Turning PSP into a home console...

[Guest_replicashooter]

Seeing as I mainly play my PSP at home I'm thinking of modding it to make it into a home based console...

What I'd like to achieve:

External PS2 controller
Larger LCD
Better speakers

The PSP2TV has already shown that the PSP can be interfaced to a Dual Shock and output its image to a TV.

What I'm after is a bigger LCD - Would something in the standard LQ043 range be available for a direct replacement (hey, I'm optimistic) if not what are the alternatives?

If the LCD must stay then that ain't a problem as I could happily use a PS2 controller on the normal screen.

Some tech info on how the PS2TV works or how to go about this mod would be greatly appreciated.

BTW - This wouldn't post when I was logged in as replicashooter, any idea mods?
Thanks

[Guest]

Some tech info on the PSPs TFT

Manufacturer Sharp
Part No LQ043T3DX02
Interface 24-bit digital (8 bits/color)
Pixel Format 480x272
Size 4.3 inch (10.9 cm) 16:9 aspect ratio

More info at the Sharp site and PDF spec sheet.

Here's the TFT pinout for easy reference:




And the datasheet for the connector is located here.


Can anyone decipher some helpful information from this lot?

Would it be a case of finding a similar display that operates at the same native resolution and just patching the wires to and from them or is there more to it than that?

[kendrick]

Every now and again, someone asks if an old laptop screen can be recycled as a game display. The same answer applies to your question... The PSP display is a digital device. It's conceivable that you could take the signal and translate it for use on a bigger screen, but you would need a separate driver or encoder to do so. Therefore, it's not practical or cheap to build. Moreover, at that point you're writing software to process the signal, and that's off-topic for this board.

You might have more luck considering whether or not the PSP generates an RGB signal somewhere further ahead of the screen. Rather than seeing if you can re-use the LCD input, see if that signal is coming from an encoder that is processing an RGB source. This may or may not be the case, as the PSP was never intended to drive an external video device and so its designers may not have seen fit to generate RGB anywhere.

-KKC, teaching himself to play Settlers of Catan.

[viletim!]

kendrick, normaly that'd be right but this looks a bit different to a standard LCD interface... It looks like this pannel has an integrated controller. So if you put an DAC on each of the three colour signal outputs then you'd have analog video. H and V sync are already there. I wonder what the timing would be like.....timing info is on page 11 of the datasheet and that's the only page I can't load (I should update my version of ghostscript).

That PSP2TV isn't a cool as I though it was. It seems to be just a scan converter with digital inputs. I previously thought it reconstructed the video from the row/column data that's typicaly fed to LCDs.

[NFG]

That certainly does seem to be a very accessible signal set from PSP to screen.  Sony was also one of the only PSOne screen makers to leave us with real RGB inputs.  I'd hate to think they're actually creating products that are hacker-friendly.

If this trend continues I'll have to improve their status from 'hate' to 'despise'.

[Guest]

So does my mod seem feasible? The output on the PSP2TV is poor at best because of its upscaling method which I believe revolves around it chopping half of the resolution lines out and then upscaling and reinterpolating which leads to the blockiness and unreadable fonts.

Or would it be possible to take a PSP2TV and modify its method of upscaling to generate better results?

I've been looking around for an alternate TFT which meets the PSP specs and they seem to be few and far between and as kendrick pointed out this would require a hell of a lot more work than I intially bargained for.

Oh what do I have to do to get my PSP gaming on a 10 inch screen controlled by a PS2 pad?  :lol:  

[viletim!]

I've had another look at the datasheet and from the numbers I can work out that this display likes video with a horizontal scan between 15 and 17.5KHz and 52 to 61Hz vertical.

So....anyone own a PSP and a frequency counter?

[Guest]

Sure, give me some info on what I require to check the frequency and what/where I should me measuring and I'll get you the digits B)

Also mods - Any reason why I can never post when I'm logged in, only fast reply when logged out allows me to reply? Others just wait and wait with no action.

[NFG]

Unfortunately, 'guest', I can't check your account without knowing who you are.  

From the sound of it though you're suffering a browser malfunction, if you press 'reply' and nothing happens.  Try downloading Opera or something, and see if that helps.  

[replicashooter]

I be replicashooter

*edit* - No worries, it seems to be OK now  

[viletim!]

32-Hsync and 33-Vsync are the important ones...the frequency of 30-CK (pixel clock) would be good to know too. I suppose you'd open the PSP, find out where these signals enter the display module, and measure them with a frequency counter or an oscilloscope.

[replicashooter]

Okedoke, although its going to be at least a month till I can get
access to an oscilloscope (at uni).

In related news, someone made this observation after reading this
thread and your idea:

After take a look to the LCD spec you attach before
, I can tell you that, PSP LCD is just like the other TFT LCD. I think
you and yr friend is mis-leaded by the spec. Most LCD have 3signal for
blue, 3signal for red and 3signal for green, and all of them have H/V
sync. Those signal is used for light up the spot on the LCD panel. But
they are different from the standard VGA output (analog output).

And even you can found a connector to connect the PSP LCD to TFT LCD
with exact pin the document show, it doesnt mean the image will show.
As I said before, it require convert the "Timming". The spot of the
LCD Panel is not lighting up in the same time, actually they are
lighting up from top to bottom, left to right. So the H/V sync contain
a very importmant information, the Resolution of image.

And the conversion is too fast, you can only create you own chip (with
VHDL and FPGA) , get the PSP LCD output , do conversion, then output
to TFT LCD. (not possible in software way)

If you still want to try, I think you better understand how the image
show on the LCD/Monitor first. You can leave the PSP LCD alone. Since
it is useless before you know what you are trying to do.

