Worklog An attempt to recreate the PS2 PCB

[Mister M]

Hi guys. The project is still ongoing and we have new updates. In 2018 I met Bitbiult and one of the things that fascinated me was the PCBs (Printed Circuit Board) the idea of being able to create boards for the projects we had in mind was an incredible thing. since late 2020 i am studying about PCB and reverse engineering on pcbs. Now I'm perfectly able to create any pcb I believe, so if you have a project in mind and want to hire me to do it, don't hesitate to call me, because I know it's very bad to look at a project, to have the ideas , but not knowing how to execute it and not having someone willing to do it.
I'll go all the way with this project and you will be updated on all the progress, difficulties, discoveries, challenges and finally completion.

This is the transformer on one of the versions of the 7900x,

With that I don't need to use an RJ45 connector that has built-in transformer, if you open the RJ45 connectors of the console end series, you will see the transformer inside.


WE CAN HAVE AN OVERVIEW OF HOW THE PROJECT IS GOING, IT HAS VERY SMALL DIMENSIONS.

The console PCB received another update, we updated the pcb with new custom regulators, digital audio amplifier with headphone output, thanks to @Gman, but also keeping the original audio dac, a micro sd card slot for load games via memorycard with the MX4SIO mod and USB-C to load the console, several FFC connectors for flat cables connecting the main board to the secondary boards. What's new in this update is the Ethernet transformer used in other console series.

Speaking of Ethernet transformer, I chose to use the PS2 with a game server, the device I chose was a well-known mini router that proved to be an excellent device for this function, being compact and consuming little battery, I decided to use it.

The use of a memory card can be used with an sd card, for this reason it has two card slots in the image, because I can create one of the options with the MX4SIO or the mini router, I can also create with the integrated circuit of the card an internal storage like a flash drive but then I would need to transfer data via USB and that's not what I want, so I created a pcb to connect the mini router and in it the sd card slot and an FFC connector to connect the PS2.

I created a 3d model of the mini router that is not functional, just to see how it will look and help when creating the shell.

I mentioned in a past post that I had also made a screen driver, and yes the screen driver is complete. In addition to the specific function, it also brings other functions such as the analog audio amplifier for those who prefer and thus keep the original play dac, it is also for this reason that it has another headphone jack and also has a slot to solder the memorycard if he wants. In the screen driver there is an STM32 responsible for the control and gaming on the console, the idea is from a friend called Epaminondas, the guy has amazing projects and things that can be revolutionary for this scenario of portable consoles. That is, it is a pcb with the peripheral functions of the console.

The screen commands and volume control and console power button.

The control buttons are inspired by PSvita, using the analog of the nintendo switch.

The project is in development and I'm not working with deadlines, my ideal is to make everything work out. Nothing is impossible, thinking that something is impossible is just a matter of opinion.

Need to create your pcb? I am here.

 

[thedrew]

Holy sh*t. My mind is blown.

 

[Customledmods]

 

[Lightning]

This forum is a true delight, because we get to see such beautiful images of meticulous, carefully detailed work, into which a like mind has poured so much care and dedication.

Your project is so incredibly ambitious, and it looks like you are quite equal to the challenge.

If I may ask though, for the sake of interest, where are you planning to place your batteries? Personally I'm going under the hand grips, what about yours?

Again looks just amazing. You are definitely upping the ante around here, so to speak lol

 

[darkwing]

This is truly impressive, great job on recreating the PS2 PCB!

I’m wondering if bringing back the HDD chip that are present in the 7000x series would be an option.
The 7000x series use a CXD9731AGP chip for this but not sure if it is possible as the 7900x series as merged quite a few chip compared to the 7000x series.

If it is possible you wouldn’t need the ethernet router and and you would have the best way to load games.

The con with loading games through Ethernet/SMB is that each time the portable is turn on the router/SMB server need to launch again and you need to wait until the games are accessible. The waiting time may vary from device to device, on my PS2 portable it takes around 2min with a raspberry pi2.
It’s not critical but that can be annoying if you launch OPL before the server is ready as you will need to reboot the PS2 board and try again.

Anyway just wanted to mention this and I'm looking forward to read your future updates

 

[Mister M]

All the PCBs are with the layout almost ready, now it needs some fine adjustments and reviewing everything once again (I've lost count of the times I reviewed and analyzed everything) comparing schematic, layout and mechanics of the PCBs, my idea to see the mechanical and how everything will look inside the case/shell is to print as PCBs in 1:1 scale and see how everything looks in the real world, realized that I will have to make a small adjustment between the PS2 connection and the screen driver, I also did the print the layout of the flat cables as I will use with the exact size and routes that I will use. I liked the result, I can have an idea of how everything will turn out.

