Alternative PS1 CD Rom drive found.

[Vr-Mode]

A month a go i was looking for 16pin CD lasers that looked to have the same Sony laser diodes in them to see if they would work on a PS1 and i found this on aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568046 ... hA8hqcVGlq Here are some pictures of it running a backup disc with a modded PS1. This disc drive will also work on a stock console.

[alexfree]

OMG. My dreams have come true. I can't believe it.

[masterg0r0]

The AliExpress link looks very suspicious and could possibly be a phishing link. The well known URL for AliExpress is: https://aliexpress.com.

[Administrator]

Not a phishing link. If you change the .us to .com it also works and the name "aliexpress" is correct. Phishing links would have something like "aliexpresss.org" or "ali-expresss.biz".

[Vr-Mode]

Or you can go to aliexpress.com and type "ps1 replacement optical drive conversion board" in the search bar and it will show up that way.

[masterg0r0]

That's what I did.

[Vr-Mode]

It seems this PS1 disc drive mod has been around for almost 2 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFVpNfCuJgQ

[Administrator]

It seems this PS1 disc drive mod has been around for almost 2 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFVpNfCuJgQ

That's actually a really neat little mod. He managed to get all the consoles to use the same drive

[alexfree]

The converter board design seems pretty simple, are there any hardware people that can explain how it works? I got these images from a review, but I actually ordered quite a few of these things while they were still in stock.

[alexfree]

Alright, I just got my shipment of five of these in. Look forward to messing with it later when I get off work.

[alexfree]

This thing is the real deal! I managed to connect it to my scph-1000 launch console WITHOUT MODIFYING THE PSX CONSOLE CASE AT ALL. The early PSX consoles have both CD drive connectors right next to the 'hole' where the CD drive usually sits. I guessed that the cables could just be ran out of the hole and yea there is just enough room. Plug and play.

Results are very good so far. FMV, CDDA, it does it well like a PS2. Seeking sometimes sounds quite bad, but no disc read issues. I think it just needs some high quality lubrication.

I did tweak the BIAS/GAIN manual adjustments a bit because it wasn't reading discs with the same settings as the KSM-440AAM used. I ended up at 1.7v BIAS 1.83v gain and it seems to now reliably boot discs from power on (it wasn't before). It has no problem reading discs, just booting (sony license screen from the bios main menu) that seemed really dependent on a correct BIAS/GAIN adjustment... newer consoles have an auto bias/gain adjustment when they detect a new disc so that isn't an issue for most consoles.

The SCEX string read does seem unreliable if you are not directly booting a disc immediately after power on. Unreliable as in it might take one or two tries for the console to actually get the SCEX string and license the drive for i.e. the CD Player Swap Trick. Sometimes a real PSX disc (even for the correct console region) just doesn't 'license' the drive on the first try (if not booting right from power on) at least with this insanely early console

I just keep a pen spring handy (to block the lid sensor) and use it like I did before. CD Player Swap Trick works. Real Japanese PSX discs work (this is a stock console). Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-Rs work from Tonyhax International. Really glad I bought soo many. Hope they go back in stock soon, although this wouldn't be that hard to DIY.

Screenshot_20221211-205028_Gallery.jpg

[alexfree]

Ohh, more stock on the original listing! I highly recommend trying this out (really good mod if you have early launch consoles like I do).

[nocash]

That drive is an interesting curiosity... but it doesn't look like a good idea.
The disadvanteges are: It takes up a lot of space, manually tweaking the door open sensor is awkward, and the SMD connectors on the mainboard aren't really protected against external force.
The main advantage seems to be that it fits for all consoles, which may useful for testing if a broken console is working with the external drive attached (and if it does: buy a proper internal drive or try to clean/repair the old drive).

The sled motor mechanics look different as in retail drives, I guess that can sound a bit different, which isn't neccessarily a problem, unless it does sound really bad. My main concern would be if the sled is moving the same distance per step (I don't know if that's somehow standarized for all compact disc drives, or if it needs to be specifically matched to psx retail drives).
If the steps are too far off then it would fail with timeout, if the steps are too big or too small then it would take longer and require more attempts to find sectors, and if they are too big then the sled might additionally hit the outer edges with some nasty "krrrrrrrk" sound if the wheels keep spinning - I hope that doesn't happen?

[alexfree]

That drive is an interesting curiosity... but it doesn't look like a good idea.
The disadvanteges are: It takes up a lot of space, manually tweaking the door open sensor is awkward, and the SMD connectors on the mainboard aren't really protected against external force.
The main advantage seems to be that it fits for all consoles, which may useful for testing if a broken console is working with the external drive attached (and if it does: buy a proper internal drive or try to clean/repair the old drive).

The sled motor mechanics look different as in retail drives, I guess that can sound a bit different, which isn't neccessarily a problem, unless it does sound really bad. My main concern would be if the sled is moving the same distance per step (I don't know if that's somehow standarized for all compact disc drives, or if it needs to be specifically matched to psx retail drives).
If the steps are too far off then it would fail with timeout, if the steps are too big or too small then it would take longer and require more attempts to find sectors, and if they are too big then the sled might additionally hit the outer edges with some nasty "krrrrrrrk" sound if the wheels keep spinning - I hope that doesn't happen?

I have to strongly disagree. This is really useful if you don't mind the space requirements.

The gears just need some grease imo. It's just quite loud as it came when it seeks. The CD drive mechanism is solidly mounted in the casing and the mechanism doesn't move at all during use. It is held in place by some removable plastic nuts. The bottom ones are fused to the clear plastic bottom ensuring it doesn't go anywhere.

The casing is quite tight for compactness, but the CD fits in the mechanism correctly without contacting the case whatsoever. It's definitely good enough for the price and works as intended.

