Are "No Solder" mod-chips good?
Are "No Solder" mod-chips good?
I've never had experience soldering stuff, so i would feel a little uneasy opening up my Xbox or PS2. Are the plug-in type ones good for playing imports & back-ups?
If you've never soldered anything in your life then the probability of you damaging your X-Box/PS-2 is more than likely! Especially the PS-2 is very sensitive & the slightest wrong soldering can send it smoking to the fiery pits of console hell!
In my previous job we used to service & install mod chips for all the major consoles. For the X-Box we used the Aladdin Mod chip which was quite good. As for the PS-2 I used to install the Mars II mod chips, but I had noticed that a particular batch had some incompatibility & various other problems that had to do with the hardware. (It might be fixed now)
I've heard that the Messiah is also supposed to be good but I've never installed it my self. Also the DMS is said to be the best, with the easiest user interface & doesn’t need the annoying resetting to switch between the PS-1/2/DVD modes.
DMS have also made a solder less mod chip, but you'll still have to open up your PS-2 & apply the special designed wires on the right places, (Resulting in losing your guarantee) but I don't know how well it performs.
Keep one thing in mind that all mod chips (except the solder less ones) you have to solder the 2-25 wires in different & tricky spots on the PS-2 PCB, which means that you have to be careful after that not to move the console around too much, as a strong vibrations could result in one of the wires inside to detach & an electric shock will occur damaging the PCB, especially if it touches one of the other integrated circuits while on power.
The X-BOX is not the same case as it only requires 8-12 wires to be soldered on the PCB & it’s only a little harder than moding a PS-1. Plus the X-BOX PCB has a much more durable design than the cheaply made PS-2 & can take a few mistakes without getting damaged. (Once one of the fuses on the PCB got snapped but the console still worked with the mod chip installed!)
If you want to start moding I would start 1st on the Saturn which is a child’s test subject & it only requires 2 wires to be soldered. (1 wire on an integrated circuit & the 2nd on the 5V power)
Then go for the PS-1 which has around 8 wires.
Then for the X-Box & last for the PS-2
It would be best if someone with experience would guide you, especially on the PS-2 which is hard & doesn’t tolerate many mistakes, but its better if you do it your self rather than letting an unknown bastid touching your hard earned consoles. The guy that had the shop I worked for, would sometimes take good components (Laser Lenses, PSUs, fuses, etc…) from his customer’s consoles & put other shit stuff inside! Or would use them as test subjects to try out the newly arrived mod chips to see if they work ok!
What a bastid!
So good luck!
In my previous job we used to service & install mod chips for all the major consoles. For the X-Box we used the Aladdin Mod chip which was quite good. As for the PS-2 I used to install the Mars II mod chips, but I had noticed that a particular batch had some incompatibility & various other problems that had to do with the hardware. (It might be fixed now)
I've heard that the Messiah is also supposed to be good but I've never installed it my self. Also the DMS is said to be the best, with the easiest user interface & doesn’t need the annoying resetting to switch between the PS-1/2/DVD modes.
DMS have also made a solder less mod chip, but you'll still have to open up your PS-2 & apply the special designed wires on the right places, (Resulting in losing your guarantee) but I don't know how well it performs.
Keep one thing in mind that all mod chips (except the solder less ones) you have to solder the 2-25 wires in different & tricky spots on the PS-2 PCB, which means that you have to be careful after that not to move the console around too much, as a strong vibrations could result in one of the wires inside to detach & an electric shock will occur damaging the PCB, especially if it touches one of the other integrated circuits while on power.
The X-BOX is not the same case as it only requires 8-12 wires to be soldered on the PCB & it’s only a little harder than moding a PS-1. Plus the X-BOX PCB has a much more durable design than the cheaply made PS-2 & can take a few mistakes without getting damaged. (Once one of the fuses on the PCB got snapped but the console still worked with the mod chip installed!)
If you want to start moding I would start 1st on the Saturn which is a child’s test subject & it only requires 2 wires to be soldered. (1 wire on an integrated circuit & the 2nd on the 5V power)
Then go for the PS-1 which has around 8 wires.
Then for the X-Box & last for the PS-2
It would be best if someone with experience would guide you, especially on the PS-2 which is hard & doesn’t tolerate many mistakes, but its better if you do it your self rather than letting an unknown bastid touching your hard earned consoles. The guy that had the shop I worked for, would sometimes take good components (Laser Lenses, PSUs, fuses, etc…) from his customer’s consoles & put other shit stuff inside! Or would use them as test subjects to try out the newly arrived mod chips to see if they work ok!
What a bastid!
So good luck!
1. Inserted no-solder modchips (the cheap ones) produce unreliable gameplay. When they work, they seem alright. However, I hear they (or at least some) can't play imports, only burned copies (can anybody confirm?).
2. Full no-solder modchips (quite expensive) with clips used to attach the wires are the most notoriously unreliable devices for playing imports. You'd be better off getting a real mod chip unless you don't mind the fact that the clips might be straining your PS2 components.
2. Full no-solder modchips (quite expensive) with clips used to attach the wires are the most notoriously unreliable devices for playing imports. You'd be better off getting a real mod chip unless you don't mind the fact that the clips might be straining your PS2 components.
Mod chips in older consoles like Saturn & PSX if installed properly, could last for Life.(I modded my PSX in 1997 & still works perfectly today. Also my Saturn bought in 2000 & modded in 2003, plays all copies like a charm) But in modern consoles there is no guarantee that even if you install the chip properly & treat it well, it will continue to work for a long time as the mod chips them selves seem to strain & ware out the PS2 components. Reasons? Unknown!
As a lot of PS-2 consoles would return after some time for lens adjustments, but never the ones that had not been modded! Who knows how many other problems might arise in time?
Of course it's better to risk one console than to waste your hard-earned money for those crap-ass boring games the modern gaming industry is tossing out.
As a lot of PS-2 consoles would return after some time for lens adjustments, but never the ones that had not been modded! Who knows how many other problems might arise in time?
Of course it's better to risk one console than to waste your hard-earned money for those crap-ass boring games the modern gaming industry is tossing out.
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Zach Keene
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