didnt drive.

Also another side note... Sega Master Systems games are very possible thru a 32X.
Normally SMS games will not work.
I've figured out that the original mod by a user named DogP, does actually work.

Years ago this person figured out how to mod a 32x to make it play those games.
But results were very mixed. Today I know exactly what the problems were.

In short if you want the mod to work on the 32x you'll need a MD2 VA1 or VA3
And if you want the mod to work on a Neptune it will only work with the original Longhorn method.
https://longhornengineer.com/category/hardware-hacking/sega-neptune/
This is good history lesson. SO much to unpack and overlook.
Only the cartridge part with all the wires is required.

The ribbon cables, specifically the right ribbon cable, must be the short original one.
Those long ribbon cables in the Modular build are not a problem unless SMS playback is desired.

 

[hoffmeister]

Sorry to hear that bud

Wow 5 x 32x's! Damn!

Hopefully you got a good deal on them

Those Neptunes you already have are definitely art

Mouser and DigiKey definitely seem to have access to a length and breadth of parts in all shapes and sizes.

The best of the Genesis II's definitely seem to be made in the USA.

I will say that even with the Wii, like the Genesis, has game limitations.

So there are 3 versions of the Wii, the RVL-001 (launch release), the RVL-101 and the RVL-201 (the Wii mini).

However, the second release has game based limitations - what appears to be the inability to play games that most likely require a microphone or a dance mat.

They also removed some of the GameCube hardware too. They removed the memory card slots and the GameCube ports too.

I havent used ShopGoodWill to be honest but it sounds interesting.

I need to get some wires for the Ashida Wii, so I will definitely use the same kinds of wire for the Neptune

Ill be purchasing some wires soon as I need to prep all my equipment before I start

I suspected you would have spent a lot of money on trying to test and retest over and over.

Your journey into the Neptune is kinda similar to how I started with the Nintendo Wii portabilisation.

A friend shared a PS1 controller with a screen on it playing Resident Evil 1. I was like "ooh, this looks interesting", but I knew it was running an emulator because even a PS1 mini wouldnt fit inside it... turns out I was right, but it lead me down the rabbit hole of people on YouTube creating portable Wii's.

I was like wow... maybe I could try this.

Then I saw Macho Nacho's videos and I saw some of the mods on there and thought I could do them.

The Sega Neptune has a nicheness about it that wasnt typical. Changing a screen on a GameBoy to an AMOLED screen isnt a challenge, but a fan boy would appreciate it... but a Sega Neptune is a whole different ball game

I've never seen or played a 32x. I just recall only a handful of games for it and it wasnt particularly successful. I never even heard of the Sega tower of power quote until I delved down the rabbit hole

You just piqued my curiosity about the SMS working via the 32x.

I purchased a Genesis 2 on eBay last night so im hoping thats a VA3.

Isnt the longhorn project pretty much identical to the modular one, except you do it in Genesis II shell rather than the DVIZIX shell?

If the right ribbon cable must be the short original one, how do you fit into any shell without compromising on the length of the cable?

 

[MicroNut99]

Like I said, I was driven here.
The parts and ideas just arrived with time.
Three of those 32x were given away... nobody wanted one ten years ago.

ShopGoodwill is only available in the US.
Its a major donation house. In other words they are the great "stuff of the people" recycler here.
Its when people give, simply die or both and their stuff goes to GoodWill. Thats about it.
The great yard or gargage sale is available online with delivery in the future that is now.

Macho Nacho's format has improved and I am grateful to have worked with him.
The only take back is that his format is sometimes too short to cover all everything well.
In this case the final video, while providing much needed clarity and public exposure, has some obvious ommisions.

So its easy to find a VA3.
Look for the short board by finding pictures of the back the device and looking thru the plastic grill.
The chrome plated ESD shield is clearly visable.
If it takes up the entire view of the grill then its a VA1 or variation.
If it does not and there is empty case to be seen then its a VA3
This is well known and there are pics on the net but I am being lazy atm.

A Longhorn is much more. So very painful.
Respect it.
My Longhorn is mostly my modular design changes with the wires, esd shields and cartridge flap mod.

So while the Longhorn does make room for the cartridge flaps, the absolute carnage it takes to get there is easily over looked.
In terms of destruction and difficulty thats why I make it a point to state just how different the Modular design is.
Primary differences.
1. The long wires required. There is a great method for this by the PunkNDisorderlyGamer on the YouTubes.
2. Homemade Aluminum ESD shields, At least two are Required and if these dont work the project could be doomed.
3. Shaving down the 32x catridge port. Irreversible and while replacements are easy enough the original part cannot be replaced
4. Cutting the cartridge flap chassis to fit. Again Irreversible, destroys the better made original and while replacements are possible with DVIZIX parts, these are printed, expensive and not nearly as good as the original part.


So you can see here, the airgaps and differences between MD2 VA1 and VA3 and VA4 models.
You'll be able to see this difference when then console is flipped over.
https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega_Drive/Hardware_revisions

 

[hoffmeister]

Ah I see

You had 3 of them given to you :o

Gud damn! They are worth a small fortune these days.

