PS1 Digital Board not power on
- Thread starter Bendejo
- Start date
Just looked at the job. I thought I did a good job but I installed the cable to the wrong pins. Entire cable needed to be shifted one pin over to the left. Kinda left a mess removing the cable and destroyed the cable. I have one on order and will attempt this again. This time not at 2am in the morning.
bahamutfan64
New member
You got this!
Also, a hot air station makes removing flex cables much easier and minimizes the damage risk greatly.
Also, a hot air station makes removing flex cables much easier and minimizes the damage risk greatly.
i dont know, I dont really have a good magnifying glass. Bought one of those cheap ones from ebay, not working as good as i hoped. And yeah, i'll probably end up getting some more gear like the hot air gun. I think I did a good job on everything else but the graphics chip needs a good cleaning. Im having trouble removing the mess I made.
Anyways, I ordered the parts for the fuse they should be getting here on April 1. In the meantime i was able to cannibalize a good working fuse from another PS1 i had and still couldn't get it to boot. At this point I think I may need to replace a few fuses, clean up the mess i made on the chip. Once I get it to boot I can try installing the flex ribbon again and it should work. But I'm not sure on what is everything I need to check as far as components on the main board. I also left all the other ribbons attached but I dont think that should have any effect?
On the other hand i dont feel too bad if i walk away at this point. I know with better equipment and planning I could have succeeded. But Im not sure how extensive the troubleshooting will be and I don't want to spend too much time on this.
bahamutfan64
New member
I think you’ll have to put back the removed resistor if you want the console to display video without having the PS1Digital plugged in.
So the fuses were blown for sure? That’s really the only thing that can go wrong which would cause boot up issues.
If you wouldn’t mind providing some photos, it may help us to potentially troubleshoot any issues.
So the fuses were blown for sure? That’s really the only thing that can go wrong which would cause boot up issues.
If you wouldn’t mind providing some photos, it may help us to potentially troubleshoot any issues.
bahamutfan64
New member
The resistor’s continuity isn’t in question here though - it just needs to be put back to its original location.
It’s all five or so fuses that need to be checked for continuity.
Yup, pics would be great once you have the chance.
It’s all five or so fuses that need to be checked for continuity.
Yup, pics would be great once you have the chance.
Thats what I meant, I tried using analog video right after hdmi didnt work. This was before I removed the resistor. Then I got a new resistor and tried analog again, but if there are 5 or so other fuses I need to check, then yeah maybe theres a problem with those resistors too. Is there a place to look this up? I wanna make sure I test everything correctly before I do anything else. Are all these fuses that need to be checked all the same value?
bahamutfan64
New member
So you just need to make sure there’s continuity across the fuses. This is an example photo, but that’s what they look like - labeled 15, 20, or 50. They’ll be on the bottom side of the board, left-mid side.
Attachments
I uploaded the pictures to another site since the files are too big. I cleaned up most of the mess I made on the gpu chip but there's still that stuff in the middle I am having trouble getting rid of. Bonus pictures of the xstation mod I attempted. This is my first time with this pine of a pitch.
Update, I think i cleaned the mess i made on the gpu pins. I also put back the old ps604 fuse back in its donor PS1 (the one i removed from the working PS1 and it worked good. Tested the other fuses circled on the picture above and they all had continuity so it doesnt seem like i messed it up as bad. I removed the fuse again and put it on the PS1 with the mod, but still cant get anything. Theres probably still a bridge on the gpu pins I haven't seen yet. What else would it be?
Also my replacement ribbons have arrived! Should I go ahead and install the ribbon and use the ps1digital board to help troubleshooting?
Also my replacement ribbons have arrived! Should I go ahead and install the ribbon and use the ps1digital board to help troubleshooting?
bahamutfan64
New member
Did you test the console after installing the XStation first to verify that part is working correctly?
The GPU pictures unfortunately are a bit too blurry to assess if all the legs are still making connections with their respective traces. Could you try to take one that's a bit more in focus?
Incidentally, the audio and serial flex cables definitely need more solder.
The GPU pictures unfortunately are a bit too blurry to assess if all the legs are still making connections with their respective traces. Could you try to take one that's a bit more in focus?
Incidentally, the audio and serial flex cables definitely need more solder.
No testing, was hoping to get it all in one shot. The biggest worry i have are those 2 points youre supposed to scratch off. But we will see. I'm still getting continuity with all the fuses at least but still nothing, not even in analog. I will try to take another picture and apply more solder to those other flex cables.
It looks like I may still have some bridging behind the pins. Not sure how I'm supposed to get that, any suggestions?
If you flood it with flux and reflow the outside then heat should conduct through and retract solder onto the pads, but that may not be what we are looking at here.It looks like I may still have some bridging behind the pins. Not sure how I'm supposed to get that, any suggestions?
I have seen cases where people have shifted a GPU pin off the pad on an N64 and the pad is so thick that the leg catches the side when you attempt to straighten it. Even when everything is fully flowed/melted, straightening the pin results in moving the pad instead (delaminates from the board). You have to lift the pin first. Delaminated pads almost invariably cause shorting.
I’ve had to remove the GPU entirely, straighten every pin, glue down the pads, and solder it down again (no drag soldering on repaired pads!)..I have not found that to be the case for PSX GPU pins but what I see behind those pins looks strangely familiar. Definitely try flux and reflow with enough heat to flow the entire pad before the flux inactivates.
Probably cheaper to buy a working motherboard and move all the mods onto that.
Didn't think about that but that would be a cheaper solution. The X-station board isnt tough to remove and I think I could succeed on a 2nd try.
I'm kinda stuck right now with this project.
I was able to get my hands on replacement parts but I have really botched the install beyond the fuse. I'm not even sure if they were ever bad. I may have had some bridging. So I'm waiting on getting a suitable replacement PS1 so I could attempt the install again. If you cant get continuity i think you have to replace it.