PS1/2 PSX (SCPH-1002) plays backups without a modchip - why?

[Snytbaggen]

Yesterday I found a cheap complete SCPH-1002 unit at a local thrift store, I bought it because it was cheap and because it had the parallel and A/V-output that my newer console lack. The laser is kinda crap which was expected, but it reads disks if I turn the console upside down.

Anyway I took it apart to take a look at the laser unit to see what version it was, and to see if it was something obvious I could fix. It wasn't, so I put it back together again and just for the heck of it tried to play a backup to see if the previous owner had modded it. It accepted the backup and booted the game, but I couldn't remember seeing any modchip so I took it apart again and took a long look but couldn't see any modchip or anything resembling one. I tried with around 10-15 burned games and a few original games and it got to this screen about 95% of the times, those who didn't were kinda scratched up so I'm completely willing to bet it on that. It booted a few games from different regions and they were fully playable, and I'm also willing to bet a lot on that scratches and the bad laser preventing the others to boot, since it also had trouble with the original games

So what I wonder is, why can it boot burned games at all? Is it possible there's a modchip underneath the main board that I couldn't see? I haven't been able to find any information online at all about this, and I'm finding it pretty weird. Also I noticed that the RGB cable I have doesn't really work with this unit, I only get regular composite video instead of RGB video, but that's more a side note.

 

[pyromaniac123]

Modchip is installed on the back of the board.

edit: Picture is a bit small but shows the area where the chip is installed.

 

[Snytbaggen]

Yeah you're right, I opened it up again and checked. I feel stupid now... I must've read every single install guide I found wrong.

 

[Cyan]

The European SCPH-1002 were released in two versions :
The day launch : Wouldn't need modchip to play burned games.
4-6 month later : Needs a modchip.

Sony changed something without updating the SCPH code, so the same code can or can't play burned games without modchip, you have to try.

The first batch, without modchip, need disc swapping. It doesn't play them as if you put a real one and power the console. So if your console play burn discs without swapping, you have a modchip installed.


there were two methods to swap discs:
1. without TOC : Go to music player -> put an original -> block the cover lid -> swap disc -> exit music player
Disadvantage : you needed a original game bigger than the copy.

2. With TOC : put original -> block the lid -> power ON -> check original disc -> on the first logo/sound (and not when users used to do it, on the second logo you displayed above), you swap the disc -> read the toc of the second disc.
Advantage : works with all games, and in multi-disc games too. (no need to save before swapping, like Parasite Eve, Chrono cross, etc.)
Disadvantage : need precision to know when to swap.

 

[steveroo]

some what off topic...

For some reason when I play ntscj back ups on my modded ps1 and hold the O button while the sony logo appears the game has a higher no fail to cd player/memory card reader