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So, while searching online, I came across a major improvement to a project called PicoStation for the PlayStation 1. PicoStation is an ODE emulator similar to the xStation and PSIO, but its compatibility had been quite poor until now. Developer megavolt85 has made a significant improvement to PicoStation on GitHub: https://github.com/megavolt85/PicoStation?tab=readme-ov-file
I asked a good friend to make some 3D prints for the laser section in order to install the microSD card. I found the .stl files here: https://www.printables.com/model/407224-picostation-mount-for-scph-5502?lang=fr You only need the main part — the rest are not necessary.
The required parts are a Raspberry Pi Pico board (RP2040) and a microSD card module, both of which can be found very cheaply on AliExpress.
Make two holes with a Dremel to secure the SD card module onto the mount.
Time for soldering. I got the pu18 boards so I used the pu18 diagram.
I routed all the cables through the right corner of the board in order to install the Pico at the front.
Then I soldered the cables on the sd card
Then I placed the mount where the laser unit was.
The final result.
xStation and PSIO, even though they are hacked solutions, are still quite expensive. Here, however, we have an ODE that costs less than $10, and thanks to megavolt85, compatibility has dramatically improved.
That being said, there were some small issues. Some large SD cards are not recognized correctly. I ran many tests with various microSD cards: some worked, some froze during gameplay, and others were not recognized at all. I also tried custom twisted-pair wires to reduce noise, used shorter cables — nothing worked.( exfat or fat32 with various allocation unit sizes)
From all my tests, I came to the conclusion that if the card is Class 4, it will work 100%. Class 4 cards only go up to 32GB, but I think that’s more than enough for a fair number of PS1 games. On the other hand, U3, V30, and Class 10 cards gave me very poor results.
Other than that, the overall experience is amazing!
Sadly, it works only on PU-8 and PU-18 boards. In later models, some ICs were combined, and you can’t lift the pins to isolate a specific IC as you can with the earlier boards. Here are the diagrams https://app.box.com/s/qb3q3anitcyh82ufv0bwxsy6b24it95d
Through all my tests, I found that the best results were with Class 4 microSD cards formatted as FAT32 with an allocation unit size of 32 KB.
Ok, so yesterday I decided to take it a step further and implement this mod that I found online from a great guy on YouTube called ManiacVera
Here is the diagram:
The purpose of this is so the owner doesn’t have to open the console every time they want to update the Raspberry Pi Pico. Normally, to do that, you need to press the boot button each time you want to enter upgrade mode while plugging in the USB cable. Megavolt85 is on fire and keeps improving this firmware, so this mod will make your life much easier.
First, the items you need are: 2 diodes (1N5819), 1 resistor (1K), 1 transistor (2N222), and 1 Type-C module—preferably with 512K pulldown resistors on CC1 and CC2—if you have a Type-C Raspberry Pi Pico and don’t have a Micro-USB type.
You mount the Type-C module using the same principles. These screws are from the plastic shell of an old laptop.
The installation looks something like this
Now, let’s put everything together
Final result
I am very happy with the results—everything works great! You can upgrade the Raspberry Pi Pico just by plugging in the USB cable and dragging the new firmware. You only need to have the power cable connected to the console while the console is powered off.
I am so excited about this mod because for years I wanted to play the original PSX on an original Sony Trinitron TV—the old-fashioned way I used to as a child. And now, I am ready to experience what I did many years ago.
Just one more tip: a full RGB cable is a must on these old consoles. You don’t need fancy expensive cables—just a cheap RGB cable that includes capacitors and all the RGB signal lines. You can find them very cheaply on AliExpress for around 5 dollars, and the image quality is night and day compared to composite.
I just did a simple trick on mine with a resistor because on my TV, every time I powered it on, it kept defaulting to a 16:9 aspect ratio. With this resistor, I tricked it to enter at 4:3, but you might not need it at all—it depends on your TV.
I forgot to mention that the next and last mod is the SI5351 / DFO mod. I’m waiting for the board to arrive, and I will post updates as soon as I install it. It will make the ntsc games to run real 60hz(and not 50) on my pal system.
Yes, Japanese consoles are NTSC by default. The Picostation will work perfectly on any PU-8 or PU-18 board, regardless of the region. The 55xx models have a PU-18 board, so you will be fine. You won’t need the SI5351 / DFO mod on an NTSC console, because they already run at 60Hz and there’s no benefit to forcing PAL games to run at 50Hz, which has a lower framerate.
