Playstation 2 Serial Cable (EE)

hno · Post by **hno** » Thu May 13, 2004 6:14 am

Is it known which is wich of the CTS/RTS pads, or where/if these are reflected in the SIO registers?

I am planning on building a cable for debugging/tracing purposes and is planning on utilizing the higher speeds, where CTS/RTS plays a vital (but not critical) role.

Post by **mrbrown** » Thu May 13, 2004 10:27 am

Looking at http://www.ocgnet.org/0xd6/ee_rxd_and_txd.jpg, if you count starting at EE_TXD and go to the left, RTS and CTS are pads 3 and 4 respectively. Please verify that though, as I havent :).

If you do build a cable that utilizes those signals, please let us know about it. Oh, it shouldn't be too hard to find RTS and CTS in the SIO registers.

hno · Post by **hno** » Mon May 31, 2004 7:04 am

Thanks for the clarification.

I have the hardware soldered and ready done, and will wire it into the PS2 shortly. Based on the MAX3322E. Was a good experience in sm soldering.

redcoat · Post by **redcoat** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 6:38 am

I've built the SIO board and soldered the wires to the PS2's mainboard (v4 afaik). Trying to solder to a 'via' (approx. 1/2 millimeter in diameter) is definitely a nerve-racking experience, especially when you know that too much heat will destroy the 'via' and possibly your PS2 too :S.

Both the PS2 and SIO board appear to be functioning. However, the PC doesn't receive any data--yes, I verified that the PC's COM port was working ;).

I used a RS232 break-out box (with LEDs) to verify that there does appear to be data coming out of the EE (via the SIO board) after reset, but the signal appears to be too weak (-5.5V). Based on the RS232 info. (see http://www.zytrax.com/tech/layer_1/cabl ... _rs232.htm) -3V to +3V is the 'dead area' so I infer that -5.5V to +5.5V would be strong enough to constitute a signal(?)

Using a digital multimeter I checked the voltages that appeared on each pin of the MAX3323E IC. Do the values below look correct?

I'm in the process of building a second SIO board. Based on the MAX3323E datasheet I figured that I would try using a 0.22uF cap. for C1, and 1uF cap. for C2-C4. I'm dubious that this will increase the PC-side Tx & Rx voltages, but I suspect that one (or more) of the capacitors on the first SIO board is faulty.

Thoughts/ideas/tests/suggestions?

(all voltages are based from GND [pin 15] which I assume is 0V)

C1+ (pin 1) = +6.07V
C1- (pin 3) = +3.43V

C2+ (pin 4) = +6.07V
C2- (pin 5) = -0.05V

V+ (pin 2) = +6.10V
V- (pin 6) = -5.48V

Tout1 (pin 7) = -5.47V [PC-RXD]
Rin1 (pin 8 ) = -0.91V [PC-TXD]

Tin1 (pin 10) = +1.67V [EE_TXD]
Rout1 (pin 9) = +1.67V [EE_RXD]

TXenable (pin 11) = +3.46V
RXenable (pin 12) = +3.46V

VL = +1.67V
!SHDN = +3.46V
Vcc/Vcore = +3.46V

Post by **TyRaNiD** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 8:57 am

From what I have seen changing the caps will only help for differring Vcc voltages, at any rate perhaps your serial port doesn't like the voltage levels, RS232 as far as I remember is supposed to be +/-12V, however I doubt that the MAX chip get those kind of levels, have you tried it on a different pc ?

redcoat · Post by **redcoat** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:56 pm

Eureka! It's working! And, more importantly, I understand why it wasn't working before.

Caveat: If you are following mrbrown's instructions from his web site (see http://www.0xd6.org/ps2-ee-sio.html) or his chapter in the book "Hardware Hacking" (see Chptr. 9 of http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 02-5534309) you *must* use a "Modem Cable" (PC-to-Modem) to connect your PS2 SIO board to a PC.

