So, I'm a total neophyte with hardware mods. I've done some repair jobs in my day but this is more or less into the breach for me. The algorithm brought this mod to my attention and it just so happens my PS2 Slim is, in fact, a 79001. So I'm thinking about doing this but I had a few questions before I rip the proverbial band-aid off here:
1) I'm really into the idea of wiring in and soldering a SD adapter into the side, as Tito did on his build, but I wasn't sure if doing that would still neccesitate buying one of Helder's MC2SIO cards (because it looks like its a no-solder version of what I want to do with mine).
2) Passing similarity to the first question, I've never used FMCB or set up OPL (I've ran stock all these years since I used to own a Phat), so I don't know what I need to buy in terms of getting it set up. I've set up 2-3 handhelds for homebrew and a Wii but it's been awhile since I've done one so I want to know how much work has to be done before I take a Dremel to the PCB and get to soldering the SD adapter. Actually, if you know what I need to search for on Amazon to get the thin gauge, colored wires Tito has in his build that'd be great too. Haven't soldered wires since I installed a car radio, lol.
3) I also noticed on Tito's build that there was no obvious LED status indicator (POWER/STANDBY light) and I was wondering if that was an aesthetic choice or not. I'd rather find a way to reincorporate it somehow instead of leaving it off and wanted to know what would need to be done to reintegrate it (as in, where would I re-solder the LED to the PCB if need be and if there's already somewhere on the print that allows for the light to be placed and tell you if the PS2 is on or not).
4) The main reason I was thinking about this build is because the disc drive on my Slim seems to have a hard time recognizing when a disc is being read. It'll load a game, stop spinning the disc, and I have to continuously open and close the tray to get through stutters and errors. Could that potentially be an error caused by the lid switch (meaning I'd need to replace it to even get the build started) or is it something else?
5) I've heard scuttlebutt about other parts being integrated, such as HDMI conversion and I believe Bluetooth for controllers and wondered if there was anybody who had experience with that, namely the HDMI. It is the year 2023, after all, and you don't really have many TVs that still use A/V output. Could save me a lot of headaches down the line if I could find a way to integrate the A/V to HDMI dongle I've had for years (and possibly use the system itself to power it instead of the 1 USB slot I'd have).
Thanks for any help and advice you could offer -- I may need to move to another country soon and being able to take the 2 with me (with more modern conveniences) would be awesome.