PS2 [MX4SIO/SIO2SD] SD Card Adapter and SD-driver for the PS2 SIO2 interface

[Krah]

@Berion pretty sure its based on the file system which at the moment is just "mass:"

 

[Fabio Kuntze]

Good night @TnA
The news on this topic in recent days are the best, I'm very optimistic about this project.
Here in Brazil the project is already starting to gain popularity, we already have many youtubers commenting on and building adapters, I am part of a PS2 group and I am helping many members to build their own adapters.
regarding your request to build a DIY adapter with a large SD slot I will do it soon, I already bought the slot.
Regarding hardware I still seem to lack something, but soon we'll find out, I bought a Sandisk card a few days ago and the damn thing doesn't work.
In 2020 I wrote a code for an stm32f103 microcontroller that emulates a DS2 joystick, it's working fine, and the SPI communication type of the memory card is very similar, so I imagine it's not difficult to create a more advanced hrdware.

 

[Berion]

I do not like the idea to have USB or MX4SIO. In case of OPL is not needed, sure, but i.e in file manager should be separated. I like the 'mass idea', but would be great of mass can be enumerating like i.e Memory Card Annihilator doing ("mass0:/", "mass1:/"). Just my three cents. ;p

 

[Krah]

That's exactly how it works in BDM anyway.. just not in OPL since it has only ever supported one mass device at a time.. but for eg uLE if it had BDM support it would be mass0 mass1 etc depening on which was first detected.. so you could have both

 

[Berion]

So then it is great idea and the better mount point than new custom one. ^^

 

[Fallen777]

Yes, I know many people with 2-32GB-Cards laying around and this Dongle would be perfect to reuse these cards!
A 32GB-Card could hold a collection of fighting-games and another card RPGs and another card etc. and so on!

hey would it be possible to use this on a ps2 or psx memory card by partitioning a smaller size sd card to 8mb or 1mb and then place fmcb or fortuna on it and executed to install on another memorycard untempered one.
Wound'nt partitioning sd card to official size allow for native detection on unmodded console or on consoles with useless clone modchips like DMS4 SE LITE M7-Mp788 modchip.

 

[Berion]

That's not that simple.

On first, PS2 Memory Card uses MCFS filesystem (not FAT32 or PFS as homebrew apps), probably ECC are mandatory, there is no partition table, so partitions cannot be seen by other way than hard coded offsets for filesystem table and OSD Update needs Magic Gate and other stuff.

I have similar idea before: :P
https://www.psx-place.com/threads/mx4sio-hybrid-mcfs-fat32-at-the-same-time.34496/

 

[TnA]

...and many others before that and the answer always remains the same.

 

[Dariush Aghaee]

Good night @TnA
The news on this topic in recent days are the best, I'm very optimistic about this project.
Here in Brazil the project is already starting to gain popularity, we already have many youtubers commenting on and building adapters, I am part of a PS2 group and I am helping many members to build their own adapters.
regarding your request to build a DIY adapter with a large SD slot I will do it soon, I already bought the slot.
Regarding hardware I still seem to lack something, but soon we'll find out, I bought a Sandisk card a few days ago and the damn thing doesn't work.
In 2020 I wrote a code for an stm32f103 microcontroller that emulates a DS2 joystick, it's working fine, and the SPI communication type of the memory card is very similar, so I imagine it's not difficult to create a more advanced hrdware.

Do you have any plans to share your stm ds emulation ?
I am very interested in.

 

[alimao]

Tested and working PlayStation 2 FAT 30001 R faced some conflicts with connected HDD and USB Pendrive also

Tested opl vers 1730

I tested a micro SanDisk 64GB Ultra does not recognize
I tested a brand unknown microSD and it worked

 

[Fabio Kuntze]

inside a Memcard pro

1 FPGA and 1 ESP32 for wifi

https://www.cybdyn-systems.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=3707&start=60

 

[TnA]

I'd like to create a few more related threads about it later on.

