PlayStation Development Network

Hello, good day and how is everyone? Thanks to Shadow and everyone who keeps the Playstation alive!

I liked playing the games, and about 10 years ago I was looking at a lot of information online about replacing lasers and possibly repairing lasers.

In general, I want to try to make a little home brew, at least a hello world. I understand very basic C programming.

So, currently I have at my disposal, a SCPH-1001, -5501, 7001, 9001 (with MM3 chip), 101.

Except the 1001 won't work. I tried a BAM laser, and moved over the laser cover and grommets, but no luck. Tried adjust the bias and gain as shown here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20101009010 ... serPSX.htm

But no luck. I got the new laser from Total Console. Supposedly an original Sony. The new laser works fine in the 9001 as a quick test. So, I'm not sure what to do next with this 1001. Can the new PSIO work on it?

Also, I want to do fun stuff with commands over the parallel port, so I have a Dell PC with Core2Duo and Windows XP, and a real parallel port, and I'm getting a fully wired DB25 male DB25 female cable.

I have an Xplorer V2 cart. I got and it works in my 5501, but it is rather black and white. I suppose it is set up for PAL. The text is all readable.

Anyway, I've been reading a little about Caetla. Which version is good for the Xplorer V2, and can I pick NTSC at the install?

I have some good old Taiyo Yuden CD-R, and a Croc burned at the lowest speed on a newer PC with a DVD burner worked fine, even though the lowest speed it could do is 16x.

So, I can burn and boot a disk, I have carts, chip, old PSX, old PC. Also a "Game Hunter" CD version. I can also burn PIC12C508 with the old BIN files for a lot of chips if that is better for another console.

I was thinking I use the CAEFLASH and Videomode 1bf84 0=NTSC switch, yes?

I found a page online with a lot of Xplorer stuff. I got that and I also have a lot of the Caetla versions.

I have this cable, if it can help do the serial thing - https://www.adafruit.com/product/954

It is for Raspberry Pi console, using 3.3Volts, and Putty, etc.

So, sorry if my questions are scattered here, and thanks!

-Leif

For your Xplorer needs, get Sickle's Unirom boot disc.
It contains everything you need to restore original Xplorer roms or install Caetla ones.

Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of things that can stop the CD drive from working even if the optical pickup is good. Can it read the TOC on the disc (put in an audio disc and see if the track numbers appear in the CD player)?

If it's reading the TOC, can it play an audio track? Is it distorted or silent?

If it's not reading the TOC, then does the lens sweep up and down when you close the door switch with no disc in place?

The PSIO cartridge should work even if the CD-ROM subsystem is inoperative since it replaces everything from the CD interface chip to the optical pickup - and that includes every part that might reasonably be expected to cause the problems you're having (well, except possibly a bad 8V supply). My personal bias would be to fix the CD drive first in any case.

Squaresoft74 wrote: September 7th, 2020, 11:49 am For your Xplorer needs, get Sickle's Unirom boot disc.
It contains everything you need to restore original Xplorer roms or install Caetla ones.

OK, great, thanks. Do you know if there is a select for NTSC mode on install of the ROM?

What about the Nocash BIOS? How is that loaded? It lets you do interesting commands I thought?

TriMesh wrote: September 7th, 2020, 9:53 pm Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of things that can stop the CD drive from working even if the optical pickup is good. Can it read the TOC on the disc (put in an audio disc and see if the track numbers appear in the CD player)?

If it's reading the TOC, can it play an audio track? Is it distorted or silent?

If it's not reading the TOC, then does the lens sweep up and down when you close the door switch with no disc in place?

The PSIO cartridge should work even if the CD-ROM subsystem is inoperative since it replaces everything from the CD interface chip to the optical pickup - and that includes every part that might reasonably be expected to cause the problems you're having (well, except possibly a bad 8V supply). My personal bias would be to fix the CD drive first in any case.

No CD contents at all. Not even with a CD drive that works in another unit, although a newer model.

But I do get the voltages on the test pin. So the fuses are probably ok. Yes, I want to fix the laser if possible.

OK, for the flash of the Xplorer, I will try the Unirom boot disc. It seems burned disks boot best on my SCPH-7001 (with BAM laser), or SCPH-9001. I can't seem to make them work on the SCPH-5501.

So, unless I can get a serial connection working to load the boot disk, then I will have to chip the 7001 real quick. Unless there is an easy way to disk swap trick on the Xplorer.

I was looking over the old CAEFLASH.COM on a computer that I booted a Windows 98 USB DOS boot disk I made once upon a time. X-KILLER would not run because it is DOS.

