..find out if a PS1 is modchipped without an appropriate CD to test it? I could open it but I don't know what to look for. I just found an SCHP7052 in a skip along with all of the leads and stuff. I know that in the UK very few Playstations remained unchipped and I would love to grab a model that has just for a few imports. I have another PS1 I could compare it to but its one of the newer models and I'm sure the board would be different (no expansion for a start) and I don't want to open it. I don't have any CDR's nor do I want to go and buy some without knowing if it's going to work.
Open it up and look for a small chip soldered on with some wires? Take a picture and post it here if you do.
If your found one has got the little cover thing out back, take a look inside, I'm pretty sure that a lot of modchip installs put the chip inside there. Alternatively, I know you said you don't want to open it, but Paulo's right - it's a five minute job and you'll be able to spot it easily.
Why can't you buy or get a CD-R to burn a copy of a game? That's the easiest way to tell. Infact it's the only way to tell without opening the machine. If you open the machine it will be very obvious it is modded. It will have wires soldered to the main board going to a small chip, such as an 8pin PIC chip. Be careful if you open it as you could possibly fuck up the modchip install if a wire gets snagged or something. Also you should know that you could always mod a system yourself, it's extremely easy to do and the chips are very cheap. I have 19 blank PICs on hand that I could program with modchip code.
You have 19 blank PIC chips on hand? And you have the mod chip code? How did you obtain the mod chip code? No mean to derail the thread or anything, but can you elaborate a little more please? I paid $9.99 for a stealth mod chip about 6 years ago.
I'm going to mod my PSX (SCPH-1001) after I find a reliable source to buy a replacement CD-drive for it. I would just like to know more about how the mod chips work internally. I already have a non-working chipped PsOne so I have a good idea as to how to install one. Maybe I can write the source code to my own mod chip and have someone program it. Or I can just buy one.
Google Rich's PSX parts. They are in the US and sell PSOne laser modules, all models. I do not know if they ship outside the US. I bought PSX lasers from them, too, as well as PS2 lasers. He's reliable and ships fast.
Be warned, I bought two lasers from Rich PSX Parts. One was fine but the second was damaged and he never replied to my requests for a replacement. There is a HEX code for the 12F629 PIC that is a basic modchip. Basically all the chips do is inject a string of 4 bytes. US systems want to see SCEA, Europe wants SCEE, Japan SCEI. When the disc is being checked it will read a nibble your CD writer can't reproduce and so the modchips job is to fake it basically. And by doing this you can make an import boot as it has the wrong code. Stealth chips are more complex but basically anti-mod games work by counting the times the security code has been validated. Older modchips will constantly loop sending the security codes, so the game will see that the counter keeps going up and know the system is modded. Stealth chips work by trying to more precisely send the code like a real disc would and then stop. Switched mods are similar except you manually stop it from putting the code in. The PICs are very cheap and common, so are the programmers for them.
if this is going to turn into a "stealth modchips for sale" i'll take one so i can stop using my debug unit xD
I probably have a stack of chips left somewhere. I'll have to look. They don't work in PSOne consoles though, unless you have the Boot CD. You're better off with a dedicated PSOne chip - the ones that piggybacked a chip. I seem to remember the kits having a PASSPORT sticker.
I don't have any Stealth modchip code. I just use regular chip code as the number of anti-mod games is extremely low. You can get by if you patch them. I thought about developing my own stealth mod code but somehow it fell into the pile of projects I have on the drawing board but seem to just sit around. Probably because I don't find it very much needed due to the gameshark codes and patches that are out there for any popular anti-mod games. Also if you need to play anti-mod games that bad you could use the regular modchip with a switch on it to disable it.
Where can I obtain a cheap PIC programmer? I may need to get the flash type chips so I can repeatedly flash until my mod works.
12F629 PICs are flash. You can reprogram them. You can get a Serial Port PIC programmer from MCUMALL. They have a website and are on ebay.
Thanks. I'll look it up. Is there any way I can use something like a z80, 6502 or m68k for the modchip? This is strictly for educational purposes. Oh, and I don't use Windows so I don't know if the PIC programmer will work for me. I really hope I don't have to write an app for it.
I don't know. I guess in theory you could but then you must make your own modchip code and it would be far more complicated than a PIC. I'm sure you can program PICs on non-windows.
I think I'll use a PIC then. Oh, I'm planning on writing my own code. Uhm, as for the PIC programmer, I can't seem to find any software for any non-Windows OS. At least any that support that type of PIC.
Well you could use any PIC if you write your own code. Basically you put the normal disc security bit output low and inject your own bytes through a serial type connection. You're basically sending SCEI.SCEA.SCEE in a loop at a specific rate all the time with regular modchips. Stealth mods would watch the lid status and time when they send the codes. Anyway, I can't help with finding a PIC programming program for non-windows. How hard is it to put windows on something?
