PS2 [MX4SIO/SIO2SD] SD Card Adapter and SD-driver for the PS2 SIO2 interface

normalshades said:
I'm in the same boat as this user as of yesterday.

I bought a FMCB and MC2SIO memory card both from Helder's Tech back in mid April to try to extend life out of my PS2 slim (Model SCPH-70001, US region), which has been struggling to read discs lately. I was sold from the Nacho video that it looked like a relatively easy and cheap setup to do. I also purchased the TEAMGROUP 256GB SD card and formatted it to FAT32. Everything seemed to work as expected for the first couple of months. Games listed as working as compatible would work, and games I didn't see on the list were a diceroll if it worked or not.

I had been using a Dualshock 2 controller in slot 1 for all the games and decided to try out an adapter to use a more modern controller for the system, so I purchased a Brook Super Converter to try out the PS4 controller. The adapter worked, but on the same day I'm now unable to launch any of the games through OPL anymore - I get the flashing colors followed by a screen flicker and then finally black screen, even for games that were previously working and categorized as compatible in the spreadsheet.

Switching back to the Dualshock 2 hasn't yielded any productive results, I already had PADEMU activated, and I've tried enabling the different Mode's in OPL settings and haven't had any luck there either. I want to think that using the adapter might have messed some setting up in FMCB or in OPL, but I'm not too experienced with modding this system much other than what I've learned from getting MC2SIO setup.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Hi @normalshades ...so firstly just to point out, MC2SIO is a copy cat clone (with less components and a different design) when compared to MX4SIO, the original product created by the developers here at PSX-Place.

As you mentioned, you bought your clone, called MC2SIO, from Angry Helder, this is a person who came to this forum as a forum noobie and advertized / plugged his product for sale here for a few days, and then left.

Personally i recommend all people who bought a MC2SIO and have problems to contact Angry Helder, after all he took your money so he owes you guys the support when problems occur.

MC2SIO is made differently to MX4SIO and we couldn't tell you if the problem was due to the build, soldering, components, etc. There have been many reports recently of MC2SIO that just stopped working after a few months, maybe the components died, maybe they weren't the correct ones to use in the first place, it's hard to know. I feel it's sad when an inferior clone brings down the original product, people rush to make money and cut corners to maximize profits.

Maybe if enough people experiencing problems with their MC2SIO contacted the maker of that clone, he would revise his product. But instead people come here for help, confused it's the same project / product.

I don't have any experience with the Brook Super Converter and MX4SIO so i wouldn't know where to look. You could try to re-format your FMCB memory card and start a fresh, installing FMCB once again with OPL BDM3 and see if that helps. Make sure you are using a geniune Sony PS2 magic gate 8MB memory card to also avoid problems.

Edit: You could also try re-formatting your 256GB MicroSD card to see if that helps.
 
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Honestly, I had to give up with MC2SIO. After I found the right setting and discovered my MC seemed original but it wasn't, and replaced with an original one (thanks to Workz_777) I had many issues. Many games listed as compatible with MX4SIO weren't working, some were, and suddendly, with no reasons, weren't booting anymore. Again, others were working just fine. I softmodded many consoles and I am used to always find the issues, even if this means to lose precious time. With MC2SIO I wasn't able to find the issue (if there is one). I will try with MX4SIO, otherwise, if the product will be not as I expected, I will search for a Phat ps2 with hd.
 
I'm having a small issue with OPL and MX4SIO. So previously I was running OPL 1629 bdm3 and when I wanted to save, I would just pull my FMCB card and insert another one. But today I've updated to OPL 1901 and now all games loaded through OPL no longer recognize a card in slot one at all.

I've gone through the browser and the cards are functional. Is there a setting I'm missing or will I have to roll back to BDM3?
 
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Workz_777 said:
Hi @normalshades ...so firstly just to point out, MC2SIO is a copy cat clone (with less components and a different design) when compared to MX4SIO, the original product created by the developers here at PSX-Place.

As you mentioned, you bought your clone, called MC2SIO, from Angry Helder, this is a person who came to this forum as a forum noobie and advertized / plugged his product for sale here for a few days, and then left.

