Homemade PSP VGA/TV adaptor

[SpectroPlasm]

:D :D :D :D :D :D Rightey Oh

back in business (I'm still PSPless atm)
but i am getting back to PSP hardware modding, and to start off i'm gonna share with all of you the infamous spectroplasmic PSP VGA/TV adaptor (tadaaaaa)

ok now first off WTf is this?

it an adaptor that will let you use your monitor or your TV for the output of the PSP

How do i know this is gonna work?
first off here are some specs of the PSP LCD screen


the LCD uses 59.60 Hz for V-sync
the LCD has RGB compnent signals that can be used
the LCD has enough pinout info for such a tedious project
the LCD has a decent TV native res that can be exploited via an LM chip
i'm just plain crazy but i know a lot of peaple are with me too :°)
help is welcomed


this aint no sync scanner so anybody that is gonna start flames saying we can't use our PSP lcd once this baby is hooked up can shut up.
this adaptor will be exaclty like a small jack on the PSP that you could use to hook or unhook at anytime.
ok that's the first part of it, stay tuned for the rest of my crazy idea.

[Squirrel]

It would be great if you could get this to work. Can broken PSP TFT screens be of help to you (electronics, ribbon connector)? I have some of them and if you can use them you may have them. I also have a seriously damaged motherboard (TA-081 with violently removed nandflash and some problem in the power circuit) that you can have if it is of any use (connectors?)

[SilverSpring]

Just to let you know the PSP LCD controller already supports multiple modes and can output standard vga (well a very slight difference).

Standard VGA is
one row:
640 pixels for video
96 pixels for horizontal sync
16 pixels for left border & porch
48 pixels for right border & porch
800 total pixels per row

one column:
480 pixels for video
2 pixels for vertical sync
10 pixels for top border & porch
33 pixels for bottom border & porch
525 total pixels per column

at 25.175 MHz clk freq (so 59.94 Hz vsync, 31469 Hz hsync).


PSP LCD controller has a mode pretty close to standard vga:
640-96-32-32
480-2-10-33
25.175 MHz


Native PSP mode is
480-41-2-2 (525 total)
272-10-2-2 (286 total)
9 MHz (so 59.94 Hz vsync, 17143 Hz hsync)

Theres also a 640x480@27Mhz and a 720x480@27MHz. You should be able to connect directly to the LCD controller.

[SpectroPlasm]

i am aware of this but thanx for the info silverspring :D,

@squirrel yes they would be very handy for me as i am using the ribbon to make the extra connections.

the PSP LCD is Panasonic Glass and Panasonic glass happens to be very hackable in terms of frequency and output.

so far on my osci and freq scanner the PSP mobo RAMDAC is capable of pushing a steady 720x480@27 and the good thing is the games don't need resizing at all if you happen to get it hooked up to a multisync monitor (Sony type ones) you'd get a nice image centered on your screen (a 720x480 image in a 800x600 res screen) i have tested it and it works BUT* i aint using the schematics i made up because it's really dirty. I need a clean plug 'n play type plug so it will look genuine.

more on this later :D

[SilverSpring]

ok, tell me if you need help with anything, sounds like an interesting project.

You also should be able to output custom resolutions by writing directly to the registers (0xBE140010-0xBE14001C for columns, 0xBE140020-0xBE14002C for rows). You may also need to set the flag at 0xBE140004 to indicate external display. Normally set to 0 when using PSP native display, but set to 1 when using the other modes the controller supports, eg. VGA etc. (probably only ever used with the TOOL devkit with external display sets).

[Jeroenskypsp]

Do you know that their's already hardware equipment for Audio+Video output? But it isn't sold anymore (sued).
It's PSP2TV. It's a module + PSP frontcover&flatcableprint that offers A/V output + PS2 joypad connection.
The negative issue is that the PSP frontcover must be switched with the one from PSP2TV, and a internal flatcable is add, so end of PSP guarantee/warranty.
http://www.mundopsp.com/uploads/_psp2tv.jpg http://static.gameparty.net/sitedata/pspparty/nieuwspics_maxxcrash/psp2tv_circuit.png
http://static.gameparty.net/sitedata/pspparty/nieuwspics_maxxcrash/psp2tv_installed.png

Or is PSP2TV from Lik-Sang (http://www.lik-sang.com/index.html), and so not selling anymore because of Sony sue. Maybe that Lik-Sang can give you some detailed technical information about PSP Video output (audio=simple by 3.5mm 3 or 4 pole jack).

[Squirrel]

Spectroplasm, can you please read your PM?

[SpectroPlasm]

:D :D
squirrel i replied sorry for the wait was kinda busy

the PSP2Tv is a neat ls a neat little toy but it's HUGE and plus you'll need to change front cover, i have a friend who has one and he isn't willing to open her up :( but anyhow the LCD ribbon line has these info in them.


~3 red signals
~3 blue signals
~3 green signals
1 h-sync
1 v-sync
1 clock line
and some other jumbo which is being looked at right now :D

more on this with pics next time :)

[SpectroPlasm]

Prototype v0.01 out :D try at your own risk
pin numbers are from left to right on the PSP LCD connectors


Pin# Description

(1) GND----------------\
(2) GND----------------|-----GND

(3) VCC--------------------- \
(4) VCC--------------------- |------NC internally used to drive LCD power

(6) R-LSB----------------|------------|220uF/50v|----->Red line

(13) G-LSB----------------|------------|220uF/50v|----->Green line

(20) B-LSB----------------|------------|220uF/50v|--------Blue line

(30) Clocl/sD------->NC used for pixel sampling on LCD

(32) H-sync------------>horizontal Sync / Y sync on S-video

(33) V-sync------------>Vertical Sync / S sync on S-video

(35) AVDD------------\
(36) AVDD------------|-------------Analog power out +5V on scart cable

[SpectroPlasm]

*fix for the pin outputs
6-12 are Red lines
13-19 are Green lines
20-29 are Blue lines

in order to combine those lines together you'd need first to attach a single 220uF on each of them (each meaning Red, Green, Blue)

if you don't attach a 220uF you'd get a really dark picture and sometimes a washed out shade of black.

i'm still looking into combinning the sync in order to get proper S-video modes working

[MaTiAz]

Woah, this is so awesome! Is the soldering which is required as inhuman as the U.P. modchip installation is? I'd love to be able to do PSP stuff from my PC screen so I'm sooo waiting for this project to complete :)

[SpectroPlasm]

err for the soldering thing i'd say it's more than suicide because you either solder direct on the connector of sever the ribbon and hot glue it from there. I'm more into the severing thing becaue that's how i'd think my setup once i get my own PSP again.

