charlie!! I need help real bad!!

[Serpent]

Charlie: I sent you this as email. I am posting this here so that maybe someone can help till you get to it.

i went to get my messiah 2 installed today on my v6 machine. Well, it didn't work. The chip is fine.

It boots up originals fine but not the backups. Could it be because of the lower 3.3v? If so, is there an alternative for the 3.45?

Have you had any problems with messiah 2 and v5/v6? Any tricks?

Would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks


So: if anyone knows of issues with v5/v6 installs: please help!!

Btw: my installer found some problem with your v4 installation diagram, he will be contacting the guys at messiah2.com

[Serpent]

^^BUMP^^

[charlie_ps2]

The forum is the best place for these questions as it helps others and I'm more likely to reply (sometimes).

The diagrams you should be using from the web site are proven. 3.3v, 3.45v, 3.5v will all work - but it is known to work with the points in the install guide.

The Troubleshooting section in the guide covers the scenario you describe - usually A-I. Equally R & W are important to check.

[Serpent]

Charlie:

Thank you very much for your reply. Appreciate your taking out the time.

The installer I went to has been doing ps2 and xbox installs for quite some time so it is not that he is inexperienced or anything. I had a a friend's v4 ps2 (to be modded with a messiah 2) and another friend's xbox and he did both within 1 hour each.

But with my ps2, he has done everything. He has modded a v5 with messiah2 successfully and he tells me that he really can't figure out what the problem with my brand new ps2 is.

What happens is that I put in a dvd-r (TDK) or cd-r and it comes up with the red screen that says something like "not valid ps2 disc, put in proper disc". He says that he has checked all 23 wires end to end and there is really nothing wrong with that. I forwarded your reply to him and he said he already checked for those scenarios.

So, any ideas on how to crack this? (Just my darn luck! :( )

[charlie_ps2]

I think the troubleshooting section of the install guide covers this. If not it's the v7 needing Laser Azimuth adjustment. That stuff is posted on PS2newz (cant get it on here). Some v7 lasers are badky adjusted just enough for originls.

Tha's assuming no mis-install.

[Serpent]

This is a v5 or v6, not a v7 (it is 3001R).

I will check the laser adjustment guide and forward it to my installer.

Thanks for your help.

[dust2dust]

pop a dvdr film into into it(must b one known to play in a ps2

if it plays film (no chip needed)then i doubt its the laser

if it cant read the film then the problem is with the laser


the problem with pro installers who are quick is sometimes they make a mistake and solder to wrong piont,the connections is superb but in wrong place

this is not dig at your installer it happens, let me explain

last week we rushed around uk with what we fought was new v7 board that an expierienced installer couldnt get any m2 to work in,he tried quite few
he checked rechecked all his connections were good

in the end the ps2 ended up in hdl hands (the coder for messiah2), this is what he found v7 soldering tio bios legs
miss1 solder 1 miss1 solder1 solder1 miss1 solder1

miss1 solder1 miss1 solder 1 miss1 solder1 is what it should been

the expierienced installer had checked rechecked soldered in 2 diff m2 still he not spot it
he thought it was right so he saw it as right
IT WAS WRONG WIRES CORRECTED NP GOD HE FELT STUPID :)

[Serpent]

Thanks for the reply d2d.

Personally, I am inclined towards the "mistake in wiring" theory.

I mean, why will 1 v5/6 ps2 decide that it doesn't want to work with any messiah 2 chip? It has all been tested, it is not that messiah2 works some versions and all that.

But the installer is pretty sure he did the job ok. He still has my ps2. He told me if he can't do it, he will "arrange" something for me. I am ok with that as long as he doesn't "arrange" a v2 or v4 with a dying laser.

I am forwarding your and Charlie's troubleshooting hints along in the hope that maybe he missed something. Which is entirely possible because I got the impression he was trying to do this very fast.

[charlie_ps2]

I need to challenge Dust only slightly. On balance of probability he is right about DVD movie indicating laser condition.

But when a game is being booted, it has to find the wobble in the groove which is a piece of fine laser work. so there is a very slight chance of DVD working but not PS2 games if the laser is on its way.

[JHMachacek]

Me and my bud were doing installs yesterday and ran across the same prob on a V3, V5 & a v7 PS2 and after pulling out out hair we found this on the Messiah 2 site.

http://www.messiah2.com/m2_pcb_correction1.pdf

After making this correction all PS2s booted all backups, originals & movies fine... Hope this helps.

[Serpent]

Thanks for the link! :) I will pass it on.

Why isn't this file there displayed prominently on the messiah2 site if it can help installers solve problems?

And why are issues being seen only on some units? The v4 that the guy did, it worked just fine the first time.

Again, thanks, I hope this is my solution!

[dust2dust]

as far as we know thi problem has arisen after we had our stock,none have needed doing so far

np doing it will not harm the messiah 2 wether it needs it or not

a way to test if it needs doing is to pop a meter over the diode(redish chip) if there is no reading then the track needs cutting

if there is a reading then u shouldnt need to cut track

fault found reported on actel tq100 0245
our stock your chip was mainly tq100 0242 with few tq100 0243

0245= year 2002 week45

any 0245 we recieve will have the via drilled out before we ship
i hope this makes it all a bit clearer
u never know with my english(grrrrrrrrr charlie) maybe i have confused you all

[charlie_ps2]

I've been researching this further.

If a Messiah 2 from any given batch of Actel chips works OK, then we expect, but cannot guarantee that all Messiah 2s from that batch will work OK. i.e. they will operate with the small over-voltage without ill effect. It would seem form what one or two of you have said, that the problem has found its way into some of the other batches, though not all mods in that batch.

As Dust says, the batch currently identified as questionable, and thus requiring the fix, is the one using Actel batch 245. Of course any report of other batches not working due to the over-voltage (i.e. the Actel chip requires to be within the 2.6 - 3.0v window) will be acknowledged.

The cure, as you know by now is to either cut a pair of parallel tracks with an scalpel type blade or to drill the via out with a 1mm bit (can be done by hand - don't go all the way through - use a multi-meter on the diode and when it no longer shows a dead short, you have done the fix).

A working Messiah 2 needs no further attention in this regard and will not degrade with the applied operating voltage.