PS1 Optical Drive Hack possible ?

[80T]

I recently found a very cheap PS1 on the net and bought it as it was in pretty good condition and probably functional. It's a SCPH-9002 and indeed after I disassembled and cleaned it I put it to the test and it worked.

Now I want to customize it a bit and since I'm not really happy with the original optical assembly (plastic parts and no metal rods etc... ) I want to change it with a better optical drive. To cut long story short, I just found a cheap slot-loading optical drive $3 from a car stereo and I want to "hack" it in place of the old drive. This is the part where I need some help. While waiting for the optical drive to arrive, I took a look at it's pictures and tried to gather some info about the drive and stuff...
I'm not really familiar with optical drives, lasers and related stuff, but based on what I've found, the two optical systems seem pretty similar and might just be compatible enough to make the mod.

Now my question is how should I approach this mod based on the hardware I have and the info that I've gathered ?
Should I just use the mechanical part from the slot-loading mechanism, or use it as a whole with it's own RFamp/drivers or should I make a custom PCB with some kind of ribbons adapter and a PIC with a driver for the slot motor... etc ?

Below are the data-sheets from my PS1, from the car stereo from which I think the mechanics came from and some pics.

[80T]

Sorry for double post but I couldn't fit all the attachments...

[geraldrubalcava]

Great project! xD

well what i would do is gut the drive. keeping the original motor but cutting out the laser diode of the slot drive. then i would try to retrofit the laser assembly from the ps1 into it. as for the mechanics you should do that separately. i suggest ether using some 555 chips or programing some pics. and then using some light relays to control the eject and power for your system.

goood luck on you build man! this is going to be one kick ass ps1 xD

[80T]

It would be a pretty good idea to gut the drive and put the original pick-up inside it. I didn't thought about that; but it seems to be quite a problem doing this since the original laser pick-up doesn't slide on metal rods like normal pick-ups do.

I'm actually more inclined to use the slot-loading's optical pick-up as it seems to be a better design... and I think it has a better laser and optical parts then the original PS1. The problem I have here is that I'm not quite confident the photo-diode matrix are compatible from one RF-amp to another. If you see from the data-sheets the PS1's photo-diode matrix has E & F error correction inputs same as the slot-loading's p.d.m. but the main beam error correction signals are: PS1 - PD1 & PD2 while slot-loading - A+C & B+D and that's the big problem.
If PD1 is equivalent to A+C and PD2 equiv. B+D than all is pink and peachy but if not... then I think I've got to find another solution... maybe gutting drives like you said.

Still waiting for the slot-loading drive to arrive... I hope tomorrow I will get my hands on it

[geraldrubalcava]

ohh i see lol. well if anyting else falls then gut it! xD lol

hum but i can see how your method works. not quite sure about those signals. lol but im going along with my old imac slot loading drive. and i would get the driver board from the ps1 along with the laser. then cut out the laser and most of the assembly except the motors for for the mechanical eject and absorbing the disk on the slot loading. well i guess you will have to see your drive before you know what you can do man! xD but i will google to see if i can help you out with that,

[geraldrubalcava]

 here is a vid of a imac slot loading drive taken apart. maybe this would be of some help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pphl3La9O7U

oops sorry i dubble posted. in a previus version of AM it would of added both comments together. sorry   

[80T]

Ok, so today I just received the drive and took a brief look at it. It's not even nearly close to the i-Mac design - that i-Mac drive it's way better designed and simply to mod... Mine is just horse s**t... doesn't even look in same condition as in the pictures... I mean it's the same drive all right, but in the pictures it looks almost brand new... In reality it looks worse...
It's not even centered well and I think it misses one or two custom springs... Well... what could one expect from a $3 SH drive...
I didn't had much time today but maybe tomorrow or the day after I will take a look more carefully to see what can be done...
And not to forget that the drive looks smaller and slimmer in pictures :/ It's not. It's a little more bulkier and thick...
If I had your i-Mac drive I would definitely go with the mod. Seems like you're having the slim PS One though... Maybe you have a PS1 too ?
If you do, go with the mod it's worth it.
Forgot to mention that my drive has 4 mechanical switches instead of your i-Mac's 2 optocouplers.

[geraldrubalcava]

well i got this slim PSone off ebay for 1dll and 3 for shipping. and i added a 12f629 for a modchip. i know it works. but i just never actually used the mod lol.

https://www.acidmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,38425.0.html

also, here is a link were you can get the drive i have

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-iMac-24X-CD-ROM-Drive-Slot-Load-350-400-500-600-/260746018472?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item3cb5ac7ea8
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=imac+slot+drive&_sacat=See-All-Categories
http://cgi.ebay.com/PS-ONE-CONSOLE-AV-CORD-/280658777270?pt=Video_Games&hash=item41589114b6




and if you just cant make you drive work or cant buy one off ebay the i would prob sent you the drive i have, but the only condition is that i want to see your project done and looking awesome!  :tup:lol

also may i make some suggestions? get a chip called Q115 and do a touch button power and eject. and a custom enclosure xD If you pull this off then i think this would be one of the most greatest classic console mods man! xD