[PS2 TWO] Estudio de Fixes Para PS2 Two

Ok... if you would read and interpret their added info's right then this is what you would learn, 2 things:

(1) The Matrix PIC fix is only able to reset/turn off the PS2 when the Mechacon locks DURING operation.

These lock-ups during play are usually caused by chips that patch the DVD controller in a bad way... like the Matr1x 1nfinity (that's why they made their PIC fix, so they can still sell their bad chips) and the Ripper and DMS4 chips don't have this problem!

(2) The Mechacon can also crash during power on when plugging in the power cord. The mechacon chip gets some power when the outlet power is plugged in and the PS2 is still in standby. Reset and eject buttons are directly connected to the Mechacon.

The mechacon gets a "standby" power from the power supply and when you press the reset button the mechacon will switch fully on and all other chips will get power -> your PS2 boots, but Mechacon might go in the lockup state if voltage is unstable!. But of course this will ONLY happen when you try to power on the PSTwo when you JUST plugged in the power and the voltage is not stable yet.

I actualy use this "method" to test all kinds of fixes I have designed and implemented. I turned on a TL light which introduces huge glitches on my power supply... and then I also turned on my PSTwo.... 1 out of 20 times Iit would lock up immediately and I could test if the fix works. The PIC controller does not get a chance to turn off the PS2 again, because the PIC itsself does not get any power till after the PS2 is full turned on.

You can prevent this by adding some components following their "very hard to follow" diagrams. What they did is this make a delay in the Mechacon's reset/powerup line. You can delay the moment when the Mechacon initialises (when you plug in the power) by making a delay to it's reset line... this way you can prevent that the Mechacon gets in its locked-up state even before you turn the PS2 on. You can't even press the reset button to turn on till after the delay. And this delay should be enough for the voltae to become stable. Charging a capacitor with a resistor is something that is often used as a quite acurate delay timer. The reset line has to "charge" from a low to a high level.... let's say from 0 to a minimum of 2 volts.... and putting a capacitor in parallel will make this charging time much longer.

Ok.. this little addon seems usefull but not critical. Just don't power on the PSTwo when you just plugged in the power supply. I think I can join this fix and my current-limiter together in one big fix. The PIC code can be disassembled and checked.... the source code improved and put online... Someone could maybe think of better code. The PIC could be powered on too even before the PSTwo turns on (it can use standby power) so it does have a chance to turn off the PSTwo right after it boots if it locks up during boot.

The PIC and the current limiter could maybe use the same power supply line that will in term give the mechacon it's delayed power. The PIC even has 4 I/O pins left over, so writing a second program that runs in parallel that checks the power supply for stability could be inserted. Then the PIC is not only a watchdog for lockups, but also a "power-good" checker.

So many ideas ... but the thing is... I don't have a serive manual for V12 like I do for V1-V10... so i will take longer for me to find and trace the standby power lines, chip-enable and reset pins etc. If anyone has, please send it to me.

I'll "design" another power-on-delay and power-line filter, make some nice high-res pics, put a tutorial online and pot it up here again... like before.

Greetz, Edwin