Yea, it would defiantly help a lot with this task.

Trouble is, you need to know C to Program it...


As why using some sort of a 'Chip' to re-direct the CD-ROM codes from the drives main ribbon cable, to a Hard Disk Drive would be a alternate option.

depending on how the ps1 cdrom is read decides whether this would work at all,

if the disk tells the console which part of the disc to read next(kind of like if at the end of track 1 it tells it to go to track 5)

or if the disc is read just like a memory device in order.

if it is the first you will need to run iso emulation to load a game from the harddrive, and i dont think the ps1 has the resources to do that along with running the game.

however for emulators, e.g you put in your launch disc for example 'super ps1 emulators' which has a bunch of emulators for systems such as nes and master system, then you can have an expansion (hdd or other) connected to the serial port that can then contain your rom images, though it would probably be easier to flash the BIOS of the ps1 with an emulator itself....

So the plan is to port the hardware emulation to some sort of microprocessor that would interface to the PS1 and PATA? (HDD or CF) then

1. on startup load an image that contains a file browser (play track to communicate data?)
   -or-
   on startup generates a menu display (LCD or hijacks PS1's?) for selection of the disc image. (dedicated buttons or hijack controller?)
2. on selection of the disc image(s) desired restart the console and emulate the disc image in the reader

If so, someone needs to define signals to the PS1 (host) and PATA; a state machine for the micro that links them; and a bootable menu system.

posterous.comRBox: A diy 32 bit game console for the price of a latte
Generates display output, similar techniques.

Yea, but someone needs to know how to program the Net Yaroze quite WELL in order to do this hack.

What I am thinking, is that Microprocessor will read from the HDD, and then tell it to input it's data back into the CD-ROM Ribbon Cable.

So basically it is just a shortcut, and taking the Data from the HDD instead from a CD-ROM.

we are arguing for the same approach but are being pedantic and missing eachother's point.

Okay; so we agree that programmming* a microcontroler to read the (iso) disc-image from the HDD and emulates/pretends to be a cd-drive when the PS1 is looking is a better idea than redesigning the drive-controller, or developing a boot-rom equipped paralel bus peripheral thingy.

But how do we specify what image it should read?
If not using by programming a boot image then by wiring mounting buttons and a display to the microcontroler?

I prepose using multiplexors to switch the controller and video from the PS1 to the microcontroler when needed. This would reduce component cost and count while leaving the core of the PS1 unaltered. This also would allow us to portabalise this design later and retain a stock appearance (unless we want to have CF cartriges in a top loader).

We could even have the cover-open switch activate the switch between PS1 and microcontroler, since this is the time that the PS1 would expect the disc to change, and it would minimize the chance of accidentally switching.

* mmm bacon.

haha, yea I guess we are arguing about the same thing...

FIRST THING FIRST:
We need a program developed on the Net Yaroze, that will LOAD an interface off of a Disc as our first test.

GETTING SERIOUS:
Then, we can start to make that program LOAD from a Hard Disc Drive interface. Either from a MICROPROCESSOR developed somehow, or wired directly through the SERIAL I/O Port to a HDD / computer as another testing interface.

IT BEGINS TO THINK...
Once we have it loading a game 'somehow' through any of those techniques, we can then try and get into it more. (IE: Shortening down the load procedure using a non-disc boot sequence)


Let me look now into some techniques and see if I am on the right track utilising google...

Bump again...

I have found the pinouts for the CD-ROM Finally...

This could help some people out I guess

http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=40590

Bump don't die, I'd love to see this happen!

Might wanna check out my thread.

Chinese clone of a PS1, which has USB storage and SD storage.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=42798

I have no idea what they have done, but it looks as if they have replicated the PSone circuitry and edited the BIOS as it states it has a 'UI graphic design (1024 x 576 pixels)'.

No PlayStation 1 game is HD or supports a resolution of '1024'.

Just some quick information I did on it,


Downsides, are that:

- It does not allow memory cards,
- It is not the original Sony hardware so you can not use scph-xxx devices (light guns, link system play etc),
- It does not support multi-disc games,
- The games must be downloaded. You may get a Japanese (NTSC-J) game over PAL or NTSC. You can not rip them yourself,

I downloaded a game, and it was 36 MB. That is not correct for a PlayStation game. You can only get that file size, from edited the game files. IE: Removing music, audio, some big images etc...

The file extension name was FTG.bin and FTG.cue. This means, you MUST download games from there site. Edited and not original.

The .cue is the header file for the .bin.

Opening the .cue, read this:

FILE "Mortal Kombat II (J) (FTG) (Acclaim) ÕæÈË¿ì´ò II.BIN" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE2/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
PREGAP 00:02:00
INDEX 01 02:27:36

compared to an original PlayStation game, read this:

FILE "Bust-A-Groove [PAL-E-F-G-I-S] [SCES-01313] [494MB].bin" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE2/2352
INDEX 01 00:00:00

The game can not be played in an emulator.

The game data can not be accessed. Tried software emulation, and burning the files to a CD-ROM.

The disc could not be read and a waste of a CD-ROM...


It says a 32-bit simulator. Not emulator. Something does not sound right.

I tried the disc on a mod chipped (PAL) PlayStation and it could not be read (of course).


So they must be using 'custom edited' games to play how THEY want it to...


Expensive rubbish I think it is...

If someone has it, let us know how it is.

Oh, it is very much alive at this stage

OK getting an update here.

I have started to learn more about the PS by usung an Xplorer (THANKS BLAZE3927!) which is to make any PS act as a Net Yaroze.

However, I am not using the Yaroze SDK but instead using the PSY-Q SDK (Gotta' love Psygnosis (Studio Liverpool) for their amazing work).

Naughty Dog at the time when Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin were there working on Crash Bandicoot, Andy re-wrote the Library files. Mainly because the PS only had 2 MB of DRAM @ 16MBIT which was not a lot to fit in level data, collision data etc...

The GPU RAM (VRAM > SGRAM) is a lot faster however than the main RAM (SRAM). So a good idea is to program into the VRAM first, then move the data along into the RAM. This is a question for the game however, if you need the VRAM instantly for graphic data.

I also managed to get across (after a weeks worth of re-installing Windows 95, 98 and ME over and over) an .EXE file for the PS to execute. Nothing special or fancy. Many people have done it before. I mean, thank the people who wrote Xkiller and CAETLA.


But I will be looking into this more now.

Also going to read the ENTIRE PSY-Q manual.

I want to know the PlayStation in and out 100%. lol.

Annoying, because at the moment I only have a SCPH-5502 (2 = PAL). I need a 1001 model as its security and mainboard was much more simplistic. IE: Components not incorperated into one.


Anyway, I have been doing all the research I can to make this dream a reality

I'll search my place, but if I find one (in reasonible condition) would you want it?

Ah, no need. I bought 2 of them from eBay!

I will make 2 of the SCPH-5502's (PAL) a Slot Loading Drive system. Sell those, and buy a FPGA development board. Expect the SLD PlayStation 1 very soon


Thank you for the offer though! Maybe I will buy it, as it is NTSC. But not just yet...

Updated pinouts for the CD-ROM

Snow_Cat and Blaze3927 have special access to the advanced PSIO manual I wrote in the members section now.

http://www.haunted360.com/development-playstationadvanced.html