Using a 5" screen, the PCBs together will be 187mm x 87.7mm, compared to PSvita which is 182mm x 83.55mm, I'm satisfied with the dimensions, the console will be quite compact.

I used the printing of the flat cables in 1:1 scale, real, to have a real idea of everything and how it will look inside the case/shell, seeing this, the idea comes to me to unite the controls with the screen driver and the PCB of the mini router, but I will study this while I create the case/shell.

 

[Mister M]

This forum is a true delight, because we get to see such beautiful images of meticulous, carefully detailed work, into which a like mind has poured so much care and dedication.

Your project is so incredibly ambitious, and it looks like you are quite equal to the challenge.

If I may ask though, for the sake of interest, where are you planning to place your batteries? Personally I'm going under the hand grips, what about yours?

Again looks just amazing. You are definitely upping the ante around here, so to speak lol

Thank you for your words and praise for my work.
Eager and rooting for the success of your project with the 7000x, you know you can count on me if you need to.
I created the smallest PCBs I could at the moment, and it always came to my mind to use a power bank or cell phone battery, today I used a Samsung S10 plus battery, to see how it looks, this battery has 4,100mAh and I believe that only one does not will be enough to power the game console, there is a powerbank with 10,000mAh that would give a longer gaming life, but it is longer than this, so I will have to decide between two cell phone batteries or a powerbank battery, as I want the console be very thin, so I'm not going to use the 18650.

Last year I made the sketch of this case/shell, I'm still going to do something close to this, I want a case with this part that I know as 'grip' this spare part that jumps out of the case/shell and creates a grip for the hands, maybe I do something to put the batteries in that position.

 

[Mister M]

This is truly impressive, great job on recreating the PS2 PCB!

I’m wondering if bringing back the HDD chip that are present in the 7000x series would be an option.
The 7000x series use a CXD9731AGP chip for this but not sure if it is possible as the 7900x series as merged quite a few chip compared to the 7000x series.

If it is possible you wouldn’t need the ethernet router and and you would have the best way to load games.

The con with loading games through Ethernet/SMB is that each time the portable is turn on the router/SMB server need to launch again and you need to wait until the games are accessible. The waiting time may vary from device to device, on my PS2 portable it takes around 2min with a raspberry pi2.
It’s not critical but that can be annoying if you launch OPL before the server is ready as you will need to reboot the PS2 board and try again.

Anyway just wanted to mention this and I'm looking forward to read your future updates

This idea is interesting, some time ago me and a friend were talking about it, but with the 79k series onwards Sony abandoned this possibility of having the HDD in their consoles. In my research on the PS2 PCB and comparing it to the 70K PCB and schematics, I didn't see any real possibility, as there is no documentation of the new 79k and 90k chips. It would be a very good thing if we could rescue this.

 

[LeoQeep]

Are you going to use FPC's or FFC's to make the connections?

 

[Mister M]

Are you going to use FPC's or FFC's to make the connections?

I'm going to use FFC (flexible flat cable), I printed on paper real scale examples of the cables I intend to use, to understand the mechanics of everything that goes inside the case/shell.

 

[Panserbjorn]

I just picked up one of these routers. Do you have any advice on how to wire it directly to a trimmed ps2?

 

[Mister M]

I just picked up one of these routers. Do you have any advice on how to wire it directly to a trimmed ps2?

If you have space in the case/shell, you can connect the RJ45 to the respective tracks, you can solder the wires from each pin to the corresponding track you cut. To help you better, open a question topic on the forum that I can answer you better there and show your case/shell project with the board inside so I can give you better guidance.

 

[bns]

Hi guys. The project is still ongoing and we have new updates. In 2018 I met Bitbiult and one of the things that fascinated me was the PCBs (Printed Circuit Board) the idea of being able to create boards for the projects we had in mind was an incredible thing. since late 2020 i am studying about PCB and reverse engineering on pcbs. Now I'm perfectly able to create any pcb I believe, so if you have a project in mind and want to hire me to do it, don't hesitate to call me, because I know it's very bad to look at a project, to have the ideas , but not knowing how to execute it and not having someone willing to do it.
I'll go all the way with this project and you will be updated on all the progress, difficulties, discoveries, challenges and finally completion.

This is the transformer on one of the versions of the 7900x,
View attachment 22908
With that I don't need to use an RJ45 connector that has built-in transformer, if you open the RJ45 connectors of the console end series, you will see the transformer inside.


WE CAN HAVE AN OVERVIEW OF HOW THE PROJECT IS GOING, IT HAS VERY SMALL DIMENSIONS.

