PSX card reader

Post by **melancholy** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:09 pm

Is there any device out there that can read original Playstation memory cards that is not a DexDrive? I have a DexDrive, but for the life of me cannot get the stupid thing to work. I've tried it on two seperate computers and although it occasionally lights up, it flat out won't read the memory card. Is there another device that exists that I could try, preferably USB?

AgentGreen · Post by **AgentGreen** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:43 pm

I can't tell you but I have a question about your dex drive: What OS are you running? It could be a compatability issue because my N64 dex drive won't work on anything past WinME

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:45 pm

I believe the newest versions of Action Replay for the PS2 have a feature that allow you to copy memory card saves to any USB storage device - you just have to copy the Playstation game save to a PS2 memory card beforehand.

For a slightly cheaper method, you could always build your own alternative adaptor.

Caboose · Post by **Caboose** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:13 pm

AgentGreen wrote:I can't tell you but I have a question about your dex drive: What OS are you running? It could be a compatability issue because my N64 dex drive won't work on anything past WinME

Try compatability mode?

Post by **pixel** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:54 pm

To access my Xbox's memory cards, I hook up a controller via USB and use Action Reply software like az_bont talked about.

Post by **melancholy** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:43 pm

az_bont wrote:I believe the newest versions of Action Replay for the PS2 have a feature that allow you to copy memory card saves to any USB storage device - you just have to copy the Playstation game save to a PS2 memory card beforehand.

I already thought of that since I just happened to pick up the USB drive version of AR two weeks ago, but no luck. The Media Manager ignores PSX cards, and if you copy a save to a PS2 card it just sees it as a corrupted file and refuses to copy it to the USB drive. A horrible oversight on AR's part, IMO.

az_bont wrote:For a slightly cheaper method, you could always build your own alternative adaptor.

I really don't understand how to read that. I can see where the parallel port wires match up with the memory card wires, but beyond that I'm clueless.

Crazy Caboose wrote:
AgentGreen wrote:I can't tell you but I have a question about your dex drive: What OS are you running? It could be a compatability issue because my N64 dex drive won't work on anything past WinME
Try compatability mode?

It isn't a software problem, or at least I don't believe it is. I have tried various programs, including the one that came with the DexDrive, but nothing. It lights up, but nothing happens. Caboose is right on this one. The day I migrated to XP is the day my DexDrive started behaving erratically. It probably works correctly in 1 out of every 10 reboots of my computer, and even then I can only read and write to the card once before the DexDrive is undetectable again. It's insanely frustrating.

Post by **BlueCrab** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:51 pm

I used this long ago http://www.gamesx.com/mccap/.
Quick and easy to build.

Also, when I built it, I used an old floppy drive cable rather than a real memory card slot.

Post by **melancholy** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:57 pm

BlueCrab wrote:I used this long ago http://www.gamesx.com/mccap/.
Quick and easy to build.

This one looks easy to build:

Two questions, though. What is a diode, and does it connect where that red arrow on the line is?

Post by **BlueCrab** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:05 pm

If I remember correctly, the Diode isn't entirely required, but recommended. And yes, the diode does go where the red arrow with a line is.

Here's a wikipedia description of what a diode is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diodes
And here's the type of diode you'll need: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... age=family
(You'll only need one of the 10 that are in the package)

When you're wiring it up, the part of the diode with the little bar on it (on the physical diode itself) is supposed to be in the direction that the arrow that represents the diode on the schematic points. (See here: http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gaa/DigilabNot ... node5.html )

I don't remember if I ever used it with Windows XP, so, I'll try to dig up the thing this weekend, and try it out....

Post by **melancholy** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:16 pm

Wow, so all I have to do is match the wires on a printer cable with the pins on the memory card, solder a diode to the fifth wire, and hook it up? That is extremely easy! Now all I need is some sort of memory card 'slot' that doesn't require me tearing apart a Playstation (which I suppose I could just tear apart my DexDrive and use that since it's not working right anyway).

