I recently pulled an SCPH-50001/N out of the electronics bin at my local town dump. The other day I took it up to the tech center at my local community college and we were able to get it running. Turns out the power supply had died, but the motherboard and DVD drive were working just fine. Hell, there was even a game still in the DVD drive!ATV Offroad Fury 2 in case you’re wondering. Rather than replace the dead power supply with another power supply of the same model that would’ve probably just died again at some point, we pulled the old power supply out, and soldered a barrel connector to the motherboard’s power leads, allowing the console to use an external power brick. The barrel connector pokes out through the hole that was previously occupied by the power switch for the original power supply. I’m probably gonna try the PicFix mod at some point to preserve the optical drive. It still works perfectly for the time being, but better to prevent a problem rather than cure it y’know? I also have a slim PS2 that I’ve had since 2006, but luckily it’s an SCPH-75001, so it doesn’t have this issue Might even try to install a mod chip once I get more proficient at soldering. Though I probably won’t use the DVD drive that much anyway. This console actually had an official PS2 network adapter attached when I found it so I’ll probably just install a hard drive or SSD. Already have all of my PS2 games backed up on my PC anyway Definitely gonna replace the cooling fan at some point though, maybe with a Noctua fan like you did in one of your other videos. Hell, I might try to track down a copy of the PS2 Linux distro to mess around with. So many possibilities now!
0:40 When you saw the intro has retro classic game consule gems, and the satisfying techno game music in the background, you know you're in the right place.
Good to know about this. Just bought a Japanese PS2 that (by model number) can have this failure. I would have preferred a tutorial using an unmodded system, but that's just a nitpick
I'll probably skip this mod, as when I do mod my PS2 slim (my only remaining PS2 model, got rid of my phat PS2 years ago), it'll be to play games off some sort of HDD solution. Still, this is great, especially if it becomes possible down the road to replace burnt out laser mechanisms. Great video, Tito!
Haha, glad you enjoyed them! That’s a great question. Can’t say I know which would be the best, but I think most should be okay. I would steer clear of the models mentioned in the video unless you do a mod like the picfix. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Does this do the same thing as the "Romeo Mod for v9 / v10 PS2's" ? which I have already done to my v9 ps2 which drops the voltage of the to the BA5815FM chip from 12v down to 5v? please advise thank you!
Nice! Yeah, that’s definitely the way to go for sure. I’ve been playing more games off the hdd too, but I do enjoy occasionally loading games manually 😅
I wonder if this is the reason I can't get Swap Magic to work on my PS2 anymore. It still boots up the disk and get to the "Load disk" screen, but when I load a backup DVD of one of my games it just keeps saying "Not a valid PS2" disk. My PS2 slim is a scph-77001 series. It'll boot regular PS2 games just fine though, so it could be something else.
What a great video about soldering if I pronounce it correctly it's like school a fantastic education but I'm wondering if this works on the 39001 USA models
GH-032-11 GH-032-12 GH-032-21 GH-032-22 GH-032-31 and most GH-035-xx boards are the affected ones except GH-035-42 and GH-035-43 and the rest of GH-032-xx boards
I have to check mine which Version it is but it's a fat one. Actually this one was probably the most used console I ever got in my hands- the amount of dust and the worn out to broken controls were a sign. Now restored, I hope mine is a keeper😂
So I have a launch day PS2 ( yes a fatty that still works perfectly) your video says V9 through V12 are the ones affected by the issue, do you know if launch day versions have same issue.
Hey Tito im wondering if previous models like the SCPH-3000xR with boards v5 and v6 have the same issue with the laser? I've seen people in Mercado Libre (south american eBay) who sell modbo 4.0 and 5.0 with a little board with diodes saying its a "laser protection" but they don't know for wich specific boards are.
Instead of soldering to one side of the SMD resistor, you could solder to the via right next to it. It connects to that side of the resistor and there is less chance of component damage.
On the GH-023 board there is a solder pad on the opposite side of the board as well. It leads to another via and then to the dsp cxd3098 chip. My qsb I'm designing for the GH-023 is flush against the resistor side and blocks all of the surrounding area to avoid bridges. Another point is as follows from left to right: Y, K,I,H,G,B,A. In your typical modchip install count one immediately left of point I and that will also yield the mechacon signal needed for the laserfixes. Cheers!
About that board from the previous video, check the fuse at location ps13, that controls the spindle motor ic. It's been a while since I've replaced any fuses but iirc the type to replace with is: FCC16 401 or TF16SN 0.40 or ERBFEOR40S from the copper silkscreen on a v9, should be compatible with v10 though. Cheers!
Awesome! Thank you haloslayer! I have someone looking at it right now and will let them know to check out the fuse. Thanks for all your work supporting the modding community 🙏
I'm honestly surprised that the ps2 wouldn't have a hardware analog constant current limit on the laser diode drive circuitry to prevent this, completely independent of the mechacon operation. This is how most optical drive systems work, so the closed loop servo mechanisms cant force the components to operate beyond their physical/electrical limits.
Con: The PS2 Fat is a such a pain to disassemble. In all reality I’ll probably skip this mod unless I’m doing maintenance. I suppose I’m taking a minor risk, but I only play legit discs and resurface anything that looks questionable.
You should be good to go. Mostly concerns burned media but has also been known to crash with scratched discs. Well taken care of authentic discs great mitigates the problem
It is the first time, but once you get used to it it becomes quite trivial. When I was cleaning out and fixing my phat PS2, I had to take it apart at least 15 times. The first time was rough to say the least, but afterwards I could crack that baby down to the bare motherboard pretty quickly.