The CD drive mechanism is a KSS-213 which is the mechanism found in some VCD players, and I belive it is made brand new to this day in itself which for quite cheap. That's huge since real psx CD drives are no longer made.

Before this, there was really only one option. Buy a whole console and use the CD drive from that (most likely having to refurbish it a bit to get it working optimally, if you can at all). You can't buy original ps1 cd drives brand new, and they all seem very prone to malfunction with age. There are badly refurbished original ps1 cd drive models being sold as 'new' online on eBay and other sites, those are almost always broken and a complete scam in my experience. I've wasted a lot of money on thoses and regretted each one, thinking maybe I just got a bad batch or something. But they are consistently terrible.

Now with this external CD drive, we have 2 things. A better CD drive mechanism then was ever possible before. And a different option then parting out an existing console.

The KSS-213 is superior in every way besides size in comparison to the KSM-440AAM to KSM-440BAM series of PS1 CD drives in my tests so far. My launch SCPH-1000 now reads even burned discs as well as a PS2. No FMV or CDDA playback issues. Fast load times. The SCEX wobble reading issue I was having even stopped after tweaking the BIAS/GAIN to 1.7v and 1.825v on the motherboard and power cycling the console a few times. So now my SCPH-1000 with this external CD drive is my best option currently for playing burned discs. It can do it the best out of all my ps1 consoles. The KSS-213 is just better technology then the original drives were. It can read discs better then the official drives, and has better tolerances/tracking overall in my limited testing.

On PSone slims SCPH-100-102 and very early fat PS1s SCPH-1000-SCPH-1002 you do not need to modify the ps1's case at all to use the drive. I've demonstrated that there is enough slack in the CD drive cables to route it through the top case. It does take up more space, but it's worth it to me. The early launch consoles are notorious for reading disc poorly, and this finally really fixes that.

So now I have a stock, unmodified launch console with:
S-Video Out, and the most ports of any console.
CD Player Swap Trick (the only swap trick where you swap a stopped, non-moving disc).
The best CD drive hardware.

[nocash]

Okay, there are more advantages that could outweight the disadvantages... or physically outweight the strength of the solder points. I mean, if you have two heavy objects held togther with cables and flimsy connectors, that will go wrong sooner or later. Just be aware of that issue and set up some strategy...

• No risk no fun. Take it rough, throw a party and let us know if or when you need to re-solder any ripped off connectors.
• Be careful. Tell friends and family not to get near the Playstation, don't touch it, don't move. Avoid dangerous activities like running or dust cleaning. No pets or children in that room.
• Reinforce it. Use some screws & plywood to firmly attach the drive and console to each other.

Considering the seek stepping motors, I was just wondering if that could be an issue. One test case would be taking an audio disc with near 70 minute playtime (like some Best of disc), and check if you can switch between first and last track without errors or terribly rattling mechanics. Or maybe you have already tried that?

[alexfree]

Okay, there are more advantages that could outweight the disadvantages... or physically outweight the strength of the solder points. I mean, if you have two heavy objects held togther with cables and flimsy connectors, that will go wrong sooner or later. Just be aware of that issue and set up some strategy...

• No risk no fun. Take it rough, throw a party and let us know if or when you need to re-solder any ripped off connectors.
• Be careful. Tell friends and family not to get near the Playstation, don't touch it, don't move. Avoid dangerous activities like running or dust cleaning. No pets or children in that room.
• Reinforce it. Use some screws & plywood to firmly attach the drive and console to each other.

Considering the seek stepping motors, I was just wondering if that could be an issue. One test case would be taking an audio disc with near 70 minute playtime (like some Best of disc), and check if you can switch between first and last track without errors or terribly rattling mechanics. Or maybe you have already tried that?

I can try your exact experiment sometime and let you know. Haven't had any disc read errors though like you describe.

I'm in a unique situation where its pretty safe where the PSX is at in my house. Definitely could happen. This is for sure not a one size fit all solution. I really like this thing, because I have simply been imagining such a thing for years and one day it just exists.

There are physical space limitations and risks with this if your not careful compared to a regular old psx setup with a normal CD drive as you have said. I will not be screwing anything together though. The whole point is the console is 'stock', no case mods. I would like strain relief and all that, but If I do modify anything I would think the better idea is to try to fit the KSS-213 at least partially into the console with a modified top case. That way you avoid the 'external' issues all together.

[alexfree]

I just had a thought. I wonder if this external could possibly read CD-RWs.The answer seems to be maybe, I have to get some: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php ... st-8342955 . I bet Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-RWs would have a good chance at working.

Unrelated, but I found a data sheet on the KSS-213C CD drive (attached). Not a hardware person, but this may be interesting to others.

[alexfree]

Something funny, on November 19th 2022 I made this comment in the Tonyhax International issues:
https://github.com/alex-free/tonyhax/is ... 1321037985

"It really sucks that no one actually makes a real 3rd party CD drive with completely new parts. All of it is documented and belive it or not the CD drive of a PS1 is quite close to a Sony discman from the mid 90s. I'd pay $100 for something that isn't a scam."

This thread was posted the next day

[Administrator]

I just had a thought. I wonder if this external could possibly read CD-RWs.The answer seems to be maybe, I have to get some: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php ... st-8342955 . I bet Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-RWs would have a good chance at working.

Unrelated, but I found a data sheet on the KSS-213C CD drive (attached). Not a hardware person, but this may be interesting to others.

To read CD-RW you need to increase the laser diode power which then makes reading genuine PSX games a problem. The best solution would be to make some sort of automatic gain controller which is triggered on either power on or reset. The easiest solution would be to just use a toggle switch and some resistors

[Vr-Mode]

Just tested two different brands of CD-RW's. Sony and Memorex and all the laser did was click while trying to spin the disc.