In fact, I'll just print off that part number and take it to Radio Shack so I know exactly what to pick up.

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:26 pm

Melancholy wrote:Now all I need is some sort of memory card 'slot' that doesn't require me tearing apart a Playstation

If you have a local Gamestop/EB Games or similar, see if they have PSX multitaps. I got one for $2 about a year ago; they're apparently desperate to get rid of them.

Post by **BlueCrab** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:33 pm

Ex-Cyber wrote:
Melancholy wrote:Now all I need is some sort of memory card 'slot' that doesn't require me tearing apart a Playstation
If you have a local Gamestop/EB Games or similar, see if they have PSX multitaps. I got one for $2 about a year ago; they're apparently desperate to get rid of them.

Or, if you have a old Floppy Drive cable (the one with the type of connector that doesn't look like an ide cable), you can use that. That's what I did. Just requires a bit of sawing... I'm not sure where the instructions for that are, so I'd have to dig up mine and give you more detailed directions.....

Johnnylee_hang · Post by **Johnnylee_hang** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:01 am

Let me take a guess..... If usb is faster than serial cable, why are we trying to wire a serial cable instead of usb port? Or is there a way to it already?

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:40 am

Johnnylee_hang wrote:If usb is faster than serial cable, why are we trying to wire a serial cable instead of usb port?

First of all, this design is for the parallel port, not serial. As for the reason USB is not used in these kinds of projects, it's that USB is vastly complicated under the hood compared to a parallel port. With the parallel port you can pretty much use a software driver to bit-bang any protocol you want as long as the timing requirements aren't too strict, and it's frequently possible to do so with minimal or even no electronic components in the interface (as you can see from the schematic). USB pretty much requires a microcontroller or ASSP chip (with the latter probably containing an embedded microcontroller) between the PC and the device you're talking to. That makes the circuit much more complex to design and assemble.

Besides, even on USB the card protocol itself would limit the speed. If memory serves the PSX memory card / controller bus only operates at 250Kbit/s.

Johnnylee_hang · Post by **Johnnylee_hang** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:49 pm

Ok, back to the project. Do I just pop-out the memory card slot from my broken psone and solder it with my parallel port? And this project also need a power supply?

Post by **Roofus** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 3:21 pm

Moved to Hardware

Post by **melancholy** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 2:29 pm

I don't get it. I wired it up exactly as the guide showed. I added the needed diode, I matched all the colors, I soldered it all good so nothing was touching, but nothing. I downloaded that software on that site, but it just sits there and cannot detect the card. Any suggestions?

semicolo · Post by **semicolo** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 7:25 pm

your parallel port probably doesn't provide enough current to power the memory card (in fact I doubt it'll work on any standard port)
You'd better remove the diode and tie a +3.3V to pin5 of the flash card (you can find 3.3V on your atx power supply, it's the orange cables, see http://pinouts.ru/data/atxpower_pinout.shtml)

Post by **BlueCrab** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 7:43 pm

semicolo wrote:your parallel port probably doesn't provide enough current to power the memory card (in fact I doubt it'll work on any standard port)

I never had a single problem with the thing on my old computer. I wish I could find it to see if it worked on this computer....

semicolo · Post by **semicolo** » Mon May 01, 2006 6:43 am

parallel ports have different fan-out capabilities
The IBM specifications says according to http://www.linux.com/howtos/IO-Port-Programming-6.shtml
The data output pins (pins 2-9) sink 24 mA, source 15 mA, and their high-level output is min. 2.4 V. The low state for both is max. 0.5 V. Pins 1, 14, 16, and 17 (the control outputs) have open collector drivers pulled to 5 V through 4.7 kiloohm resistors (sink 20 mA, source 0.55 mA, high-level output 5.0 V minus pullup). Non-IBM parallel ports probably deviate from this standard.

If your port have open collector drivers for all pins, it means you can only get 500uA of current.