@@frostech3149 this, its really annoying first couple times but really isn't too bad, there aren't tons of screws all over the place or confusing sizes for them. For the fat, if you been using it for years or someone else has and its never been cleaned for dust, I would highly recommend you put in the effort... There are so many places for that dust in that console
> me, moments into this video "oh god my beloved ps2 is at stake i hope this mod isn't too difficult or expensive" >me, moments later "oh just the disc drive, couldn't care less lol"
I love how simple and clean this mod fix is. The retro community continues to amaze. Thanks for another great video (and for giving us a blooper reel)!
Now do a video repairing the board you messed up :). I recently did something similar and it required a new fuse and the BA5815FM replacement. Not sure if your repair is the same but that is the laser controller IC.
I didn't know about this design flaw until now. I'll have to keep this mod in mind because I play a lot of physical games on my PS2. Mostly, I've kept it around for playing PS1 games in component video. Surprised there's still no clone systems of the PS2 floating around yet. You'd think there'd be some given that Sony's patent on the hardware has since expired.
Do you know how complex the PS2 is? Let alone emulate it. Projects like MiSTer got to Saturn/PS1 emulation just recently. i don't think we'll see a "ps2 clone" in, say, 15 years or so. Unless FPGAs get a massive jump in performance.
This only applies to anything beyond V7 and V8. Such as SCPH5000X’s and beyond. The much loved SCPH3X000’s aren’t affected. Personally i’d rather take the improved heatsink out of the SCPH5000X and put it into a SCPH3X000.
The FPGA scene has to first get to the Sega Saturn, N64 and the Sega Dreamcast before it even considers something as complex as a PS2 with its Emotion Engine and GS chip.
1st time I hear of this and I call it nonsense. At least for the European market that is. Plenty of people I know had and still have different PS2 from day 1 to last gen and I can say that the only reason why laser died out is due to it's shelf life and user neglect. I restored plenty of PS2 and PS1 for 20 years and never hear of this crap. Unless the mod chips we used somehow fixes these problems hence why didn't know. My 1st gen PS1 had it's 1st laser replacement in 2016 while some people complain how there is a design flaw of overheating the laser. Which I can see but mine never had the issue. My fat PS2 simply stopped reading properly newer games at one point due to the fact the revisions got better performance, my slim PS2 had it's 1st laser replacement in 2018. I still have few last gen slims they still work fine with factory lasers. All of them are chipped day one of purchase. The only lasers we had to replace etc were the ones that were caked in junk and dust. With few exceptions that some simply fry due to bad electronic mains in some house holds. Often it fry the power supply and few components. I once lost a PSone due to an outage where a huge burst of electic shock struck in a second later, there was like at least 20 on and off attempt in span of few seconds and by the time I unplugged it from the outlet it was too late. It fried the power supply laser and spindle motor the rest had minor damages. I lost few TV sets and some things in the house at that time and had to sue the electric company for compensation. We got some discounts for few months instead ... I was so pissed. But yeah I never seen or heard this laser going bad due to reading bad or backup discs ... I run backups from day one ...
What I'm curious about is if it would be worth the effort to locate the burnt-out part(s) of that motherboard and replace it/them. I think I'm going to stick to the hard-drive setup on the PS2s I have. All of mine are second (or more) hand units that I picked up specifically for the tinkering of. I bought a slim not too long ago because it showed more promise of working with the memory card slot option. But with how much work is still needed on it, that's going to be a while. I don't know if any of the lasers work properly on my PS2s, they all have similar issues with that, which is why I probably got them so cheap. Oddly enough, the laser on the hard drive setup is able to rip games onto the hard drive, which I found interesting since it otherwise won't read disks for play. I would suggest this mod to anyone that would want to preserve their laser, and also advise them to find someone with experience in soldering. I feel like mine are long since gone for it though. :(
Another great video, thanks Tito! I love the simplicity of this mod fixing a rather complicated issue. We as end users are so fortunate to have such amazing people developing these mods!
The laser on my V9 PS2 just died a year ago. I was devastated, because I like having the full functionality of all of my systems, including disc drives, even if I use the hard drive instead (for various reasons) I'm going to install this in my PS2 before I buy a new optical pickup
@@MachoNachoProductions try to talk about ps2smb, I've recently seen people playing the game through their routers, I'm still confused about how to set it
@@cokiputraa Don't bother with it. Even with the fastest router it still has FMV audio stuttering and load times are much slower than using a hard drive.
I had this happen to 2 PS2s back in the day when they were Sony's newest console. I always kept 1 of them just in case something like this came out. This is great!
This makes me feel SAD that Sony didn't learn their lesson since they gave the PS3 & PS4 a problem like this but WORSE! Granted they patched it for the PS4 but PS3s are still boned.
@@GatorRay how did they patch it for the PS4? Was it done by a hardware revision or was it done in software, if it was the latter that might be easier to accomplish with existing custom firmware.
Now if only we could get a mod that simple to prevent the CBOMB flaw from killing our PS3s. (Sony still hasn't fixed it, a couple weekends ago I discovered my battery was dead and I couldn't launch digital games until I changed the battery and reconnected to PSN at least once, just like everyone said)
It's called jailbreak and screw Sony. I love the PS, PS4, PSP and PS Vita, but Sony screwed all of these systems bar the original over as well as their fans.
It doesn't actually brick it, the problem is that when the Mechacon crashes it over volts the laser in the DVD drive. If you're not using discs this isn't going to happen. This flaw damages only the laser in the DVD drive, anyone saying that it bricks your entire system is spreading misinformation.
in a sense, i've used that to my advantage. my copy of fatal frame 2 has been played to death, so it has some light scratches i'm sure. or at least some level of wear and tear. but when i hear the disc spinning in a particular way/particular speed, i've used that to determine a random encounter is about to occur.
My ps2 doesn't even have dvd drive, it was physically ripped out by previous owner. But you don't need it to play games and that is beautiful. Honestly the optical drive in my experience is the worst part of any console and should be ditched at first opportunity, if other ways to launch games are present for that system.
The optical drive is definitely one of the greatest point of failures on any console. I think it great that we have options to not need the drive but I do enjoy popping on a cd every once in a while.
