Official use of the Playstation serial and parallel I/O

**unclejun** · 05-10-2008

And I really mean official, you don't need to throw in your action replay/xploder/whatever!

So, for the serial port, I can only think of:
-the sony link cable
-sony net yaroze serial cable
-koei parallel printer adapter (with and without video capture)

Now more interesting, for the "parallel" expansion port, there is:
-the psy-q blue dev cart, similar to the one for the sega saturn

And another device, with very few informations, in fact I'm not even sure how it is connected to the playstation:
-the dtl-h1500 network adapter

Do I miss anything?

**Barc0de** · 05-11-2008

Floppy drive?

**unclejun** · 05-11-2008

You're talking about the Datel floppy drive that connects to the memory card slot?

**Barc0de** · 05-12-2008

no! nothing like cheap-looking DATEL crap!

I remember seeing an official-looking SONY(?) floppy drive, coloured grey just like the console, that was hooked behind the console somehow (or so it seemed in the picture). This was circa 1996 in some official PS publication (I had an n64 back then only, so wasn't really into details with the PSX)

This was along-side other peripherals such as the multitap etc.

**smf** · 05-12-2008

Originally Posted by unclejun

And another device, with very few informations, in fact I'm not even sure how it is connected to the playstation:
-the dtl-h1500 network adapter

http://n64.icequake.net/doc/alias85/...aystation.html mentions "DTL-H1500 Stand-alone box"

and

DTL-2000 (PC PlayStation card)
DTL-1500 (stand-alone ethernet PlayStation)
DTL-3050 (serial cable connection to development PlayStation)

while http://www.thefreelibrary.com/METROW...22.-a053958340 mentions "Support for the DTL-H1500 network attachment box. "

It sounds like it could be a device you plug into a DTL-H500. Or it could be another dev kit, which happened to have a network adapter.

It's unlikely to be a console peripheral anyway, or they'd be more common. While a DTL-H500 peripheral is going to be as rare as the DTL-H500 itself, which is so rare that it's possible that none exist. If it is a stand alone system, then add it to the list of low volume Sony machines that we will never see.

I'm not aware that Sony ever made any official parallel port devices. I've been looking out for a Blue Psy-Q cartridge and the closest came in a Psy-Q case and the board was marked with the same company that did the CD emulator boards ( it also appears to have another 2mb of ram that I so far haven't found out how to use.... ). However the Psy-Q logo was covered up and the software doesn't mention SN/Psygnosis/Sony. It appears that when Sony stopped the Blue Psy-Q cartridge from being sold, that someone bought up the cases and boards. Or SN did it on the side to avoid being sued. Sony stopped them selling it because you could develop games on a retail console, which they don't approve of.

They still don't let you develop on retail consoles, but at least they see the light that you should be able to use a PS3 TEST for debugging.

If anyone does have a blue psy-q board then a dump of the rom would be interesting, I can provide the software to do that. Nothing has to be taken apart.

**unclejun** · 05-12-2008

I've seen those links and I found another reference to the dtl-h1500 some time ago on the Softimage support newsgroup, I'll try to find the url again...
The dtl-h1500 is mentioned in a few Sony documents I have, the Playstation developer newsletter september 96:

And in two Scee dev. support group docs, one from november 96

In Q4CY96 the DTL-H1500 will be introduced, allowing artists to develop directly
with a debug station from their workstations via the network.

and the other from june 97

Later in ‘97 the DTL-H1500 will be introduced, allowing artists to develop directly with a debug station from their workstations via the network.

And regarding the Psy-Q blue cart, here is an ad from the issue 29 of the magazine EDGE:

Closer shot of the cart

**Barc0de** · 05-12-2008

Originally Posted by unclejun

I've seen those links and I found another reference to the dtl-h1500 some time ago on the Softimage support newsgroup, I'll try to find the url again...
The dtl-h1500 is mentioned in a few Sony documents I have, the Playstation developer newsletter september 96:

And in two Scee dev. support group docs, one from november 96 and the other from june 97

And regarding the Psy-Q blue cart, here is an ad from the issue 29 of the magazine EDGE:
Full ad
Closer shot of the cart

the PSY-Q was advertised in a gamer's magazine? was its sale legal/available to anyone and everyone???!

**unclejun** · 05-12-2008

It was advertised but of course not available for anyone, and it wasn't the only development hardware ad, in another issue there is one for the Snasm2 megadrive/32X devkit...

Here is the ad for the datel floppy drive: Link

**Barc0de** · 05-13-2008

if thats the Floppy drive, then we re talking about different pieces of hardware.

The other one I mentioned didnt have any funky condom-stripes on it. It was much more simple and in the vain of the PSX design.

**smf** · 05-13-2008

Originally Posted by unclejun

And in two Scee dev. support group docs, one from november 96 and the other from june 97

And regarding the Psy-Q blue cart, here is an ad from the issue 29 of the magazine EDGE:
Full ad
Closer shot of the cart

I'd love to see proof that they made it out in the wild. I'm just not convinced.

I'll have to check, but I thought that the 25pin connector on the Psy-Q I have is parallel. While that picture indicates it's SCSI. Interesting, I need to disassemble the I/O code on those carts at some point.

**unclejun** · 04-25-2009

I have the psy-q manual (pdf version) from 1996.

**Twilight** · 04-25-2009

Can you upload full manual?

**unclejun** · 04-25-2009

The Psy-Q manual or the one you already have?

**Johnny** · 04-25-2009

Fascinating!

Going off topic, but there was a action replay/gameshark thing that had a Gameboy cart port, so you could play Gameboy games on the PS1! I looked for a picture but couldn't find it.

Anyway, on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation

The serial port allowed multiple consoles to be connected for multiplayer or for connecting a console to debugging software.

Never heard about using the serial port por multiplayer.

**l_oliveira** · 04-25-2009

Originally Posted by Johnny

Fascinating!
Never heard about using the serial port por multiplayer.

Destruction Derby. A fine game published by Psygnosis in 1995.

**unclejun** · 04-25-2009

Every multiplayer games without splitscreen option offers serial link connection.

**Johnny** · 04-26-2009

Oh, nevermind... :banghead:

I confused the Parallel I/O port with the Serial I/0 port. :redface:

The serial port was always used for multiplayer, with the link cable (SCPH-1040)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Link_Cable

**hl718** · 08-14-2009

Originally Posted by Johnny

Going off topic, but there was a action replay/gameshark thing that had a Gameboy cart port, so you could play Gameboy games on the PS1! I looked for a picture but couldn't find it.

I've got oen of those buried in a box around here. I'll have a look and see if I can't find it.

-hl718