I didnt know that about ShopGoodWill, sounds like a great idea

Thats interesting. I do agree the format is too short.

Perhaps I can start doing videos when I have everything to hand where I do a build guide in stages.

Right now I need to get everything in place first. Today I started my new job and im expected to be in the office 3 days a week, whereas prior to that I had been working from home for years. So im not 100% keen on that.

I hope to clear up some things in a long format video when I get the chance so that I can help contribute to this community and give people a chance to make a replica from beginning to end

I bought 2 x Genesis II's - one on the 21st May 2024 and the other on 22nd May 2024. Nacho talks about the ESD shield visibility which really helped.

He also linked a web page to I think this forum plus one other that has all the motherboard revisions. Its why I ended up buying an American Genesis rather than a UK Mega Drive because I need a VA3, and a VA4 wont play Knuckles Chaotix.

I want to avoid lack of gaming compatibility. Theres a limited library as it is of 32x games, I want this console to be as versatile as possible but without limitations where not necessary.

I will probably build 1 x Sega Neptune, and perhaps we can work together on how we can incorporate the ability to play Sega Master System games too

Ah interesting. Ill need to look at it in greater detail to identify the differences between the Longhorn and the modular design.

Ill look into PunkNDisorderlyGamer when I get the chance

EDIT: I just checked out PunkNDisorderlyGamer and saw both his original version plus the updated version already

When I go deep, im quite like yourself... im immersed into the whole thing

Yeah, theres absolutely clear revision changes between each iteration of motherboard. Im surprised there are so many.

 

[MicroNut99]

Ah interesting. Ill need to look at it in greater detail to identify the differences between the Longhorn and the modular design.
Ill look into PunkNDisorderlyGamer when I get the chance

EDIT: I just checked out PunkNDisorderlyGamer and saw both his original version plus the updated version already
When I go deep, im quite like yourself... im immersed into the whole thing
Yeah, theres absolutely clear revision changes between each iteration of motherboard. Im surprised there are so many.

I am always pleased to know someone else is out there ready to reproduce the work.
Innovations are welcome.

1upRestorations did an excellent job.
Although, I do prefer full modularity. I do not hardware anything.

If you dont already, check out my TwitterX page for more info.

A MD2 VA1 or VA3 Longhorn will again require the longer wires, emi shields, grinding the 32x cartridge connector and shaving down the cartridge flap chassis.
You could buy a printed low profile flap chassis from PCBWay, created just for that purpose.
Its the one thing I worked directly with DVIZIX to get made. I dont like destroying vintage parts. (even while driving)
Unlike the VA3, there is very little room in the VA1.
Especially for the 3BP, so you'll need to be creative with the 3BP's placement and DogP's driver chip mod.
There is nothing cheap or easy about any of this.
Maybe thats why I do it... it keeps my brain and soul alive.

All in All, I think its important to point out that all of this is kinda fades in light of COSAM's new Neptune PCB.
Everything working happily on one pcb. Perfect.

 

[mario64]

I received my professionally built Neptune this week and am having issues with both the Power and Reset buttons, as noted by Macho Nacho in his video. They're basically useless. Both buttons stick when you press them in and you have to use tape or something to pull them back out. They refuse to properly actuate. Any tips on how to make them work better given the current shell design? Thanks

 

[MicroNut99]

I received my professionally built Neptune this week and am having issues with both the Power and Reset buttons, as noted by Macho Nacho in his video. They're basically useless. Both buttons stick when you press them in and you have to use tape or something to pull them back out. They refuse to properly actuate. Any tips on how to make them work better given the current shell design? Thanks

That really sucks.
None of the buttons I have are painted.
Maybe thats a problem but I dont know.
The idea is that the paint makes them too tight.

The buttons on both of mine are tight and get stuck sometmes if pressed directly in the middle.
So Ive avoided this by pressing the buttons on the side or furtherest from the middle.
They have gotten better with time and some extra effort.

Otherwise, I would send it back to the builder for repair.

This is what I would do on my own.
Open the console up, remove and work the buttons with my hands until the pastic is smooth and oily.
I have done this with mine and it really helps.
Maybe part of why this works is that the plastic gets covered in natural oils from the hands.
The plastic starts to turn shiney and slick.
But I really dont know.

Again, I would send it back to the builder.
It costs way to much deal with troubles like Tape on the buttons. Thats not cool.
I have a concern that when you open it the builder used glue on the buttons instead of screws.
That would be something imho the maker should replace.

In addition, play testing and working the console's shell in, is also something the builder should make time for.

 

[mario64]

Thanks very much for the follow-up. I'll keep working on it.

 

[MicroNut99]

Thanks very much for the follow-up. I'll keep working on it.

You're welcome.

One more thing to remember.
COSAM's new PCB wont have the button problem and it will play most SMS games.
The PCB was made to fit DVIZIX shell.
Those will be the machines to own.

 

[mario64]

Nice! Hopefully someone will offer services to populate the board.