Is there a program like X-KILLER that works in DOS? As far as the Parallel mode, my Dell has AT, PS/2. Now, I think PS2 mode is SPP, but maybe it is AT? AT is not bi-directional, I don't think.

Right now the Dell is on PS/2 address 378. I think that is right.

Squaresoft74 wrote: September 7th, 2020, 11:49 am For your Xplorer needs, get Sickle's Unirom boot disc.
It contains everything you need to restore original Xplorer roms or install Caetla ones.

Thanks, I installed it but now I can't use catflap under Windows XP to send to the Caetla side. It just makes the cart. reset back to the main UniROM menu. I posted in the UniROM thread about it. First I tried Caetla v34 by itself, and catflap worked fine like that.

TriMesh wrote: September 7th, 2020, 9:53 pm Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of things that can stop the CD drive from working even if the optical pickup is good.

Can it read the TOC on the disc (put in an audio disc and see if the track numbers appear in the CD player)?

If it's not reading the TOC, then does the lens sweep up and down when you close the door switch with no disc in place?

My personal bias would be to fix the CD drive first in any case.

Hi! I did a bunch of testing on my SCPH-1001. I suspect maybe the IC722 BA6397FP, but I'm not sure.

No TOC, yes lens sweeps up and down twice when you close the door switch.

With a disc in and the door switch pressed, the disk spindle spins (constant rate), but the sled doesn't move out. If I manually move the sled from home position, then power the PSX on, then the sled does move back to home.

PSX Lid off, I tested motor voltages at the new optical pickup. This way I make sure to start as close to the motor as possible, to make sure I'm getting voltage there. I did, all pins from CN701 show 3.6V with door open, so at least I know they have voltage. Similarly, I have 3.6V door open on CN702 pins 13-16.

When I manually move the sled out, put a real PSX disc on the spindle, then power the PSX on, and close the door switch, I can see the voltage drop to about 2.5 on pin the motor pin (CN701 pin 1) while the sled moves. This would be the average my DMM sees from the PWM the IC722 ROHM BTL motor driver that sends the sled in reverse at a certain speed.

During this movement, I see 3.6V on CN702 pin 12, so that's good, then when it comes home, the home position switch on the sled opens, then of course CN702 pin 12 reads 0V. This is what I expect from the schematic, assuming it kind of follows the 750x and 900x laser controls.

Laser Diode - CN702 pin 1, door open - 0.03v, door closed with disk - 2.03V

So the big question I have is, how do I know if the sled is not moving out because the IC722 BA6397FP is not going low because it is bad, or if some other condition is not being met somewhere else, causing the control chip to not send the sled out? I see that there are 2 chips that potentially have control over laser function logic; IC732 DSP, and IC304 Mechanism control (the chip that gets the input from the sled home position switch).

I tested a bunch of fuses with the ohm meter with the power of of course.

Here are my voltage readings,

Power supply CN2, pins
1 - 7.9V
2 - 0 (GND)
3 - 3.7V
4 - 0 (GND)
5 - 3.7V
6 - 0 (GND)
7 - 3.61V

CN701, 1-4 door open / door closed with disc
1 SL- 3.6v/ 2.5v when moving, 3.5 - 3.6 idle
2 SL+ 3.6v/ 3.5-3.6 idle
3 SP+ 3.6v/ 3.9v
4 SP- 3.6v/ 3.2v

CN702, 1-16 door open / door closed with disc (not all measured)
1 0.03/2.03
2 3.5
3 1.79/1.79
4 1.78
5 1.78
6 1.75
7 1.76
8 1.78
9 .3
10 0
11 0
12 0/ 3.6v while sled away from HP
13 3.6/ meter makes lens coil move, can't test easily
14 3.6/ 3.5-3.6
15 3.6/ 3.5
16 3.6/ spikes to 4 at power on, then stable at 3.3v

13-16 are focus and tracking motor control attached to IC722 BA6397FP it appears.

I guess all the voltages seem ok.

Is there anything else to test to determine the root cause? I read online IC722 does go out.... is it usually in the form of not being able to pull a line to ground? Or should we suspect IC304 or IC732? Or even IC723?

Where is a source for the IC304?

Thanks so very much!

Well that same optical pickup unit (CD unit), when installed in a working SCPH-9001, does not work. I did need to use an extension cable. It is a laser with the BAM letters, actually a knock-off I think.

Perhaps defective, unless the PU-8 board somehow took it out?

I finally got some BA6397FP chips. If indeed I need to replace this chip, do I need a hot air re-work station? Or is there another way?