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QUOTE(menelik @ Mar 25 2005, 05:03 PM)
@tiros
we should give that idea a try, its just a try which has to be made. im also happy to see that we all have the same aim. the past flaming topics werent really productive for this.
but the most important is that if the chipset is the same it has to be possible. the worst case might be we gotta make too many retracing. but once again, its the first step which has to be made. im really sorry that i dont own a lg, i'd enjoy on trying to find the points. but i want lazy too:
For perfect operation you need all three signals. Did you buffer the post #445 point? What voltage measurements do you see when loading a disc?
A datasheet really wont help. It doesn't matter since we only need equivalent point. The 616 ready signal is a GPIO pin of the control MPU. It is not created by multiple signals.
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Sorry to ask this question so late in the works of things:
Yes, I have read all 30 some pages of this topic for the last several weeks.
I have not noticed anywhere where anyone has talked about changing the bios on the original H-LG drive in the xbox so that it reads CD-Rs.. Isn't that the real problem? I mean, it works otherwise, doesn't it? I understand that people would like to replace their current broken say Sammy drive or something with a store-bought LG, but what about us folks who have an LG that works fine and just want it to read CD-Rs? Is there a different topic for that? The people who have 1.6b xboxes so far have all reported (as far as i have seen) that they all have the LG drive. Wouldn't they like a bios you just flash and viola, a drive that reads anything?
I support your effort to find a solution to the store bought drive. If/when my xbox LG drive dies, i would like to go to the store and grab a PC LG drive and flash it / wire up a chip and have 100% working back again. For right now, though, it would be really nice to have my working xbox LG drive read CD-Rs.. Anyone for a Firmware hack? I know nothing of hacking firmwares, and it may be hard wired (though i doubt it) that it can't read CD-Rs, but i just haven't seen any responses along this line, so i decided to ask.
By the way, Awesome work so far. When you find the signals, an inverting buffer is the way to go. I'm an electrical engineer, so I do know what I'm talking about here, just not when it comes to hacking firmware.
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i'm no expert - but i'm pretty sure this isn't being done because the firmware that resides on these drives are encrypted. And breaking that encryption is most likely not going to happen.
The purpose of this entire thread is not to enhance the performance of the HL-DATA xbox dvd drives - it is to provide a cheap - readily available pc drive that can be easily modified to work within an xbox.
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QUOTE(otherguy @ Mar 25 2005, 12:37 PM)
i'm no expert - but i'm pretty sure this isn't being done because the firmware that resides on these drives are encrypted. And breaking that encryption is most likely not going to happen.
The purpose of this entire thread is not to enhance the performance of the HL-DATA xbox dvd drives - it is to provide a cheap - readily available pc drive that can be easily modified to work within an xbox.
OK. Thanks for the response. I agree that a cheap drive that can be put in the xbox would be cool too.. I just dont need one yet.
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@tirus since the #445 spot isnt clear enough i can give no proof on that. someone has to followe the trace from the connector to the panasonic chip for this - and please guys, use a multimeter for that, scopes arent useful here. at this moment im waiting that someone tell me the spot....
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QUOTE(Tiros @ Mar 25 2005, 06:06 PM)
Even though I think that a chip will not be necessary in the end, the following tells you how to wire up the 74HCT04 instead of the OpAmp.
Jumper #4 to #5 Ground #7,#9,#11,#13 +5Volts #14.
The signal needing inversion will enter(from drive) on #1 and exit(to xbox) on #2. The signal only needing buffering will enter on #3, and exit on #6 If you would like to experiment with "ready" you should only need to buffer and not invert. So: Remove ground from #9, #11 Connect #8 to #11 Now ready will enter(from drive) on #9, and exits on #12 (to xbox)
I hope this is clear enough. Maybe someone else can clean it up.
and dont understand your circuit. i'd do the following:
LDOUT to #1 and #2 to TRAYOUT Bridge #4 and #5 LDIN to to #3 and #6 to LDOUT (buffered to clean the signal) when we finally found the damn ready signal: Bridge #9 and #10 Ready from drive to #8 and #11 to Ready on the mobo (buffered to clean the signal) and to make it clean ground #13 finally ground #7 and give #14 +5 VCC
its easy and simple, maybe i'll get the chips tomorrow. anyway, havent found ready yet......
This post has been edited by menelik: Mar 25 2005, 11:46 PM
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maybe we should use a 74hc04 instead. i think its better because vcc can be set to 3.3 V which would give an output of +3 V. im saying this because i've never measured more than 3,3 V on originals drives within trayout etc.
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QUOTE(menelik @ Mar 25 2005, 02:15 PM)
maybe we should use a 74hc04 instead. i think its better because vcc can be set to 3.3 V which would give an output of +3 V. im saying this because i've never measured more than 3,3 V on originals drives within trayout etc.
If you put these signals thru the 74HCT, you will measure around 3.4v (trayin/trayout), even though you're putting 5v into the inverter.
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QUOTE(menelik @ Mar 25 2005, 10:15 PM)
maybe we should use a 74hc04 instead. i think its better because vcc can be set to 3.3 V which would give an output of +3 V. im saying this because i've never measured more than 3,3 V on originals drives within trayout etc.
WRT my previous post, the READY buffered signal would have appeared on pin 10, not pin 12. This was a typo that the board will not let me edit. Your circuit sounds fine to me.