Personally i recommend all people who bought a MC2SIO and have problems to contact Angry Helder, after all he took your money so he owes you guys the support when problems occur.

MC2SIO is made differently to MX4SIO and we couldn't tell you if the problem was due to the build, soldering, components, etc. There have been many reports recently of MC2SIO that just stopped working after a few months, maybe the components died, maybe they weren't the correct ones to use in the first place, it's hard to know. I feel it's sad when an inferior clone brings down the original product, people rush to make money and cut corners to maximize profits.

Maybe if enough people experiencing problems with their MC2SIO contacted the maker of that clone, he would revise his product. But instead people come here for help, confused it's the same project / product.

I don't have any experience with the Brook Super Converter and MX4SIO so i wouldn't know where to look. You could try to re-format your FMCB memory card and start a fresh, installing FMCB once again with OPL BDM3 and see if that helps. Make sure you are using a geniune Sony PS2 magic gate 8MB memory card to also avoid problems.

Edit: You could also try re-formatting your 256GB MicroSD card to see if that helps.
Click to expand...
So this being the case, is there anywhere selling a complete MX4SIO at the moment? I'm not sure that I trust random aliexpress sellers to have built a better product than Helder. have been using my MC2SIO to great success but I want to do head to head testing.
 
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Slick_Prime said:
I'm having a small issue with OPL and MX4SIO. So previously I was running OPL 1629 bdm3 and when I wanted to save, I would just pull my FMCB card and insert another one. But today I've updated to OPL 1901 and now all games loaded through OPL no longer recognize a card in slot one at all.

I've gone through the browser and the cards are functional. Is there a setting I'm missing or will I have to roll back to BDM3?
Click to expand...

@Slick_Prime ...yes bro that is correct, for now only BDM and BDM3 allow for saving to memory card with MX4SIO.

longsun_zhao said:
So this being the case, is there anywhere selling a complete MX4SIO at the moment? I'm not sure that I trust random aliexpress sellers to have built a better product than Helder. have been using my MC2SIO to great success but I want to do head to head testing.
Click to expand...

@longsun_zhao Hi bro, again... Bitfunx (aliexpress) and Helder (MC2SIO) are the same, meaning, both are cheap clones with different designs and less components. For them it's about profits and corner cutting.

If you want a real MX4SIO, then please message me here on PSX-Place, i build them to 100% of the original Dev specs and components, but only for people who are worthy. Here is what an original MX4SIO looks like...

128-top-ps.jpg 128-bottom-ps.jpg
inside-2-ps.jpg inside-1-ps.jpg

Gold plated contacts, gold plated logo, gold plated reversed spring ejected MicroSD slot, resin 3D printed case, 2 x LEDs, etc, etc, this was made as expensively as possible, no corners cut, no profits in mind, just making the best MX4SIO physically possible.

To be honest i'm embarrassed to keep having to show these photos, i'm not blowing my own trumpet, heaven forbid, rather i'm trying to honour the MX4SIO Dev's long and hard work, and when people compare Bitfunx and Helder's clones to the real deal, it really bugs me. Those clones cannot be compared to the real MX4SIO, they aren't the same, even though they may function similarly, (and even that might be questionable considering the results people have with the clones), they are cheap knock-offs and you get what you pay for in the end. Also they took from the Devs and this community and gave nothing back in return.
 
Can anyone else speak to the differences between these various builds? Frankly I'm a bit put-off by the attitude in the previous post. "Mine is better because it has gold contacts and more components on the PCB" isn't a very compelling argument. Also, the files for making one are freely available for reproduction and modification, no? If so, calling different ones "clones" and saying that some kind of theft is going on are not accurate statements.
 
longsun_zhao said:
Can anyone else speak to the differences between these various builds? Frankly I'm a bit put-off by the attitude in the previous post. "Mine is better because it has gold contacts and more components on the PCB" isn't a very compelling argument. Also, the files for making one are freely available for reproduction and modification, no? If so, calling different ones "clones" and saying that some kind of theft is going on are not accurate statements.
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lol... i never said mine is better, i said the original Dev's MX4SIO is better than MC2SIO and Bitfunx (which are both clones). There are not even clones, because they changed the design so they could use less and cheaper parts, fact.