View attachment 22893
View attachment 22901
View attachment 22896


The console PCB received another update, we updated the pcb with new custom regulators, digital audio amplifier with headphone output, thanks to @Gman, but also keeping the original audio dac, a micro sd card slot for load games via memorycard with the MX4SIO mod and USB-C to load the console, several FFC connectors for flat cables connecting the main board to the secondary boards. What's new in this update is the Ethernet transformer used in other console series.

View attachment 22906
View attachment 22904
View attachment 22903
View attachment 22907
View attachment 22905

Speaking of Ethernet transformer, I chose to use the PS2 with a game server, the device I chose was a well-known mini router that proved to be an excellent device for this function, being compact and consuming little battery, I decided to use it.

View attachment 22894

The use of a memory card can be used with an sd card, for this reason it has two card slots in the image, because I can create one of the options with the MX4SIO or the mini router, I can also create with the integrated circuit of the card an internal storage like a flash drive but then I would need to transfer data via USB and that's not what I want, so I created a pcb to connect the mini router and in it the sd card slot and an FFC connector to connect the PS2.

View attachment 22899
View attachment 22897
I created a 3d model of the mini router that is not functional, just to see how it will look and help when creating the shell.
View attachment 22895

View attachment 22900

View attachment 22898

I mentioned in a past post that I had also made a screen driver, and yes the screen driver is complete. In addition to the specific function, it also brings other functions such as the analog audio amplifier for those who prefer and thus keep the original play dac, it is also for this reason that it has another headphone jack and also has a slot to solder the memorycard if he wants. In the screen driver there is an STM32 responsible for the control and gaming on the console, the idea is from a friend called Epaminondas, the guy has amazing projects and things that can be revolutionary for this scenario of portable consoles. That is, it is a pcb with the peripheral functions of the console.

View attachment 22888
View attachment 22889
View attachment 22887

The screen commands and volume control and console power button.
View attachment 22885View attachment 22886View attachment 22884


The control buttons are inspired by PSvita, using the analog of the nintendo switch.

View attachment 22891

View attachment 22892



View attachment 22890

The project is in development and I'm not working with deadlines, my ideal is to make everything work out. Nothing is impossible, thinking that something is impossible is just a matter of opinion.

Need to create your pcb? I am here.

AMAZING WORK!!

 

[Fly_5]

I think it is an excellent job, work like yours makes this community great. congratulations.

 

[Mister M]

I think it is an excellent job, work like yours makes this community great. congratulations.

Thanks. It's good to be part of this community.

 

[Mister M]

The PCBs creation part in the software is complete, all of them reviewed and ready to be manufactured and assembled for the first tests, but I cannot send them to be made without first seeing how it would look in a case/Shell, this allows some modifications to the correct functioning of mechanisms such as buttons, fitting of parts, pcbs and etc... So I'm creating the case/Shell with the help of PCBs and other components in 3D, (thanks to @Benge for providing his models of PsVita buttons and analog of Nintendo switch). I'm reaching the desired designer and very soon I'll buy the pieces for a correct measurement and tolerances. The mechanical parts are already coming, only the pcbs and their components are missing.

 

[Benge]

Glad it could help you on your amazing project !
I really like the design, and the dimensions are really small, can't wait to see what's next
I really like the mindset of making what many people think impossible possible

The PCBs creation part in the software is complete, all of them reviewed and ready to be manufactured and assembled for the first tests, but I cannot send them to be made without first seeing how it would look in a case/Shell, this allows some modifications to the correct functioning of mechanisms such as buttons, fitting of parts, pcbs and etc... So I'm creating the case/Shell with the help of PCBs and other components in 3D, (thanks to @Benge for providing his models of PsVita buttons and analog of Nintendo switch). I'm reaching the desired designer and very soon I'll buy the pieces for a correct measurement and tolerances. The mechanical parts are already coming, only the pcbs and their components are missing.View attachment 24002View attachment 24003View attachment 24004

 

[sequetuveu]

I realy love the design
but the oval buttons (red squar) don't make it justice

may I suggest something like the AYA NEO air

I can't wait to see the final product

 

[Customledmods]

Great work I love the design

 

[Mister M]

I realy love the design
but the oval buttons (red squar) don't make it justice
View attachment 24029
may I suggest something like the AYA NEO air
View attachment 24030
I can't wait to see the final product

I'm intending to use the buttons on the psvita, this is the button on the PsVita fat 1000, but I bought the buttons on the psvita slim 2000, so I'm still going to replace it, this is a sketch, I'm still working on the case. Thanks for the tip, the button options are many, I'll look at these now and see if they match the case/shell.