What is the easiest, most plug and play way to connect a PS1 to a PC? Can I use one of these cheap USB to DB25 devices?

Post by **retro_samurai** » May 22nd, 2023, 8:45 am

What is the easiest, most plug and play way to connect a PS1 to a PC? Can I use a USB to DB25 device?

Hi everyone.

What is the easiest way to connect a PS1 to a PC?

I have read about connecting a device to a flash cart that plugs into the parallel port of the PS1.

How exactly would that work?

Can I plug one of those cheap, aliexpress USB to DB25 adapters to the back of a flash cart, use some software and expect this to be a somewhat easy way to get the PS1 to communicate with a PC?

What else can I do?

Post by **nocash** » May 23rd, 2023, 8:28 am

USB to parallel printer port adaptors are most probably only intended for sending data to printers. Theoretically they could also emulate direct access to the PC parallel port registers - for manipulating signals like data, busy, strobe with correct timings - but I do very much doubt that the USB drivers do support that.

So, that leaves you with following options:

Use an old PC with built-in parallel port.
Use an older PC with parallel port on ISA-bus card.
Use a newer PC with parallel port on PCI-bus card (I am not sure if that's working, or if it has problems similar to USB).
Use a random GPIO interface, and write your own software for it (instead of using the old PC to PSX transfer software) (you can simply simulate regular PC parallel port signals, so it would be compatible with PSX flash cards)..