@@MachoNachoProductions there is some guy working on ps1 games running from usb via some deckard hacking, if that thing is released then ps2 may be finally be fully free from need of disks, though that does not apply for mechacon models. watch?v=OlSdBusJHks
@@TN_AU many cartridge games require updates to add the necessary game content (AKA zero day updates) which is fine if you hacked your switch (then you can just download those updates from a different source) but if you have a later model switch and didn't install a mod chip when the service shuts down you're not going to be able to get those zero day updates anymore. So the cartridge's added durability over the unupdateable optical discs is effectively offset by the fact that the games require zero day updates to either be finished if not in some cases even playable. This is just on the switch though, other cartridge based systems like the DS and 3DS don't really have this problem (3DS games still use updates but they don't have mandatory zero day updates to my knowledge).
Mekka-lekka-hi, Mekka-hiney-ho! Anywho, did you say that there is no way back from this crash for a PS2? No manual reset of a chip or anything? Reprogramming? Is it permanent? Just curious.
The ps2 will most likely be okay, it’s just the laser that gets burned out. The crash causes the laser to burn but you should be able to replace it and have everything functioning again. This chip os mostly a preventative measure.
Hi Tito, thanks for the advise, I had no idea this was even a problem. Sadly my PS2 Slim is in fact a V12 :(. Unfortunately, the picfix is sold out in the store you linked. Do you know if they will restock it or another place to get it? Thanks.
I have a SCPH 5000 that already has drive problems from the plastic gears being worn out. I ended up making it worse by doing a lens position adjustment without marking the original position for the adjustment screw Thankfully this all happened around the time OPL came out, so I've been 99% hard drive ever since. But I should still do this mod if I ever get around to fixing the gears and lens position. It would be nice to have the ability to play any used games I pick up without having to rip them first, and not worrying about damaging the laser if they're scratched up
The 39000 Series is considered by many the best model and the most reliable one ... It is also the last "Made in Japan" - the UK Model, at least (39003) ... Cheers
I tried once installing a ModBo chip and ended up frying my laser because it got stuck (apparently a wrongly made connection on the modbo chip). I had to replace the Laser with an aftermarket one, and now everything works. But after what happened, i will definitely be installing this one next just to be sure, ever one joint goes cold or the mechachon decides to freeze again, my poor laser dont get burned again. Thanks as always for the great content !
SUPER clickbait, this doesnt render the ps2 useless just the dvd drive; you can still use the HDD drive or the memory card slot You phrase it like it will downright brick the ps2
My PS2 is a 3900X model with a MODBO 4.0 chip installed in it. I don't put anything into the dvd drive exvept real NTSC-J and NTSC PS1/PS2 games. Am I ok?
Whats wrong with romeo mod? i did those. you need to lift one of the laser driver IC, and feed it with 5v instead of the original 12v wich fries the laser and the driver ic. Btw, i have a story with the mechacon crash. around 15 years ago, i had a chipped V10 Ps2, wich i replaced the laser, and it worked nicely. I sold it, than after a few days ive got a call that it doesnt want to read any discs. long story short, the guy tested the ps2 good with some crap media, eventually killing the laser and driver IC. So, i needed to pay back the price, and recieve the blown ps2. It sat in my room for like 5 years, when i decided to take a look at it again. I managed to replace the driver IC, got a new laser in it, Did the romeo mod, and that thing is still with me, working as a charm. fun fact, that V10 is pretty rare here, ive got like 5 another 5k series PS2, wich has all V9 mainboards. I kinda like the V10 more, it seems more stable running homebrew stuff, and kinda works better with the modbo chip i always used.
This flaw killed my 70000 slim with the v12 board about 15 years ago. I used swap magic discs with the lid spring bypass. Originally I thought the burns killed the laser but eventually this flaw was discovered and now it’s obvious that’s what happened. All as Sony intended because it isn’t even a conspiracy to say this was intended to be an anti-mod function that, like most anti-mod functions, backfired and was corrected (removed) from some 70001 and all 75000’s forward.
Not really. Most of the issues stem from playing backup copies of games. However it has been reported that scratched media could cause the mechacon to crash. I think if you just play authoring games in decent condition, you should be fine
This video was a bit different but VERY HELPFUL!!! You were able to demonstrate what a flawed install can look like and end up as, and you didn't even try to LOL :P - With the jokes out of the way it is a GREAT thing you were able to show us, I just wish you had gone into more detail in the original video... it was quite confused as to what happened and it seemed like a cheap low blow of some sorts at the time... like you making it up or something... but I really didn't think that was the case, it just could have seen that way... again, it was just confusing at the time... but now that I know what happened, it all worked out smoothly.. We all make mistakes. Anyway, this is one of those mods that does give you any instant gratification from all your hard work, but it is TOTALLY WORTH THE EFFORT! Thanks for showing this to the world, I know I NEVER heard about it and most modders would likely skip over it and go for the big toys to add on.... now if I only had a PS2 lol! -- do you have any add-on/mods fo4r the PS4 Pro?? Not the typical jailbreak that is just so simple, I mean adding cool stuff on to the second greatest system created (even though I have yet to buy a PS5.. I'll just assume it's the best lol) Maybe upgrading a the internal storage to 2 or 4TB .. integrating the Pi Zero INSIDE the console so you don't have to leave it taking up your rear USB port (the pi zero does all the keystroke to initiate the jailbreak as soon as you turn it on - in case you didn't know) - just some cool add-ons - I want to do something to my baby, I just don't know what :) THANKS!!! :D
I already knew the horror stories of the fat PS not reading discs. I wonder if it had anything to do with people wanting to use the PS as a DVD player. I had multiple friends that had the fat PS and they would have to try and try to get a movie to load. I also believe that my fat PS2 eventually didn’t read discs any longer. I wonder. It’s been so long since that time, but I’m trying to remember if my PS2 was only able to read non-DVD discs? Not the gray ones, but the purple ones would play with no issue, but the DVDs would not work. Am I remembering this wrong?