[skiddd]

Hi,

Here is the datasheet for this LCD here:
http://document.sharpsma.com/files/LQ043T3DX02_SP_122805.pdf

Another datasheet for the ZIF connector on the PSP
http://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/LCD/PSP-Connector.pdf

You can buy them both at www.sparkfun.com

A development board for the LCD is supposedly on the works and should
be ready by early june (as stated on their website).


My goal however, is to do this project the other way around ;-)
I would like to use this LCD as an output of a laptop if that's possible...

Best Regards,
skiddd

[SpectroPlasm]

thanks for the extra info skidd :D

I have the datasheet but i didn't know about the connectors good thing this stuff will help me get solderless options for this adapter of mine.

I you wanna know the LCD will take any input right off the bat provided you feed it the needed 3.5 and 5 volts all you got to do left is get a spare D-sub header and solder the corresponding RGB lines and H-sync and V-sync lines. Just make sure you feed in 60Hz MAX refresh rate in order for your image to display sell, if you get it to do higher res than the original specified resolutions you'll notice a slight grabble in the screen so far i was able to feed the LCD screen a 384x512 res with no problems but there is heavy interlace on the screen. maybe the onboard DAC isn't very cooperative to these high res modes. anyhow i'll post more on this later once i get a test machine ready.

[vernon.taylor]

Salut

Any news/progress? I'm ready to heat up my soldering iron!

(and thanks for sharing)

[SpectroPlasm]

well for now i'm just waiting for a real psp to test my stuff on :), updates will follow after :)

[Squirrel]

well for now i'm just waiting for a real psp to test my stuff on :)
It's coming your way ;)

[l_oliveira]

I'm really expecting this to get done ... It would be awesome to have a TV adapter so I could work the boards for repair without having to manipulate the fragile LCDs .... Oh and putting fingerprints by accidentin them is pretty damn sucky... lol
To clean fingerprints on the LCDs that's it ...

[arnold]

Although I really want a PSP to TV adapter thing
I don't like the idea of opening up my psp .
Isn't there another way? Like outputting the signal from the earphone by the help of a plugin? Because a plugin is 100 times safer.

How did SONY do it?

[Squirrel]

Sony added extra hardware and extra pins on the earphone port. Even if you update an "old" PSP to firmware 3.60 and use the TV adapter intended for the "new" PSP, it won't output anything.

[SpectroPlasm]

yeah news stuff made it into the earphone jack.

but what this mod does is better than the PSP slim in my opinion ecause the vid out on PSP slim turn off the PSP screen, whereas the mod version on PSP phat will have the screen on and the output out at the same time so you could play your games on the screen and let the viewer look on the big screen relieving you of the behind the back peekers on what game your playing.

the mod will be released soon i promise i'm rounding off the final errors so that it easy to understand, and after this i might think of mass producing this little md to all of the PSP fat lovers out there :), but i'll need to contact my buddy squirrel on this because he is closer to civilisation than i am (in terms of location XD, just in case someone thinks i live in a cave XDD)

ps: i love living in caves btw :)

[Squirrel]

It sounds good Spectroplasm! I'm eagerly awaiting what you'll come up with. Just let me know what kind of civilization you need to finish it xD

[skiddd]

@SpectroPlasm

Great news ;-)
Does it output RGB or is it for the TV's analog RCA??

BR.

[SpectroPlasm]

the tv will most likely Be svhs or RGB since the LCD has these
a composite video isn't very good and as the tv sets of today all have rgb input i said why not just stick with it :).

it will also have vga output for those who don't have teevees :) like me.

[vtaylor]

Hi

Any progress? Is your project cancelled (due to 3.60 M33?). I hope not - I've been practising smd soldering!

[SpectroPlasm]

work is constantly being put into this adapter :) don't worry it wont stop but i'm extremely busy with real life works atm so i can't really spend much time on it lately
stay tuned for more stuff later one :) i promise :)

[SpectroPlasm]

:) ;) ;) :)
Stay tuned
i'll get back to you after this commercial break....

[vtaylor]

Tuned and waiting ;-)

[SpectroPlasm]

thank you all for waiting a considerable amount of time for this project :), here is the first LCD ribbon pics along with the pinouts to a VGA monitor :)
All of this is LAN.ST EXCLUSSIVE SO NO COPYING PLEASE, links to this thread is welcome but apart from that nothing is allowed
http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/LCD-ribbon.jpg
as you can see from the pic above i have scraped a small dot and put a bit of solder on each of the lines on the ribbon for the wire to be hooked up later on,for those who would like to do this method bare in mind this --> DO NOT EXERSE FORCE WHEN SCRAPPING THE RIBBON you'll end up with a dead ribbon and will render the whole thing useless, if you have a spare ribbon do it on that so you'll have a workable ribbon on your real LCD. Stay tuned for more pics later on ;)

I would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to squirrel for supplying me with the spare ribbon cables and the PSP i am using right now :) without your help none of this would have been possible (truly i mean it )

[SpectroPlasm]

DO NOT REMOVE YOUR LCD FROM IT'S CABLE like the picture above. you'll end up with a 100% non working LCD anymore. the above cable is a spare cable not my working one so you've been warned :)

[ALoGeNo]

congratulations spectroplasm , very nice work :D

[DarkStone]

Nice job spectro! :D When I find a cheap PSP on ebay, I'll do this too ;D
A question though, could you tell me the H-sync and the V-sync frequency this will output? Some monitors will not accept anything less that of 50hz V-sync (like my projector, when I output something like 48hz for watching 24hz films etc I get a rolling screen effect or the screen overlaps itself XD)

Anyway, good job spectro! :D

[SpectroPlasm]

screen frequency is 59
it will do fine on your projector :)

but for some unkown reason prolink monitor are really hating the output everything is skewed really bad it seems as if the monitor can't handle the frequency. cheers :)

[SilverSpring]

Very sexy stuff, great work ;).