What do you think?

Also, seeing as the PSP2TV works by taking the 480x272 progressive scan input and interlacing it but only displays one doubled 480x136 field so half the resolution is gone (with crappy small text to boot) would it  be possible to take the guts of a PSP2TV  and mod the signal with a different upscaler to get a better ouput?

There must be a  reason why the original team did this - anyone know why?

[viletim!]

All I'm saying is that IF the timing is the same as normal TV timing (it's possible to drive the LCD with such timing as indicated by the datasheet) then you can simply put an analog to digital converter on each set of video data lines and have analog RGB video. The horizontal and vertical sync pulses may need to be lengthened to meed the standard too.

As far as I can tell this LCD operates in the same way as a CRT monitor ie. only one pixel is drawn at a time, the video is drawn as a sequence of lines from top to bottom, etc. Unlike some LCDs I've come across (like laptop pannels) which have the data fed to them in a multiplexed parallel arangement where multiple pixels are drawn with each clock pluse (and it may even scan draw the picture right to left, bottom to top, or anything)

Chances aren't all that good though...just look at the PSP2TV

[replicashooter]

OK - Quick update, haven't managed to get access to an oscilloscope yet plus I've just moved house so things are real hectic.

Been speaking to a friend that owns a PSP devkit about how its VGA output works (in a 480x272 window) - Any information from him that could aid this project?

Also, I'm trying to get hold of a PSP2TV so I can check out the upscaler that is used and see if it is replacable in order to get better quality results.

Even if its not replacable the hardware makes taking the signals off the mobo so much easier.

viletim! do you have an email/icq addy I could contact you on when I have further info to add as it could be a couple of weeks from now.

[viletim]

is the devkit's VGA output double or tripple scanned (how many vertical lines per actual pixel)?
you can contact me via email - eviltim at optusnet.com.au or icq number 15400694

[replicashooter]

is the devkit's VGA output double or tripple scanned (how many vertical lines per actual pixel)?
you can contact me via email - eviltim at optusnet.com.au or icq number 15400694

His reply was:

The test kit puts a 480x272 picture smack bang in the middle of a 640x480 output. The border is black.

[Guest]

does anyone know how to mod a dual shock controller to the psp? this tutorial shows you how to add an external analog stick (http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/10/how-to-analog-control-stick-for-your-sony-psp/) so what else would need to be done to map the rest of the buttons?

i wouldn;t mind playing my psp as it is with a proper controller.

[replicashooter]

Finally got the figures :ph34r:

32 (H)  = 17.13k
33 (V)  = 59.91

[movax]

Definitely very interesting. I'm now the proud owner of an older/junked LT344 scope that just needed a few tweaks, so let me know what you guys need in terms of 'scope analysis for this; woudln't mind picking up another older PSP to homebrew'ize and play some of the portable games at home.

Seems like it's very possible; there is a software solution for Windows at least that works with ~1-2s lag I think, not too bad.

[Segasonicfan]

I'm curious if you can pull RGB out of the PSP2TV. Obviously the PSP doesn't support composite and S-video so there must be an encoder inside there, right?  Maybe just a CXA1645.  That will help the picture quality too I think.

The best solution for PSP on a TV would have to be something like what Xavier (and later Viletim) did with th GG.  Drawing the RGB lines from whatever the main processor is in there and converting them properly with logic circuits and whatnot.  I am far from knowledgeable in that arena though.

Segasonicfan

[viletim]

It's simply not possibe to get 272 lines of video onto a TV at 60Hz refresh rate. The only practical solution is to digitise and rescale...which is what the PSP2TV thing does anyway.

[movax]

Reading that review, it looks(ed) promising, but seems like they made some poor design choices within the box when it comes to output.

Best we could do on our end I'd think would somehow be hacking in YPbPr to that box depending on what they used inside there...some kinda ucontroller + chroma encoder?

[Segasonicfan]

yea, that's what I was suggesting.  I bet there is an encoder already inside there (there must be to make the composite output).  It's likely a CXA145 or something of the sort so it should be possible to pull some nice RGB out of it.

-Segasonicfan

[Endymion]

This thread may have been rendered meaningless--just watching Sony's E3 presentation live today and a lighter, thinner PSP will be available in September, with video-out. In what form? They weren't specific, just that it was "high quality" and demonstrated on the massive demo screen.

[NFG]

A PSP with video out?  I dunno, I might just get one of those cheap joysticks that plays four kinds of pacman.  Seems like a better deal, and more good games as well.  

[ken_cinder]

What about the new PSP slim revision? It sports TV out now. lol

[Xtra_Zero]

Component is supported, but not by games.  Games are Progressive only.  Not sure about much else.  This topic isn't entirely useless though.  We can still discuss efficient methods of wiring up PS2 controllers or even better yet, ports.

Edit: though I guess that would mean moving the thread lol.

[viletim]

Component is supported, but not by games.  Games are Progressive only.

Haha... leave it to Sony to do something silly like that. The TV out that isn't!

[Segasonicfan]

and once again Sony continues to baffle me with their incompetence and horrid design.  Their shit knows no bounds.

[Endymion]

Er. Just so we are clear, TV and movies out the new PSP do not support the component connection. The games do and only output progressively, thereby solving the conversion/resolution issue that has been discussed here already. TV/movies will get scaled with the various line drops and such to fit the smaller resolution, it would seem that Sony wants to hold this up and some kind of DRM/piracy deterrent for digital media. Big deal, should be about the games anyway.