I used to tell all my friends the same thing it was meant to play video games not DVDs just because it can play DVDs.. So many of my friends blew up their ps2s playing DVDs all the time not realizing the media was wearing out the laser a hundred times faster than it would just playing the video games on it. Same thing with PS3s that I know people who play DVDs on it all the time when it first came out I never did and mine still works. Ol 60 GB beast lol
I really appreciate the blooper at the end. Your videos already have a very personal and genuine feel to them, and that sent that same feel through the roof. Thanks for all you do for the community!
I had a phat that was just working the other day... then i started trying to insert old dvd movie discs i had laying around and suddenly the system totally died on me... i mean... it couldnt play even previously working ps2 game discs.... maybe this is what happened to my system...wish i knew about this before
This is no where near as bad as the clock capacitor in the original xbox
Yes
Don’t know what Microsoft was thinking with that clock cap
@@MachoNachoProductions They definitely weren’t thinking about capacitor plague lol
That clock capacitor cost me a mobo. Hopefully there is a solution to that thing, unless I was living under a rock and there's already one
@@Defx86 the solution is remove it!
I recently pulled an SCPH-50001/N out of the electronics bin at my local town dump. The other day I took it up to the tech center at my local community college and we were able to get it running.
Turns out the power supply had died, but the motherboard and DVD drive were working just fine. Hell, there was even a game still in the DVD drive!ATV Offroad Fury 2 in case you’re wondering.
Rather than replace the dead power supply with another power supply of the same model that would’ve probably just died again at some point, we pulled the old power supply out, and soldered a barrel connector to the motherboard’s power leads, allowing the console to use an external power brick. The barrel connector pokes out through the hole that was previously occupied by the power switch for the original power supply.
I’m probably gonna try the PicFix mod at some point to preserve the optical drive. It still works perfectly for the time being, but better to prevent a problem rather than cure it y’know? I also have a slim PS2 that I’ve had since 2006, but luckily it’s an SCPH-75001, so it doesn’t have this issue
Might even try to install a mod chip once I get more proficient at soldering.
Though I probably won’t use the DVD drive that much anyway. This console actually had an official PS2 network adapter attached when I found it so I’ll probably just install a hard drive or SSD. Already have all of my PS2 games backed up on my PC anyway
Definitely gonna replace the cooling fan at some point though, maybe with a Noctua fan like you did in one of your other videos.
Hell, I might try to track down a copy of the PS2 Linux distro to mess around with. So many possibilities now!
It is believed that "MechaCon crash" is intentional by Sony, since the DSP chips of the DTL-H models have firmware changes that prevent it
0:40 When you saw the intro has retro classic game consule gems, and the satisfying techno game music in the background, you know you're in the right place.
Happy I found your channel. I cant get enough of console modding
I even ordered a Raspberry Pico and a SP2SD for my Gamecube after your recent video
Thank you 🙏 so glad you’re enjoying the channel! Nice! The picoboot mod is awesome, you’ll love it 👍
I did the same thing:-)
Good to know about this. Just bought a Japanese PS2 that (by model number) can have this failure. I would have preferred a tutorial using an unmodded system, but that's just a nitpick
Now I know why my old PS2 suddenly broke after playing extremely scratchy disc.
Watching the premier exactly as my dinner got served ❤️
Nice!!
I'll probably skip this mod, as when I do mod my PS2 slim (my only remaining PS2 model, got rid of my phat PS2 years ago), it'll be to play games off some sort of HDD solution. Still, this is great, especially if it becomes possible down the road to replace burnt out laser mechanisms. Great video, Tito!
Thanks bucktwenty!!
My PS2 slim still trucking 17 years later 🤣. Xbox one: 6
You have solder to a tiny resistor? That is not easy.
It's a good public service announcement.
Love the outtakes! Which version of the PS2 would you say is the best for compatibility with mods/running game backups?
Haha, glad you enjoyed them! That’s a great question. Can’t say I know which would be the best, but I think most should be okay. I would steer clear of the models mentioned in the video unless you do a mod like the picfix. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Does this do the same thing as the "Romeo Mod for v9 / v10 PS2's" ? which I have already done to my v9 ps2 which drops the voltage of the to the BA5815FM chip from 12v down to 5v? please advise thank you!
It’s a different mod from what I understand but achieves a similar end.
@@MachoNachoProductions ah ok thank you I will take note on this mod to I enjoy your vids thank you again :)
LA6508
Con: you ganna void your warranty!!!
Haha, these are way out of warranty
Oh my god... this is what killed my PS2 in 2009...
Oh man sorry to hear that. I’m sure this killed many ps2’s over the years
I just load games from an internal hdd. But this is great for everyone else :)
Nice! Yeah, that’s definitely the way to go for sure. I’ve been playing more games off the hdd too, but I do enjoy occasionally loading games manually 😅
A hdmi modboard would be nice
Totally agree!
I wonder if this is the reason I can't get Swap Magic to work on my PS2 anymore. It still boots up the disk and get to the "Load disk" screen, but when I load a backup DVD of one of my games it just keeps saying "Not a valid PS2" disk. My PS2 slim is a scph-77001 series. It'll boot regular PS2 games just fine though, so it could be something else.
Thanks for the video, it was pretty awesome. But where can we find pcbs with the pic. I did'nt found one on eBay.
Love your videos
Thanks! They’re being sold on the modzvilleusa website that I have link in the video description.
@@MachoNachoProductions Sadly, it's sold out. Any word on restocking or other place to get it?
My PS2 slim stopped working one day when playing a scratched disc. I just kept trying to play it. I wondered why the console stopped working. Ugh
SCPH-70xxx with 6.04 MechaCon has q factory fix!
