Archive for the '3D Printing' Category

NAOMI/Net City VMU Mount

As you may know the Sega NAOMI hardware is based on the Sega Dreamcast console. along with this it also shares the “Maple Bus” which is what the Dreamcast used for controller ports. A handful of NAOMI games actually support the use of Dreamcast Controllers and/or VMUs (what the Dreamcast called it’s very cool memory cards).

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Dreamcast USB-GDROM tray Heat Test

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Dreamcast cooling related to the GDEMU and USB GD-ROM devices. People claiming that by removing the GD-ROM drive the fan is unable to pull cool air across the power supply and other internal components and instead just pulls air through the large opening where the GD-ROM used to be; causing the console to run overall hotter than it did before. A lot of people have asked me if my GDEMU Tray or my USB-GDROM Tray helps with cooling. Without a good answer I decided to test.

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3D Printed Capcom System 3 (CPS3) Security Cartridge Housing

This is a replacement cartridge housing for Security carts used on Capcom System 3 (aka CPS3) arcade hardware. This is the hardware used for Street Fighter III and a few other Capcom games from that era. What prompted this housing creation was that the Security carts on the CPS3 are prone to failure, they have a backup battery that once dead will kill the rest of the cart with it. Darksoft developed a “Super Bios” that allows you to remove the battery and use a single cart with any game for the system. And later he developed a reproduction cartridge to replace any that may have been thrown out once they died. Since these reproduction carts have no housings I designed one that could be used to hopefully spare any original cartridge housings from being stolen for this purpose.

cps3_cart_housing

There are essentially 3 configurations of the files here each with a unique purpose.

  1. The standard front and back housing are designed to be used with reproduction security cartridges or modified “Super Bios” cartridges that do not have a battery. Since the reproduction cartridges don’t have a housing to go with them hopefully this 3D printed housing will serve as a useful alternative to stealing one from an original cartridge.
    cps3_cart_housing_installed
  2. The back housing with a “Battery window” includes a cut out designed to accommodate the large battery that sticks out the back of an original, un-modifed security cart. the window is elongated to the left to accommodate a larger replacement battery that may use the larger foot-print solder points. this also allows you to easily see the production month/year of the battery for easily determining when a replacement might be needed.
    cps3_cart_housing_battery_window
  3. The “battery replacement jig” variants of these parts are to help facilitate a live (powered) battery swap, by providing stabilization to the cartridge PCB and reduce the risk of power loss during a battery replacement which could kill the cartridge.*
    cps3_battery_replacment_jig

*NOTE: please test the stability your printed jig provides before attempting a battery swap, not all 3D printers will provide results consistent with my own. As such I assume no responsibility if a jig printed using these files does not hold the cartridge tight enough to prevent power loss during battery replacement. Use this at your own discretion.

As always these designs are provided free of charge.

The files for this and suggested print settings can be found on thingiverse.

If you don’t have a printer and would like to buy a MultiBIOS Cart Housing or a Battery Replacment Jig you can purchase them at bit-district.com

3D Printed Tray for Sega Dreamcast GD-EMU SD Card Adapter

The GD-EMU is an SD card adapter that replace the ever failing GD-ROM drives in Sega Dreamcast consoles. These are great devices but they leave a very large space open inside the console meaning you can easily, accidentally drop your SD card inside the console and be forced to disassemble it to get the card back. These files are to print a tray or finisher pieces that wall off the insides of the console making it not just more professional looking and visually pleasing but also making it impossible to lose a card inside the console. This also makes it easier to insert and remove cards and there are optional spaces provided for additional card storage; making it more versatile as well.