VSYNC freq of native psp lcd == (approx) 59.94Hz

or precisely (pixel_clk_freq * cycles_per_pixel)/(row_pixels * column_pixel)
so (9MHz * 1)/(525 * 286) == 59.9400599........ etc. etc.

HSYNC freq == (appox) 17.142KHz

or precisely (pixel_clk_freq * cycles_per_pixel)/(row_pixels)
so (9MHz * 1)/(525) == 17142.85714........ etc. etc.

[l_oliveira]

A broken screen make a nice source for that flat cable...

I'm looking forward for the results of this project, btw...

I was wondering myself if we could not use a VGA card DAC for the digital to analog conversion ... Using 3 separated DACs sound a bit annoying imho...
Oh and audio DACs might be too slow for this...

[SpectroPlasm]

A vga card dac is just what i was thinking of using on this project. stay tuned for more stuff since now i have a little spare time before work kicks in again ;)

[SpectroPlasm]

since ALoGeNo keeps pestering me about the shots on irc ;), puta madre ALoGeNo now i have to post up my current test machine shots.

well here they are in order of execution :)
test monitor is my trusty LG 2323T LCD, and i'm using my Fuji finepix camera my work desk is hell dirty as you can see from some of the pics but i love it :). :( i wish i had a cam to take the vids on these things since these pics really don't do justice to the pure fun of having your PSP on a huge monitor

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shota.jpg
first attempt testing the mod, all was greyed out i thought i made a mistake

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shotb.jpg
after re-verification i hooked her up once again :), the reason why the image is so bad is my and blue wire were mixed together and i had a leg short on the capacitors (once again i said if your PSP ruins it's not my fault, things happen)

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shotc.jpg
there it is corrected and as you can see the picture is still kinda washed out

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shotd.jpg
corrected and has new capacitors on all of the lines along with a noise filter on the Hsync

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shotee.jpg
enjoy the shots LAN.ST ;), and here is my fav demo on PSP from TBL since i'm a demo freak i've decided to waste the rest of the screenies on them ;)

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shotf.jpg
enjoy the shots LAN.ST ;)

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shotg.jpg
enjoy the shots LAN.ST ;)

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shoth.jpg
enjoy the shots LAN.ST ;)

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-shote.jpg
and here is the final shot, :) filer my favorite file manager for PSP!!!. that's all folks
well next up after this i will take in depth screenshots on the whole setup as i put together a small tutorial on how to make you own DIY vga mod cable, and later on i'll make the component Y P Br cable too ;). stay tuned for more on this :cool:

[Squirrel]

Awesome Spectroplasm! I've tried the slim on a VGA monitor but it's only using part of the screen and the picture is rather blurry. This mod is really awesome!

[SpectroPlasm]

thanx squirrel, i haven't tried this on a slim but i am certain the slim has had revisions to the video codec. the blurry screen is due to a combined Vsync to the Hsync or is just a bad noise. thanx a bunch for those cable btw ;) i still have 3 left overs that will be converted too but it will be a LCDless PSP with these since these are just the cables.

[ALoGeNo]

COJONUDO spectroplasm :D, that is at full screen, not like tv out in psp slim, you are better than sony PUTA!! xD thats the way ;)

De puta madre TIO! :D

See ya in irc bitch :)

[cory1492]

SpectroPlasm: the only thing better than seeing it on my own monitor would be seeing it on yours :D Nice work and thanks for the screenshots ;)

[brin_vg]

Incredible work Spectro!!

Okay to link to this, right?

[SpectroPlasm]

sure go ahead ;) as long as it stays the same :)

[SpectroPlasm]

ok updates are to come shortly guys ;) stay tuned for more stuff. I have found a decent DAC to test this thing out with, i have ordered samples from the company and waiting for the arrival of the samples so i can begin testing and setting up the new diagrams for Yp B Pr output and scart too. :) cheers

[jas0nuk]

This is pretty awesome.. :D

[RussellF]

Fantastic work SpectroPlasm!
This is probably beyond me, but, what the heck! What gubbins do I need at the output end to do this? I've got a PSP with no power to the backlight (even after bridging the fuse. Think I broke the transformer or something) and I did have spare broken screens (may have binned them all though :() and this would just be so cool!
Is there a shopping list for the bits I need?
Cheers!

EDIT - OK, after visiting maplin.co.uk and paying more attention to this thread:
3 x 220uF capacitors (1 for each colour)
1 x D-Sub HD 15-Way Connector (female to plug my monitor into)
wire - will the 30 swg I use for LED mods be ok?

[Squirrel]

Awesome Spectroplasm! I've tried the slim on a VGA monitor but it's only using part of the screen and the picture is rather blurry. This mod is really awesome!

After re-reading this thread, I realised my post was not very clear. I meant that I tried the official slim TV-out with a component cable and I'm not really satisfied with it. It might be interesting to try your mod on a slim. Maybe I'll do it some day :D

[SpectroPlasm]

Fantastic work SpectroPlasm!
This is probably beyond me, but, what the heck! What gubbins do I need at the output end to do this? I've got a PSP with no power to the backlight (even after bridging the fuse. Think I broke the transformer or something) and I did have spare broken screens (may have binned them all though :() and this would just be so cool!
Is there a shopping list for the bits I need?
Cheers!

EDIT - OK, after visiting maplin.co.uk and paying more attention to this thread:
3 x 220uF capacitors (1 for each colour)
1 x D-Sub HD 15-Way Connector (female to plug my monitor into)
wire - will the 30 swg I use for LED mods be ok?

yep that will do it nicely, but if you're really looking for a hassle free way to make the setup, just use a spare HDD 80 cable (the thin ones) because all you need to do is strip a tiny part and solder it on the ribbon the wire spacing is the exact same as the ribbon thus taking a huge burden off you back of having to line up the legs ;).

PS. I'm still waiting for a reply from the company whom i ordered my DACs, if i get a positive response we're in for a good toy to play with ;)

[SpectroPlasm]

Awesome Spectroplasm! I've tried the slim on a VGA monitor but it's only using part of the screen and the picture is rather blurry. This mod is really awesome!

