Dreamcast:Advanced Controller Board Mod
The Advanced Controller Board by Hossam "VEGETA" Moghrabi is mod board that is installed on top of the original controller board which adds the following:
- Replaces the original battery with a Li-ion 18650 battery, with professional charging and protection circuitry.
- Replaces the old battery circuitry and components.
- Replaces the original fuse with a re-settable fuse.
This battery board will solve the problem of CMOS time keeping issue once and for all by providing a high capacity battery that charges when the Dreamcast is powered on. Testing showed charging the battery for an hour will charge its voltage up by about 70-100 mV which could be enough for more than 6 months.
As above figure is showing, the battery follows the typical discharge rate and it passed 6 months and didn’t go below 4V. This results in extremely long battery life, especially given that the battery tested was an old Chinese knockoff battery and therefore is likely worse performance than a good brand battery.