PS1 Memory Card Mod . . . would this be possible?

I had a 8 MB PS1 memory card with an LED display on it (7-segment) and it failed to. I still have the EPROMS with my data on them, so I will eventually recover it all.

 

Good luck with that... These cards actually compress their data and that's WHY THEY SUCK.

They have big chances of fail in the middle of the compression, corrupting the whole page.

Thank you, DATEL. :flamethrower::evil:

 

The ones with uncompressed memory, for example the Blaze "true memory" 16 page card or the MadCatz 32x (32 page) memory card, don't have that problem.

 

Ah! So that's why!!!!

Thank you for letting me know

 

You know digital logic really isn't that hard.

You'd need a microcontroller with enough pins to connect a SD card (SPI-mode) and enough to talk to the PS1. (Perhaps some buttons and a 7-segment LED?)

Or lots of glue logic...(CPLD?)

Is the serial protocol publicly known?

 

And how do you make that microcontroller "just talk" to the PS1?

Serial as in the SIO port on the back of the PS or the serial protocol to hook it up to the microcontroller??

 

Well, according to the pinouts of the MU connector it probably run at 3.3 volts.
I made a MU reader once and didn't supplied an external 7 vols source.
I dunno if that last one is important, but im almost sure the original mcu(microcontroller unit) and Chinese remakes run on 3.3volts.
If not, then it would be lickely be 5 volts.
I know I can make the Atmega368 or family run at 3.3 volts. has I believe they have the proccesor power to communicate with the ps1 and sd card (sd is working )

Anyway, whats really important in my own research and programming is the timing. according to Hitmen's ps1 docs communication is done with a clockpulse of 250 KHz.
But maybe I should take another look at the PSX Peripheral Bus Library.
I dint build any test devices yet for this project, but I have some spare time soon. :thumbsup:going to skool for 2 hours and then im back.

Have a nice day

 

I like :Rock:

 

Fake cards are using 5V flash memory so they have an 7805 converter or some resistor/zener diode scheme to obtain 5v for the flash memory.

That's why you need 7V on the MC slot adapter and why counterfeit PS1 cards do not work on later PS2 consoles (SCPH-7500x and above) neither on SONY USB MC reader for the PS3.

 

Thank you,:love2: now I know why they dint worked.
But why? Is the communication done in 7v? or is the ps2 checking some things about the card? I dint searched this clue up yet. raining and at skool.

I think Ill try making an protoboard version soon, just got my usbasp working :thumbsup:

 

Because they are using a regulator or resistor voltage divider.

If you take 3.3v/5v as source voltage and use the same regulator/resistors that were chosen based on 7v source voltage you will end up with very little power for the chips and therefore not work.

 

DAT/ACK/CMD etc should be 3.3v

 

That would explain why my Blaze 16M memory card does not seem to be working on my v12 playstation 2. Do you know if the pin that used to carry 7.6V on the memory card port is linked to any circuitry on the main board? If not, a quick fix would be to supply a ~7.6V to that specific pin.

 

one of the many sources:
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/495483