What a great video about soldering if I pronounce it correctly it's like school a fantastic education but I'm wondering if this works on the 39001 USA models
GH-032-11
GH-032-12
GH-032-21
GH-032-22
GH-032-31
and most GH-035-xx boards are the affected ones
except GH-035-42 and GH-035-43 and the rest of GH-032-xx boards
I have to check mine which Version it is but it's a fat one. Actually this one was probably the most used console I ever got in my hands- the amount of dust and the worn out to broken controls were a sign. Now restored, I hope mine is a keeper😂
Did not know that could happen
Neither did I, pretty crazy. I’m glad there are some really smart folks out there who are able to solve these problems
So I have a launch day PS2 ( yes a fatty that still works perfectly) your video says V9 through V12 are the ones affected by the issue, do you know if launch day versions have same issue.
I think you should be good 👍
@@MachoNachoProductions thanks was pretty sure based on this video but figured it didn't hurt to ask
V4 and earlier have older lasers
So that's why Ps2's laser stopped working. This is one of the reasons that I don't buy physical copies of games due to fear of ruining the PS laser.
Hey Tito im wondering if previous models like the SCPH-3000xR with boards v5 and v6 have the same issue with the laser? I've seen people in Mercado Libre (south american eBay) who sell modbo 4.0 and 5.0 with a little board with diodes saying its a "laser protection" but they don't know for wich specific boards are.
Hey Tito I have a slim SCPH-79001 does that mean I'm included in the 70,000 series or no? Thanks!
You might be. Best thing to do is check the motherboard to see if you actually have a v12
@@MachoNachoProductions Thanks for the reply!!!
79001 is a different model
soldering anything on the console is too much problem, I rather buy a new laser which cost cheap nowadays.
What DVD-Video disks form DVD-/+ R/RW and mixed Audio-CDs on CD-R or CD-RW disks?
I think I've had a couple PS2 do this s***
What about the scph 39000x models?
Instead of soldering to one side of the SMD resistor, you could solder to the via right next to it. It connects to that side of the resistor and there is less chance of component damage.
Nice! Good to know there’s another point to solder to 👍
On the GH-023 board there is a solder pad on the opposite side of the board as well. It leads to another via and then to the dsp cxd3098 chip.
My qsb I'm designing for the GH-023 is flush against the resistor side and blocks all of the surrounding area to avoid bridges.
Another point is as follows from left to right:
Y, K,I,H,G,B,A.
In your typical modchip install count one immediately left of point I and that will also yield the mechacon signal needed for the laserfixes.
Cheers!
pic's ?
@@haloslayer255 show us. :O
I have the v8 scph 39000, still works fine with matrix 1.38 since 2003 when i've brought it, do i need to worry about it to my specific model?
About that board from the previous video, check the fuse at location ps13, that controls the spindle motor ic. It's been a while since I've replaced any fuses but iirc the type to replace with is:
FCC16 401 or TF16SN 0.40 or ERBFEOR40S from the copper silkscreen on a v9, should be compatible with v10 though.
Cheers!
Awesome! Thank you haloslayer! I have someone looking at it right now and will let them know to check out the fuse. Thanks for all your work supporting the modding community 🙏
I'm honestly surprised that the ps2 wouldn't have a hardware analog constant current limit on the laser diode drive circuitry to prevent this, completely independent of the mechacon operation. This is how most optical drive systems work, so the closed loop servo mechanisms cant force the components to operate beyond their physical/electrical limits.
Sjm4306 yo man! That is odd isnt it 🤔
NEEEEERRRDDDD
Jk but I didn't understand a word you just said
they did this on purpose so pirates have a difficult time trying to chip their ps2
@@Truth-hk2dv look at early ps3 consoles, they are the worst offender
Sony did it on purpose and got sued for it iirc
Con: The PS2 Fat is a such a pain to disassemble.
In all reality I’ll probably skip this mod unless I’m doing maintenance. I suppose I’m taking a minor risk, but I only play legit discs and resurface anything that looks questionable.
You should be good to go. Mostly concerns burned media but has also been known to crash with scratched discs. Well taken care of authentic discs great mitigates the problem
It is the first time, but once you get used to it it becomes quite trivial. When I was cleaning out and fixing my phat PS2, I had to take it apart at least 15 times. The first time was rough to say the least, but afterwards I could crack that baby down to the bare motherboard pretty quickly.
One of the fuses failed on mine. That was _so fun_ to nail down.
@@frostech3149 this, its really annoying first couple times but really isn't too bad, there aren't tons of screws all over the place or confusing sizes for them. For the fat, if you been using it for years or someone else has and its never been cleaned for dust, I would highly recommend you put in the effort... There are so many places for that dust in that console
> me, moments into this video "oh god my beloved ps2 is at stake i hope this mod isn't too difficult or expensive"
>me, moments later "oh just the disc drive, couldn't care less lol"
I love how simple and clean this mod fix is. The retro community continues to amaze. Thanks for another great video (and for giving us a blooper reel)!
Totally agree! The retro community is incredible! Glad you enjoyed the bloopers!
A playstation with a ticking timebomb?
Shock! Lol.
PS3/4 C Bomb are nervously laughing along with me but they know it's true.
Now do a video repairing the board you messed up :). I recently did something similar and it required a new fuse and the BA5815FM replacement. Not sure if your repair is the same but that is the laser controller IC.
I have someone looking at it but it apparently is most likely a blown fuse
I didn't know about this design flaw until now. I'll have to keep this mod in mind because I play a lot of physical games on my PS2. Mostly, I've kept it around for playing PS1 games in component video.
Surprised there's still no clone systems of the PS2 floating around yet. You'd think there'd be some given that Sony's patent on the hardware has since expired.
Do you know how complex the PS2 is? Let alone emulate it. Projects like MiSTer got to Saturn/PS1 emulation just recently. i don't think we'll see a "ps2 clone" in, say, 15 years or so. Unless FPGAs get a massive jump in performance.
