MAGIC III on a V7 PS2 USA-NTSC

Recently I ordered a Magic III modchip that is compatible with all v1-v7 USA/PAL/JAP PS2 Systems.

under construction!
Warning: Large JPEGs!

This is a relatively inexpensive chip with full features including:

-Boot Hombrew Software (i.e. PS2Linux)
-Play PS2 Backups (CDR/DVDR-+R)*
-Play PS1 Backups
-Sleep Mode
-Import Enabled (Region Free)

The benefits to this chip are:
-Low Cost
-22 Wires (relatively few)
-Low Power Consumption
-Nearly all the features of its expensive competitors

Tools:

-Screwdriver
-Soldering Iron 15-25W
-Magic Rev. 3 Playstation 2 Modchip
-Version 7 USA-NTSC Sony Playstation 2 (c)

Procedure:

Since the chip is already designed and assembled the last thing to do is solder it to the Playstation 2's (c) motherboard. To do this we will need a diagram for the specific model PS2. To know find out the model of your PS2 you must look at the serial number on the back, more detailed information here.

In our case we have a V7 PS2, because of the SPCH39001 serial number. A diagram of solder points on the top and bottom parts of the motherboard can be found at the China Magic website.High Quality Diagram.

We will need to take apart the PS2 to access the motherboard. Take out your screw driver and begin unscrewing the bottom screws on the PS2. NOTE: This will void your Playstation 2 warranty, anyone attempting this mod should be skilled with SMT soldering or attempt at your own risk! Next you will need to remove the parts of the unit one by one as described in this tutorial. (You should have completed the first step already).

Now refer to the High Quality Diagram an begin soldering the 22 wires to the PS2 motherboard.

Finished Product (Top):

Notes: Pin S is a universal modchip point, every PS2 modchip that I know of uses that point, In a previous "jumper" modification, I soldered the purple wire seen to the bottom right of the board where a SMT resistor used to be. This chip called the NeoKey (a.k.a. S-Box) is described Here. Unfortunately, the Magic chip will not work with the NeoKey, the PS2 will not be able to boot any media if these chips are installed at the same time. This makes sense because the point 's' is going to more than one place, both chips are trying to use it and the conflict with each other. This wire was later removed, and the SMT resistor on the bottom left was placed back on.

Finished Product (Bottom):

Refer to high quality diagram for closer view.

Chip Placement:

Being that there are 22 wires on both the top and bottom sides of the board, it becomes an issue where to route the wires and place the chip. It is possible to keep the chip under the metal shielding but considering the thickness of the chip and the amount of wires, I decided to use the extra space in the PSU compartment for the chip location. In order for this to work, I had to individually label the wires with a piece of labeled paper and tape. I routed them all to the power supply compartment and soldered to the corresponding pads on the chip. Below you can see a picture of the modchip completely wired and secured.

And as you can see here, it fits nicely in the Playstation 2 console.

Problems/Issues/Hindsight:

Because this was my first attempt at a double digit number of wires mod on a PS2 my placement of wires could have been a little better. In one circumstance, several wires were dangerously close to the cooling fan. This caused problems with the connections vibrating the wires, this was remedied by taping the wires just far enough to keep them from rattling. Also noticable are the wires going through the hard drive compartment. A hard drive will fit no problem but it is still an inconvience to have those wires there. For future attempts I would reccomend all wires to go through the middle gap in the sheilding, shortening wires when applicable. There is the possible issue of electro/magnetic interference from the PSU itself since it is in close proximity of the low voltage chip. As of yet, as long as V++ and GND are grounded with 25wd gauge wire or higher this does not seem to be an issue. The possibility for the chip under the shielding appears to be another good and highly organized alternative. As I mentioned before there are 22 wires, in order for the chip to work correctly all must be shorted to their pads, otherwise most likely the bios sound files will sound corrupted and the CD/DVD drive will not function correctly (this is even if the PS2 turns on at all). I had to verify this in the testing process. It appears also that you cannot put more than one modchip on a PS2 without some clever switching device.