The new re-vamped 'PlayStation' is now known as the PSone (SCPH102A), and was released to the New Zealand market on 1 November 2000 to replace the current SCPH 9002 model. The PSone has been completely re-style and it's physical dimensions are approximately half of the old PlayStation.
So what's are the main differences apart from the appearance and size difference over the existing PlayStations:
- No Expansion port like on the 9002 series so PlugMods and GE's etc can not be used
- No Serial port so you will not be able to play your link games.
- It is now powered by a 7.5v Power Pack.
- A couple of mounting brackets (
What Chip do I use to modify the PSone (SCPH102A)
You can either install a 'Multi-Mode' chip (priced from
$9.00) which will load PAL originals and PAL backups only. Also note that
the 'Anti-ModChip/Stealth' mode of the
Multi-Mode chip will not work with the PSone. Or you can install the new 'ONEchip'
(priced from $9.00) which will load both PAL and NTSC originals and
backups - direct boot.
The ONEchip can be wired in three different modes:
1. 4 Wire - NTSC Boot fix only. The chip is only used in this mode when the
PSone has a modchip installed already but is unable to load NTSC games. Chip
wired in this mode only rectifies the video mode check.
2. 6 Wire - 4 Wire Mod + NTSC Boot Fix. Wired in this mode it will
load all games except games the use Anti-Modchip
code. Will direct boot NTSC games.
3. 8 Wire - Stealth + NTSC Boot fix. Wired in this mode it will load all
games including ones that use Anti-Modchip
code.
What is 'Anti-Modchip'
code?
Some recent SCEA (USA) and most recent SCEI (Japan) game releases have code
which will check for a ModChip and will stop the game from loading. With the
ONEchip wired in the 8 wire configuration then these games will load using the
ONEchip stealth technology. But like all Stealth/Anti-ModChip it is not guaranteed
to load all games that use Anti-Modchip code.
Look at my table below for a better idea of what does what....
Chip Type |
Pal Region (SCEE) Games |
NTSC Region (SCEI/SCEA) Games (USA and
Japan) | ||||
|
Original |
Backup |
Original |
Backup |
Original with AntiMod |
Backup with AntiMod |
|
|
Multi-Mode (4 wire only) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes(1) |
Yes(1) |
No |
No |
|
ONEchip - 4 Wire (NTSC Boot fix only) |
No |
No |
Yes(2) |
Yes(2) |
Yes(2) |
Yes(2) |
|
ONEchip - 6 Wire (Std Mod + NTSC Boot fix) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
ONEchip - 8 Wire (Stealth + NTSC Boot fix) Recommended solution |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
1 - Requires a 'Import Player' Boot CD or
'Patch-It' utilities to play NTSC games
2
- Requires ModChip to be already installed into your PSone
NTSC Game problem
The major change with PSone is now that when loading a game it does it's usual check for the REGION code, but also now does a check as to what VIDEO mode the game is in. Ie whether it is a NTSC or PAL.
So what does this mean? Simply if you try to load a NTSC game whether it is an original or back-up on a modified PAL PSone it will not load. To get around this
check you need to either use depending on what chip you are going to use.
If using a Multi-Mode ModChip:
- You have to use either a Boot CD called Import Player. You
use this CD to boot first, select video mode then swap CD's with the NTSC game
CD. Or can patch your NTSC games with a utility called Patch-It. Both of these utilities are available from www.megagames.com in the utility section.
You can download Import Player v2.0A5 - PAL (59kb)
here. Please note that the .bin file is a CDRWin image and you need to use CDRWin to create the CD. The CDRWin evaluation version can be downloaded from www.goldenhawk.com
If using ONEchip:
- No
additional changes are required - all
PAL and NTSC games will direct boot - No CD swapping required.
Colour
Correction - Do I need to do it?
Carrying out the colour correction is optional.
The colour correction fix will allow NTSC games to be displayed in
colour on a PAL TV. It can be done via software using the
Import Player Boot CD to select the
correct video mode. But this involves swapping CD's, and you may find
that a few games will be displayed in Black and White. This is due to the
game changing video modes via software after the Import Player
Boot CD has done it's
bit. And the other method is via hardware - by installing a wire link per the diagram showing the Colour Correction fix. This is my
preferred method and I always carry out the colour correction
fix as apart of the ModChip installation.
Installation
Diagrams
PSone Disassembly
Guide
SCPH 102 / Mainboard PM41
MultiMode v2.x/v3.x ModChip 4 wire - Diagram only
ONEchip - NTSC Bios fix only (requires
ModChip installed) - Diagram only
ONEchip - 6 Wire Install (Std Modchip (4 wire) + NTSC Bios fix - Diagram only
ONEchip - 8 Wire Install (Stealth + NTSC Bios fix) - Diagram only
- Best Option
ONEchip - NTSC-PAL Colour Correction - Diagram only
SCPH 102 / Mainboard PM41(2)
Multi-Mode v2.x/v3.x Modchip 4 wire only - Diagram
only
ONEchip - 6 Wire Install (Std Modchip (4
wire + NTSC Bios Fix - Diagram only
ONEchip - 8 Wire Install (Stealth + NTSC
Bios fix) - Diagram only
ONEchip - NTSC PAL Colour Correction -
Diagram only
The only 2 things to watch out for are: The 6th
screw that holds the case together is
hidden under the "Void Warranty Label" located at the top centre on the bottom side of
the case, which you have to peel back, and when installing the PSone
(6 wire) chip pay extra attention when soldering
the wire to point 3 for the Multi-mode chip or Point 2 for
the ONEchip. For some reason people seem to have problems with this one and
lift the component and it's surrounding ones off the board. (I have
had to repair 20+ machines so far due to this problem.) Problem is
mainly due to the type of Soldering Iron - use a fine tip and a
low wattage iron and pre-tin your connections! Don't forget to take
your time and DOUBLE CHECK your work!!!
As usual please ensure that you have read my Disclaimer before carrying out any
modification.
Any queries please direct them to psone@fatcat.co.nz