Modifications and repairs on a Sony Playstation SCPH1002

by Mick Feuerbacher, 2005 - 2007

 

You may have heard that the Sony Playstation is a remarkably good CD player. Indeed this is the case for the very first model, the playstation 1 model SCPH 1002 (or, more general, SCPH 100x, where x = 0 for Asia, 1 for USA and 2 for Europe; differences are only in the PSU, accounting for the different voltages in those areas).
On this page I will, one by one, add a series of articles describing the most important modifications and repairs. These modifications turn the PS into a truly audiophile piece of equipment, which, concerning the sound quality, clearly beats commercial "high-end" CD players up to price ranges of several thousand Euros.


Some remarks on the DAC used in the PS1 model SCPH100x. More....

February 4, 2007
Laser alignment: If your PS has problems to read disks, in particular slightly scratched CDs and CD-Rs, then it might need an alignment of the laser unit. More....

July 7, 2005
Updated Dec. 28, 2005

Modification of the audio output stage: Remove unnecessary components from the signal path. Or completely replace the output stage. Significant sonic improvements possible! More...

December 17, 2005
New update June. 14, 2006

Using the AV Multi out is an alternative approach that will give you increased sonic performance without the necessity to solder in the circuit or even open the case. More...

December 18, 2005
Updated Dec. 28, 2005

Damping: Distinct improvement of the sonic performance of the PS1 can be obtained by giving it an appropriate low-frequency damping stage. More... April 6, 2006. New update June 26, 2006

Adding remote control: Operating the PS using the normal controller is not really elegant. You can use a PS2 DVD remote control with the PS1. In this article I describe how to integrate the remote control into the case of the PS. More...

August 25, 2005
New update Nov. 2005
Recasing the power supply: Avoid overheating and stray signals by putting the power supply into a separate case. More... June 26, 2006
Removal of "the chip": Many playstations on the second-hand market are equipped with a chip overriding the protection against CD-Rs. Here is how you remove the chip. More.... August 9, 2005
A linear Power Supply: A proposal for a linear regulated power supply replacing the stock switch mode unit. More.... January 13, 2007

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