After re-reading this thread, I realised my post was not very clear. I meant that I tried the official slim TV-out with a component cable and I'm not really satisfied with it. It might be interesting to try your mod on a slim. Maybe I'll do it some day :D

Squirrel you may not need to use the ribbon mod i have in this thread as the PSP slim has an onboard dac installed already (it has got to have one in order for them to have that tv out via jack ;) ) i haven't opened a slim up for tests but if you're willing to trace the lines just look for a $ony CX___9?? *the _ are either numbers or letters i forgot the 9 is what you're aiming for if there is no 9 don't bother with the DAC it must be a new version one*

i might hop to cousins house to look at his slim if he's willing for me to gut her up (which i doubt he will but i'll gut her anyhow when he's not looking :rolleyes: ).

[Squirrel]

i might hop to cousins house to look at his slim if he's willing for me to gut her up (which i doubt he will but i'll gut her anyhow when he's not looking :rolleyes: ).

Don't bother, the slims TV-out is cropped. Yours isn't ;) It's nice to have the PSP output really fullscreen :cool:

So even if the slims DAC output can be used (I bet it's the same signals that are present on the headphones port), it's inferior to the output produced by the display controller.

[SpectroPlasm]

oh thx for the heads up i guess it's set for me then no slim for me unless they offer free beer with it ;). say you don't happen to have any spare button bars laying around do you?, i was taking the screen in and out all day long saturday and it finaly died all together the button bar (nothing works with it cause of severed ribbon cable :( )

[cory1492]

I imagine someone can help you out with a spare SpectroPlasm, but just in case (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4058), there are 3rd party ribbon replacements to be had at a reasonable price.

[RussellF]

Hey SpectroPlasm, I've got a spare or 2. Where in "somewhere in the Universe" are you? If postage from the UK's not too steep you can have one.

[liornet]

Hi SpectroPlasm,
I was wondering when will you will write atutorial?
I can help if you want.

[l_oliveira]

What you think about giving this DAC a try ? I have three samples (2 Goldstar 3DOs and one Panasonic 3DO) with this video DAC. It does support progressive scan, so it seems to be a suitable device.

Once Spectro's project is done I'll try to mod it for this DAC.

[SpectroPlasm]

What you think about giving this DAC a try ? I have three samples (2 Goldstar 3DOs and one Panasonic 3DO) with this video DAC. It does support progressive scan, so it seems to be a suitable device.

Once Spectro's project is done I'll try to mod it for this DAC.

hm..... yeah that does look nice for the DAC but i have ordered an easier one to input, since this one still needs an external mini amp to draw it's power.

[l_oliveira]

What you think about giving this DAC a try ? I have three samples (2 Goldstar 3DOs and one Panasonic 3DO) with this video DAC. It does support progressive scan, so it seems to be a suitable device.

Once Spectro's project is done I'll try to mod it for this DAC.

hm..... yeah that does look nice for the DAC but i have ordered an easier one to input, since this one still needs an external mini amp to draw it's power.

This one is meant to generate TV signals only, not RGB ... I forgot to mention this.

[Squirrel61]

I got this dead-tree mailing from Maxim because in the far past, when unbricking had to be done by real men instead of kids, I ordered some samples of a level-shifter.

Although it doesn't particularly address video-DACs, I think it's still interesting because the DACs are small enough to fit them in the PSP.

[EDIT] Because of attachment size limitations, I upped the mailing to Rapidshare (http://rapidshare.com/files/67819011/Maxim_DAC_mailing.pdf.html).

[Neo1607]

Keep up the good work spectroplasm, i have been following this thread since day 1, u think u will be able to release diagrams in the foreseeable future of how to construct it? i would really like to try this on my fat psp as i refuse to buy a slim, sony gets no more of my money :D

[Chilly Willy]

I got this dead-tree mailing from Maxim because in the far past, when unbricking had to be done by real men instead of kids, I ordered some samples of a level-shifter.

Although it doesn't particularly address video-DACs, I think it's still interesting because the DACs are small enough to fit them in the PSP.

[EDIT] Because of attachment size limitations, I upped the mailing to Rapidshare (http://rapidshare.com/files/67819011/Maxim_DAC_mailing.pdf.html).

Cool! That dead-tree mailing is much newer than the last one I got from them. :D

[werejag]

any more progress. so far this looks very good

[ooblik]

Great work guys!

[SpectroPlasm]

i'm back sorry for being afk but i was sick and being sick sucks :)
anyhow i'm sitting here in front of my pc atm and still no arrival of those sample chips i made a while back, but saturday i was able to get hold of a single chip from an electronic dealer here but it's got no manual on how to operate the bloody thing, i'll have to spend a little more time probing the pins to get decent info on how to use it but hopefully we will see the bottom of this project :D cheers to all , and stay tuned for more on this.

[werejag]

/me waits

:)

[Neo1607]

i'm back sorry for being afk but i was sick and being sick sucks :)
anyhow i'm sitting here in front of my pc atm and still no arrival of those sample chips i made a while back, but saturday i was able to get hold of a single chip from an electronic dealer here but it's got no manual on how to operate the bloody thing, i'll have to spend a little more time probing the pins to get decent info on how to use it but hopefully we will see the bottom of this project :D cheers to all , and stay tuned for more on this.

Good to hear you are feeling better SpectroPlasm :)

Just out of curiosity, out of 1 - 10 (10 being hardest) do you think this mod would be for an average skilled person to do? I am good at soldering and such so hope that will be enough :(

[SpectroPlasm]

i'm back sorry for being afk but i was sick and being sick sucks :)
anyhow i'm sitting here in front of my pc atm and still no arrival of those sample chips i made a while back, but saturday i was able to get hold of a single chip from an electronic dealer here but it's got no manual on how to operate the bloody thing, i'll have to spend a little more time probing the pins to get decent info on how to use it but hopefully we will see the bottom of this project :D cheers to all , and stay tuned for more on this.

