Problems after install of Magic 3.1 plus - blank screen, no eject

[JofCore]

Hello.. I am new to the PS2 modding scene. I have modded other systems, including my old PS1 (a while back..) and my Xbox w/out a problem.

However, I'm having no end to the headaches with this Magic 3.1+ chip that I am trying to install on my PS2. I purchased the chip from www.modchip.com for my V4 (gap) PS2. I followed the instructions they have there (under "pictures"), and have had mixed results.

I wasn't sure if I had a problem w/the chip or the media I was using, so I had a friend burn me a DVD movie copy to test the media. The DVD movie burn worked ok, so I assume the issue is/was w/my chip. So, last night, I went thru every wire again (and again), and re-soldered almost every wire to make sure that they had good connections (I found a few that were questionable). Now I have every wire soldered on good (I can pull on each wire w/a small amount of force and they don't budge), but now my PS2 won't boot! (previously I could still boot it and play originals, just not copies. Now I get nothing... )

Now, when I try to start the PS2, I get a blank screen. If I try to start it w/the eject button, the eject light flashes, but the drive tray never ejects. It just flashes for a few seconds and then sits there.

I am at my wit's end with this damn thing... Can anyone give me any tips on what I might want to check? What could I have done to screw it up this bad that it won't even eject or boot now?? Is there a particular place on the board that I should look where I may have screwed up the eject mechanism?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated... I'm really stumped now

[JofCore]

Well after searching some more in the forums, it looks like the first thing I should try is removing the chip and see if I can get it to work w/out it... And then look for solder bridges.. maybe I screwed up something on the chip when I resoldered some of the wires.... Guess I'll start w/that tonite.

[JofCore]

To continue my self-answering thread here...

Desoldered the chip, same behaviour.

Now I need to find me a big magnifying glass I guess and check for solder between the bios legs... that seems to be a common problem from what I hear.

[JofCore]

Ok, I don't see any solder that's bridging any of the bios legs. I looked around the other places I had soldered to as well, and didn't find any blobs there either...

What's my next step?

(chip is desoldered, still getting the black screen and tray won't eject (eject light flashes normally tho) )

[uns97]

What about examining the BA and the fuse near to that ? Probably the answer is there.

regards, Stephen

[JofCore]

What about examining the BA and the fuse near to that ? Probably the answer is there.

regards, Stephen

I've seen many references to the "BA" and fuses, but I'm not sure where or what they are on the board I'm new to modding PS2's, can you point me to a thread that tells me where and how to find, identify, and test them?

[JofCore]

Hmmm... a new development! It seems that if I leave the PS2 on for a few minutes, the DVD drive motor starts spinning full speed and going "whiiiiir!". Not sure if that means anything or not...

I was looking @ my PS2 again to try to determine which chips are the BA chips and see if they were heating up. Are the BA chips the one w/the big grey heatsinky things on them at the top and bottom of the board, on the DVD side? How long should I have to wait before I feel heat from them? And finally, which one is the BA58.. and which one is the BA6...?

thanx!

[TarzanMan]

I am NOT an expert. It sounds like a short. Check your solders with a multi-meter (circuit connectivity mode). You can't always see a solder bridge with your eyes.

Be sure to check all your points with all the other chip legs. Also be sure to make sure that chip/points are insulated from the metal ground shields.

[JofCore]

I am NOT an expert. It sounds like a short. Check your solders with a multi-meter (circuit connectivity mode). You can't always see a solder bridge with your eyes.

I have a multimeter (not digital, just a needle type), what should I be seeing when I check for continuity between the BIOS legs? It seems that I'm getting some sort of reading on each one of the legs... What reading would I get from a solder bridge?

thx!

[woore]

check your reset and eject cable