Yes you can make your own, but no one said mass production was allowed, like Bitfunx and Helder's MC2SIO. These people took from here and gave nothing back in return. Helder was just some forum noobie who came here to plug his MX4SIO variant product to everyone and then left. People who paid good money to him and had problems with their MC2SIO come here for support, why? ...shouldn't they go to the people who took their money first, if the product they sold them is either faulty or they need support?

Anyways you are taking it far too personal for someone who doesn't have any vested interests. You got your sub-par clone variant of MX4SIO called MC2SIO so be happy. What you coming here for, only to big-up Helder's product, seems fishy to me. This thread is dedicated to MX4SIO, if you want to tell everyone how happy you are with your clone variant, then go start a new thread dedicated to your MC2SIO.
 
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@longsun_zhao

Here is (photo below) the insides of an Anger Helder's MC2SIO ...it doesn't follow the original devs' specs at all. Notice it has no MOSFETS, lacks the same amount of resistors, only has 1 x LED, notice also how the few components used are of a very small size (0603) which usually means - more varied tolerance levels compared to the same value resistors and capacitors of 1206 size. Go watch component manufacturer Kemet talk about it.

MC2SIO.jpg



Now compare that with the original dev's spec MX4SIO here below, see for yourself...

inside-1-ps.jpg



When we compare the two together, it's obvious that Anger Helder's version deviated from the Dev's specs, and he used cheaper and also less components, as a result Anger Helder's MC2SIO is a sub-par variant clone, fact.

I know which version i would rather have, and it's the original Devs' MX4SIO. Not to mention Anger Helder's version probably cost $1 to make, how much did you buy that MC2SIO for again @longsun_zhao ? :D ...where as just the Hirose reversed MicroSD socket (from the Dev's BOM) costs $3 alone. Which would you buy if both were the same price. MX4SIO vs MC2SIO there is no competition. It's like comparing a Ferrari to a Ford Escort.
 
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Workz_777 said:
@Slick_Prime ...yes bro that is correct, for now only BDM and BDM3 allow for saving to memory card with MX4SIO.



@longsun_zhao Hi bro, again... Bitfunx (aliexpress) and Helder (MC2SIO) are the same, meaning, both are cheap clones with different designs and less components. For them it's about profits and corner cutting.

If you want a real MX4SIO, then please message me here on PSX-Place, i build them to 100% of the original Dev specs and components, but only for people who are worthy. Here is what an original MX4SIO looks like...

View attachment 37799 View attachment 37800
View attachment 37802 View attachment 37801

Gold plated contacts, gold plated logo, gold plated reversed spring ejected MicroSD slot, resin 3D printed case, 2 x LEDs, etc, etc, this was made as expensively as possible, no corners cut, no profits in mind, just making the best MX4SIO physically possible.

To be honest i'm embarrassed to keep having to show these photos, i'm not blowing my own trumpet, heaven forbid, rather i'm trying to honour the MX4SIO Dev's long and hard work, and when people compare Bitfunx and Helder's clones to the real deal, it really bugs me. Those clones cannot be compared to the real MX4SIO, they aren't the same, even though they may function similarly, (and even that might be questionable considering the results people have with the clones), they are cheap knock-offs and you get what you pay for in the end. Also they took from the Devs and this community and gave nothing back in return.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I ended up rolling back to BDM3 and I have no more problems. Also I was aware that the MC2SIOs were clones, but I was, unfortunately, unaware about the aliexpress models. I'm not currently having any problems with it, but I'd honestly like to be up to spec and not run cheap hardware. I'm curious, how much approximately does it cost in components alone to make your no compromises, Dev spec version?
 