This SD card Tray comes in two pieces. The base bolts to the console in place of the GD-ROM drive and supports the GD-EMU. The shield is press-fit into the lid to finish enclosing off the area making it impossible to drop your SD card inside through an open lid.

complete_alt_card_holders  complete

There are three different STL files for the base, one includes a set of 4 slots on the left to allow you to store additional SD cards (the slots are staggered to allow easier gripping), another with 5 SD card slots on the right (these are not staggered).. and the third file with no card slots is simply for people who are not interested in this feature.

step1  step2 step3.jp

Fitment has been tested on GDEMU Version 5.5. It should work on GD-EMUs version 5.x but will not fit on Version 4.x or older GDEMUs. UPDATE: Files have been added that support version 5.0 GDEMUs (without any screw holes). The originally posted files should work with version 5.1 and newer GDEMUs. It installs using the original hardware that held the GD-ROM drive into the Dreamcast as well as the screw that is included with the GD-EMU So once you print it you should have all the parts you need to install. The only tool you’ll need is a screw driver.

You can download the STL files and on Thingiverse.

If you don’t have a printer and would like to buy an SD Card Tray for a newer style GDEMU or an SD Card Tray for an older style GDEMU you can purchase them at bit-district.com.

3D Printed Tray for Sega Saturn Rhea/Phoebe SD Card Adapter

The Rhea and Phoebe devices are SD card adapters that replace the ever failing disc drives in Sega Saturn consoles. These are great devices but they leave a very large space open inside the console meaning you can easily accidentally drop your SD card inside the console and be forced to disassemble it to get the card back. This SD card Tray is designed to fit on top of the Rhea or Phoebe device and seal off the inside of the console making it impossible to drop your SD card inside through an open lid.

I also included a set of 4 slots to allow you to store additional SD cards in the space available, the slots are staggered to allow easier gripping and they’re placed such that when the lid is closed it will keep them from falling out even if the console is turned upside down. There is a second file available without these slots for people who are not interested in this feature.

Fitment has been tested and confirmed on VA0 and VA1 console revisions with a Rhea version 3.1. the VA2-VA5 console version that require Phoebe haven’t been tested yet but they should fit as dimensionally they should be the same.

UPDATE: I’ve made a version 2 of this that holds the Rhea/Phoebe unit more firmly in place, offers superior fitment, and better looking SD card holder slots.

You can download both V1 and V2 on Thingiverse.

If you don’t have a printer and would like to buy one you can purchase a V2 Rhea/Phoebe SD Card Tray at bit-district.com.

Subaru Legacy Rear Speaker Adapter

I have a 2nd Gen (1995-1999 BD/BG) Subaru Legacy Wagon and I wanted to installed some 6.5″ Alpine (SPS-610) speakers in all of the doors. It seems although there are many places that sell speaker spacers/adapters for Subarus, no one makes adapters for the rear doors on this generation of Legacy. Apparently most Subarus share identical speaker mounting except for the rear Legacy speakers, they’re a different shape and no one has bothered to make adapters specific for this car.

I recently bought a 3D printer so I decided to make some.

First I took some measurements of the opening in the door, and the spacing between the factory speaker screw mounts. I also measured the depth and basket diameter of my speaker and estimated the depth available in the door with the window down. Finally I estimated the space available between the factory speaker grill and the door itself to make sure I’d have enough room. and I drew up a sketch with some notes.

11377827_1604223863189547_1703726022_n

Next I used FreeCAD to convert my sketch into a digital sketch. I had never used FreeCAD before but I had heard it was similar to SolidWorks (which I am familiar with) so I decided to try it. It’s not nearly as good as SolidWorks but it worked well enough to do what I needed to do.

subaru_legac_rear_speaker_adapter_free_cad

Once the sketch was complete I converted to 3D geometry and exported as an STL file for the 3D print.

subaru_legac_rear_speaker_adapter_free_cad2

The STL file is then converted to G-Code instructions that the printer can read to create the object.
subaru_legac_rear_speaker_adapter_gcode

subaru_legac_rear_speaker_adapter_print

My first version was actually a little too thick, it rubbed up against the back of the speaker grill, So I remeasured, adjusted the 3D model and re-printed… the final result fits flawlessly and mounts up just like the OEM speakers.

speaker_spacers

I used some Metra wire adapters to make the whole thing plug-n-play.

subaru_legac_rear_speaker_adapter_final

If you’re interested in printing your own you can get the files on Thingiverse. I do have some of these pre-printed if you want a pair I will ship them anywhere in the USA for $15.