GP32 CPU Fan


Makenai

Member
Joined
May 10, 2003
Messages
100
Just been thinking.. I am one of those people who can't seem to get their GP32 to run stably @ 166 mhz. I wonder if adding some sort of extra cooling system to the CPU would make things run nicer.. maybe a video card fan or something? Granted things are packed in there pretty tightly as they are but I can't help thinking whether or not it would be possible. :)
 
The problem ain't the CPU so far as I know - its the LCD screen. The CPU life *will* be decreased a load by overclocking that much, but the LCD goes a LOT faster... I assume its getting too much current and blows.

The CPU at least can crash... the LCD just dies. Permanently. If you want to mod something, mod that first - someone suggested a resistor between it and the CPU...
 
Tobriand posted on May 19 2003 said:
The problem ain't the CPU so far as I know - its the LCD screen. The CPU life *will* be decreased a load by overclocking that much, but the LCD goes a LOT faster... I assume its getting too much current and blows.

The CPU at least can crash... the LCD just dies. Permanently. If you want to mod something, mod that first - someone suggested a resistor between it and the CPU...
I did, but noone posted in the topic (mabye 3 posts :angry: )
 
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Tobriand posted on May 19 2003 said:
The problem ain't the CPU so far as I know - its the LCD screen. The CPU life *will* be decreased a load by overclocking that much, but the LCD goes a LOT faster... I assume its getting too much current and blows.

The CPU at least can crash... the LCD just dies. Permanently. If you want to mod something, mod that first - someone suggested a resistor between it and the CPU...
Could someone explain to me why the LCD is affected by overclocking?
Does a 25% increase really affect the LCD that much?
 
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The only thing that i can think of is that, the cpu increases its voltage automatically. What you would need to mod it is to have a chip that automatically ajusts the resistance going to the lcd to keep the lcd running at a certain voltage.

Maybe someone could let us know what the voltage at the lcd is at different clockspeeds.

And we would also need the maximum operating voltage of the lcd.
 
jlebrech posted on May 19 2003 said:
The only thing that i can think of is that, the cpu increases its voltage automatically. What you would need to mod it is to have a chip that automatically ajusts the resistance going to the lcd to keep the lcd running at a certain voltage.

Maybe someone could let us know what the voltage at the lcd is at different clockspeeds.

And we would also need the maximum operating voltage of the lcd.
Who wants to open their GP32 to meaure this (you would also have to keep increasing the LCD voltage until it breaks to see max voltage :p)
 
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That wouldn't quite work, actually... since it takes prolonged use to break it even at 166MHz (i.e. a month or so) - so prolly, say, 30 hours of gaming time?
The max voltage for quick killing would be easy to find, the max it'll go to without dying in the short (but still longer than instant) term would be harder. Far beter just to find the voltage at 133MHz and stick something in to keep it at that... or at least, not allow it above that, since we might end up with problems (maybe) if it was too low at, say, 25MHz (for Wolfenstein). I'm not into LCDs much (or CRTs, for that matter), but I'd be concerned that different volatges ---> different colours produced. Not that that *would* happen (someone tell me please if it does), but it *might*.

If it doesn't, though, might it not make sense to find its minimum operating voltage and lock it there to save batteries?
 
I thought the problem arose merely as a result of the extra heat generated by the increased CPU clock? It's a small, compact case, and there ain't many places for the heat to go...

Unless the increased clock speed also affects the LCD controller...
 
To my knowledge, there's two problems... one of them is, yes, caused by heat. That's the one where the gfx all get completely screwed up and the the GP32 locks - that's the CPU overheating (I think... could be the ram, I suppose).

The second is the longer-term (30/40/50 hour?) burnout that happens to the screen. That is, lots of nasty white lines across it and a need for a new GP32 as its irreplacable - this be's the reason not to use 160MHz ScummVM.

Now, whilst a fan/heatsink would be perfectly good at stopping the first problem, it'd make absolutely no difference whatsoever when it came to the second. Hence all the talk about resistors and voltages.
 
I think that there should be a mini transistor (I think you can use this as a variable resistor, only electronicially controlled?) Between each connector to the CPU, and one of the connectors (all of them if diffrent power can come out of diffrent connectors) has a voltage measurer that sends data to all the transistors. Like this:

Code:
       CPU
------------------
  |     |     |     |
  T----T----T---M
  |      |      |    \
  *      *     *     T
                       |
                       *

T= Transistor (or any other thingy that is an electronicially controlled variable resistor)
M= Current measurer that outputs a signal good for the transistor
*= Connected to other electronics

I know that there are WAY more CPU connecters, but that diagram is just to show my idea.
 
nope, couldn't we find someone who is b0rked their GP32 and bought a new one but kept its dead hulk and then steal parts ^_^
 
Shrike posted on May 20 2003 said:
nope, couldn't we find someone who is b0rked their GP32 and bought a new one but kept its dead hulk and then steal parts ^_^
Ok, steal the GP mission objectives (Codename: Operation Overclock)

1. Replace their working GP32's battries with one that are almost dead to distract them for a while
2. When they turn on their working GP32, sneak into the house and get the other one
3. Get out and do whatever overclock tests you want

Oops, someone on this board might be the victem, so they will be alert for when their battries get low real fast, and they still have a broken GP32 :lol:

Now, are there any legaler (amen't I a good word maker-uper :p) ways to do it?
 
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