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Dongle conversion

uncletom said:
Thank you both for your valuable advice. This will surely give some turbo to the project.

.. ah, I sold my PS2 years ago. But copy/pasting the signature from the boot.bin should be easy enough.

Thanks alot guys.
Click to expand...
You can use CECH-ZM1 (PS3 USB memory card reader) and PS3-MCA tool to read/write the cards. Or a PS2.
 
Awesome stuff there, the CECH-ZM1 reader will read the System246-dongles then? And I can manage the data at file-level in my Windows, just like that? But I'll still need to desolder the flash-IC to read/write it, right?

To make it clear; I only need to convert system-2X6 dongles. No playstation-gamefiles management or such is intended.
 
No it will NOT read COH dongles. Because the driver and program don't know how to talk to the dongle (unlock protocol is different from the protocol standard memory cards use).
 
Right. So what use would the card reader be to me then? How would I use it to convert let's say a Gundam dongle to Soul Calibur 3?

Also, I'm a bit confused, you mention "PS2 cards", but these aren't for PS2, but for the namco system 246. As I understand that they are two different things.

(what's a "COH dongle"?)

And, I need to ask this straight forward; have you guys managed a successful conversion of any sys246 dongle?
 
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If you re-read what I typed here. You need to move the flash memory from the dongle to a normal PS2 memory card.
BOTH the USB reader or the PS2 method do require a PS2 memory card as "NAND chip programmer".
 
Right. Sorry, I just read it again. Ofcourse then I'd need only the CECH-ZM1 card reader, and the PS3-MCA tool, to convert one system246-dongle to another. Via the PS2 card that is.

Hm.. then I would need to buy the CECH-ZM1, would you please recommend a shop? There's nothing on ebay at the moment it seems. And now my expensive Xeltek SP3000U is totally out of a job.
 
You can still use the chip programmer, but you need to repair the image ECC after changing the data on the boot file.
 
Alright. So in practice it means that I:
1. desolder the flash from the original sytem246 card, read it in my Xeltek (with Hard Copy enabled)
2. then flash it with the new game file(?) and then solder it onto a PS2 card to correct any ECC,
3. then desolder it from the PS2 card, ... (then what?)
4. finally resolder it with the new game data back onto its original card. And play the game.

I'm sure I got it about 150% wrong, so I will accept any corrective measures.
 
No. ECC is written AS the file is written to the NAND. The procedure you wrote down would result on kicking the ECC protection which would cause either it to fail reading back (ecc was unable to recover the data) or the original file being read without any changes, which is the point of using ECC on the nand.

NAND is handled as unreliable storage and that's why it requires error correction data.

You have to modify the image and fix the ECC prior to writing the chip back on the chip programmer.
 
Hahah.. Alright, you see, I was about 200% wrong then.

Ok. So the game file would need to be corrected, and written to the IC while still on the PS2 card, inside the USB reader. And then resoldered back onto its original system246-card. Yes?
 
If you can't fix the ECC with a software tool on PC, basically. Yes.

And no it's not the game file that needs correction, it's the RAW nand dump after the updated file is written onto the dump. ECC need to be updated to accommodate the changed file.
 
Ok. Yes, the ECC is done at bit-level (or "block" level), I think I understand. Weird stuff those NAND-chips. Seems like they don't really want people to write to them, only to read. Well, at least a couple of hundred times, before you need to buy a new one.

Forgive me then for being a little dizzy this evening, so the process of converting the dongle would be like this:

1. Desolder the flash chip from original card, read it with Hard Copy (I'm a big fan of Hard Copy by now)
2. Solder the chip onto the PS2 card
3. Patch the inteded image (Soul Calibur III) with the signature data ( at adress ??)
4. write to chip the patched image via the USB card reader, while ECC is doing its thing.
3. Desolder chip from the PS2 card and resolder it to its original system246-card... And hopefully play the game?

Am I any closer to the devine truth now?

I wonder why no one has made a youtube clip on how to do this. People do videos about stranger things.
 
mymc supposedly recreates the ECC when accessing the nand image but I had problems with it when I used it.

It was so long ago I'm unsure how it would go now. I've been using the PS2 memory card method for years, now.
 
It may be - I soldered back and forth experimenting, so when I got it working I didn't really feel like desoldering AGAIN to find a definitive answer.

I'm playing around with altium to see if I can do a board with breakout for the nand for experimenting. If anyone here has a caliper, It would be most interesting to cross-check measurements with my own, especially on the bottom finger part. The pitch is most likely 2.54mm, but the dimensions of the two finger parts and the width of the cutout is a little more iffy.
 
Thanks for info, guys.

Wow! That's how I like it. A three-step guide! Thanks Invzim. Well then I'm off to buy myself that CECH-ZM1 card-reader.

You have to help me shop too, I'm the disabled one here. It's not this thing, is it? Reader 01

And, I will be needing one memory card for Playstation2. Do I need the official Sony product, or can I buy any chinese hack for this project?
 
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The one on the auction look like a Chinese copy. While it will work with the PS3, PS3-MCA will only work with the original one.
 
A bit easier with a picture - these are the measurements I would like to have cross-checked.


mc dimensions.jpg
 
For those who don't know there is a multi-dongle almost completed by Defor. So soon soldering won't be necessary at all.
 
Hi! So I should not buy that MCA on ebay ? Same with this one here then? Other ebay
. So what other types are there? It must say CechZM1 on it or it's a copy?

I think here's an original CechZM1 yet another ebay. This one's OK?
.. oh never mind the crap link didn't make it. That's life.

About the PS2, should I buy only Sony originals or would cheap chinese one do the job? Invzim, are you telling me to ask the chinese seller for these measurments?

Mitsu. When Dark does his multigame dongle I will have a big party.
 
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