Simple Flip-Top PStwo Portable

mPowered · Post by **mPowered** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:12 pm

Well, we all have to start somewhere, and I'd like to keep it simple.

I am working on grafting a PSone screen on to a Slim PS2, similar to the way the PSone screen currently attaches to the PSone. My concept for the mod is pictured below. For now I'm just looking to mod the LCD and not the system. I would like to retain the integrated look, and will likely paint the LCD plastics to match the PStwo.

I have scoured the site and the forums and am still missing some info mostly because I'm not looking to go 100% portable the way Ben and others are doing. If my questions have been answered elsewhere, I apologize in advance, for it was not for a lack of looking on my part.

First off, I disected a dying PSone LCD before I diced up a brand new one. Most of the info on benheck.com and elsewhere is geared toward the PCB controller and LCD screen. I had questions about the leftover AV board and Power board that are used to connect directly to the PSone.

The connection on the power board for the PSone screen and PStwo power supply are identical. But the PStwo requires more power (8.5v) than the PSone console/screen combo. Can you use a stock PStwo power supply to power both the LCD screen and console, or do you need more power?

My other question is about the AV board that has the AV Multi Outs, headphone jack, and AV Input . If you connect this board directly into a PStwo, the Female Multi Out covers the PStwo power connection. I intend to desolder the female connection and move it elsewhere, but wondered if it would be easier to chop up a PStwo cable, and solder it directly into the male connections instead. What would you recommend?

If I were to use the cable method, what kind of PStwo AV cable could be used? I have never seen a PStwo AV cable that outputs RGB. The closest thing I can find is called a SCART cable for Europe. Would that work, or do I need to look for something else?

HK-47 · Post by **HK-47** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:27 pm

You can definatly use the ps2 power supply... Im pretty sure you could use the ps1 adapter but im not sure... Plug it in to your ps2, it wont ruin it or anything. Im pretty sure you can get scart out of a rbg cable but im not sure... Wait a bit and ill find out...

HK-47 · Post by **HK-47** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:30 pm

Im pretty sure it can. Heres a scart pinout.
http://www.gamesx.com/hwb/co_Scart.html

Post by **gannon** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:57 pm

also, because of the standard rgb problems with the ps2 it'd be a good idea to modify the lcd's header board to output composite rather than rgb to the lcd.

mPowered · Post by **mPowered** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 3:06 pm

Gannon,

To clarify, are the PStwo RGB problems for DVD video playback only, or do they affect DVD-based games as well? I've seen the issue on the forums, but have not checked it out.

dooda · Post by **dooda** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 3:32 pm

will likely paint the LCD plastics to match the PStwo

it hink you should consider painting the console instead

white would look cool (matching the screen).

but you could go allthe way and paint both the lcd and the console
(some crazy color would do it)

use platic tape (carefully cuted ith a knife) in the "ps2" logo and stuff
you want to keep.

give your PS2p a personal look

check this out http://mx.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/daniel ... pg&.src=ph

also there are some spray cans (think "fusion" paint) that paint well on
plastic, in case you need another color use the paint as a primer.

make it your own (i would love to see a custom painted PS2)

HK-47 · Post by **HK-47** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 3:33 pm

mPowered wrote:Gannon,

To clarify, are the PStwo RGB problems for DVD video playback only, or do they affect DVD-based games as well? I've seen the issue on the forums, but have not checked it out.

DVD games too i think...

mPowered · Post by **mPowered** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:06 pm

dooda,

Thanks for the advice. I've already painted my Xbox and GBA SP, and my tip for painters is to use auto body spray paint over Krylon Fusion. For some reason custom PS2s are not as common as Xboxes. Go figure.

I do like the charcoal black PStwo, and will actually go a shiny black to match the shiny stripe on the PStwo. In fact, I plan to take the white speaker grilles off completely and use the pattern underneath. It goes better with the look of the PS2.

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:21 pm

hrmmm nobodies mentiones me or my PStwo on this thread...I'm so hurt =P

Well, check out my site if you want a lot of info on making a PS2 portable, but I will also answer some of your questions:

RGB progblem---a problem with games and DVD movies. Games will start perfectly in RGB but after about 30 min of playtime it turns to a greenish tint...I put a switch to swap between RGB and composite. Once the greenish tint shows I just gotta play in Composite. Also, mod chips will not fix this problem with games, only DVD movies.