Slick_Prime said:
Thanks for the reply. I ended up rolling back to BDM3 and I have no more problems. Also I was aware that the MC2SIOs were clones, but I was, unfortunately, unaware about the aliexpress models. I'm not currently having any problems with it, but I'd honestly like to be up to spec and not run cheap hardware. I'm curious, how much approximately does it cost in components alone to make your no compromises, Dev spec version?
Click to expand...

Hey bro, that's good you managed to sort it out by going back to BDM3.

So here are the exact parts / components from the Devs' MX4SIO BOM list:-

1 x Reversed MicroSD socket - Hirose (HRS) (has to be sourced from Japan directly)
1 x 470 nF MLCC - 1206 TDK
1 x Green LED - 1205 Würth Elektronik
1 x Blue LED - 1205 Würth Elektronik
1 x 47 Ω Resistor - 1206 (Vishay)
2 x 10 Ω Resistor - 1206 (Vishay)
2 x 10k Ω Resistor - 1206 (Vishay)
1 x 470 Ω Resistor - 1206 (Vishay)
1 x 330 Ω Resistor - 1206 (Vishay)
1 x Mosfet - 2N7002E (NMOS) SOT23-3 ON Semiconductor
1 x Mosfet - BSS84 (PMOS) SOT23-3 ON Semiconductor
1 x PCB - black substrate + (recommended) gold plated contacts
1 x 3D printed case (i went with resin)
- To here costs are about $13 just for the components (not including shipping)
- So now... add international shipping + import taxes = far too much
- And also add time (per hour) to solder all components + (flux, solder, tools)
Total with all the above included is around $20, maybe a little more.
 
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Workz_777 said:
Hi @normalshades ...so firstly just to point out, MC2SIO is a copy cat clone (with less components and a different design) when compared to MX4SIO, the original product created by the developers here at PSX-Place.

As you mentioned, you bought your clone, called MC2SIO, from Angry Helder, this is a person who came to this forum as a forum noobie and advertized / plugged his product for sale here for a few days, and then left.

Personally i recommend all people who bought a MC2SIO and have problems to contact Angry Helder, after all he took your money so he owes you guys the support when problems occur.

MC2SIO is made differently to MX4SIO and we couldn't tell you if the problem was due to the build, soldering, components, etc. There have been many reports recently of MC2SIO that just stopped working after a few months, maybe the components died, maybe they weren't the correct ones to use in the first place, it's hard to know. I feel it's sad when an inferior clone brings down the original product, people rush to make money and cut corners to maximize profits.

Maybe if enough people experiencing problems with their MC2SIO contacted the maker of that clone, he would revise his product. But instead people come here for help, confused it's the same project / product.

I don't have any experience with the Brook Super Converter and MX4SIO so i wouldn't know where to look. You could try to re-format your FMCB memory card and start a fresh, installing FMCB once again with OPL BDM3 and see if that helps. Make sure you are using a geniune Sony PS2 magic gate 8MB memory card to also avoid problems.

Edit: You could also try re-formatting your 256GB MicroSD card to see if that helps.
Click to expand...

Reformatting the card and installing exclusively games that were on the list of compatible games seemed to have solved the issue for the time being, thanks! The controller adapter seems to work now as well, so I'm starting to wonder if the issue was caused by trying to run a potentially incompatible game (Gungrave: Overdose was the last game I put on the card around the time it bugged out for me).

I got the MC2SIO based on a friend's recommendation and it being relatively easy to acquire and mod for a PS2 slim model. I wasn't previously aware of it being considered a cheap clone, but to be honest I'm just happy to have any solution to extend the life on my dying system.
 
I noticed MX4SIO plugged in MC port 2 can break power delivery for USB, I say this because when connected SMB may break as in hangs in game and POPStarter through SMB always hangs when connected, not sure what's causing this particular problem but plugging out MX4SIO resolves it.

EDIT: To clear confusion, SMB through PC works when MX4SIO connected to MC port 2, for me it hangs because I run ps1 POPStarter shortcuts from USB and I'm using traveling router powered by console itself. The same very often happens when I'm trying to access USB flash drive when SD connected.
 