My problem was I had assumed that the PS2 SIO board would be DTE, as is the PC--after all it is a computer, right?
So I had been using a "Null Modem Cable" (PC-to-PC). I was wrong mrbrown has the PS2 as a DCE. My bad <blush>
Hope mrbrown see this and add this tidbit of information to his web page. ;)

Personally, I prefer to have the PS2 SIO wired as DTE (computer) so I altered the wiring from the MAX3323E to the DB9 pins:

PC_RXD [Tout1 pin 7] to DB9 pin 3
PC_TXD [Rin1 pin 8] to DB9 pin 2

Just to emphasize that this wiring is the complete opposite of mrbrown's!

For anyone wonder what the heck DTE or DCE are please read up on RS232 stuff at http://www.zytrax.com/tech/layer_1/cabl ... _rs232.htm

BTW: For the technically anal amongst you, did you know that there is no such connector as a DB9 (9-pin serial connector), it is actually a DE9 connector. Don't believe me? Check out this page http://epl.meei.harvard.edu/Engineering ... ature.html

Post by **Drakonite** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 11:31 pm

redcoat wrote: Caveat: If you are following mrbrown's instructions from his web site (see http://www.0xd6.org/ps2-ee-sio.html) or his chapter in the book "Hardware Hacking" (see Chptr. 9 of http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 02-5534309) you *must* use a "Modem Cable" (PC-to-Modem) to connect your PS2 SIO board to a PC.

My problem was I had assumed that the PS2 SIO board would be DTE, as is the PC--after all it is a computer, right?
So I had been using a "Null Modem Cable" (PC-to-PC). I was wrong mrbrown has the PS2 as a DCE. My bad <blush>
Hope mrbrown see this and add this tidbit of information to his web page. ;)

Er... actually... if you are using mrbrowns's instructions you'll have a cable coming out of your PS2 that plugs directly into your PC, not a connector for another cable to connect to, and all connections for PC side are discussed as the actual PC connections (PC_TXD etc) so between those I think it should be obvious that its a NULL modem wiring. TBH I really don't see how it could be confused unless you are making modifications to mrbrown's design, which makes me think it was just a stupid mistake on your part with not transposing connections correctly and not a problem with mrbrown's instructions ;)

EDIT: For those people who seem to think I'm being rude, I know this guy from IRC and if he can't take a gentle ribbing then he is in for a lot of trouble being on IRC . . . And anyone who does any type of custom work makes stupid mistakes sometimes and knows this isn't some type of personal attack. I made a far worse one than this on EE-SIO myself...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:21 am

Drakonite wrote:
EDIT: For those people who seem to think I'm being rude, I know this guy from IRC and if he can't take a gentle ribbing then he is in for a lot of trouble being on IRC . . . And anyone who does any type of custom work makes stupid mistakes sometimes and knows this isn't some type of personal attack. I made a far worse one than this on EE-SIO myself...

You made only one mistake doing EE-SIO mod ? I made several, including totally reversing the wiring on one side of the MAX chip. As for rudeness, well, one does hope the forums does not take on the same climate as IRC. Another Nagra vs. Drakonite shootout just wouldn't be healthy... ;)

Gorim

Post by **Drakonite** » Mon Sep 20, 2004 2:42 am

gorim wrote:As for rudeness, well, one does hope the forums does not take on the same climate as IRC.

If you think the IRC channel is rude then you haven't been there enough ;) Meh, offtopic...

redcoat · Post by **redcoat** » Mon Sep 20, 2004 9:32 am

Drakonite wrote:
redcoat wrote: Caveat: If you are following mrbrown's instructions from his web site (see http://www.0xd6.org/ps2-ee-sio.html) or his chapter in the book "Hardware Hacking" (see Chptr. 9 of http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 02-5534309) you *must* use a "Modem Cable" (PC-to-Modem) to connect your PS2 SIO board to a PC.