WRT 3.3 Wenid said that 3.3 was not acceptable. He seemed to think that the 3.3 was not high enough since he couldn't get it working. Maybe i misinterpereted. I really don't know why he could not make LDOUT connection directly since no inversion is needed. I suggested the HCT because of the low VIH, where 3.3 would always work, at HCT VCC of 5volts, effectively amplifying the signal. I have long suspected that the "boost" is unnecessary. Perhaps he was reallly having some other problem.
At that time my only interest was something more reliable than the OpAmp approach, since wenid thinks that 5volt output was a requirement. Maybe it is not. I have not verified. Is the target logic on the main board @5volts? I don't think so. If its 3.3, don't even go through the chip for that signal. I am really thinking that likely the chip can be eliminated completely.
This post has been edited by Tiros: Mar 26 2005, 12:35 AM
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i took a closer look on the dc specs on both hex inverter and noticed that the hct model got a bigger tolerance for VIH (min 2V) on VCC from 4,5 to 5,5. with the ht model the VIH depends on the VCC, anyway, both would work with VCC +5V because LDIN and LDOUT got 3,3V. because we dont know the voltage of ready the htc is the better choice, we'd get probs on the ht model when ready got 2.0 on hi. moreover i can defiently proof that a trayin and trayout of 2,4 V works fine. I have some experience with other drives like tsh-352 from samsung and the original drives. i think that +5 is too much as i havent seen a orignal drive with +5 on trayin. we're lucky that the ic on the mobo has a big tollerance with that. this also means that you dont need to buffer the signals, I just buffer because its possible and more secure, it may be totally needless. if we find the ready signal i'm sure that i can write a nice tutorial and finish this mod.
maybe i can give you a proof tomorrow, dunno if my radio shack got the devices on store. im pretty sure that it will work.
This post has been edited by menelik: Mar 26 2005, 12:56 AM
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QUOTE(menelik @ Mar 25 2005, 10:56 PM)
moreover i can defiently proof that a trayin and trayout of 2,4 V works fine. I have some experience with other drives like tsh-352 from samsung and the original drives. i think that +5 is too much as i havent seen a orignal drive with +5 on trayin. we're lucky that the ic on the mobo has a big tollerance with that. this also means that you dont need to buffer the signals, I just buffer because its possible and more secure, it may be totally needless. if we find the ready signal i'm sure that i can write a nice tutorial and finish this mod.
maybe i can give you a proof tomorrow, dunno if my radio shack got the devices on store. im pretty sure that it will work.
Good work menelik. I can tell you clearly understand the problem and know how to proceed. I'm glad you agree that the 5 volt swing is not needed. That was really my first clue that wenid might be off in the wrong direction with regard to yellow wire interface. If that mainboard logic is 3.3 volt, sending in 5 volts from an OpAmp OR an HCT could produce a long term reliability problem.
Why don't you try tracing the tray switches on your PC drive to see where they go. Since one signal is already the correct polarity, if you can find the inverted trayout point we will be one step closer to no chip hack. I don't have drive yet.
IIRC The ready signal starts low, when the tray is first closed, it momentarily goes hi, then back low until disk spins up (if there is one) . If a disk was found the signal goes back hi, if not it just stays low. You kind of need a scope to see it. I don't think you will find it with DVM
This post has been edited by Tiros: Mar 26 2005, 03:15 AM
Has anyone checked to see if the signals we are looking for are actually being put out on an ide pin? The link above gives the pinout for an ide connector. The same info the xbox receives by the yellow cable must be received by a pc through the ide connector. The only question is, does the ide output it in the same format we are looking for. Can someone check this, so we can officially rule it out.
Has anyone checked to see if the signals we are looking for are actually being put out on an ide pin? The link above gives the pinout for an ide connector. The same info the xbox receives by the yellow cable must be received by a pc through the ide connector. The only question is, does the ide output it in the same format we are looking for. Can someone check this, so we can officially rule it out.
Nope, the only usefull info you can get from it is an activity led, the rest is all sent trough a databus signal (not a bad idea)
Is there someone in HOLLAND near MEPPEL that is willing to give me a look at their LG drive?, maby we can trade something for the favor. It will probably take about an hour to analize the pcb and get some much needed answers.
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update:
hex inverter works....im not sure if its stable but it seems to work. the final proof is only possible when i find the ready signal. i've got a clue that the ready signal can be found there:
if thats right the signal is also there (left is the original pcb):
please notice the different circuit. i couldnt find a datasheet of this chip so i cant say whats the matter with it. anyway, i dont get a hi there when media is inserted. i checked a new 8163b without the firmware on it and got no hi too. im not sure if my flashed drive is broken or not, someone has to check this for me.
a good note is that i god the right media check , a evox cd will display as evox-cd, video as video etc., but dont ask me why...when i hold the ready signal in my hand and touch it sometimes it checks and everything is fine..it isnt connected to the pcb im no magician too. i thaught that it may need to be set to ground but this didnt help. i think that im on the right way..
i also used the 74hc04 because my radioshack didnt had the 74hct04. anyway, i think that this is even the better option because we dont need to set vcc to 4.5 - 5.5. i used 3.3 volt and it worked fine for ldin which gets inverted and goes to pin3 on the connector.
This post has been edited by menelik: Mar 26 2005, 04:43 PM
Opened A Xbox To Find A Hitachi-lg Dvdrom, **MERGED TOPICS**
Mar 25 2005, 07:12 PM
