Crystal Chip 2.0 Pro Review

[N£TM£ÇH]

Modchip tested - Crystal Chip 2.0 Pro

Modchip installed by N£TM£ÇH

I will begin with a quick little overview of the modchip. The chip was very easy to install, only 19 wires to solder on the version 7 board which i installed it on. However i dont recommend complete newbies attempt to install this chip, it is only "easy" for me because i have been soldering chips for 5 years. The modchip provides installers with 4 different grounding pads and 2 3.3volt power pads which i love because it gives me multiple options of which way i want the modchip to be positioned on the ps2 motherboard. The modchip uses a high quality Actel ProASIC Plus ic, a 40mhz OSC crystal which eliminates the need for a clock wire thus making the chip more stable. A 4 layer pcb, a 1 megabyte data flash and a small LED to diagnose any installation problems.

Pictures of the installation






Hardware Features

? Full Autoboot of all media, 100% no-swap direct boot
? Compatible with all console revisions v1 - v15b
? Compatible with all PAL/NTSC sytems, all regions supported
? HDD, USB, MC, Flash "Dev Mode" support
? DVD Region Free with RCE, Green Screen(RGB) Fix and DVD Color Fix
? Macrovision "OFF"
? Upgradable firmware
? Quick boot mode
? Hardware and software based boot modes such as "Sleep","Enhanced" and "Minimal"
? PBAT scripting for automating homebrew software and menus
? Installation control onboard LED
? High timing stability - Onboard Crystal Oscillator
? Hardware Recovery Mode
? Completely jumperless, auto-configuration
? 1 megabyte Dataflash with DFFS (DataFlashFileSystem)
? Multdisc-Games Support
? ACTEL FPGA Technology
? Custom glitch detection logic & noise filter
? Professional 4-Layer PCB design
? Easy installation, max. of only 21 wires
? High quality anti-static packaging incl. case sticker
? Quality & functionality control for each item

Firmware Upgrade Mode

* The "firmware" stored in the EEPROM on your CC PCB is used for hooking into the PlayStation 2 system software. Upgrading your CC firmware is as simple as downloading, burning, and booting a Crystal Chip Utility Disc. A simple menu allows you to update your firmware without hassles.


Recovery Mode

* The CC1.0/CC1.1 has a built-in Recovery Mode which may be enabled at any time to allow you to recover from corrupted firmware. Thanks to an internal checksum, CC will automatically detect corrupted firmware and boot in Recovery Mode. In the event that CC fails to automatically detect corrupted firmware, you may force "Recovery Mode" by pressing reset 3 times on startup.


Hardware Sleep Mode

* CC1.0/CC1.1 has a "Hardware Sleep Mode" (aka HSM) which allows you to disable your Crystal Chip. Unlike "Software Sleep Mode", HSM does not require any patching to be done in order to get software running which will disable the chip. This is quite useful if you get no video on startup and suspect that your CC may not be working correctly. You may use HSM to disable the chip and see if your PS2 then starts up. If not, it's very likely that the cause is your wiring/etc rather than the chip.

Hardware Sleep Mode may be entered by pressing reset 6 times on startup. Your CC will remain in sleep mode until you power off the console or put it into standby mode, to prevent you from accidentally enabling the chip.

Heres a in depth look of the new Bootmanager 2.0.6


<Opening bootscreen <Main menu <Memory card manager
<Configuration <Network configuration <System information

CrystalChips BootManager Software Features (as of v2.0.6):

TV Wizard:

* Helps you determine what video modes your TV supports and automatically configures BM to best work with your TV.

Autoload:

* Automatically boots PS1, PS2, DVD Movie and CD Audio discs.
* Automatically load homebrew software when a PS1, PS2, DVD Movie or CD Audio disc is inserted.
* Individual delay settings for each disc type that determines how long to wait before loading the disc or homebrew application.

PS2 Software:

Video Fixes:

* Automatically convert import games to your TVs native video mode.
* Automatically reposition import games so that they display correctly on your TV.
* Fully customizable settings.

Patchers:

* DVD+R DL Patcher automatically patches PS2 DVD9 games to allow you to use DVD+R DL Dual Layer medias without needing to apply patches to the disc.
* ATAD Auto-Patcher automatically patches HDD-enabled PS2 games to allow you to use larger, unofficial hard drives.
* MM16 Patcher automatically unlocks your console to allow you to use the older MegaMemory/MAX Memory? memory cards without needing to boot the driver disc.
NOTE: This function does not work on v12 and new consoles due to the fact that these console models are not compatible with old MM cards. Also note that this feature is not necessary to use the newest versions of the MAX Memory? cards.
* PS2 logo is skipped when loading PS2 discs to decrease load time and get you to your game faster!

PS1 Software:

Video Fixes:

* Automatically convert import games to your TVs native video mode.
* Automatically reposition import games so that they display correctly on your TV.
* Fully customizable settings.
* PS1 logo is skipped when loading PS1 discs to decrease load time and get you to your game faster.

