X Station PS1 ODE

[spmbx]

Funny to see the PSIO creator on Twitter yesterday, already trying to lowkey sh1t on the XStation... Dude is such a fkin baby!

I noticed the guy blocked me when i said something anout it lol. The cybdyn systems guy truly is a douchebag, i’d never buy anything from an asshole like that.

[maxtherabbit]

Fuck cybdyn all my homies hate cybdyn

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[Austin]

Damnit, so it does actually require soldering? That sucks. Great to see another alternative, but the total cost of it just shot up in price for me personally since I'll have to send it off to someone to mod. I can do basic soldering, but not to that level that this will require.

Still exciting news nonetheless. I've kept putting off the PSIO because of the cost of the package + installation service, as well as its compatibility issues. X Station seems like it will be the better choice for me in the end.

[RoboArmy]

Fuck cybdyn all my homies hate cybdyn

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jokes aside, that kind of unprofessionalism on public channels like twitter never fails to turn me off from buying their products. I've changed my mind on buying stuff in more than one occasion because of that (not naming them because that would be lame).

I know this is largely a hobbyist's domain, but still.

[Arthrimus]

Damnit, so it does actually require soldering? That sucks. Great to see another alternative, but the total cost of it just shot up in price for me personally since I'll have to send it off to someone to mod. I can do basic soldering, but not to that level that this will require.

Still exciting news nonetheless. I've kept putting off the PSIO because of the cost of the package + installation service, as well as its compatibility issues. X Station seems like it will be the better choice for me in the end.

Based on the description we've got so far, it sounds like it's going to required advanced soldering skills, given that we are going to be lifting pins on the DSP and soldering to them. Not something a novice would want to try.

[spmbx]

Damnit, so it does actually require soldering? That sucks. Great to see another alternative, but the total cost of it just shot up in price for me personally since I'll have to send it off to someone to mod. I can do basic soldering, but not to that level that this will require.

Still exciting news nonetheless. I've kept putting off the PSIO because of the cost of the package + installation service, as well as its compatibility issues. X Station seems like it will be the better choice for me in the end.

Based on the description we've got so far, it sounds like it's going to required advanced soldering skills, given that we are going to be lifting pins on the DSP and soldering to them. Not something a novice would want to try.

Actually there was some talk about a "quick solder board" for installation so i'm hoping the solder part will not be advanced at all. The lifting of pins could be annoying since i'm guessing those will be tiny.

[Seraphic]

Had a SPCH-7001 in storage that I originally intended to get a PSIO/PS1Digital installed into at some point, but with news of the X-Station (PU-18) and apparently some 7001s have PU-18 I decided to open her up and see what it was. Sadly found it to be a PU-20 built in May 1998... guess it will be a wait-and-see if the Cybdyn ODE will require a PU-18 as well and would it provide better compatibility then their PSIO.

[PixelPhoenix]

Ended up checking my 7001 as well.

PU-20. Damn.

Although this will work out well for me as I have always two of each console that uses optical media - one for the ODE, one that's stock, and a backup laser.

Anyway, XStation will be available through Castlemania.

https://castlemaniagames.com/products/xstation

To be clear, XStations are not out of stock as their site claims, Castlemania simply hasn't listed them yet. No target release date --> I signed up for notifications.

Also, product page claims 100% compatibility --> very interesting.

[Seraphic]

Ended up checking my 7001 as well.

PU-20. Damn.

Although this will work out well for me as I have always two of each console that uses optical media - one for the ODE, one that's stock, and a backup laser.

Anyway, XStation will be available through Castlemania.

https://castlemaniagames.com/products/xstation

To be clear, XStations are not out of stock as their site claims, Castlemania simply hasn't listed them yet. No target release date --> I signed up for notifications.

Also, product page claims 100% compatibility --> very interesting.

What was your 7001s build date? I thought my May 1998 would have been part of the "early" run for PU-18s as I saw a 5501 on ebay with a build date of JAN 1998 but it would seem not.

Not sure if Cybdyn has commented on the their ODEs compatibility or not, but I have seem people say their design does not remove the disk drive while the XStation does?

And contacted Cybdyn about their optical disc emulator and asked if it would work with a 7001 with a PU-20 and they said it would work with a 7001 but they didn't reference the PU-20 part so not sure if that is good or bad.

[fernan1234]

And contacted Cybdyn about their optical disc emulator and asked if it would work with a 7001 with a PU-20 and they said it would work with a 7001 but they didn't reference the PU-20 part so not sure if that is good or bad.

They are saying it will work with all models, even the PSOne.