This only applies to anything beyond V7 and V8. Such as SCPH5000X’s and beyond. The much loved SCPH3X000’s aren’t affected. Personally i’d rather take the improved heatsink out of the SCPH5000X and put it into a SCPH3X000.
The FPGA scene has to first get to the Sega Saturn, N64 and the Sega Dreamcast before it even considers something as complex as a PS2 with its Emotion Engine and GS chip.
If your model is v8 or lower you should be okay.
1st time I hear of this and I call it nonsense. At least for the European market that is.
Plenty of people I know had and still have different PS2 from day 1 to last gen and I can say that the only reason why laser died out is due to it's shelf life and user neglect.
I restored plenty of PS2 and PS1 for 20 years and never hear of this crap. Unless the mod chips we used somehow fixes these problems hence why didn't know.
My 1st gen PS1 had it's 1st laser replacement in 2016 while some people complain how there is a design flaw of overheating the laser. Which I can see but mine never had the issue.
My fat PS2 simply stopped reading properly newer games at one point due to the fact the revisions got better performance, my slim PS2 had it's 1st laser replacement in 2018. I still have few last gen slims they still work fine with factory lasers.
All of them are chipped day one of purchase.
The only lasers we had to replace etc were the ones that were caked in junk and dust. With few exceptions that some simply fry due to bad electronic mains in some house holds. Often it fry the power supply and few components.
I once lost a PSone due to an outage where a huge burst of electic shock struck in a second later, there was like at least 20 on and off attempt in span of few seconds and by the time I unplugged it from the outlet it was too late. It fried the power supply laser and spindle motor the rest had minor damages. I lost few TV sets and some things in the house at that time and had to sue the electric company for compensation. We got some discounts for few months instead ... I was so pissed.
But yeah I never seen or heard this laser going bad due to reading bad or backup discs ... I run backups from day one ...
What I'm curious about is if it would be worth the effort to locate the burnt-out part(s) of that motherboard and replace it/them.
I think I'm going to stick to the hard-drive setup on the PS2s I have. All of mine are second (or more) hand units that I picked up specifically for the tinkering of. I bought a slim not too long ago because it showed more promise of working with the memory card slot option. But with how much work is still needed on it, that's going to be a while. I don't know if any of the lasers work properly on my PS2s, they all have similar issues with that, which is why I probably got them so cheap. Oddly enough, the laser on the hard drive setup is able to rip games onto the hard drive, which I found interesting since it otherwise won't read disks for play.
I would suggest this mod to anyone that would want to preserve their laser, and also advise them to find someone with experience in soldering. I feel like mine are long since gone for it though. :(
never knew about this issue! Guess im going to have to crack open my PS2
Another great video, thanks Tito! I love the simplicity of this mod fixing a rather complicated issue. We as end users are so fortunate to have such amazing people developing these mods!
This is literally Clock Capacitor: PS2 Edition.
Haha, very true!
At least it doesn't actually kill the system like the clock capacitor does to the Xbox.
The laser on my V9 PS2 just died a year ago. I was devastated, because I like having the full functionality of all of my systems, including disc drives, even if I use the hard drive instead (for various reasons)
I'm going to install this in my PS2 before I buy a new optical pickup
I have a 3000x model with freehdboot but im gonna watch anyway because your videos are great
Good thing I just use an SSD with OPL
Nice! that’s a great way to reduce the wear and tear in the optical drive
@@MachoNachoProductions try to talk about ps2smb, I've recently seen people playing the game through their routers, I'm still confused about how to set it
@@cokiputraa Don't bother with it. Even with the fastest router it still has FMV audio stuttering and load times are much slower than using a hard drive.
At this point you just need a crystal case to show off that beautiful wiring job.
I had this happen to 2 PS2s back in the day when they were Sony's newest console. I always kept 1 of them just in case something like this came out. This is great!
This prevents damage, it wont reverse it.
Thankfully my sister's fat ps3 is not one of the consoles that has these issues. I think it's a 3000 model. It works great but it could use cleaning.
This makes me feel SAD that Sony didn't learn their lesson since they gave the PS3 & PS4 a problem like this but WORSE! Granted they patched it for the PS4 but PS3s are still boned.
Yeah, that’s pretty bad for sure
Maybe hopefully somebody will Port this mod to the PS3.
sony just dont care if your console keeps working after 20 years lol
@@draconic5129 Yeah. I HOPE someone makes an equivalent mod for the PS3 in the future.
@@GatorRay how did they patch it for the PS4? Was it done by a hardware revision or was it done in software, if it was the latter that might be easier to accomplish with existing custom firmware.
Gah, please stop using the same LoFi track for all your videos. Your videos are so perfect otherwise.
Now if only we could get a mod that simple to prevent the CBOMB flaw from killing our PS3s.
(Sony still hasn't fixed it, a couple weekends ago I discovered my battery was dead and I couldn't launch digital games until I changed the battery and reconnected to PSN at least once, just like everyone said)
It's called jailbreak and screw Sony.
I love the PS, PS4, PSP and PS Vita, but Sony screwed all of these systems bar the original over as well as their fans.
Oh man, that’s crazy. I need to check in my ps3
Mine died a long time ago... Before the ps3 was released.
Might pick up the SD card to memory card adapter
The mx4sio/MC2SIO is a really great alternative to playing games from the dvd drive or hdd. Definitely recommend 👍
So what if you don’t use the dvd drive and just play backups off hdd or Eth to USB adapter? Still bricks it or nah?
It doesn't actually brick it, the problem is that when the Mechacon crashes it over volts the laser in the DVD drive. If you're not using discs this isn't going to happen.
This flaw damages only the laser in the DVD drive, anyone saying that it bricks your entire system is spreading misinformation.