Good to hear you are feeling better SpectroPlasm :)

Just out of curiosity, out of 1 - 10 (10 being hardest) do you think this mod would be for an average skilled person to do? I am good at soldering and such so hope that will be enough :(

Hey Neo1607, i'll answer your question there are two steps in which you could be rated:

if you're good with SMD soldering you'd get a 3
if you're good with components soldering you'd get a 7
and if you're just plain crazy and have enough nerves to go about poking here and there (i'm not the only one :D, there are more crazy soldering people on this site) you'd hit a good 2 or 1 even depending on your iron size and specs.

the first mod is really easy to do all you need to do is sever the ribbon cable lines with fine grit sandpaper (if you're not used to severing cables please do not continue using razor blades, but if yes then razorblades give the best results in terms of cleanness). and using a 80 hdd cable and lining it up to the ribbon trace and solder away.

the second mod however requires you to solder an IC for the digital signal conversion to Analog standards and that requires more caution because a slight budge can ruin the IC and your ribbon altogether. hope that answers you question m8 :)

[SpectroPlasm]

Here it is finally i hope it's not too late as some of you have already been waiting for so long for this to be released. enjoy all and take care about your toys :).

AS always i am not responsible for any damages caused by this mod

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vgafinal.jpg

PARTS required:
1x PSP (unless you're sure to goof then make that 2 or more )
1x spare or severed ribbon cable (for risk free operation)
1x roll lead free solder, or solder lead
1x tube flux for soldering work
1x 15W solder iron or regulated iron
1x component cable (or any that you find laying around the house)
1x HI-1178 DAC (can be bought for ~15$ at your local electronics store)
**note if you can't find this DAC look for any broken PS2 consoles or even some $ony equipment it's the exact same as the $ony CXD1178 chip
a small plastic sheet or adhesiv sheet (so you can wrap her up after it's done. This mod fits perfectly inside the PSP without probs

***Note#2 if you really want it to look wicked just buy a spare mini female usb and make the port on top of your PSP or on the side, solder together the GND of all the RGB conections to the - pole of the USB and use +5v data+ data- for the repsective RGB lines :) you're have a genuine PHAT and Heavy PSP :)

OK amigos, aquí son la versión final del adaptador de VGA-TV para el PSP PHAT édicion. Esta versión tiene un DAC dedicado para hacer la conversión de señales para gozar y para tomar de cuidado para no romper sus juguetes preciosos :D.

Voila la vérsion finale de l'adapteur VGA télé pour la PSP PHAT. j'ai mi un DAC pour pouvoir convertir correctement les signal digitaux du PSP :), fait gaffe car si la PSP casse au niveau du LCD c'est baibai baby.


More on this later on as i correct minor bugs and take time to get cleaner diagrams of the adaptor :).

[werejag]

so this will be a pass thru connection? aka lcd and rgb out at same time?

sync on green?

[DarkStone]

Here it is finally i hope it's not too late as some of you have already been waiting for so long for this to be released. enjoy all and take care about your toys :).

AS always i am not responsible for any damages caused by this mod

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vgafinal.jpg

PARTS required:
1x PSP (unless you're sure to goof then make that 2 or more )
1x spare or severed ribbon cable (for risk free operation)
1x roll lead free solder, or solder lead
1x tube flux for soldering work
1x 15W solder iron or regulated iron
1x component cable (or any that you find laying around the house)
1x HI-1178 DAC (can be bought for ~15$ at your local electronics store)
**note if you can't find this DAC look for any broken PS2 consoles or even some equipment it's the exact same as the CXD1178 chip
a small plastic sheet or adhesiv sheet (so you can wrap her up after it's done. This mod fits perfectly inside the PSP without probs

***Note#2 if you really want it to look wicked just buy a spare mini female usb and make the port on top of your PSP or on the side, solder together the GND of all the RGB conections to the - pole of the USB and use +5v data+ data- for the repsective RGB lines :) you're have a genuine PHAT and Heavy PSP :)

OK amigos, aquí son la versión final del adaptador de VGA-TV para el PSP PHAT édicion. Esta versión tiene un DAC dedicado para hacer la conversión de señales para gozar y para tomar de cuidado para no romper sus juguetes preciosos :D.

Voila la vérsion finale de l'adapteur VGA télé pour la PSP PHAT. j'ai mi un DAC pour pouvoir convertir correctement les signal digitaux du PSP :), fait gaffe car si la PSP casse au niveau du LCD c'est baibai baby.


More on this later on as i correct minor bugs and take time to get cleaner diagrams of the adaptor :).



OMG MY HEAD JUST EXPLODED :eek:

[Neo1607]

I don't trust my soldering skills enough to follow that diagram, guess its still a plain old phat psp for me :(

[Alek]

Fucking nice hack.

Can't wait to test it ;) Great work spectro.

[cory1492]

Nice SpectroPlasm! I even meet the parts requirements without going out of my way at all. Unfortunately, I don't think I have a single monitor around that would support sync on green (PS2 VGA without added stuff)... makes me wonder if there isn't any additional scavenging that could be done from a PS2 to get composite xD

[SilverSpring]

Nice SpectroPlasm! I even meet the parts requirements without going out of my way at all. Unfortunately, I don't think I have a single monitor around that would support sync on green (PS2 VGA without added stuff)... makes me wonder if there isn't any additional scavenging that could be done from a PS2 to get composite xD

Good luck looking for sync-on-green monitors :D. I had searched for one a while back (to use with the official ps2 linux kit), took some time but eventually found a nice Samsung 17in lcd that supported it.

And it doesnt help when 95% of stores have no idea what the hell sync-on-green means :p.

[cory1492]

I had no clue what SoG even was until the homemade PS2 VGA adapters and VGA game fix popped up, so I don't really blame the (unsuspecting, know everything customer victimized) sales folks who have to deal with loads of new products, with many features they don't know of or care about, constantly.