[siopoudis]

Damnit, so it does actually require soldering? That sucks. Great to see another alternative, but the total cost of it just shot up in price for me personally since I'll have to send it off to someone to mod. I can do basic soldering, but not to that level that this will require.

Still exciting news nonetheless. I've kept putting off the PSIO because of the cost of the package + installation service, as well as its compatibility issues. X Station seems like it will be the better choice for me in the end.

Based on the description we've got so far, it sounds like it's going to required advanced soldering skills, given that we are going to be lifting pins on the DSP and soldering to them. Not something a novice would want to try.

You don't have to solder anything on the lifted pins. You just have to lift them / snip them / disconnect them. The only soldering required is on the QSB that goes under the motherboard. You then connect the qsb with the XStation through the provided flex cable, and you're done.

[PixelPhoenix]

Ended up checking my 7001 as well.

PU-20. Damn.

Although this will work out well for me as I have always two of each console that uses optical media - one for the ODE, one that's stock, and a backup laser.

Anyway, XStation will be available through Castlemania.

https://castlemaniagames.com/products/xstation

To be clear, XStations are not out of stock as their site claims, Castlemania simply hasn't listed them yet. No target release date --> I signed up for notifications.

Also, product page claims 100% compatibility --> very interesting.

What was your 7001s build date? I thought my May 1998 would have been part of the "early" run for PU-18s as I saw a 5501 on ebay with a build date of JAN 1998 but it would seem not.

Not sure if Cybdyn has commented on the their ODEs compatibility or not, but I have seem people say their design does not remove the disk drive while the XStation does?

And contacted Cybdyn about their optical disc emulator and asked if it would work with a 7001 with a PU-20 and they said it would work with a 7001 but they didn't reference the PU-20 part so not sure if that is good or bad.

June 1998, as it turns out. I wonder when the 7001s began manufacturing? Would be interesting to know the cutoff point from PU-18 to PU-20, unless you can just look at the serial number like a 1-CHIP SNES and estimate when PU-18s were phased out.

And yes, PSIO does have a wider range of compatibility across models, but my understanding is that game compatibility suffers (I can't give an estimate but I've seen many examples where different games refuse to work properly). I find that 5501s are much easier to come across at the moment - the PS1 sold incredibly well back then.

I'm not too concerned about keeping the laser as part of the ODE unit - that's why I have two units. If I want true authenticity, I'll just swap consoles.

Edit: So as it turns out, I found an April 1998 5501. They were definitely being manufactured up to that point - I suspected January 1998.

[TORQUENDB]

Starting to wish I'd held off on getting a PSIO for a few more months. It mostly works well, but I feel the way it goes about achieving its result is flawed, trying to control so many different components and subsystems. Maybe it's theoretically possible to make it 100% accurate, but every firmware release seems to break as many things as it fixes in a constant tug-of-war of timings.

Just picked up a SCPH-5501 off eBay for $30 in preparation. Hoping 2020 will be the year I can finally stop using disks for all my pre-HD consoles.

[schnuth]

Just picked up a SCPH-5501 off eBay for $30 in preparation. Hoping 2020 will be the year I can finally stop using disks for all my pre-HD consoles.

I just picked up two from this seller FOR $15 each shipped with non working drives:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143608957288

Physically they were in better shape than I expected, and the drive actually works just fine in one of them. For $15 a pop shipped you can’t go wrong IMHO. Both have manufacture dates of March 1998.

[TooBeaucoup]

My body is ready! LOL!

[darcagn]

I see your two and four PlayStation consoles and raise you .... eight SCPH-5501 model PlayStation consoles I bought for $90 + shipping, all working except for the disc drive, according to the seller.

I'm excited to breathe new life into some dead old hardware!

[PixelPhoenix]

I see your two and four PlayStation consoles and raise you .... eight SCPH-5501 model PlayStation consoles I bought for $90 + shipping, all working except for the disc drive, according to the seller.

I'm excited to breathe new life into some dead old hardware!

Since we just keep doubling...anyone have 16?

[TooBeaucoup]

I see your two and four PlayStation consoles and raise you .... eight SCPH-5501 model PlayStation consoles I bought for $90 + shipping, all working except for the disc drive, according to the seller.

I'm excited to breathe new life into some dead old hardware!

I have 3 more off screen, but they're the newer, white model.

[eightbitminiboss]

having to lift/snip pins is unfortunate. guess I'll wait to see the price.

Not ideal, no, but reconnecting pins on an IC is much simpler than reconnecting vias that needed to be cut on a PSIO install if you ever wanted to restore it for some reason.