You should be okay 👍
damn, i wish i know about this earlier
like..... 20 years ago
I had no idea about this. Thanks for sharing! Fastest PS2 teardown in the west 🤠
Is there anything like this we should worry about in Phat V 1-3 and Slim V16 revisions?
As far as I know you should be in the clear with this models
You should make an usb-type c ps4 and ps3 controller
I own a Slim model that had a faulty DVD drive
Removed the DVD drive completely and now play games off SMB network
Much more practical
Nice! I’ve been meaning to set something like that up
I have a hard Drive loader so i don't need the DVD Drive anymore but nice video
Wish I still had my original thick ps2. I got a slim to replace it, as it quit working years ago. That white ps2 is beautiful.
Beautifully done my dude!
Thanks man!
.....and if the laser does burn out, what can be done about it?
You almost gave me a heart attack. My PS2's DVD drive died years ago so I removed the whole assembly and have used FreeHDboot since.
So finally, after 20 years, I know why the laser in my modded PS2 died so often. Very interesting.
I personally have OPL set to disable the disk drive on my slim. Moving parts with lasers, boy where we daring cowboys once
That’s a great idea, especially if you’re not using the drive
I think it should be called PicGuard Mod :p
What a useless mod. Thanks for the video though.
Couldn't the laser just be replaced? Soldering on those small components is still outside my level of comfort.
Yes, the laser could be replaced and you should be fine unless it happens again
This seems like such a rare problem, over the years I've put hundreds of discs in my ps2 that had scratches and I never encountered this issue.
Nice! What model ps2 do you have?
in a sense, i've used that to my advantage.
my copy of fatal frame 2 has been played to death, so it has some light scratches i'm sure. or at least some level of wear and tear. but when i hear the disc spinning in a particular way/particular speed, i've used that to determine a random encounter is about to occur.
I had 2 different playstation 2 consoles die while playing gtaiii. I always thought it was weird they died with the same game...
My ps2 doesn't even have dvd drive, it was physically ripped out by previous owner. But you don't need it to play games and that is beautiful.
Honestly the optical drive in my experience is the worst part of any console and should be ditched at first opportunity, if other ways to launch games are present for that system.
The optical drive is definitely one of the greatest point of failures on any console. I think it great that we have options to not need the drive but I do enjoy popping on a cd every once in a while.
@@MachoNachoProductions there is some guy working on ps1 games running from usb via some deckard hacking, if that thing is released then ps2 may be finally be fully free from need of disks, though that does not apply for mechacon models.
watch?v=OlSdBusJHks
Nintendo Switch: Hold my cartridge
@@TN_AU Too bad actually being able to play it requires paying an extra $70 to avoid dealing with the crappy joycons.
@@TN_AU many cartridge games require updates to add the necessary game content (AKA zero day updates) which is fine if you hacked your switch (then you can just download those updates from a different source) but if you have a later model switch and didn't install a mod chip when the service shuts down you're not going to be able to get those zero day updates anymore.
So the cartridge's added durability over the unupdateable optical discs is effectively offset by the fact that the games require zero day updates to either be finished if not in some cases even playable.
This is just on the switch though, other cartridge based systems like the DS and 3DS don't really have this problem (3DS games still use updates but they don't have mandatory zero day updates to my knowledge).
Mekka-lekka-hi, Mekka-hiney-ho!
Anywho, did you say that there is no way back from this crash for a PS2? No manual reset of a chip or anything? Reprogramming? Is it permanent? Just curious.
The ps2 will most likely be okay, it’s just the laser that gets burned out. The crash causes the laser to burn but you should be able to replace it and have everything functioning again. This chip os mostly a preventative measure.
I've been using my PS2 for the past 21 years, should I be concerned?
Depends on the model and if it’s been modded with a modchip
Just fixed 5 PS2's, 3 had bad lasers, 2 were SCPH-30001, one SCPH-50001. Other two had bad power supply capacitors.
Hi Tito, thanks for the advise, I had no idea this was even a problem. Sadly my PS2 Slim is in fact a V12 :(. Unfortunately, the picfix is sold out in the store you linked. Do you know if they will restock it or another place to get it? Thanks.
Hey Fernando! From what I understand modzville should be restocking this Monday 👍. Cheers buddy!
I have a SCPH 5000 that already has drive problems from the plastic gears being worn out. I ended up making it worse by doing a lens position adjustment without marking the original position for the adjustment screw
Thankfully this all happened around the time OPL came out, so I've been 99% hard drive ever since.
But I should still do this mod if I ever get around to fixing the gears and lens position. It would be nice to have the ability to play any used games I pick up without having to rip them first, and not worrying about damaging the laser if they're scratched up
I've had two PS2's over the last 20 years, and never had any laser problems. I think both are earlier 39000 models.
The 39000 Series is considered by many the best model and the most reliable one ... It is also the last "Made in Japan" - the UK Model, at least (39003) ... Cheers
I tried once installing a ModBo chip and ended up frying my laser because it got stuck (apparently a wrongly made connection on the modbo chip). I had to replace the Laser with an aftermarket one, and now everything works. But after what happened, i will definitely be installing this one next just to be sure, ever one joint goes cold or the mechachon decides to freeze again, my poor laser dont get burned again.
Thanks as always for the great content !
I had the same problem. Definitely got to double check solder joint and connections. It’s a great mod for piece of mind. Cheers!
I’ve owned two PlayStation 2 where the disc drive goes bad and can’t read disc
ps2 lasers are unfortunately pretty weak.
SUPER clickbait, this doesnt render the ps2 useless just the dvd drive; you can still use the HDD drive or the memory card slot
You phrase it like it will downright brick the ps2
who uses a disc drive anymore i have a 1tb drive with around 400 games on it
It’s amazing how far we’ve come in the modding scene.
My laser doesn't read disk anymore. The laser went out back in the 2000's, don't know what year exactly but i refused to throw it out.
