Is this a real dtl-h1000?

I found an import boot disc and it's working great.

 

Pretty clear it isn't a DTL unit. The debugger units don't need the security string to play disc, meaning any import or CD-R will boot. The debugger units are almost the exact same as a stealth modchipped console, except that I think stealth mods are actually possibly better when dealing with anti-mod games which use a register to detect security code check passes. With a debug unit and a CD-R the number of good codes would always be 0, which depending on how the code is programmed it may trip the protection.

Anyway, all you have is a pretty case and a standard NTSC/JP motherboard.

 

No sticker on the MCU. Looks like it might be a plain boring retail board, indeed. :shrug:

Does it read CDRs if you write a copy of a Japanese game in it ? :shrug:

 

Yes It does read cdrs but only japanese ones

 

Then, it's a DTL-H1000 unit with the newer retail bios. That bios rejects the disc if the boot sector isn't a Japanese licence one.

But indeed, if it has no modchip and boot CDRs it's legit. :nod:


You can make it boot anything if you swap the bios with either an early SCPH-1000 bios (early Japanese machines which could play imports with disc swap at the CD Player do have the early bios) or any compatible USA bios. :thumbsup:

 

Why did Sony have DTL units that wouldn't run anything but Japanese software? Seems pointless. It's a debugger unit afterall.

 

It's for testing japanese software. You should use the correct one for the region you are testing. The DTL-H110x had 110-240v power supply to make it easier.

Some of them will boot any region disc but then disable the video output if you switch from 50hz <-> 60hz, even if you do it from caetla (and yes I have the correct cables & my tv works) which is annoying when you have to remember how to change the default in caetla.

Sony seemed to pull motherboards from retail production and replace the cd controller when they ran out of debugs. So it may have any bios on it.

Making sure the serial number on the base and the one on the sticker (IIRC on the memory card assembly) is a good way of telling if someone has swapped motherboards.

One thing I always found odd was that it's easier to find a PAL debug in america than in the UK and vice versa. I guess nobody had multi standard tv's in the 90's.

 

FYI, that's an easy fix. When SONY changed the motherboard to the new 208 pin GPU they added an secondary clock input on the chip for the PAL clock source. Because the CPU chip defaults to NTSC after a reset, PAL units have an resistor bridging the two clock lines. It would stall during boot if the GPU were not clocked on both pins. NTSC units have the PAL clock input grounded with a 0 ohm resistor. Move it from the ground to the other position where it clocks both pins and the unit will gladly switch to PAL mode without blanking out the screen. Ultimately you can add the PAL clock parts and have an true dual system PS1 unit. :nod:

 

One of these days I'm going to eat your brains to gain your knowledge l_oliveira.

But for now, am I correct in assuming the 900X and 10X models had the 208 pin GPU? I don't have a 750X model on hand to crack open.

 

:-(

750x, 900x and PSone use an 14Mhz clock source along with an PLL chip to multiply the clock. 500x has 4 pin 53mhz clock but lines are bridged on the GPU.

Because color carrier is generated by the PLL chip on 750x and newer, they have the two clock pins bridged by design so such units no longer suffer of black screen syndrome when switching to PAL.

The problem mentioned happen only on NTSC late 100x units and all range of NTSC 300x.

 

That would explain the behavior I've been seeing. I've only had a handful of requests to get a PS1 PAL capable so I haven't looked into it too deeply beyond color correction mods for late models.

Time for some googlin.

 

Well the only machines that will be 100% multinorm will be late PU-8 boards with the 208 pin GPU and two sets of oscillators. Otherwise, people can still use RGB.

Forgot to mention that PAL 750x, 900x and PSone units will have an different PLL chip and 17mhz clock crystal. :nod:

 

Does the board in question have S-Video out?

 

Technique for future use:
If it boots CD-Rs, and the black boot screen doesn't show the "SCEA tm" (or SCEI/SCEE) at the bottom, it's an old Japanese debugging station, or any year of American/European debugging station.
If it boots only Japanese CD-Rs and Japanese legit games, and the black boot screen doesn't show the "SCEA tm" at the bottom, it's a newer Japanese debugging station.
If it does not boot CD-Rs, but boots all regions' legit games, and the black boot screen doesn't show the "SCEA tm" at the bottom, it's either a Yaroze or (unlikely) a Midnight Blue model.
Any unit that shows the "SCEA tm" on the black boot screen is a retail model.

No need to open it to find out. =)

 

Only problem with what you said is that JP retail units will show SCEI, retail PAL units will show SCEE and US retail units will show SCEA at the PlayStation logo screen.

For some odd and unknown reason (I presume it was the original fix to stop the cd swap trick from working for playing cross region originals back when the PS released) the Japanese BOOTROM checks the boot sector throughly and will get stuck on a black screen, retrying the check until it's satisfied. Hence the double swap trick people discovered after this check was instated on the ROMs.

As a side effect this check prevents discs with edited PS logos from working on anything but US BOOTROMs.