[nmalinoski]

having to lift/snip pins is unfortunate. guess I'll wait to see the price.

Not ideal, no, but reconnecting pins on an IC is much simpler than reconnecting vias that needed to be cut on a PSIO install if you ever wanted to restore it for some reason.

As much as I dislike cutting traces for a PSIO install, I think that's an easier repair than if those pins were to snap off during either an install or restoration.

If the pin goes up successfully, I suppose restoration might be as simple as a solder bridge, but that may take a bit of finesse if those pins are directly next to each other or pulled up too far.


(I take it that it really is that difficult to simulate just the laser assembly?)

[maxtherabbit]

I think it's safe to say he would have avoided such a design decision if at all possible

[RoboArmy]

I see your two and four PlayStation consoles and raise you .... eight SCPH-5501 model PlayStation consoles I bought for $90 + shipping, all working except for the disc drive, according to the seller.

I'm excited to breathe new life into some dead old hardware!

There's a 7001 here I had forever in storage now waiting for a laser pickup and a bath of retrobrite(tm) to get me back into the PS1 which I miss playing on OG hardware, but sadly it's also a PU-20 like our friend here. Bummer.

I'm gonna buy a 5501 so at least I'll have a console I can fix up to play discs, and one for the X Station. Just have to actually buy the new laser and do it. Having someone with eight consoles makes me feel less bad for owning two.

[James-F]

Most (if not all) of those PU18 boards in a 700x are in the SCPH-7003 "Asia Region" models.
There is not a single clue on the internet about SCPH-7000/7001/7002 console with a PU18.
The wiki and modchip pages says "PU18 in some early 700x models" but no one actually seen one besides SCPH-7003.

Anyone actually has/seen PU18 in 700x models besides 7003 ?
Keep you expectation super low to non-existent about PU18 in a 7000/1/2.

Unless I'm wrong.

[NormalFish]

having to lift/snip pins is unfortunate. guess I'll wait to see the price.

Not ideal, no, but reconnecting pins on an IC is much simpler than reconnecting vias that needed to be cut on a PSIO install if you ever wanted to restore it for some reason.

oh yeah, to be clear, i strongly dislike the PSIO as a solution. the fact it's a destructive mod is just one among many reasons. I'd just prefer not to risk fucking up a console in pursuit of not relying upon decades-old lasers, keeping back up laser assemblies, or keeping my discs happy. Neither option is surefire given my poor soldering skills.

[Bassa-Bassa]

So is a US shop the only announced seller for this, supposedly a European product!?

[BuckoA51]

So is a US shop the only announced seller for this, supposedly a European product!?

Seems that way, I'd carry them as long as they were RoHS compliant, not sure who I talk to though?

[eightbitminiboss]

having to lift/snip pins is unfortunate. guess I'll wait to see the price.

Not ideal, no, but reconnecting pins on an IC is much simpler than reconnecting vias that needed to be cut on a PSIO install if you ever wanted to restore it for some reason.

As much as I dislike cutting traces for a PSIO install, I think that's an easier repair than if those pins were to snap off during either an install or restoration.

If the pin goes up successfully, I suppose restoration might be as simple as a solder bridge, but that may take a bit of finesse if those pins are directly next to each other or pulled up too far.


(I take it that it really is that difficult to simulate just the laser assembly?)

I can agree, I'm just glad the pin (or pins) required to pull are on the DSP and they have a fairly wide pin pitch compared to the other IC's on PS1's mainboard.

[darcagn]

I'm gonna buy a 5501 so at least I'll have a console I can fix up to play discs, and one for the X Station. Just have to actually buy the new laser and do it. Having someone with eight consoles makes me feel less bad for owning two.

Well, I only bought them to mod and resell for a little side money. With my personal PlayStation, that makes 9 now, but I'll be reselling the 8 I bought after they're modded.

Now, the Dreamcast is a different story, as I have about 10 of those in my household, and I'm not getting rid of any!

[eightbitminiboss]

Brief look of the xStation (along with the PS1Digital).

https://twitter.com/Voultar/status/1291833916744183809

[fernan1234]

It'd be really cool if this had a setting to set the last loaded game to load automatically on power on, bypassing the menu and not displaying the blue loading screen. The effect would be to see the Sony splash screen, followed by the PS logo, followed by black screen into game loading, thus replicating authentically the original experience of loading the CD-ROM (and of course being able to get the menu to change this setting or set a new game as the default with a certain button press at some point during the boot sequence to abort the auto load).