Going to have to try it to be sure, but my samsung (and the kicker if it doesn't work ->) SyncMaster 940BW 19" WS apparently (pretty rare I do it, but I ahh... read the manual... :eek:) does not. Maybe I'll have to break down and build a sync circuit of some type, if it doesn't all work out peachy :(

[werejag]

H-Sync and V-Sync

can we get that instead of a sog

[SpectroPlasm]

for you that are wondering if your monitors will support SoG it is to note that most modern LCD monitors (rare you will not find one that wont work) have this feature due to the component inputs :) the store dealers wont know much because it's an on naming thing. but if you tell them does it have component input they will respond to you "yes"

anyhow to werejag or the others who would like to bypass the SoG and use the native H-sync and V-sync frequencies just take it out of the first diagram i posted a while back :)

well gonna post some more error corrected diagrams later on when i have the time :)
cheers to all

[brin_vg]

for you that are wondering if your monitors will support SoG it is to note that most modern LCD monitors (rare you will not find one that wont work) have this feature due to the component inputs :) the store dealers wont know much because it's an on naming thing. but if you tell them does it have component input they will respond to you "yes"

anyhow to werejag or the others who would like to bypass the SoG and use the native H-sync and V-sync frequencies just take it out of the first diagram i posted a while back :)

well gonna post some more error corrected diagrams later on when i have the time :)
cheers to all
Where to wire GND to on the DAC would be nice :)

I haven't quite got this far in electronics class :D

[SpectroPlasm]

:D come to think of it i think I'll pick up another PSP hack project, the non official dual shock force feedback for PSP :D
coupled with this adapter it's bound to be a genuine crowd pleaser
since you could use your AC adaptor when you're playing on the big screen (kinda makes no sense to use battery power when you're not on the move) but anyhow the dual shock will not eat that much power off your PSP, think of it like those vibrators on the phones

**note** don't play this mod with your Girl friend she might love it more than you in the end :D
anyways gonna post the error corrected pix then pick up the dual shock project later on :)

[cory1492]

I lost a gf once when they first brought out dual shock, until now I wasn't sure what happened :( (roflmao)

I presumed I was missing some details... (note to self, re-read the thread before presuming anything of that sort again). I honestly don't have anything that currently accepts a component input (dvi-d, vga, svideo, composite, but no RGB).

OK, let me know if this is way off... it is necessary to use a DAC to get the full color range from the PSP LCD output, and thus also avoid using capacitors to make up for the wash out. So one could use your 1178 DAC diagram to do a vga connect (http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml) and add:
(32) H-sync------------>horizontal Sync / Y sync on S-video
(33) V-sync------------>Vertical Sync / S sync on S-video
if SoG is an issue.

Also, I had totally missed the S-video notes way back in the first text-o-gram as well as your second to last diagram (though I had seen the screenshots). With S-Video (http://pinouts.ru/Video/SVideo_pinout.shtml) does "S sync on S-video" correspond to chrominance (having never heard reference to S sync before)? Is it even necessary to source separate Y/C grounds on svhs (my guess is no)?

After digging around a bit I think the only thing I'm missing then atm to try it out this second on this Sammy monitor is a VGA female :)

[SpectroPlasm]

yea Cory that's correct you could use the DAC to have proper vga out without the SoG issue just by using the already present H-sync and V-sync off the PSP :)
also: Sammy monitors should be SoG native, i have an old 15" one that accepts it no probs.
below here is another diagram of the same thing above with a more compatible GND wiring, since after testing out the rig on a Bravia monitor i found out that the picture blanks out every few minutes or so, i didn't know the monitor needed a more stable GND so i had to relay the RGB GND to common GND on the IC.

http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/vga-finalout2.jpg
**note** the cyan dots are solder marks for you to relay the RGB GND to common GND

the cxd1178 and HI1178 are very versatile so i will try to see if i can probe more solutions from the pins. i don't want to add a sync seperator as doing so will bloat the size of the rig and it wont fit inside the PSP anymore, but i sould maybe add one on the outside inside the homemade usb cable so it will look less messy. more on this later on :)

Ps/ Cory S-sync is identical to the ones found in RGB cable only it's a seperate leg, whereas in RGB components it's linked with green. and the sammy, if you're willing to pop her up you could just tag the lines directly to the CRT card following the monitors VGA cable route :), but if not i guess you could pick up a female off an old card if you got any laying around. just airflow the legs and the female is as good as new :)

[cory1492]

Video is above my head atm (hence the question and the lack of knowledge on TV acceptable S-Video signals) and an air station isn't something I stock (I'll have to see whats left after xmas, been putting off looking into air stations for quite some time now).

Not that big on taking risks with my primary display, I'll just keep an eye on the dumpsters in my travels. Someone is bound to turf a monitor or old 486 which I can scavenge eventually, or I'll get to the south side of town (~10miles from me) where the only "real" electronics store is locally - and hope the trip isn't wasted, future-active rarely has stock of much of anything except the things people don't want.

BTW: checked the loose PS2 boards I have easy access to, those happen to be a V10 and V9, they don't have the 1178 but a CXD4000 or something along those lines with *far* more pins.

[SpectroPlasm]

the CXD4000 is an ATAPI controller for the HDD and the DVD drive of the PS2, :) the PsP has one too but it's disguised under a different name (and which is why i was saying on the chan that i got this crazy idea of driving an Ipod's mini hdd off the PSP's ATAPI controller :D). the CXD is pretty universal, almost all sony brand multimedia players and home theatre systems has one, i also found one off an old PCI vga card.

i wish i was around the "dumpsters" i still remember chugging my little red wagon in search of gems that people leave on the sidewalks :D. anyways hope you get something that is of use m8 :)

[brin_vg]

Never try finding a DAC in New Zealand... honestly, I rang up Dick Smith (the electronics store chain), and they didn't have a clue what it was... So I'm off to find a broken PS2, do all hardware revisions use the CXD1178 DAC?

[SpectroPlasm]

if you're lookin in ps2 kits check the old v0-4 models :) that's your best bet
well if the shop supplyers don't know the part name you can say "digital to analog converter" or "tri 8bit picture signal converter"
they should pick something up along those lines :)

[andreybomb]

good work spectro

[brin_vg]

if you're lookin in ps2 kits check the old v0-4 models :) that's your best bet
well if the shop supplyers don't know the part name you can say "digital to analog converter" or "tri 8bit picture signal converter"
they should pick something up along those lines :)
Tried calling it all sorts of things, right down to "chip that converts digital signal to analog". They still just went "Uh... I don't thiiiink we stock those..."

Thanks :)

[cory1492]

Little red wagon, you have no idea how funny that is... usually when I get out and have a chance to visit dumpsters it is because I am helping someone who drives a fire engine red truck deliver their catalogs to customers xD (always see monitors and stripped 486's sitting around, too - now that I'll be looking I bet I won't find any :P)

CXM4000R is the actual chip I found on the V10 about 1/2 inch from the video connector; it seems to be an integrate of some sort (mecha+PROM+video?).