For now I think a "card compatibility"-thread and a "game-compatibility"-thread would be good.
Any other suggestions?


On another note: Did anyone of those who made a DIY-adapter tried the Pull-up Resistor-"fix" - beside Fabio Kuntze and BBsan - to (try to) increase game- or card-compatibility?

 

[Fabio Kuntze]

my current adapter:

the optional 47R resistor and can connect the ACK pin directly to GND without any problem.

The pullup only on the DATA pin, the other pins already have a pullup on the ps2 board.

I'd like to create a few more related threads about it later on.

For now I think a "card compatibility"-thread and a "game-compatibility"-thread would be good.
Any other suggestions?


On another note: Did anyone of those who made a DIY-adapter tried the Pull-up Resistor-"fix" - beside Fabio Kuntze and BBsan - to (try to) increase game- or card-compatibility?

a topic about compatibility is important, but for now I see that game compatibility can change on consoles with soft mod and hard mod.

here I tested 70000, 77000, 79000 and 90000 with hard mod and it worked all games tested, but on consoles with soft mod the compatibilade reduces drastically.

I'm testing the recent official beta opl versions, and I have a lot of compatibility issues, and I've noticed that they can corrupt Micro SD files.

 

[TnA]

So only ONE pull up resistor is needed?

 

[brunomak80]

silent hill 3 and Final Fantasy 12 I'm not able to use the VMC ... via MX4SIO,

 

[Fabio Kuntze]

So only ONE pull up resistor is needed?

Exactly, I checked the ps2 service manual and found that it has onboard pullup on some pins.

 

[brunomak80]

 

[Andrews2kx]

I will edit the first post as soon as I can, but it will probably take a few days.


So where are we at?

We have:

• the SD//MX4SIO-Code in the PS2SDK allowing any app which adds this support and is recompiled, using/accessing SD-Cards (normal&micro), which means this project is NOT going to "die off" anytime soon.
• an implementation in the official Repo as well as some forks (OPL DB, etc.). Loading PS2-games from it, loading and saving from and to VMC works, saving settings works!
• RetroArch being capable of accessing it (which is promising for wLE, FMCB, FHDB, FMCB/FHDB-Configurator, SMS, POPStarter, etc.).
• 2nd Prototype Batch of MX4SIO-Adapters has been manufactured. I am not sure how many Prototype-Builds there will be for a "simple adapter".
• custom/DIY Adapters
• an open source project, regarding the source/code and even the Hardware, like the full hardware-structure or Gerber-Files for the PCB, etc. (except for the "name" of the adapter AFAIK).
• new ideas regarding the hardware, like Pull-up-resistors
• many interested people.
• There are plans for a sophisticated "Debug-Version", which will NOT be a simple adapter anyone can rebuild. However... This is meant to be similar to the MemoryCard Pro project, but adding some things like an additional connection for debugging-capabilities (for example your app, or a game in OPL or whatever). The most important thing... The general project and EVERYTHING regarding the hardware and software is OPEN SOURCE! The financial use of the name "MX4SIO" is not, but EVERTHING else IS! So... I would LOVE some additions to MemoryCard Pro!
• etc.

What is missing:

• Higher card-compatibility (not sure if that can be accomplished via the "simple adapter" and updating the driver, or if it needs an MCU or any other additional Hardware. The pull-up-resistors already seem to make a difference!).
• Some structural changes (for example a "hooking-manager" or how to call it), to avoid the "PADEMU-Fix".
• A tool to let other Homebrew-Apps access the SD-Card like "mass" (USB-storage-device), without recompiling them! I think something like a TSR-Routine used in GSM (standalone), or "ESR MC (mini)" would be the most sufficient method.
• etc.

I would very much appreciate the people who invented "Memcard PRO" (for the PS1) to contact us somehow. Be it here or on the PS2-Scene-Discord!

