Search found 28 matches

by prochazkaml
August 24th, 2022, 6:46 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Dude, if you could somehow add the support for booting user-uploaded .EXEs (compressed, ideally) via some button combination and a simple selection menu before the shell even loads, that would be super-awesome. I'd solder the ROM directly to the mainboard as an internal mod then! :D Anyway, my conne...
by prochazkaml
August 6th, 2022, 8:46 pm
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Alright. Bit of an insane idea: DigiKey appears to be the only store where the correct 68-pin connector is available, but their shipping rates to the Czech Republic are astronomical (1300 CZK ? 54 USD!!). Of course, they give you free shipping when your shopping cart value is over 1300 CZK (without ...
by prochazkaml
August 1st, 2022, 7:08 pm
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Hey, that's really neat! If I wanted to do something like that (which I might, don't get me wrong), I would skip all of that patching work and I would just get rid of the stock shell altogether (as IMHO the colour paint splash-aesthetic looks like garbage anyway) and add some extra features - I was ...
by prochazkaml
May 13th, 2022, 2:48 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Yes, there is a standard connector that has the correct pins: Mini SCSI (more specifically, MiniD68). In fact, it has the same shape and the same number of pins as an actual PlayStation PIO connector and it is (almost) the exact same outside plug, you just have to cut away a small piece of it to fit...
by prochazkaml
March 16th, 2022, 12:31 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Yeah, you're right. I just needed to vent a bit, I realize now that it would be quite a shame to throw all of this work away. Sorry about that. And I agree with the choice of the connector pins, old component legs were quite a terrible idea indeed. I've looked a bit into real connector designs, and ...
by prochazkaml
March 14th, 2022, 4:21 pm
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

MottZilla wrote: March 14th, 2022, 9:36 am Weren't you using old capacitor or resistor leads as pins though? Using something more appropriate would solve that issue.
I know, but I do not have anything more appropriate lying around (at least I don't think I do).
by prochazkaml
March 14th, 2022, 3:28 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

That sounds really cool Thanks. So, I fixed the 5 broken pins. But guess what? Another 5 pins (which worked completely fine before) started to act up! So I even fixed those, but some still remained broken and some other unrelated pin all of a sudden started bending its matching pin inside the conso...
by prochazkaml
March 14th, 2022, 12:20 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Alright, so I've modified the PCB by removing the now unnecessary power regulator, and I've also added a header for controlling the chip enable line coming out of the PlayStation's CPU with a simple switch, in case you just want to disable the ROM without removing the cart from the console, since th...
by prochazkaml
March 11th, 2022, 5:25 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Or I can just use a 3.5 V-compatible EEPROM (or rather Flash) to begin with. The SST39VFXXX series looks like a good candidate, since it's quite cheap, it appears to have less latency than the SST29 series and most importantly, it's currently in stock available to buy immediately from all major dist...
by prochazkaml
March 7th, 2022, 5:04 pm
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

I'm not shocked that an unlicensed product would do such a thing. Especially the cloned versions. Eh, fair enough. Still a crappy practice though. The voltage divider might work but then you'd need a lot of them as you'd need one for each signal. Might make more sense to use a dedicated IC. But wha...
by prochazkaml
March 7th, 2022, 7:39 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

You might want to design a version that does do proper voltage level translation. Often things do work without shifting between 5v and 3.3v levels but it could be causing stress on internal components and if it's in a custom IC that's going to suck if it results in premature failure. That's what wo...
by prochazkaml
March 7th, 2022, 6:20 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

The serial data link is a nice idea. I think that PSIO supports a USB link though that could achieve something similar. I've not tried it out but it is an option for me. That might be possible as well. Can't verify it, though. I like the improvised EPROM programmer. I have some older Willem based o...
by prochazkaml
March 4th, 2022, 3:02 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Alright, so I forked the project and applied my modifications to it. Here it is.
by prochazkaml
March 3rd, 2022, 5:23 pm
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

That's certainly a lot faster. With the small amount of development I've done I have always just built an ISO and loaded it up in an emulator for quick tests and then later used PS-IO for real hardware tests. I had thought about the serial cable option but I like being able to load data from CD. Bu...
by prochazkaml
February 28th, 2022, 5:20 pm
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Yeah, deforming pins/contacts in the console's connector is definitely not good. I know, I have fixed them now. However, if my findings are correct, you shouldn't be able to easily short any two pins inside the motherboard's connector by pushing one in really hard, since they are quite spaced out i...
by prochazkaml
February 28th, 2022, 6:34 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Alright, so I did the first continuity check and only 4 out of the total 30 pins were bad (one data pin and 3 address pins), which is by no means perfect (the connector won't work properly when a single pin is bad), but it's way better than I was expecting. Upon looking inside my connector, yeah, th...
by prochazkaml
February 28th, 2022, 5:53 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Well that's definitely not good. https://imgs.prochazka.ml/psxpiouhoh.jpeg There are 3 pins that did this: one in the front (in the red circle), one in the middle and one all the way in the back of the connector (I figured this out by looking at the mating part of the connector – I saw 3 pins pushed...
by prochazkaml
February 28th, 2022, 4:31 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Ladies and gentlemen, She's in. https://imgs.prochazka.ml/psxpioinserted1.jpg https://imgs.prochazka.ml/psxpioinserted2.jpg Tomorrow (or even today, if I make it), I'll take the console apart and test the continuity (and detect potential shorts) between the pins to make sure it's making full contact...
by prochazkaml
February 25th, 2022, 5:23 am
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

Be very careful not to short anything out! Seems like a very possible hazard with exposed metal everywhere. I hope you manage to get a ROM wired up successfully. Don't worry, I haven't plugged it in yet (I can't, in fact, it does not fit). Of course, when I do (and before I turn on the console), I ...
by prochazkaml
February 24th, 2022, 6:23 pm
Forum: Work Logs & Projects
Topic: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM
Replies: 43
Views: 44308

Re: DIYing a plug that fits the PlayStation's parallel port to boot from a ROM

This is a pretty cool idea. 3D printing your own connector is a nice alternative if you can't source something suitable. Do you plan to design a PCB to use with it? Thank you! :D Currently, I intend to solder directly to the connector just to prove that it works. However, there is nothing stopping ...