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Workz_777 said:
Hi @Aroenai ...to send a message to a PSX-Place member, try going to your (PSX-Place) "Inbox" > "Start a New Conversation" > Then type in the user-name of the person / member you want to contact / private message.
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I've tried on my phone, Mac, PC, multiple browsers... There's no new conversation button anywhere I can find from my account.
 
My point is that more components and gold contacts do not an inherently better product make. I just would like to hear more technically-minded reasons for why the MC2SIO is worse, that's all.
 
longsun_zhao said:
My point is that more components and gold contacts do not an inherently better product make. I just would like to hear more technically-minded reasons for why the MC2SIO is worse, that's all.
Click to expand...

I showed you the insides of both PSX-Place Dev's MX4SIO and Helder's MC2SIO. If you can't tell the difference from that then, i'm not sure how to help you. It's not just about gold contacts, it's about the fact there are 70% missing components with MC2SIO, which i pointed out to you, also the size of the components used in the MC2SIO will give less quality due to the tolerance levels being different for the same value of resistors and capacitors (size 0603 vs size 1206). If you don't think components are important in electronics, then you might as well just stick your finger into your PS2 and hope to play games that way.

For an example, KFC has 11 different herbs and spices in their original recipe, if i now only make my recipe with only 3 herbs and spices and call it "KFC" - i'm not sure they would be of the same quality, or the even same product, but both are fried chicken.

Just from a user's perspective MC2SIO only has 1 x LED, MX4SIO has 2 x LEDs, the point of having 2 x LEDs is (1) to indicate when a MircoSD card is inserted / working correctly and the other LED is to indicate data transfer from the MicroSD card to the PS2.

Considering the voltages going to and from the PS2 and the MicroSD card, plus the need / importance of clean data transfer, i would say having more and higher quality components does make a difference in usability, reliability and compatibility.

The main point is, without the PSX-Place Devs and their creation called MX4SIO, there would be no MX4SIO or MC2SIO. If someone wants what the Devs originally invented / created (with their long and hard work) then it's called MX4SIO. If someone wants a cheaper and different design of that (no longer being what the Devs created in the first place) made by a "Johnny come lately" then buy a Bitfunx or MC2SIO.

I have a friend here in PSX-Place who has a MC2SIO that works sometimes, and other times it doesn't work. Some games that worked yesterday - don't work today. So the reliability of MC2SIO is in question. Another friend's MC2SIO just stopped working after 2 months.

@longsun_zhao you appeared in PSX-Place only a few months ago, when Angry Helder was first here, the both of you disappeared at the same time a short while after you were both posting here. Now you come back to (1) say you won't trust Bitfunx to make as good a product as Helder (which i 100% disagree with) and (2) to argue that MC2SIO is probably just as good as MX4SIO, even though i have pointed out to you how the two cannot be compared in originality, quality, and reliability. I feel your motivation for wanting to defend MC2SIO, even though it's a blantant sub-par quality knock-off of the PSX-Place Devs' original invention / creation "MX4SIO", is dubious. Also it wouldn't surprize me if you were actually Angry Helder using another account trying to defend your product, so that posts like mine do not impact sales for MC2SIO. Or you are just trying to justify your purchase of a sub-par product that costs about $1 to make which you bought for $20 + shipping costs. Either way, personally i'm not willing to give you any more of my time, so maybe others here will help you on your quest.
 
Question to the mods here:
Is there any way to open another thread for only all kinds MX4SIO HW related discussion to keep it out of this thread here?

@Workz_777 don't get me wrong - I really like your work and also the work by every Dev here, (even bought one of Takeshis protos), but as time goes by there will be lots and lots of clones/different versions, so I guess that from a SW point of view it still might be interesting to see issues that come with clones or other vendors' variations. I'm not saying you should support those users with HW issues that are clearly related to not being from the "main" design - but still it might be interesting to know in the future, which knock off or clones can be considered "ok" and which don't - and even get some insights why this is the case.

From an ethical point of you I share your frustration. But you also have to admit that the whole project got a lot more attention and public visibility, because of the "cheapish" clones.
 
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