Any rate, I'll have a dig through my parts pile soon (hopefully have the time over the weekend to go there) and see exactly which versions have the 1178 in them.

[SpectroPlasm]

ok for some of you who are wondering how a CXD1178 ic looks like here is a picture of one
http://lostgrounds.sceners.org/projects/cxd1178Q.JPG
i managed to find some on this website for all to see but i dunno the prices online
cxd1178 (http://oceanhk.hkinventory.com/eCatalog/0703_001A/OfferSearch.asp)
there are variations of this chip
some carry the name CXD1178A some CXD1178Q and some are just CXD1178
i dunno the differences between them but i reckon it's just a stepping version

[brin_vg]

Thanks Spectro :D

[Neo1607]

Looks awesome, but i don't think i would be able to do this :( Would anyone be able to make this for me so it would just be a case of putting it into my psp? I would donate the material costs and postage/shipping costs. Would be a big help as i don't want to fuck up my psp from my average soldering skills :/

[SeniorUser]

if you're lookin in ps2 kits check the old v0-4 models :) that's your best bet
well if the shop supplyers don't know the part name you can say "digital to analog converter" or "tri 8bit picture signal converter"
they should pick something up along those lines :)
Tried calling it all sorts of things, right down to "chip that converts digital signal to analog". They still just went "Uh... I don't thiiiink we stock those..."

Thanks :)

Dick Smith sell nothing anymore....its just a hoopla elecronic pretend store, try JARCAR,

[MrDank]

spectroplasm.. you are the man

[werejag]

would there be a ez way to build a no solder adapter ?

[brin_vg]

would there be a ez way to build a no solder adapter ?

Nope.

An adapter would be nice, but it's not going to happen.

[SpectroPlasm]

well i been thinking of makin an adapter but it would be too thick to fit in the case of the PSP so i dont think it will be a good option. And also the cable of the psp lcd screen is very prone to noise if made too long, i'm still working on the picture tutorial for all to see how its done the proper way.

ps.
:) oh hi Dank! long time no see buddy hows the flatulence business going X-D, hope to catch ya on irc again 1 of these days. Merry xmas 2 all btw. and have a safe new year.

[Korlithiel]

Heyas, just finished reading through this and now I realize I really have been missing out.

When you finish a tutorial I so want to get a good look at it to see how feasible it is for me to do or even have someone else do since this is exactly the sort of modification I would love to have (well in addition to a few others) as long as I could output to my TV.

Thanks SpectroPlasm for all of this since I recall back when I first looked into modding my PSP that people were saying this was an impossible mod to do and now I wish I had stuck with the scene instead of focusing on soft mods and helping people.

[Neo1607]

i'm still working on the picture tutorial for all to see how its done the proper way.

Perhaps a video tutorial might have been easier than a picture tutorial? Anyway for about the 4th time in this thread, Great work Spectroplasm :D

p.s. Happy new year :)

[brin_vg]

i'm still working on the picture tutorial for all to see how its done the proper way.

Perhaps a video tutorial might have been easier than a picture tutorial? Anyway for about the 4th time in this thread, Great work Spectroplasm :D

p.s. Happy new year :)

Fast forwarded for certain bits, perhaps :D

An image of the ribbon, connected to the DAC with the wires clearly shown which ribbon pins they go to might be good, sadly I won't be able to follow this guide any more, as:

1. Apparently no one sells the specific DAC here, and the PS2 I found happened to have the mobo removed :mad:
2. I kind of traded in for a Slim.

But yeah, again, excellent work :)

[maxtanev]

It's really hard to find any of these DAC's, but it's not very hard to change it with another, that you can find.
For example: THS8134 from Texas Instruments.

http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/ths8134b.html

Of course it has different pin outs, but it's not very hard to rewire.

[Squirrel]

Thanks for the suggestion, it's a good first post!

The different pinout is not a problem, since everything has to be hardwired anyway. And they're offering free samples :D

[SpectroPlasm]

oh cool free samples are really good i think i'll post for some to check them out IF they are wiling to ship to Madagascar :( most online companies seldom never ship to such far away countries

[SpectroPlasm]

ok i downloaded the data sheet for the DAC u posted earlier m8 :) i'll start looking into it and make a modified wiring diagram of my previous post so all could use this DAC instead of the sony ones :).

[werejag]

my chip is on order if you use that chip

[werejag]

SpectroPlasm

if you cant get the samples shipped tell me ill relay a set to you

[SpectroPlasm]

waiting for a replay from the company :) i'll tell u if they support madagascar :)

[werejag]

anything yet?

[Rick_kap]

@SpectroPlasm excellent work mate, i've read this thread and admire what you have done, my hat off to you.

I know this is my first post but does anyone know if it is possible of using the PSP screen as a second monitor with my PC.

I'm currently building a home simulator and need a screen the same size as the PSP to work some of the instrument, i have a space VGA card and wondered if it was possible.

I know that the PSPone has been done but the screen won't fit where i need it to.

Any help would be appricated.

Rick_kap

[brin_vg]

You want to do the reverse of this mod - Convert an analog signal from a PC to digital. Shouldn't be too hard, I wouldn't imagine, but will definitely require a fair bit of soldering and patience :)

[Rick_kap]

brin_vg thanks for your quick reply. Yes that's exactly what i want to do. Is it possible? are there any tuts / pics ?

Regards

Rick_kap

[maxtanev]

Hm, everything is posible. :) First you should find some cheap fine ass ADC(Analog to Digital Convertor).And here the easy part is over. :)
It's very hard to do.

Here it is. :)
http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/ths8083a.html

There is no tutorial or something.

[bagheera]

thanx for the fun i had reading this post!.. excellent work done here....

[SpectroPlasm]

brin_vg thanks for your quick reply. Yes that's exactly what i want to do. Is it possible? are there any tuts / pics ?

Regards

Rick_kap

it's very possible yes :) the bad part is that most ADCs are single channel meanning to get the RGB you would need three of these, working with signle channel ADCs are easier than with Tripple 8bit. the good thing tho is once you get one working it's super simple to replicate it for green and Blue signals.