Why? I think this could be a great Co-Op!
We release the simple adapter (which doesn't interfere with their project) and they could add support for a "passthrough-mode" and some other things to their project!

It would be great if some of our people could get one (or 2?) of those cards and if MemoryCard Pro users could enjoy using these cards for other stuff on the PS2 as well.
There are SOOOO many things which could be accomplished by it on a PS2 as well, just by additions to the Software!!!

• MX4SIO-Support
• Support for VMCs/multiple or big "MC" on a PS2!
• Support for FMCB on a PS2, via a pre-build image or "save"!!!
• Support for using other MCIDs like the one from Memor32 and Memento, or from ANY user out there!
• etc.

Hi TnA, im creator from Dream IDE Reborn (for Sega Dreamcast) - its just a interface pcb to use hdd with Dreamshell or Retrodream. I following this project since started and started to my tests here. I would like help with updating pcb with optional pull up resistors. I cant open kicad project from takeshi (but gerbers i got) so i drawed mine according to original, but improve pull up resistors as tested by Fabio. I will produce 20 pieces here in Brazil - Its much more expensive than any place in the world. In Brazil, costs for each pcb its about 12usds but minimal was 20 pieces (without components). So maybe in next 2 weeks i will got something.

 

[TnA]

Hi!
Interesting project you have there!

@Takeshi has a lot to do it seems.

@Fabio Kuntze Was the SD-Compatibility and the game-compatibility THE SAME with only the ONE pull-up-resistor, compared to the adapter with 4, or did anything change for the better or worse?


Edit: @Andrews2kx Regarding the price: Yeah! Keep in mind what our goal is regarding price and quality (I think you are not bound to the price, but IDK about the name. We've got to ask Takeshi.)
We basically won't earn much from it (I don't want anything for me personally at all.), but we can start something cool and maybe we can create better stuff from the few bucks, lol.
I am looking at you DMA-Capable HDPro-clone (by @wisi) in a miniaturized version, maybe combined with PS2HDMI!

 

[Fabio Kuntze]

Hi!
Interesting project you have there!

@Takeshi has a lot to do it seems.

@Fabio Kuntze Was the SD-Compatibility and the game-compatibility THE SAME with only the ONE pull-up-resistor, compared to the adapter with 4, or did anything change for the better or worse?

Hi!
Interesting project you have there!

@Takeshi has a lot to do it seems.

@Fabio Kuntze Was the SD-Compatibility and the game-compatibility THE SAME with only the ONE pull-up-resistor, compared to the adapter with 4, or did anything change for the better or worse?


Edit: @Andrews2kx Regarding the price: Yeah! Keep in mind what our goal is regarding price and quality (I think you are not bound to the price, but IDK about the name. We've got to ask Takeshi.)
We basically won't earn much from it (I don't want anything for me personally at all.), but we can start something cool and maybe we can create better stuff from the few bucks, lol.
I am looking at you DMA-Capable HDPro-clone (by @wisi) in a miniaturized version, maybe combined with PS2HDMI!

I am looking at you DMA-Capable HDPro-clone (by @wisi) in a miniaturized version, maybe combined with PS2HDMI! Edit: @Andrews2kx Regarding the price: Yeah! Keep in mind what our goal is regarding price and quality (I think y

in my tests everything is fine, working under the same conditions as the configuration with 4 resistors.



I always use Burnout and NFS games to check my experiments.
.
tested with 39001, 70001, 77001, 79001 and 90001, all with mod chip and I don't see a difference, it worked the same on all these consoles.
.
with FMCB everything is different, many games do not start.
.
Currently my free time is limited, but I have plans to put a microcontroller between the ps2 and the Micro SD and go further, find out why some cards don't work, like sandisk.
.
this arduino IDE project is very inspiring
https://www.hackster.io/michalin70/extend-an-arduino-with-a-cf-card-or-ide-drive-d0a8f8