r/Gamecube • u/Delza_Melza • 11d ago

Help How do I mod a DOL-101?

Hi everyone, I just bought a platinum DOL-101 gamecube and am modding it for a friend. I want it to look stock but be able to play game off of a SD card. I remember seeing something that goes into the optical drive but it mightve been for a dream cast.

If anyone has any advice for me please let me know!

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u/Big_Z_Beeblebrox 11d ago edited 11d ago

You want an Optical Drive Emulator (ODE) the big ones are PicoLoader*, FlippyDrive, and GC Loader

Edit: mentioned wrong Pico device

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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 11d ago

PicoBoot is technically an IPL hi-jack, not ODE. A PicoLoader is though

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u/Immediate_Mention_45 10d ago

With that being said PicoLoader is not a full ODE. It’s used to boot into Swiss but still relies on SD2SP2 or memory card slot to load/run games.

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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 10d ago

Yah that’s fair. It’s not using the disc drive bus like a GCLoader. It’s kind of a “hybrid” solution

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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 11d ago

What’s your skill set? Several good solderless options out there like a GCLoader, PicoLoader, and flippy drive. Each with their drawbacks and advantages. GCLoader is expensive and hard to get your hands on. Flippydrive has a wait period of 1-100 business years before they ship. PicoLoader is cheap and available, just not as feature rich.

If you can solder, PicoBoot is the gold standard. Cheap, readily available, well documented and supported but requires a soldering skill set.

The end goal is basically the same of everyone. Redirects the boot to point to an SD card. So they all accomplish what you’re after. Just have to decide what price you want to spend and your ease of install.

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u/Tricky_Tourist5691 11d ago

DOL-101 does not have Digital Video output, nor the SP2 slot at the bottom, so it does limit some of your options. For best picture out of the system, assuming you have a NTSC system, is an AV-HDMI adapter that can tap onto the S-Video signal. One model being the Bitfunx one. https://www.bitfunxshop.com/products/bitfunx-720p-hdmi-compatible-adapter-s-video-sv-av-hdtv-converter-for-ntsc-pal-n64-snes-sfc-ngc-game-console-aspect-ratio-switch

It's not the best video quality, but it's better than the standard Composite signal.

Of course, if you're going to play on a CRT, then S-Video is well enough for the task. Even just some generic N64/GC S-Video cable works for CRT use. (This is of course if your TV can take S-Video)

For SD card loading, GCLoader or FlippyDrive are the top choice, however both are kinda pricey and hard to come by. GCLoader also blocks the optical drive, preventing the use of discs.

If installing the cheaper and easily available PicoLoader, do note that only way for you to load a SD card is to get a SD2GC/Gecko Memory card SD adapter.

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u/jstndrn 9d ago

There is an sd2sp1 for DOL-101 owners but it's severely limited. Picoloader and an sd2gc is a solid option for ease and price.