My problem was I had assumed that the PS2 SIO board would be DTE, as is the PC--after all it is a computer, right?
So I had been using a "Null Modem Cable" (PC-to-PC). I was wrong mrbrown has the PS2 as a DCE. My bad <blush>
Hope mrbrown see this and add this tidbit of information to his web page. ;)
Er... actually... if you are using mrbrowns's instructions you'll have a cable coming out of your PS2 that plugs directly into your PC, not a connector for another cable to connect to, and all connections for PC side are discussed as the actual PC connections (PC_TXD etc) so between those I think it should be obvious that its a NULL modem wiring. TBH I really don't see how it could be confused unless you are making modifications to mrbrown's design, which makes me think it was just a stupid mistake on your part with not transposing connections correctly and not a problem with mrbrown's instructions ;)

Actually, your right, *but* only if the SIO board connector is plugged directly into the PC's serial port. Though, this still means the SIO board design is setup to be DCE. I don't have my PS2 and PC sitting next to each other so the long trailiing cable was my solution. My problem was I fell into the "assumption trap" and only by testing my assumptions with the RS232 break-out box did I manage to haul my sorry butt out of it.

Gak! I hate the RS232 (non)standard, I hate it now, and I hated it twenty years ago. <laugh>

Tip: To anyone else trying to get the SIO board setup, don't take my word for it, or anyone else's, in isolation, follow the URLs, read the material and form your own opinions! That's the best advice I can offer you. :)

Drakonite wrote:EDIT: For those people who seem to think I'm being rude, I know this guy from IRC and if he can't take a gentle ribbing then he is in for a lot of trouble being on IRC . . . And anyone who does any type of custom work makes stupid mistakes sometimes and knows this isn't some type of personal attack. I made a far worse one than this on EE-SIO myself...

You being rude Drakonite ol'buddy...never...but, I think someone needs a hug! :D

redcoat · Post by **redcoat** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 7:21 pm

Just a quick update, I discovered that the wire to the EE's Rx pin had detached on my PS2. After 14 attempts I finally got the wire, via, and solder to make friends and stay together.

As mrbrown says "gently scratch the surface of the via to remove the soldermask that covers it." Even after doing this don't be surprized if the solder joint doesn't take first-time. Be patient, be very, very patient!

If you need source code to test that you have two-way communication with your new EE serial port, please see this article: http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=643

Treat · Post by **Treat** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 10:49 pm

I have little experince when it comes to hardware hacking ( i have aldready broken one ps2 trying to mod it =P and it didnt even require soldering LoL i suck ).

Tho this cable is so useful i just must try to build one. But i cannot find the MAX3323EEPE anywhere except the MAXIM homepage (they want $50 for shipping eh ....) So i was wondering if it will work with a MAX3227E ??? From what i can tell it does pretty much the same thing.

Better yet anyone know where i can get the MAX3323EEPE or a possible replacement in sweden?

Post by **blackdroid** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:09 am

check www.elfa.se they have MAX 3227E ( and I bet hno bought em from elfa aswell :)

redcoat · Post by **redcoat** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:50 am

Treat wrote:So i was wondering if it will work with a MAX3227E ??? From what i can tell it does pretty much the same thing.

I had similar thoughts about using a NTE7142, until someone pointed out it had to be powered at +5V minimum and would use +5V for the EE side :(.

My advice is be extremely careful about making changes to mrbrown's original design (see above to read about the mess I got myself into doing that ;) )

My knowledge of electronics is minimal, but I notice that the MAX3227E IC does *not* have an equivalent "VL" pin. As I understand it the "VL" controls the voltage levels to the EE's Rx & Tx pins which must be at +1.7V, not +3.3V! To me it looks like the MAX3227E is going to send +3.3V to the EE's Rx & Tx pins, this is BAD! :(

My suggestion is that you ask if anyone on the forum or IRC (EFnet#ps2dev) will send/sell you a MAX3323E--Maxim does send out samples which normally include two ICs.

tumnes · Post by **tumnes** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:48 am

I understand that the serial cable can be used to print out debug messages from the kernel, at this point is there any way to have homebrew programs print to the serial connection terminal?

[edit] A question for redcoat
Is there any advantages/disadvantages to making the ps2 DTE, or is it really just the same thing?

Post by **Drakonite** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 7:48 am

Yes, homebrew programs can have full access to the EE-SIO.

redcoat · Post by **redcoat** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 3:01 pm

[edit] A question for redcoat
Is there any advantages/disadvantages to making the ps2 DTE, or is it really just the same thing?[/quote]

A simplified answer is that they are the same, but the Rx and Tx are swapped around.

