NH3 makes me crazy...

[uns97]

Some days ago I started a thread about NH3 and PAL (GH-22) MB problems. I solved that changing the NH3 and installed a Magic. (works like a charm anyway) Well today I made a very big mistake...

Got two PAL V7 Ps2's (GH-19) which seem to be ok for NH3. (I read somewhere that the GH-22 is incompatible with NH3...) I installed the chip in one, and checked every single wire for ten times before powering on. No soldering problems, etc. When powering on, the PS1 disks (originals and backups) worked fine. Testing Ps2 disks always caused the red screen with a small clicking noise... and the disk does not spin just a little bit. Well rechecked the soldering, everything is ok, no solder balls, no bridges, simply perfect. Tested again, no good. Removed the chip and phew, the nightmare began... The PS2 plays only PS1 disks (of course originals) but not PS2 originals and movies... When inserting a PS2 game (cd or dvd, does not matter) the disk spins a bit and stops with the red screen. When inserting a movie the disk spins a bit slowly and the browser pops up... I have no clue what that might be... I decided to check the cd drive in another machine, it worked fine, so no laser problem...

Well the nighmare continued: as I decided to give the chip yet another try, in another PS2...

Chipped that, checked the wires, no solder balls, no bridges, no anything that may be a problem. Well test:

the same as the one earlier... P1 backups works, Ps2 backups + movies don't. Remove the chip again, - started to be a bit angry - and just like the other PS2, it plays only PS1 originals. No PS2 CD/DVD or DVD movie playback. Just a little clicking noise + a little slow spin and browser or red screen... (oh, plus a litte surprise the tray does not eject anymore... rechecked the bios for bridges with multi-meter, continuity test has been done for a thousand times, no any sign of problem...)

I am finally sure that this was the last time I tried this chip. I don't know what to check now, sure as one of you suggested I will forget these NH3 chips, as I had good results with them in the past, but these days nothing but a headache...

If anyone can suggest anything which I should check please tell me, I am simply out of idea...

regards, Stephen

[ITMASTER]

I think that NH3 has a bad code inside and then you turning on your console after installing the chip NH3 is patching your bios and bios can't send a signals for reading PS2 disks and DVD movies.

after unistalling a NH3 bios still remaining patched.

[uns97]

Ok, and is there any way to solve this ? Or should I drop the mb's ???

regards, Stephen

[nightmare]

Originally posted by ITMASTER
I think that NH3 has a bad code inside and then you turning on your console after installing the chip NH3 is patching your bios and bios can't send a signals for reading PS2 disks and DVD movies.

after unistalling a NH3 bios still remaining patched.

c'mon ... PS2 bios is a ROM (ie u can't write into it) so it's not patched anymore when the chip is removed.
I would rather seek a defective component.

[Astina]

uns97,

Firstly, I suggest you to take a good clean up on every solder and restore the PS2 back to original condition. So at least you will know that PS2 is doing ok or not as "standard" PS2. (ie, boots original PS2 DVD/CD)

Once done that, then install the modchip again. If it still won't works then it means something wrong with the soldering.

I don't think there is any problem with NH3 chip as I've installed many of them.

Here is my test report earlier:

http://www.ps2newz.net/forums/showth...5&pagenumber=1

Good Luck!

[uns97]

Astina,

Well I already cleaned all solder points, checked all for bridges without finding any problem (I mean there were no bridges, or solder balls)

Unfortunatlely as I already said the PS2 (without the mod) still boots only PS1 games. When inserting a PS2 (CD or DVD does not matter) or a DVD movie, the disk starts to spin a BIT then stops with a red screen OR with the browser. I tested the drive in another PS2 and the drive works, so no len or lazer problem that's sure. I checked the motherboard over again and again... checked all fuses (all ok)

NH3: I myself did not install 1000 PS2's but let's say only 100. In the past (2 months ago) I installed two NH3's without a hitch, I found much more reliable than Magic...

Last week I chipped about 8 PS2's. I wanted to chip all PS2's with NH3. Let's look what happened:

1st PS2: installed the NH3. Testing, worked fine. Reassembled the PS2. Next day the PS2 stopped working. (it worked, but only with originals). Examined the install... Re-soldered everything once again. Still no good. After 10 hours, I removed the NH3, put in a Magic, and everything worked fine. (I did not remove the wires, except some that required to be soldered to some other points...(3 or 4 if I remember correctly) So that was not any soldering problem that's sure. (as said the Magic worked fine...)

2nd PS2: installed the NH3 that I removed from the first PS2. PS1 originals+backups worked, DVD movies worked. PS2 backups (CD + DVD) did not... Rechecked EVERY wire for 10-20 times, with no lock, removed the chip, put in another Magic, WORKED like a charm...

3rd PS2: put in a NEW NH3, and happened the same as above. PS1 backups worked, PS2 backups did NOT.

4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th: the same as with the 3rd one. I tried 5 different NH3 chips from the same branch, spent some 80 hours last week with this issue, tested in PS2's with MB GH-22 and GH-19. (PAL V7 consoles) All had a 080 bios...

Finally I was to give up. Contacted the supplier. I was told that he had the same problem that the NH3 he tried to install did not work in a PS2 but worked in ANOTHER one. Ok, ok but how much tries should I do just to finally install ONE ? He said, he has no clue what the problem is, but - of course - there's no any way to return the chips... So that sounds somehow really weird to me, why does he refuse the refund if he is sure that the chips are working...???

And why does the Magic work and these NH3 does NOT with the same soldering ???!!! - no bridges, no loosy wires, etc - *ok, ok I know there are some soldering points that aren't the same... * But I am sure the soldering is good enough, as I installed a lot of Messiah's, Titans and Magics earlier... And have never killed any Ps2, but now there are two dead Ps2 here... I don't say that the NH3 is bad, but MAYBE the ones I have... (one branch) And I read somewhere that the NH3 does NOT work with GH-22 mb's, others say that it is not true.
I don't know whether NH3 works with 080 bios or not...

regards and thanks for the tips, Stephen