Help/Advice with making a PSX Mod Chip.

Hello,
This is my first post to this forum and the reason I joined it so sorry if it is in the wrong section or there is some other fault with this post.

I Know this is old stuff but I have an old collection of PS1 Games sitting around but no console due to an "incident" while a friend borrowed it. Concidering how cheap they are on ebay I am planning to pick up a used console to play some of the games. How ever I've had them for a long time and rather not put any wear onto them, so I am going to make some backups and play them. However I dont want to play them with the crazy swap method because that basically requires you to pick a disc to "destroy" (use it in the swaping process) and would cause it to be sratched to all hell along with the backups (meaning I'd have to reburn them ever so often.

So what I would like to do is intall a mod chip, but because I don't want to mess around with differnt companies/places to buy them, I want to make one my self (as I heard that you can do that since they are so basic, also for the learning experience). Of course since the main age of the ps1 was when the internet was young and not as many people where into making backups (since cd writers were less commercially available) data on the net is scarce for this.

I'm not sure what model of the playstation I am going to get yet so that might affect your answers but I just want basic assistence on how to get started with this. I have a decent amount of soldering experience and all the equitment I need for soldering.

I know that you need a:

.PIC chip
.PIC programmer
.The mod chip hex code
.Basic wires and other soldering equitment

Well I have the last part down, but for the PIC chip, which one should I get. I know that with some games there is check for mod chips so I would like to get a chip that can accept "stealth" code. I have seen the pic12c508 show up alot, is it the best? Or is there a newer chip (which would be cheaper and easier to get)?

Then with the programmer, can I just get any programmer that supports the chip I get? Also my computer does have a serial port so thats not a programmer

Then finally, what code should I use (one that does stealth) and could you tell me where I can get it?

Sorry to be a leach but I have seen other posts on this forum (recently too) from people that are edjucateed in this subject.

 

Multimode 3 (also called MM3) for most consoles

Onechip for psone

stealth 2.8 for original PSX consoles (100x)


And yes, thats the correct pic chip to use

 

Thanks for the quick response. I am planning to get a original console, not the psone, since that's what I owned so If it's a 100x then use "stealth 2.8" and if not "Onechip"?

Also will the hex codes come with schematics for the solder points, and what program do I use to program the chip?

Sorry to keep sucking info out of you.

 

Old style consoles - MM3
Original Old style consoles (100x) Stealth 2.8
PSone = Onechip

I have the files at home with installation diagrams - unless jinn posts them in here first, I will post them when I get home.

 

Ok thanks.

EDIT:

Oh and ya woops I messed up what you said about the chips. I said Steath 2.8 and Onechip when I meant to say Stealth 2.8 and MM3. Got it.

 

Ok here Goes you can make them your self via pic programmer pic12508.

Go to the bottom of the page still downloadable as for now.

Get the downloads While you can.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040605090129/http://www.maxking.com/

 

Cool it has the hex's and some diagrams. And that picture at the top has the numbers for each pin. It says that I should use the 4 wire setup for the early models (meaning not psone) but how do I know what hex I should use for this setup? MM3, Stealth 4, or the one at the top that just says 4 wire mod hex?

And Bad_Ad84 I could still use your diagrams

 

here

http://www.mediafire.com/?aal6260677c9t3o

 

THANKS :thumbsup: that helps a ton. I pretty much got everything down now except programing the chip itself. Can I just use any programmer (serial or is USB trust-able) that is compatible with the 12c508 and appropriate software?

 

yes, long as it works with that chip it will be fine.

there are a number of cheap diy ones you can build that will cost around $3 in parts - or you can buy something abit better

 

Any recomendations on what tutorial or software to use

I can research it myself if your busy but ya know no trouble in asking.

 

Build one of these:
http://www.ic-prog.com/programmers.html

Use this for software:
http://www.ic-prog.com/download.html

 

And if I ended up buying one (not sure I would want to try to build one of those, I'm not quite experienced enough yet to make one of those no problem) I would just select external programmer as my hardware in icprog and then select my programmer in the list?

 

You would use the software for the programmer you buy and select the chip within that

 

Well i was looking at this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Serial-PIC-prog...642?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0cdd26da and it shows 12c508 as a compatible device under ICprog, so i can just use the one you gave me, and set it to JDM since that is a JDM programmer right?

 

Don't waste your time and money on that one.
Get this one
http://www.mcumall.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=3141
it's USB and will work under XP/Vista/7

 

I still have to test my chip to see if it flashed correctly...


Oh, this topic may also help you
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33998

 

Ya but I could argue that yours is 25 bucks while the one I found is about 13. Are you suggesting it because you simply know it works, or because there is something bad about the one I listed. If there is something wrong about the one I listed then I will go with yours, but if you don't know that anything is wrong with it I'd rather take it for the cheaper price.

Because right now I have no plans for programming microchips in the future, so I'm not planning to put a lot of money into it.

 

If you have a serial port on your PC and you dont care that its going to be a little slower, then the one you picked on ebay should be fine.

If I were going to go USB - I would buy the GQ-4X from the site jinn linked to - its only like $30 more and does a bunch of different chips.

 

I don't really care about the speed and I do have a serial port, which is a bit weird as my mobo is a high end from 2007, but out of curiosity do you mean slower as in 20min or 3hrs, etc?