PS3 Usage of PCI reserved pad in PS3's boards.

[barjack2266]

hello,,when repairing ps3 ,I find except service connection pads.
There is a reserved PCI slot pads .https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/PCI
I searched forum,Found nothing about it.So I created this thread to discuss it.
Is it possible to use this reserved pads to install 2nd HDD or something else useful?
or add another expansion of cd/dvd/BR drive or something else useful?

 

[M4j0r]

Hi,
the supported devices are listed on the wiki page:

 

[barjack2266]

Talk:CXD9208GP - PS3 Developer wiki .This thing is a bit interesting..
If we can get this chip from old slim ps2,,reball and fit it into ps3,,can possible make all ps3 have native ps2 support..I remember PS2 has hdd unit support,,name as PS2 BB unit..maybe there is possiblity to have this kind 2nd HDD installed through this .

Project feasibility assessment (Chat GPT)
Does PCI Bus natively support multiple devices? Yes, PCI is a shared bus that supports up to 32 devices (including bridging)
Does the PS3's southbridge allow enumerate multi-device? Theoretically possible, but not guaranteed, support for multiple storage class appliances
Can I solder a PCI-SATA card? Theoretically, yes, but with a 3.3V/5V supply and signal integration independent of the BIOS
Does the SATA adapter require x86 BIOS initialization? Most cards run Option ROM when booted up, but some hardware-only logic cards (RAID off) can be circumvented
Can Linux under OtherOS be driven? If the drive exists in the kernel (e.g. ahci, sata_sil, ata_piix), the hard disk can be mounted

https://imgur.com/a/kv0KvMO