PS2 Portable Assorted Issues

[MRKane]

Hmmm...good suggestions but no love there, I'm also scared as all hell to take anything off the board as I've minimal funds to replace components or buy another PS2. I'll test progressively with the next unit and see if it dies and where. We might never resolve this one and it'll probably be some weird thing that never happens again.

As an interesting note: FreeMcBoot seems to bypass the whole "Disk Drive isn't closed" thing. I can probably trim off that annoying little switch come to think of it.

Edit: It's not the trims that did it. I guess there's every possibility that corrosion on the underside of the board could have done it also. If you want a picture to cry over I picked a PS2 up for $12 that "sometimes didn't read disks". Thinking it was probably the laser I figured it was a safe bet. It's corroded through - the whole damn lot is stuffed

Edit 2: So I've just finished stripping down another board and cannot see why the other one would fail as this one is working fine. Upon visual inspection they both look the same, and the cuts are in the same place to a half mil (according to my callipers) so I've really got nothing.

So it's wired up with just the screen and speakers and the audio goes just fine. I'm at a total loss to explain why. I guess it was while I was re-making the case that I knocked something off.

Does anyone know how many layers the PS2 board is? I figure it has to be four by the looks of things. I'll keep this posted if people want, but otherwise I guess I've got to say sorry for the inconvenience!!!

 

[MRKane]

Ok, I've another question, and sorry if this one is off topic. So I've just finished painting and finishing the frankencase and was installing all the different components. Now I always wanted to get in a battery charger for the 26650s that powered it, so grabbed this one here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2S-...718846.html?shortkey=BFvqmqii&addresstype=600

Having wired it up I was thrilled to see that it was charging, however [play dramatic music] upon picking it back up in the morning I found the batteries were flat! After an evening of testing and disconnecting different components I concluded that it was the "charger" that was putting a very tiny drain (about 0.01v per hour) on the batteries.

Has anyone else hit this and can anyone think of a better option? I've got the charger wired straight into the DC jack, but plan B is to remove it and use an external charger.

After all this help I promise I'll get you all some photos after the "re-case" is complete, but I warn you that it's nothing to woo over!

 

[MRKane]

So: Quick update and another question.

Another relay resolved the above issue, and things now work pretty well, dropping a medium cap in also covered for the relays engaging so that the unit would continue operating when the power was plugged in or unplugged.
I assembled it last night and she ran as expected, however coming back this morning I'm getting "phantom touches" where the d-Pad appears to trigger as do the main buttons. I'm amiss to figure out what's wrong here as this is one of those "but it was fine before I went to bed" problems. Any suggestions here?

One thing I have noticed is that the ground wire was originally very hefty on the netplay controller and also exposed, and it had another wire seemingly going to ground. I've replaced the grounding with a very heavy bit of wire and it's stopped the issues when the unit is "open" but they still happen when it's closed. Are the PS2s generally sensitive to interference?

Photo for anyone interested in what should have been the final product, bonus points for picking the game:

 

[MRKane]

Ok, turns out that shielding is the answer to this one, and the control line is sensitive as all f*ck. I remember a couple of posts with people complaining of control issues and was picking through them to try and find the answer. I ended up using some good computer cable which did the trick for the phantom touches and now (typically) doesn't bloody fit.
One problem at a time, and a note to design out if there is a next time!

 

[Stitches]

Ok, turns out that shielding is the answer to this one, and the control line is sensitive as all f*ck. I remember a couple of posts with people complaining of control issues and was picking through them to try and find the answer. I ended up using some good computer cable which did the trick for the phantom touches and now (typically) doesn't bloody fit.
One problem at a time, and a note to design out if there is a next time!

If you have any wifi antenna wire you could use that. It's super thin and shielded.

 

[MRKane]

I never knew that! Thanks so much!
My next issue is stuttering in the audio system that I introduced somewhere along the line. Man this has turned into a tar-baby!
EDIT: Lots of testing later and it turns out that the audio amp simply just died. No higher reason, no apparent damage, it just quoted Romeo and that was it.

 

[MRKane]

Just finished the unit. Does anyone want photos of anything? I've taken a heap but it's nothing that hasn't been done before

Thanks so much for all the help everyone has provided!!!

 

[Stitches]

Pictures are always good.

 

[MRKane]

This thread or a project complete thread? I've got about enough to make a work-log if need be, although I'll omit all the problems and delays etc.

 

[Stitches]

If it's finished, you can make a new thread in The Cutting Edge to show it off. That section exists purely for showing completed works, imperfections and all.