The chips didn't come :( and right now i can't do much stuff since i got heaps of work to do, i'll check back when i have the time to post up those tutorial pics and a way to reverse the signal for people wanting to use the PSP screen for other things. Cheers mates :)

[Leonerdo]

Firstly, many thanks to SpectroPlasm and anyone else who has put work into the creation of this mod. I have been looking for a way to do this since I found some heavily abused PSPs with cracked screens in a dumpster a while back. I recently found this thread, and this mod seems like the perfect way to get some use out of the salvageable parts.

I am trying to follow the original VGA pinout schematic posted by SpectroPlasm, but I am having problems with the signal timing when connecting to a monitor. I am getting 59Hz Vsync and 17.1kHz Hsync, which the monitor can’t handle.

Could it be a problem with my wiring? Or do I have to configure something on the software side of the PSP to get it to output a displayable signal frequency?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but my knowledge of this stuff is still very limited. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[SpectroPlasm]

I am trying to follow the original VGA pinout schematic posted by SpectroPlasm, but I am having problems with the signal timing when connecting to a monitor. I am getting 59Hz Vsync and 17.1kHz Hsync, which the monitor can’t handle.

Could it be a problem with my wiring? Or do I have to configure something on the software side of the PSP to get it to output a displayable signal frequency?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but my knowledge of this stuff is still very limited. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

what is your monitor make? or model? the diagram should feed monitor stable frequencies, i had a test run using my lg lcd monitor and never had problems with them, if you're still having issues you could try cleaning the vsync and hsync lines with an lm1881 chip. if you provide me with details i can aid you in correcting the issue. :)

[Leonerdo]

Thanks for the help Spectroplasm, my monitor is a 19" Gateway FPD1960 LCD monitor. It’s native res is 1280x1024 and I know it also supports sync on green, (I have made cables to display Xbox and Ps2 on it without a sync splitter.)

I also tried it on a couple other monitors I have access to, a Dell 1503FP LCD, and a Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 91 CRT with no success. Each monitor displays a frequency out of range error. According the PDF manual (http://support.gateway.com/s/MONITOR/7005425/8510469.pdf) for the Gateway monitor, in VGA 640x480 mode Vsync should be 59.941 Hz with 31.469 KHz Hsync. So it appears the PSP's 17.1 KHz Hsync is out of range.

//image removed

[SpectroPlasm]

nice rig XD you got a bread board so it was easier to do the connections. Yeah i saw your datasheet and apparenetly you'd need a sync doubler or a line blanker to raise the clock rate of the hsync in order for it to show up on your monitor. I think it's easier to use the chip tbh since it double as a built in sync doubler too (it regulates the hsync to be compatible with the output host signal). I'm getting back into the vga converter btw got a little time to spare so i'll see what i can do to help those with similar problems.

cheers

[werejag]

anything more yet?

[Leonerdo]

Spectroplasm, what was the display resolution and timing sent from the PSP using your original schematic, and what was the res and timing when you used the DAC for your second schematic? Monitors usually show this info in the OSD. This info could help me troubleshoot the sync issues.

Also, how does the DAC regulate the Hsync to the host? The DAC -> monitor wiring in the schematic all appears to be output only, I couldn't find any info about how the HI-1178 handles sync generation so I am curious about this.

I have also been trying to figure out the proper configuration settings for the Texas Instruments THS8134B DAC (http://www.ortodoxism.ro/datasheets/texasinstruments/ths8134b.pdf) mentioned earlier. Specifically, how the DACs configuration terminals can be set for 3x8bit RGB input to RGB output with composite sync.

Thanks for all the help, I will continue fumbling with all this to see if I can find some way to make it work.

On a side note, to anyone looking for HI-1178 chips on old PS2 boards, I don't think they were used. I looked into this, and from what I could tell the digital/analog conversion and signal processing is split up between two chips, the CXA3525 and SC44728.

[maxtanev]

Configuration is very important before this chip start working you should read pages 5 to 8 there is explaned how to configuire it and about sync singnals, also read 16,17,18 and so on there is explanation for Sync on Green and ect.

[werejag]

any more progress?

[hank freid news]

First of all Thanks you, so is very significant before this chip start working you should read pages 5 to 8 there is explaned how to configure it and about sync signals.

[Neo1607]

Just wondering if this project was any further along? Was quite interesting but it seems to have stopped dead now :(

Where oh where is spectroplasm :D

[Leonerdo]

Just wondering if this project was any further along? Was quite interesting but it seems to have stopped dead now...

The problem with this Idea as I see it, is that the timing for the PSP LCD and the timing for standard 640 x 480 VGA is completely different. Converting the 24 bit digital RGB color data to analog RGB is one thing, but without rescaling the video the timing will never match VGA. The schematic shows no sync input to the HI-1178 chip, so even if it were able to manage this type of scaling (there is no indication in the datasheet that it can) what would signal when a new line/frame has begun? The THS8134B seems a little different in that it can insert sync pulses into the analog video output, but from what I can tell it doesn't alter the timing from the input signal.


...I know this is my first post but does anyone know if it is possible of using the PSP screen as a second monitor with my PC.

I'm currently building a home simulator and need a screen the same size as the PSP to work some of the instrument, i have a space VGA card and wondered if it was possible...
Rick_kap

This is possible, and has a lot more documentation than the PSP->VGA mod, but again it requires more than just converting between analog/digital to get the timing right. Sparkfun.com sells the PSP LCD as a display for custom projects, so there is a lot of discussion and good information in their forums about what kind of hardware can be used to drive these LCDs. Here are a few threads on the subject: 1 (http://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?t=7423), 2 (http://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?t=8655), 3 (http://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?t=10856), 4 (http://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?t=10481).

I imagine that a PSP->VGA video adapter could be based around hardware similar to what is being suggested in the above Sparkfun threads (FPGA/CPLD/framebuffer), though it would be a lot more involved than just wiring up a DAC.

[SpectroPlasm]

Just wondering if this project was any further along? Was quite interesting but it seems to have stopped dead now :(

Where oh where is spectroplasm :D

The project is not dead, it's just been set aside due to numerous work related factors. :) . And I didn't go anywhere actually, I'm still here, though few might notice. :D

[Neo1607]

Woah spectro your still alive :D

Get onto irc, long time no speak lol, hanging about in #nyleveia on irc.dark-alex.org if you are ever around :P