In my case, I have a PAL console. Even though Picostation allows region-free playback, NTSC games on a PAL console default to 50Hz. The DFO mod fixes this by providing an alternate oscillator, which forces NTSC games to run at their native 60Hz instead of being limited to 50Hz.
Here is the diagram of the DFO mod for PU18 boards:
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Ok so my dfo mod is done.
Here are some pics.
Overall, I am pretty excited about the project. You can clearly see the 10 fps boost in NTSC games compared to the PAL ones. The animation is much smoother.
ODEs are the way to go on original PlayStation 1 units. I have ordered more than five laser units from different sellers on AliExpress, and all of them turned out to be defective. They either freeze or stutter, and believe me, I have tried all sorts of things. I bought the most expensive CDs with azo dye, tweaked the laser unit resistance, and even searched for old CD-ROM IDE drives to burn discs at 2x or 4x speeds, since newer DVD-ROM writers’ firmware doesn’t support such low speeds. Nothing worked. There is almost zero chance of finding a good PlayStation 1 laser unit these days.
Everything turned out wonderful, and now I can finally enjoy my good old games!
Ok so my dfo mod is done.
Does this DFO board make it NTSC with 60Hz for all disc images, or does it detect PAL disc images and set 50Hz for those?
I’m also curious how Picostation handles games where the disc dump have one cue file but several bin files (e.g. audio tracks). Assuming those games have to be converted somehow.
Does this DFO board make it NTSC with 60Hz for all disc images, or does it detect PAL disc images and set 50Hz for those?
The DFO board switches automatically depending on region.
I’m also curious how Picostation handles games where the disc dump have one cue file but several bin files (e.g. audio tracks). Assuming those games have to be converted somehow.
A game with several bin files need to be converted into one bin file. There are tools for that, like this one:
Does this DFO board make it NTSC with 60Hz for all disc images, or does it detect PAL disc images and set 50Hz for those?
The DFO board switches automatically depending on region.
I’m also curious how Picostation handles games where the disc dump have one cue file but several bin files (e.g. audio tracks). Assuming those games have to be converted somehow.
A game with several bin files need to be converted into one bin file. There are tools for that, like this one:
Thanks. How does it handle games spanning several discs (for example Final Fantasy VII)?
How does it handle games spanning several discs (for example Final Fantasy VII)?
PSIO supports the “.m3u” file extension which is a text file including the “.cue” files for the game, one for each disc. After searching around, doesn’t look like Picostation or xStation handles multi-disc.
I have tried ISOs with several tracks as BIN files and they work fine. You can also swap discs simply by creating a folder with the different disc .bin and .cue files. When you open the lid, it shuffles through to the next disc. So, if you open and close the lid multiple times, it cycles to the next disc each time. ManiacVera also uploaded pictures showing how to use an RP2040 Zero as an “In-Game Reset” for PlayStation 1.
The combinations are:
Short reset: L2 + R2 + SELECT + START.
Long reset: L2 + R2 + SELECT + X.
Reset lid open: L2 + R2 + SELECT + SQUARE.
Open/Close lid: L2 + R2 + SELECT + R1.
Swap disc: L2 + R2 + SELECT + L1.
Here is the github link with the diagram and the firmware file:
https://github.com/ManiacVera/PicoIGR
I have tried ISOs with several tracks as BIN files and they work fine.
No need to convert the game to be one bin file?
You can also swap discs simply by creating a folder with the different disc .bin and .cue files. When you open the lid, it shuffles through to the next disc. So, if you open and close the lid multiple times, it cycles to the next disc each time.
Smart, so the lid switch is wired to the Picostation.
I have tried ISOs with several tracks as BIN files and they work fine.
No need to convert the game to be one bin file?
You can also swap discs simply by creating a folder with the different disc .bin and .cue files. When you open the lid, it shuffles through to the next disc. So, if you open and close the lid multiple times, it cycles to the next disc each time.
Smart, so the lid switch is wired to the Picostation.
Yes there is no need to convert to one bin file and also lid switch is wired to picostation.
Picostation RC2 is out! https://github.com/megavolt85/PicoStation?tab=readme-ov-file
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