I'll assume you have an original game to protect. You'll need a modchip for your PS2, copying software & the right PC hardware for the burning job: - e.g:
CD - Yamaha 2200 CD-RW for optimum read/write compatibility with the recommended CD copying software. An EIDE connected burner, should be placed on the secondary IDE channel else the device will slow down the hard disk & buffer under-runs would occur on non-burn-proof devices. Best software is
CloneCD (see para 2 below).
[b]DVD/b] - Pioneer A03 or A04, connected as Primary device on the secondary IDE channel. Best software is
PrimoDVD or
Nero 5.5.6.4 on.
http://www.megagames.com, http://www.psxcopyworld.co.uk &
http://www.ps2ownz.com provide detailed advice/downloads.
Basics are:
1 MOD CHIP
The PS/PS2 should be chipped for backups to play. There are many modchips to choose from; choose what's right for you. You can buy modchips from various sites such as
http://www.kanection.co.uk, www.origachip.co, www.lik-sang.com, www.foundmy.com. Get installation of solder mods done professionally if you're not a soldering whizzo.
1.1 No Solder Mod chips Charlie's rating: 3/10
These are classed "No Solder" but are sometimes called the "R-Mod" because they originally came out for the "R" series PS2 (v5.x). The mod chips are internally fitted & sit in line with cables between the processor & the disk drive. Those cable have to be removed, inserted onto the mod chip & cables taken from the mod chip to the disk drive. The task is not trivial but not unduly difficult so long as you take care not to damage cables.
The mod chip works by interrupting the boot process (of a specific boot disk) after certain read commands & then causing the disk tray to eject. You then have 4 secs to swap in your backup CD-R game whereafter the disk tray closes automatically). The boot disk would be Action Replay 2 (PAL) or Gameshark 2 (NTSC U/C). See para 6 below. No game can be booted that is > than the AR2/GS2 Table of Contents (TOC) - a limit of around 640MB or 71 minutes.
DVD-R backup games must be booted by a special process involving an original DVD game with a higher TOC than the backup you are booting. As many games exceed 4.3GB, this becomes the fine art of decimal places!
Import originals do not boot with this mod.
1.2 8 wire/5wire Mod chips Charlie's rating: 6/10
The two principal brands are
NEO2.2 &
NEO2.5/2.6. These are outdated now. NEO2.2 will play DVD-Rs on v1 through v4 but not v5 because the control pins are not available. The NEO2.5/2.6 will play DVD-Rs on v5 but with a very convoluted double swap method known as the "Dave Mirra" method. CD-R games are booted with AR2/GS2 or DVD Region X using a single swap. DVD-R games have a double swap mechanism & need a higher TOC DVD original game at the second swap stage.
The NEO2.2 is known to degrade the laser diodes due to the way it pulses its "fooled you" signal to the PS2, causing the laser to come on. If a capacitor is not installed on that signal line (pin 2), deterioration can occur at any time; with a capacitor in place, it will happen, but rather later. This is particularly true of NEO2.2s that take a 5v power supply, fed onto a 3.3v circuit.
NEO2.x is out-dated now because of the mod-chips that don't require the higher TOC DVD swap.
Import originals do not boot with this mod.
1.3 NEO4.x Charlie's rating: 4/10
NEO4 was announced in July 2001 & delivered in December 2001. It has
44 wires! CD-R backups (other than EA games) require no swap - they boot directly. There are special swap procedures for EA CD-R & DVD-R games. Import originals do not boot with this mod.
All in all, for 44 wires of install heartache, this is a disappointing mod.
Continued in next post