something weird

**gjacobo** · 06-16-2003,05:20 PM

I just chipped a 39001 NTSC V7 (Bios 070, GH022) with a Ubicom chip, programmed with the ICE 091F2. I tried CDR (i didnt have any dvd game at hand by then), and they worked fine, so I decided to close the PS2 and get ready to go...but, something must have shorted somewhere, because the tray ejected once but would not close (the blue led blinked).

I opened the machine again, closed the tray by hand (when it was turned off, error?), checked the cables...everything seemed fine...but, the discs (two CDR ripped games and the mediaplayer) all showed the RSOD. All the disc where IMATION...I thought, what about the brand...then I tried an audio CD branded IMATION (burned in the same computer than the games) and it was read perfectly....I tried a DVD movie, it worked fine...Collin MCRae 3 DVD Backup, RSOD...

But here comes the strangest thing...I discovered that if I put the PS2 upside down, all the games I have in CDR (PS2 & PSX) work fine...!!!

So, even though the unit is brand new (1 week old), I checked the white cog, azimuth, everything. The same situation remained...upside down is ok, even vertical position up to a degree of 70 is ok too, but any other fails...I removed all the cabling, checked fuses, reinstalled cables, changed chip, danced to the gods, changed software in the chip...

Finally I discovered an odd behavior in the laser head...when the PS2 is upside down, and you reset the unit, the red laser (DVD) flashes just a moment (half second or so), and then it switches to infrared to read the CD (this is ok, i think)...but when I put the unit in its normal position, the red light doesn't turn off until the browser menu appears, and after a little while the red laser turns off, and then the RSOD appears...the disc spins everytime (so i thinks this has nothing to do with the rotating motor).

I took one of the chips I tried in this machine, and installed it in another V7 (exact same model), it worked fine with everything I throwed at it.

Is it possible that something can cause the magic chip to force the PS2 to read in DVD mode when a CD is inserted? I don't think so, but... And why doesn't it happen when the PS2 is upside down? Also, backup DVDs don't work at all...My best guess is that the modchip can't find the sync bytes it searches for before applying the patch, the reason for this is unknown to me (perhaps it takes too long to read the CD, or there is some error correction involved because something is underperfoming)

The only thing left to try is swapping the drive with the one from another unit, to determine if the problem is in the mobo or in the laser...

Short of display the Nintendo logo, I don't know a weirdest scenario.

Thanks for any help or suggestion.

**Ps2ModUk** · 06-16-2003,06:52 PM

if the tray came out on its own you must have had a wire shorting or something like this, I know some of the V7 machines can be terrible to read dvd but cd should;nt be a problem. Have you tried reinstalling the chip, or rather than mess chaninging laser swap the v7 boards over and try that. Also would suggest u check continuity on all the main fuses on the ps2 mobo

**gjacobo** · 06-17-2003,10:22 AM

thanks for your suggestions, some of the things you suggest i've already tried...i'll keep trying, what is driving me nuts is that it works ok upside down!!!

**Ps2ModUk** · 06-17-2003,11:08 AM

lucky for you, my wife doesn't work whichever way i put her

**DRIDELLA** · 06-17-2003,05:04 PM

I have a old magic3 in a Ver3 USA that only plays dvd-r when its upside down too. But it plays everything else normally. And I,ve adjusted the laser pots ,white cog, and the laser guide rail screw. but it still likes to be upside or on its side to doot dvd-r. I even put a new laser in , no change. I learned to deal with it , Hell some times I even have to rock it back & forth like a baby to get to boot. What's really strange is that when it succesfully boots , you can upright it and it works flawlessly. Who Knows ??

**gjacobo** · 06-17-2003,06:20 PM

exactly...the same happens to me, once it boots, i can put it in any position i want, and the game works fine.

i've also discovered (measuring the voltage at pins 26/27) that the chip won't go to sleep with PS2 CDR, but it does so with PSX CDR...even though both boot fine...it seems as some bytes that it is expecting to appear, do not, and it gets caught in an endless loop.

**gjacobo** · 06-18-2003,11:32 PM

something to add, i've measured the resistance between pins 15 and 16 of the BA5815FM, which acording to the data sheet corresponds to the focus coil, and it gave me 3.5 ohms. The tracking coil gave 7 ohms or something like that (pins 17 and 18). As i've read somewhere around the forums, the correct values for the resistance of this coils is over 5 ohms, so acording to this the focusing coil has had problems. If anyone can measure the resistance between pins 15 and 16, and the resistance between 17 and 18 in a v7 console it would be of much help to rule out some posibilities.

Thanks.

**DRIDELLA** · 06-19-2003,06:15 PM

I have a ver 7 that hasn't been modded yet, I been meaning to tear into one of these nights. I'll try to set some time aside and check those values for you.

**gjacobo** · 06-19-2003,07:39 PM

ok, i measured the resistance between the pins in a brand new v7, both gave around 7 ohms. The one which read cdr only when it was upside down gave 3.5 ohms, so this is obviously the same problem l_oliveira (or something like that) reported in a post, when eject is pressed and the CD is spinning up, something can go very wrong.
And this is not related to the modchip or anything...

damn Sony...

**DRIDELLA** · 06-20-2003,12:18 AM

O.K. ,
Anyway my ver.7 usa :
Pins
15-16 5.2 ohms
17-18 5.5 ohms

34.1 k on both with laser cable dissconnected.

I'll check my ver3 that likes to stand on its head to boot , tomorrow , if its any help, maybe a pattern ,who knows ??

I do remember in the past people talking about weak coils that focus and position the laser , so that might be why these things work only upside down ( gravity in its favor upside down ) , but I did already swap the laser in this ver3 and had no change , maybe I got another laser with the same problem?? But then most older ps2's . were hell to play dvd-r. I try to stay away from modding older ps2's.

Swap the laser and see what happens.

Good Luck

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