DVD Movies:

* Region Free automatically unlocks your PS2 DVD player to allow you to play imported DVD movies from any region on your PS2.

NOTE: This feature will not allow you to view PAL movies on an NTSC DVD player due to limitations with the NTSC PS2 DVD player software included with the PlayStation 2.

* DVD Player Region allows you to specify the DVD player region that is reported to DVD movies, allowing you to watch RCE protected films.
* RGB Fix (aka "Green Screen Fix") automatically fixes the dreaded "Green Screen" that occurs when viewing DVD movies with an RGB cable. Enjoy DVD movies in full RGB color!
* Video Stabilizer automatically removes Macrovision? from DVD movies, allowing you to watch movies regardless of your home theater setup.
* Force Color allows you to force the color carrier for DVD movies while preserving the original frame rate.

Network Support (requires a PS2 network adapter or a v12 and later PS2):

* Integrated network support allows you to set your PS2 IP address with an easy to use network configuration menu.
* Integrated support for PS2 PC Host server allows you to connect to your PC via network and use this connection like any other drive for installing applications, upgrading BootManager and flashing your firmware.

Hard Drive Support (requires a HDD and PS2 Network Adapter):

* Integrated Hard Drive support allows you to install, run and remove homebrew applications directly from your PS2 HDD!



PBAT Scripts:

* Exclusive scripting language called "PBAT" which automates many tasks performed by BM.
* PBAT scripts are used to control all menus and user interaction performed by BM. This allows you to change almost any feature of BM as well as adding new ones.

Homebrew Software:

* PBAT scripting language automates installation, removal and execution of homebrew applications using a simple "Application Browser" menu interface.
* Applications can be installed/run/removed to/from a number of different devices including CD/DVD, Memory Card, USB HDD/Pendrive, network and others.
* Button Configuration allows you to assign buttons on your PS2 controller to any homebrew application, allowing you to execute your favorite apps with the press of a single button.
* Applications can be group together in "MegaPacks" to help you maintain a complete homebrew software collection!

Themes (aka "Skins"): Check out http://www.allps2skins.com for skins

* All graphics and fonts can be replaced by custom images.

Theme Manager:

* Easily change between themes using a simple menu.
* Easily install and remove themes.
* The screen position of each individual component of the User Interface can be changed to fit your personal tastes.
* Font and background colors can be easily changed.

Final thoughts

I am very impressed with this chip i think it has the potential to go a long way and excel past all other modchips on the market today. I believe the Dms4 Pro has some serious competition to deal with (sorry dms fans). I have installed 3 so far and each install was a breeze. One problem i have encountered though was when installing the bootmanager software it did not work after reseting the ps2. I had to install it a second time until it worked, this happened on 3 different version 7 systems. I'll add more to this review as i get more time to play around with the bootmanager.

For further information and tech support please visit the official english support forum right here at psx-scene.com

[aeglorre]

wow, thanks for the review! Cant wait 'til my 2.0 modded ps2 arrives in 2 weeks

[ShadowKnyght]

Sounds like a damn good chip - how is the size though?

Looks a little large for the V12 up consoles?? Looks like the same potential space issues that the DMS4 has.

I also like the idea of the multiple power and ground pads available to allow for user choise of orientation. Although unless each pad has its' own decoupling / filter cap located in close proximaty and it does not rely on only one for all pads... as this would mean that any noise picked up is routed around the entire chip prior to being filtered to ground.

Either way sounds like a pretty damn good all in one chip... how is the price?

[Jit]

Either way sounds like a pretty damn good all in one chip... how is the price?

If I remember right it is $28.50 at wholesale

[laser]

@ ShadowKnyght:
The physical dimensions a rather small, the board is not bigger than the board of the Matrix Infinity. I think it just looks large on netmech's photo.

[hawkbug]

Yeah, it's definitely no bigger than an MI, or any other modchip I've used recently. The fact that it has grounds and 3.3v all the way around is awesome.

[N£TM£ÇH]

its the same size as the 1.1 and 1.2 cc. the 1mb flash is much smaller than the dms4 pro's 1mb flash.

[T07N]

Great modchip. Probably the best chip right now.

[spedmetal]

its the same size as the 1.1 and 1.2 cc. the 1mb flash is much smaller than the dms4 pro's 1mb flash.

The DMS4 Pro has 2mb of flash I believe.

@Shadow the CC2.0 is no larger then the MI or the CC1.1/1.2.

@everyone here are a few more worth while reviews of the CC2.0

http://www.fimble.com/story.cfm?id=375

http://www.psx-scene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48804 <--mine

Jones23 and Hitman43 did a great review if you can read German

http://www.modcontrol.com/tests,detail,24.html

[BBhood]

If I remember right it is $28.50 at wholesale

Is that canadian or US? That's cheaper than a cc1.2. Foundmy has it for 40 US.