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Panasonic 3DO - Overclock

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DShadow

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Hi, I have limited electronics experience but I am capable of soldering/desoldering. I want to Overclock my 3DO because a lot of the more decent games that were actually released on the beast run slow and choppy. Hoping that OCing the ARM 60 will help that. There are math co-processors on the board that have 2 pin crystals marked with an X. So those if I wanted to OC can easily be desoldered and solder in slightly higher frequency replacements. The ARM 60 itself however must have a clock generator on the board somewhere and I have no clue how to find it. Can someone help me out here? Anyone actually know where the signal generator is? Which pin the signal is? Can tell me a way I can figure that out for myself? Please, and thank you.
 
You would have to look into your 3DO unit, as I have no idea what CPU runs in a 3DO. Find out what CPU it uses. I think your saying an ARM 60. Try here.
ARM - The Architecture for the Digital World

Look up the exact chip, and determine max clock speed. Compare clock speed to the ram used in game and ensure your not violating R/W times for ram and other interfaces.
Look here to. Retro overclocking site.
**broken link removed**
 
Hey, thanks for the reply. I found a pdf for the ARM60 the signal I want to alter is the MClock right? It is pin 14 on the ARM60:
"Memory clock input. This clock times all ARM60 memory accesses and internal operations. The clock has two distinct phases - phase 1 in which MCLK is LOW and phase 2 in which MCLK(and nWAIT) is HIGH. The clock may be stretched indefinitely in either phase to allow access to slow peripherals or memory. Alternatively, the nWAIT input may be used with a free running
MCLK to achieve the same effect."

The 3DO has the processor set to 12.5 MHz, according to the PDF the processor's max at 5v is 30MHz. I'm thinking OCing it to 16Mhz should be decent.
edit:
Also the two co-processors are set to 25MHz each, so I would OC them to the same ratio I end up OCing the ARM60. As I said though they have crystals that can easily be desoldered and repalced.
 
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How would it make the games more difficult? The programming of the games will not change, simply the frequency at which the calculations are made which may cause a bit of an overdrive in-game but I plan to make a switch to turn it back to OEM anyways and that's why I'm not planning to OC it to anything rediculous... Memory access is a gamble I'm not sure, can't find anything technical on the 3DO to tell me what frequency the ram is or anything like that... I only know the memory sizes 2MB DRAM, 1MB VRAM (VRAM is dual ported), 32Kb SRAM, 1MB Rom. The Bus is 50MB/sec.
The other questionable issue I can't find any info on the 3DO to know is for refresh rates... OCing the ARM60 won't affect that I'm sure, but the co-processors are video processors I have no idea if they have a set refresh rate of 60hz, and my LCD TV isn't one of the new 120hz models, it's a 60hz. I suppose if I build switches for all the OC's, I can try this all out and if worst comes to worst and something get's damaged like a ram chip. All it cost me is an old 3DO, right? Unless you can tell me right now it's not gonna work? Which would explain why I can't find info from anyone having ever done it on this system before 'cause this thing really needed a performance boost, slow frame-skippy junk-o-ware... I have a feeling the Dev kits were higher end.
 
The 3D0 may or may not work like a modern GPU and it's core speed may determine the overall game speed.

Is there a particular 3D0 game you just can't live without? After all an XBox 360 is only $199 and HiDef
Even my Wii can play some virtual NeoGeo, Turbo Graphics & old Nintendo games via the Virtual Console.
 
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Well I was reading more into the RAM, still no 3DO specifics but from the sounds of the "typical" 2MB DRAM card. I shouldn't have any problems, if the system only requires a 50Mb/s bus that is. It has only a 640x480 resolution output which again going with what they call a "typical" DRAM chip should be good for up to 240MB/s. R/W times etc I have no clue, there may be a problem with that still for sure... It is Dynamic Ram but again no 3DO specific tech data to go on I think I'm just gonna try her out and see if there's a conflict... Won't take long to see, either something's gonna pop or things will not be rendered on the screen that should be as the ram forgets itself. Again unless someone with more experience with this sort of thing can shut me down now with a "It won't work forget it you idiot" line.
 
Haha, I have a 360 too in fact just got Rock Band 2 for X-mas. But I'm not a fan or virtual consoles/emulators I find they just are not the same... Particularly for the 32-bit consoles for some reason. But the 3DO only had a handful of good games I'd just like to see them run the way I believe they were meant to. I suspect due to the large number of choppy/slow games that the Dev systems had faster clocks or some similar advantage. I suppose it's more of a for sh*ts and giggles kind of thing. I don't really "Need" to, I just want to. To be honest most of the current games out there I'm not a huge fan of, I like old school arcade style simple games. All these new games with their 8000 controls or combo's you have to learn just to get through the game... You spend more time in a "game tutorial" then you do playing it... Just kinda licks my sweaty-well you get the idea. Sure the graphics are more real-life now then ever before but I hate all the BS involved in learning how to play it, don't have the attention span for it, I'm kind of a button-bash master.
 
I know this is bringing a post back from the dead but did you EVER get the 3DO overclocked? It would be awesome to play DOOM at an actualy 30fps! PM me or respond, I am very interested in doing this! I google "3DO Overclock" every now and then and get no great results besides this thread coming up as result #1.
 
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