need help burning ps1 games

[kaitlin459]

ok im having a weird issue? i have an SCPH-5701 PS1 with a mayumi V3 modchip in it, bought the system pre modded. im currently using a [ReDump] Sony PlayStation (NTSC-U) (20150524)
set which i downloaded via torrent.

i burn at 4x

anyhow heres the issue. i use imgburn and select the cue file i then select verify to make sdure disks were properly burned. but the issue is when i put the disk in my PS1 it either takes me right to the PS1 menu or it says insert a PS1 disk i then have to hit the reset button a few times to get it to play the game

the disks im using are CMC Pro - Powered by TY Technology Shiny Silver CD-R - 100-Pack Spindle

any idea why my ps1 has issues with the disks?

 

[esmith13]

Sounds like it either is an issue with the CD-Rs not being a good fit for PS1 use or your laser is going bad (more than expected for the age of the system.

Have you tried burning at whatever the slowest speed your burner supports is? (don't just set to 1x, set the the lowest speed imgburn says your burner can do)

Have you tried playing a burned game with your playstation upside-down? (not kidding - if you laser is slightly out of it's ideal setting for the disc to work, playing upside down can compensate for it)

Failing all of that, my next suggestion would be to consider spending the $99 for an X-Station and play your games via SD card. It's both reasonably cheap and a relatively easy soldering job that even a beginner could do (you'd have to remove the modchip tho).

 

[kaitlin459]

@esmith13 it might have just been a picky burn so far every game i have burnt since i made this post has booted to the ingame menu

 

[esmith13]

Oh sorry, I assumed you meant everything you're burning has the issue.

 

[kaitlin459]

Oh sorry, I assumed you meant everything you're burning has the issue.

nope sorry i didnt clarify only some games had issues booting on first try it could have been that maybe the ps1 wasnt sure for so long that the laser needed time to warm up idk

 

[mrgone]

i haven't burned a psx disc in ages, but i can give this advice:
use verbatim brand cd-r's, they always had the best compatibility
if a game is not loading at all, try burning @ 2x

 

[kaitlin459]

i haven't burned a psx disc in ages, but i can give this advice:
use verbatim brand cd-r's, they always had the best compatibility
if a game is not loading at all, try burning @ 2x

lowest speed i can burn at is 4x but ill keep that in mind

 

[Paulsar99]

I remember people needing to pot tweak their lasers to be able to properly read a burned copy but this should also be the last resort when all else fails.

 

[OMGWTFBBQ123]

Turning the console on its side helps my games load when they are burned

 

[KleinesSinchen]

I do realize the message above is a necrobump, but I'll leave some comments nevertheless.

When the drive itself has problems, please consider this:
https://alex-free.github.io/unofficial-ps1-cd-drive-service-manual/
↑↑↑ Excellent stuff ↑↑↑​

Tricks with standing the console upside down or sideways surprisingly work sometimes. But it is not a real fix and the problems will likely go worse over time.
=======

Regarding the advise to burn slow: I've no idea where this comes from and have read contradicting information. My guess is that this advise isn't really incorrect but outdated and not applicable on current drives and blank media. Could be wrong, just a guess.
Currently available optical drives don't include any write strategies for slow recording on CD-R¹ (and even force higher speed on *very* old CD-R not rated for more than 8x – I chickened out and burned the rare ancient Kodak Gold disc on an older drive). A writer allowing speed going down to 4x is a pretty old one. Consider checking the discs it produces for the number of C1/C2 errors for estimating write quality. Checking the disc after burning for readability in the drive which just wrote it is insufficient for quality estimation (just enough for telling if the burn was a total coaster or not).

I've yet to encounter any problem with a *working* console drive and CDs burned with high speed. For testing I've set a burner to maximum (≈19x to ≈48x CAV mode) and the game worked perfectly in a modded PS1.

Best you can do on current drives is 16x CLV mode for full-sized and 10x CLV for slim "laptop style" drives. I'd prefer CLV when writing any time because the writer doesn't have to adjust write strategy during the process. Sometimes, depending on the writer, the changes in CAV mode are even visible to the human eye in the form of multiple rings on the burned disc.

However, what mattered more – in my experience – than the speed, was the type of CD-R. Console drives are somewhat picky and I would suggest trying multiple brands and different dye types. Check if full motion video works on a game including some videos.






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¹ They have to include a 4x strategy for standard CD-RW (not high speed, not ultra speed) because of limits in the chemistry/physics of the old blanks, but this is of no importance here, since PS1 doesn't support RW discs.