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What is the secret behind the PIC 12C508 ?!

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Electronic boy

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Hi guys,

I need to know about the PIC 12C508 , I have a lot of PIC 12C508 chips ! but I don't understand basically it's function.

In other words, when I purchase a new PIC 12C508 /P from electronics store then install it in Sony PLAYSTATION game console, it function as a MOD-CHIP to play games from other countries , or illegal copied games software.

The problem is the chip is not programmed - as I assume - and it function as a MOD-CHIP when directly installed in PLAYSTATION console even without programmed !

When I asked the sales man in electronics store about that chip, he told me the chip is originally blank ! and should programmed to specify its function.


Can any body tell me what is the PIC 12C508 /P for ?
 
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It's a micorcontroller which can be used for a variety of projects ranging from a timer to a combination lock to a PS mod chip.

It needs to be programmed to be of any use to anyone for anything.

Writing the software and programming it, is half of the project.

If this is something you've seen on instructables, youtube or some other site, you need to ask the designer for the software.
 
As Hero999 says, it's a completely useless chip unless you program it - it won't do anything. It's also an OTP chip, which means you can only program it once, if they are working as mod chips, then they are pre-programmed before you get them.
 
I wasn't aware they used PIC's as mod chips?

Do you have diagrams and firmware for this? You will need a programmer for the PIC's and the firmware to put onto it.

Also, I dont think the baseline PIC's have internal oscillators do they? I'm sure the 12F510 I used needed an external crystal.

Did you WANT it to function as a modchip or did someone tell you it could be?

Wilksey
 
I wasn't aware they used PIC's as mod chips?

They have been the most popular choice for such mods, try googling it!.

Do you have diagrams and firmware for this? You will need a programmer for the PIC's and the firmware to put onto it.

Also, I dont think the baseline PIC's have internal oscillators do they? I'm sure the 12F510 I used needed an external crystal.

Many of them do, it's normally the small ones which have internal oscillators - the 12C508 was probably the earliest one I saw with it.
 
Nigel,

I tried googling, but I couldn't find any articles relating mod chips to PIC's?

Oh, couldn't remember was a couple of years ago since I played with a PIC12.
 
Nigel,

I tried googling, but I couldn't find any articles relating mod chips to PIC's?

Oh, couldn't remember was a couple of years ago since I played with a PIC12.

The only ones I've heard of are this original PSX modchip and the WiiFree. The ones I've seen lately are all CPLD's or FPGA's, but modchips have really needed to be pretty advanced now.
 
I bought 20 Playstation modchips probably around 2000-ish. They were 12C508's too, already programmed.
Eight or nine got installed and the rest were thrown away a few years ago, before I got interested in PIC's.

@Wilksey: A link for you.....
PU-18 PSX Chip mod - 12c508
 
I wasn't aware they used PIC's as mod chips?

Do you have diagrams and firmware for this? You will need a programmer for the PIC's and the firmware to put onto it.

Also, I dont think the baseline PIC's have internal oscillators do they? I'm sure the 12F510 I used needed an external crystal.

Did you WANT it to function as a modchip or did someone tell you it could be?

Wilksey

Hi folks,,,,
Thanks for every one replied here.

Dear Wilksey, I will show you a very IMPORTANT information about the early PSX mod-chips:
Playstation Mod Chip FAQ

Since 1998, I'm still search about the techniques of the Mod-chips, precisely chips based on PIC 12C508 and 16C54.
I have some documents about the operation of mod-chips, but I don't have any technical doc's. I have also an old document about the Reverse Engineering project for that chip
written by "The Old Crow" team, since January 1997.

If you like to take a lock on these documents , I will post these documents here.
 
Firstly, I will post my own - hand draw - old installation diagrams taken from my friends modified consoles when I was worked as mod-chip installer in a video games store.

SCPH-9002
**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

SCPH-102
**broken link removed**

SCPH-102 First version
**broken link removed**

SCPH-102 Second version
**broken link removed**

This is a list of Models number and it's corresponding Boards number for each model:

PSone model SCPH 100 - 101 - 102 -Board PM41, PM41-2
Playstation model SCPH 1000, 1001, 1002 - Board PU7
Playstation model SCPH 1000, 1001, 1002 - Board PU8
Playstation model SCPH 5500, 5501, 5502, 5552 - Board PU18
Playstation model SCPH 7000, 7001, 7002, 7003 - Board PU20
Playstation model SCPH 7501, 7502 - Board PU22
Playstation model SCPH 9001, 9003 - Board PU23

 
If you compared my diagrams with those presented in other sites, you can observe the differences of connection points. For example, look at the diagrams in attachments.

What does this mean?

In my country, we use the diagrams as illustrated above, that different than those on the web!!

I don't understand what happens there ! Should not that be the same ?

I have encountered another problem, When I search for data sheet for PIC 12C607, I didn't find any product has the same number produced by microchip!!

**broken link removed**

Does this mean that this chip is made by another party anonymous ?!

Sorry for the prolonged.
 

Attachments

  • Diagrams..zip
    379.8 KB · Views: 1,878
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Think the 12C607/P is produced by a chinese company and is specifically a PS1 modchip. It may be a PIC clone, but it's already loaded with the modchip software if it is. As for the varied connection points, there are many points you could connect that would be all the same virtual point. Like if one of the connections was to the leg of a chip, you could pick that point or to where it connected to on the other side, or even a via in between, it'd all be the same "wire".
 
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Thank you for the weath of knowledge, I have since found some code for the Wii which uses a PIC as a modchip.

I understand that the PSX one modchip just sends the desired region code to the processor to "fool" it into thinking it is the correct region?
 
I understand that the PSX one modchip just sends the desired region code to the processor to "fool" it into thinking it is the correct region?

I think there was more to it than that. IIRC, the original Sony disks had extra boot-code information which wouldn't get written to a backup (writeable) disk. The mod-chip 'squirted' the required info, at the right time, then handed control back to the drive to read whatever disk was loaded.

Or something like that....

EDIT:
See Note 1 in the link below:
https://consolecopyworld.com/psx/psx_cd_info.shtml
 
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