On my setup I have a 9-pin male connector sticking out of the top of the PS2 (the same connector as you'd see on the back of a PC) so I can connect the PS2 and my PC/laptop using a "null modem" serial cable. This arrangement is convenient to me, but differs from mrbrown's design.

Derek8588 · Post by **Derek8588** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 5:36 am

Once u have the serial cable properly installed... what program do u use on ur computer to view the assembly code being run on the PS2? Where could i get it? thx

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 2:09 pm

You would open it like you would any serial port or terminal.

On a PC, Minicom or some similar terminal program should work for Windows.

On Linux or BSD, I just use tip (actually a related command, I just forget what it is).

But as for viewing assembly code, not sure what you mean. The kernel and some commercial softwares output debugging messages typically. These are messages along the lines of "Well, doing this now..." or "This is started / this is complete" or even "Just saw this value, WTF?".

Maybe commercial debugging software suites will use the serial port for other information, but you won't be using any of that I gather.

Derek8588 · Post by **Derek8588** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 12:12 pm

What i mean is... isnt the serial cable used to view the assembly code on the ps2? or could it be used to do so?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:22 pm

Derek8588 wrote:What i mean is... isnt the serial cable used to view the assembly code on the ps2? or could it be used to do so?

The serial cable is a serial cable, nothing more. Applications must be developed to make use of it, normally in ways that serial cables are normally used for. In answer to your question, a person could write an application to do whatever they wanted with a serial cable, including what you are suggesting.

However, I have not seen the cable used that way, nor ever heard of anyone using it that way. Of course its possible, if someone writes a special debugger that single steps each instruction, one instruction at a time. It certainly wouldn:t run that way full tilt - the EE operates at 300Mhz - if we (hypothetically, accounting for instruction latencies and cache refills) assume arbitrarily that one instruction will issue every 10 clock cycles (VERY arbitary number), thats 30 million instructions in one second. So, if something exists to output ASM as it executes, it would single-step it or make a delay each instruction, likely via the breakpoint facility.

As I just said, its a serial cable and someone can do whatever they want with it, within the limits of the architecture.

However, its never going to operate that way by default, if that is what you are hoping.

Silentkilla · Post by **Silentkilla** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 8:08 am

socom · Post by **socom** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:41 am

blackdroid wrote:
AntiPasta wrote:lo folks. First post on the new board 8)

Can the EE serial cable be used to upload code to the EE? Or is it only of use for debugging?
Aslong as you have something running on EE to take care of it.

what do i need to have running on the ee

longboy · Post by **longboy** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:45 pm

Hello
The 3323EEPE is becoming hard to get hold of. What alternatives are there? I.E. what features of the EEPE made it useful? There are plenty of relatives of the chip; I guess that low-voltage operation is key, however the EEPE has high-impedance inputs - is this required?
I'm looking at the 3232CPE as an alternative; can anybody tell me if this is suitable?
cheers...

Saotome · Post by **Saotome** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 11:48 pm

I'm using an ST3232 (more precisely ST3232CN). It has exactly the same pinout as the MAX one, and works without problems.

Pasky · Post by **Pasky** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:18 pm

Sorry to bring this back from the dead but a couple of questions...

Is there a link or mirror to the old site? It's not up anymore and archive.org says it marked for blocking.

Is it possible to do some live debugging with this cable?

Thanks.

tesla · Post by **tesla** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:46 am

Hi,

Saotome wrote:I'm using an ST3232 (more precisely ST3232CN). It has exactly the same pinout as the MAX one, and works without problems.

REALLY DOUBT it. With my knowledge of ST3232CN, on EE TX should receive nothing - 1 logic is about 2V on T1IN (pin 12), so 1.7V from EE won't fit it. Sending data with 3.3V to EE's RX (which is 1.7V) ... don't think is a good idea too.
So here i come with solution:

After soldering should look like this:

Now it will work :) Full info (soldering pics, QUCS schematic and booting movie) here: http://tesla.bohater.net/ps2/

peace
tesla

forums.ps2dev.org

Playstation 2 Serial Cable (EE)

CTS/RTS

Uses for the serial cable?

Re: Uses for the serial cable?

Please clarify

Assembly

Re: Assembly

Alternative ICs