Put a Hard drive, FHDBoot, and OPL in it and start playing games again. you don't need an optical drive to play games on the PS2
Definitely keep you. You can either replace the laser or use it with freemcboot and a hdd or both 😁
My PS2 is a 3900X model with a MODBO 4.0 chip installed in it. I don't put anything into the dvd drive exvept real NTSC-J and NTSC PS1/PS2 games. Am I ok?
Interesting theme for future videos.
First software exploit for ps2 - Independence exploit (2003)
Late production of SCPH-70000 (mechacon v6.04) supposedly have this type of circuit built-in by Sony (after being sued).
I was spooked until I checked and saw that I have a 39000 model
Haha, you’re in the clear 👍
Please, my ps2 is beeping all the time from the console when I turn ON. What can it be? Thanks!
Hmm not sure what the beeping could be. Is this a ps2 or ps3?
@@MachoNachoProductions ps2 fat model, yes.
The Playstation 2: What you don't know, might kill you! More news at 11.
😂
Whats wrong with romeo mod? i did those. you need to lift one of the laser driver IC, and feed it with 5v instead of the original 12v wich fries the laser and the driver ic.
Btw, i have a story with the mechacon crash. around 15 years ago, i had a chipped V10 Ps2, wich i replaced the laser, and it worked nicely. I sold it, than after a few days ive got a call that it doesnt want to read any discs. long story short, the guy tested the ps2 good with some crap media, eventually killing the laser and driver IC. So, i needed to pay back the price, and recieve the blown ps2. It sat in my room for like 5 years, when i decided to take a look at it again. I managed to replace the driver IC, got a new laser in it, Did the romeo mod, and that thing is still with me, working as a charm. fun fact, that V10 is pretty rare here, ive got like 5 another 5k series PS2, wich has all V9 mainboards. I kinda like the V10 more, it seems more stable running homebrew stuff, and kinda works better with the modbo chip i always used.
This flaw killed my 70000 slim with the v12 board about 15 years ago. I used swap magic discs with the lid spring bypass. Originally I thought the burns killed the laser but eventually this flaw was discovered and now it’s obvious that’s what happened. All as Sony intended because it isn’t even a conspiracy to say this was intended to be an anti-mod function that, like most anti-mod functions, backfired and was corrected (removed) from some 70001 and all 75000’s forward.
Is this pic fix necessary with an unmodded console?
Not really. Most of the issues stem from playing backup copies of games. However it has been reported that scratched media could cause the mechacon to crash. I think if you just play authoring games in decent condition, you should be fine
Why this bug affected only SCPH-500xx / SCPH-700xx? I have the 3000 series.
This video was a bit different but VERY HELPFUL!!! You were able to demonstrate what a flawed install can look like and end up as, and you didn't even try to LOL :P - With the jokes out of the way it is a GREAT thing you were able to show us, I just wish you had gone into more detail in the original video... it was quite confused as to what happened and it seemed like a cheap low blow of some sorts at the time... like you making it up or something... but I really didn't think that was the case, it just could have seen that way... again, it was just confusing at the time... but now that I know what happened, it all worked out smoothly.. We all make mistakes.
Anyway, this is one of those mods that does give you any instant gratification from all your hard work, but it is TOTALLY WORTH THE EFFORT! Thanks for showing this to the world, I know I NEVER heard about it and most modders would likely skip over it and go for the big toys to add on.... now if I only had a PS2 lol!
-- do you have any add-on/mods fo4r the PS4 Pro?? Not the typical jailbreak that is just so simple, I mean adding cool stuff on to the second greatest system created (even though I have yet to buy a PS5.. I'll just assume it's the best lol) Maybe upgrading a the internal storage to 2 or 4TB .. integrating the Pi Zero INSIDE the console so you don't have to leave it taking up your rear USB port (the pi zero does all the keystroke to initiate the jailbreak as soon as you turn it on - in case you didn't know) - just some cool add-ons - I want to do something to my baby, I just don't know what :) THANKS!!! :D
Dont have any ps4 pro mod videos yet but perhaps in the future 👍😁
I already knew the horror stories of the fat PS not reading discs. I wonder if it had anything to do with people wanting to use the PS as a DVD player. I had multiple friends that had the fat PS and they would have to try and try to get a movie to load. I also believe that my fat PS2 eventually didn’t read discs any longer.
I wonder. It’s been so long since that time, but I’m trying to remember if my PS2 was only able to read non-DVD discs? Not the gray ones, but the purple ones would play with no issue, but the DVDs would not work. Am I remembering this wrong?
I used to tell all my friends the same thing it was meant to play video games not DVDs just because it can play DVDs.. So many of my friends blew up their ps2s playing DVDs all the time not realizing the media was wearing out the laser a hundred times faster than it would just playing the video games on it. Same thing with PS3s that I know people who play DVDs on it all the time when it first came out I never did and mine still works. Ol 60 GB beast lol
I really appreciate the blooper at the end. Your videos already have a very personal and genuine feel to them, and that sent that same feel through the roof. Thanks for all you do for the community!
Thank you Simione 🙏 so glad you enjoyed the blooper 😁! I may have to make it a regular occurrence. I have plenty of bloopers to show 😅
I have the v8 scph 39000, still works fine with matrix 1.38 since 2003 when i've brought it, do i need to worry about it to my specific model?
The model number on my PS2 is SCPH-50003, could it be at risk?
Potentially. Best way to check is to see the motherboard revision. Also, is your console modded? If not you’re at much less of risk.
@@MachoNachoProductions Console has never been modded
@@GeneralAlpaca you should be good 👍
@@MachoNachoProductions thanks
I had a phat that was just working the other day... then i started trying to insert old dvd movie discs i had laying around and suddenly the system totally died on me... i mean... it couldnt play even previously working ps2 game discs.... maybe this is what happened to my system...wish i knew about this before