Power issue---I keep asking Ben about this but he won't give me a friggen reply. The PSTwo requires 8v at around 2 amps but it will often exceed that rating. The battery Ben uses (and I'm using now) is the best, the RB-270 by Initial. Check it out at Walmart (it's on their site). You can't use the PSTwo power supply to poser the screen and the system though. The 8.5v+ rating will cause some glitches in the screen and other problems. I've had to separate the screen and system power for a while now and I would like to know how Ben got it all to work off one. He did do the LED mod, but I still want to know how he did the voltage conversion. I even tried a 7808 at 1A to power the screen and system but that failed (system takes too much power to additionally power the regulator).

I hope that helps. Also, be very careful about picking a mod chip if youre going to use one. The PSTwo has a weak lens IC that fries even with the perfect chip and a perfect installation.

-Segasonicfan

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 10:26 pm

Platikote paint is what we use for GP32's
but, dont use gold or silver plastikote
I can explain if I need to , but there is a chemistry reason ( smaller molecules ) that prevents the paint from staying on plastic

~Octavious

mPowered · Post by **mPowered** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 9:36 am

segasonicfan:

Actually, when the RGB issue came up, I looked up your thread and checked out your website. I really like the way you fused a controller on. It's kinda like Han Solo in Carbonite! I also liked your CDX mod too.

So just to clarify, you placed a dip switch in the mix to turn off the RGB signals and go straight composite, right? Or the other option is to mod chip the PS2. I'd rather not mod chip, so composite and a dip switch looks like my solution. Looks like I may have to make a custom cable, rather than try to mod a SCART.

I was really hoping this issue was only with DVD Video discs. It really bites that the green bleeds into DVD games. People pirate ROMs, not in-game video. Come on Sony, you know better. Okay, maybe not...

As for the power, thanks for the reply. I'll just use the two power supplies for now, though there has to be some solution out there to unify it to one. The problem is that power solutions aren't (yet) well documented.

Octavious:

I've never heard of plastikote. Everything I've learned about console painting came over on Xbox Scene. I used Dupli-Color's Honda Graphite Grey and it works great. Auto paint seems to work just fine on plastic, and it's more durable that the original Nintendo platinum paint on the SP.

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 4:40 pm

mPowered, thanks for taking me into consideration

I'm glad you liked my site

As for the DIP switches: there is some good news. You don't need to disconnect the RGB lines to play in composite. The way the PSone screen works is once it receives a composite signal it turns off RGB and plays in composite. So you only need one switch for composite on/off. The other switches on my system are for disconnecting that controller. It's connected through 8 wires so it took 8 switches. That way I can still use an external 1 player controller. Only switch #10 is used for the composite.

The green bleeding isn't too bad though I have to say. It's no where near as bad as the Macrovision DVD movies. But yah, it's another reason for me hate Sony...

As for the power issue: I tinkered around with this more last night and busted my 9v li-ion battery

I was looking for an 8v output somewhere on the board to connect to the screen but when I tried that it didn't work (I couldn't find an output with the proper amps). It's possible that the 9v line can go to the system and the 8.3v line could go to the screen...the screen worked fine at 8.3v when I tried that (straight from the battery cells without conversion). But now my battery is screwed so I can't tell if it would all work 100%. 7808s don't work for sure and I doubt a DC-DC is going to work but it's possible...depends on how much power it all sucks up.

-Segasonicfan

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Wed Jan 05, 2005 4:52 pm

I tried once to make a circuit using a power transistor and a 78XX that would accept 3 Amps for each power transistor used, but I kept frying the thing.

Not all online schematics work...but maybe one of you can figure out a way...

mPowered · Post by **mPowered** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 8:09 am

segasonicfan:

Thanks for the tip on the dip switch. So does that mean that when you connect a stock PSone to the PSone LCD that it is always receiving the composite signal over RGB? I would have guessed the opposite to be true. When an RGB signal was present, it would override the composite. Go figure.

Sounds like I'll be using two power supplies for now until we can find a solution. I was really hoping the stock PS2 power brick would power both, though I'm not surprised it doesn't. I really wish Sony would release an official (7-8 inch widescreen) PStwo LCD, though I know it will never happen because of PSP.

HK-47 · Post by **HK-47** » Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:30 pm

Whats the ps2 psu rated at? Cant it be used to power the psone screen?