Hey all, I just brought my fatline back to life after about two years of death! Not only that, it is now better than ever.
Here's what I did:
1.) Full dissasembly of PS2 and network adapter, cleaned all circuit boards, plates, and casings.
2.) Removed the CPU/GPU cooler, replaced with two large, seperate ambient coolers
3.) Did some cutting on the case...left the bottom square & cut off the overhang by the power switch. Also enlarged vent on front, and added vent on side, next to power supply. Tossed the top; don't need it.
4.) Dissasembled DVD drive down to it's basics.
5.) Re-assembled what was left (with DVD drive remnants supported by legos)
6.) Spent about an hour trying to get my PS1 trigger disc to load my old MC exploit.
7.) Installed MCboot
8.) Completely disconnected all remnants of the DVD drive.
So, now I am running a system with no top, no DVD drive (or even parts of the DVD drive), no fans, and a 5400RPM HDD. It is just about silent! Games load quickly, and no more drive probems (this unit had drive problems from the day I bought it). Finaly, I can play GT4 again!
...Now I just need to add VGA & s-video ports to the thing & it will be perfect (although I do have a 8.4" LCD that would look good built-into a case with it)
I'll post some pics tomarow. I have to say that it isn't the most attractive thing...just very functional. I added a port for the s-video...and I decided against the VGA port since it does not work with most games anyway.
After some testing, I think that the power supply is still getting a bit too warm...so I am going to find a 40-50mm fan and mount it where the stock fan was...with a resister in the power line to make it run quiet.
Note: The red thing coming out of the side is my home-made s-video cable. The fan is held in place by some sensor-safe black RTV.
Here is the screen I wanna use:
[edit]
After some more testing, I found the unit does not work with some games. I will have to try reconnecting the left-overs from the drive to see if the problem is in the mainboard, or if these games just require the drive (though I know from previous testing that they do not need a disk).
[edit2]
I have confirmed that some games do need the dvd drive connected (or at least the electrical bits of it). While Tourist Trophy, GT4, and Yakuza all worked without it, Tokyo Extreme Racer Drift required the drive to be connected (but no disk is needed). Next I will be dismantling what is left of the drive into individual pieces, & put them into plastic bags. I will then remove the USB, Firewire, and that proprietary sony connector on the back, then add some nice long wires to them...this will make it easier to mount in the next case (I am thinking about a Gigabyte micro-ATX case).
