MechaCon

MechaCon is short for Mechanics Controller. Its main function of it is to control the drive mechanism. However, this chip is also the security ic of the PlayStation 2 that implements game disk security, Magic Gate and KELF file decryption.

There are two known main variants of it.

The earlier one is based on the 16-bit SPC970 CPU core and was used till GH-022. Chip name starts with "CXP10". GH-013 and earlier motherboards come with a 100-pin qfp package. GH-015 and later motherboards come with a 136-ball BGA package.

The newer one is ARM-based (Sony SR11 core, 32-bit, ARM7TDMI), codenamed "Dragon", and used from GH-023 (SCPH-5000X) onwards. Chip name starts with "CXR7". Comes in a 164-ball BGA package.

The "Dragon" variant also fulfills the functions that were undertaken by the separate SysCon chip on earlier boards up to GH-022, as well as the RTC+EEPROM chip, which was separate on earlier boards (or dedicated EEPROM and RTC chips on even earlier boards).

Both have access to a 1 KB / 512 words EEPROM. The EEPROM content is different between the SPC970-based MechaCon and Dragon.

For the SPC970 MechaCon, the EEPROM is an external chip; either a dedicated EEPROM chip on older boards or a combined Rohm RTC+EEPROM chip on later boards.

Dragon has the die of the combined Rohm RTC+EEPROM chip inside its own chip package, however, the EEPROM pins are exposed on the package, and the connection between Dragon and the RTC+EEPROM is done externally on the motherboard.

Every MechaCon has a 3.3 V TTL UART interface exposed on test pads that was used by service centers for example to readjust the drive and write calibration data etc. Today it can be used with tools like PMAP (currently supports consoles up to I-chassis) to readjust the drive mechanism after fitting a replacement laser assembly etc. See Test points.

Additionaly, at least the SPC970-based MechaCon (both, QFP and BGA revisions) provide an I²C interface with SDA and SCL being exposed on test pads next to the MechaCon.

SPC970

Hardware revisions

• CXP101064 (only used on early A-chassis/GH-001 boards)
• CXP102064 (used from later A-chassis to D/D'-chassis boards)
  • <imgur w=480>dWB8SQQ.jpg</imgur>
• CXP103049 (BGA case, used in F and G-chassis)
  • requires a working battery to function properly.

Firmware revisions

Firmware comes in an OTP or mask ROM inside MechaCon. Major version number for SPC970 MechaCon firmware is always <= 3. As of 2022, the SPC970 mechacon's firmware has not yet been dumped, unlike Dragon's firmware.

Unlike the later Dragon-MechaCons, which retrieve region parameters from EEPROM and have identical firmware across all regions, the SPC970-MechaCons have region-dependent firmware builds, hence many different chip labels exist for each firmware.

List might be incomplete. Source

    version     |   chip label    |                              remarks
                |region-dependent!|
----------------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2    (0x0102) | CXP101064-605R  |
1.3    (0x0103) | CXP101064-602R  |
----------------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------
1.6    (0x0106) | CXP102064-001R  | (Not confirmed)
1.7    (0x0107) | CXP102064-003R  |
1.8    (0x0108) | CXP102064-002R  |
1.9    (0x0109) | CXP102064-751R  |
2.0    (0x0200) | CXP102064-004R  | (Not confirmed)
2.2    (0x0202) | CXP102064-005R  |
2.4    (0x0204) | CXP102064-101R  | also -201R, -301R
2.5    (0x0205) | CXP102064-702R  |
2.6    (0x0206) | CXP102064-102R  | also -202R, -302R
2.7    (0x0207) | CXP102064-703R  |
2.8    (0x0208) | CXP102064-006R  | (Not confirmed)
2.9    (0x0209) | CXP102064-704R  | (Not confirmed)
2.12   (0x020c) | CXP102064-007R  | also -103R, -203R, -303R
2.13   (0x020d) | CXP102064-705R  | also -752R
2.14   (0x020e) | CXP102064-008R  | also -104R, -204R, -304R
----------------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------
3.0    (0x0300) | CXP103049-101GG | also -201GG, -301GG
3.2    (0x0302) | CXP103049-001GG | also -102GG, -202GG, -302GG
3.4    (0x0304) | CXP103049-401GG |
3.6    (0x0306) | CXP103049-002GG | also -103GG, -203GG, -303GG, -402GG, -501GG
3.8    (0x0308) | CXP103049-003GG | also -403GG

EEPROM layout

TODO

Dragon

Hardware revisions

• CXR706F080 (has a flash ROM for firmware; used for engineering, not used in retail consoles)
• CXR706080 (used in H, I and J chassis SCPH-5XXXX consoles as well as in PSX)
• CXR716080 (used in K, L and M slim chassis SCPH-70XXX, SCPH-75XXX and SCPH-77XXX consoles)
• CXR726080 (used in N, P and R slim chassis SCPH-79XXX and SCPH-9XXXX consoles)
  • Has a smaller case than previous versions of Dragon (still has 164 balls, though)

Firmware revisions

Firmware comes in an OTP or mask ROM inside MechaCon, except in CXR706F080, which has a reprogrammable flash ROM. It is however possible to apply patches to it via EEPROM.

Dumps: https://mega.nz/folder/MNpAQDzJ#bZpyfb7aGrhGDMR_ZGA8ig

Some version(s) of the DSP's firmware (specifically in SCPH-5XXXX and SCPH-70XXX consoles) have a tendency to crash MechaCon by sheer bad luck or on badly readable discs (e.g. badly burned/low-quality DVD-R discs or scratched originals), overvolting the focus/tracking coils of the laser and killing them and also the driver IC in the process. Several hardware-based mitigations/"fixes" have been developed by the community to address this issue with varying degrees of success. The most well known of these fixes have been the "Romeo-mod"/"LA-fix" for SCPH-5XXXX consoles and "summ0ne's fix" for SCPH-70XXX consoles; however, the most reliable fix is the Matrix PIC fix which monitors communication between DSP and MechaCon and turns off the console when a crash occurs.

PSX uses MechaCon v5.10 (CXR706080-702GG) (for DESR-x000 and DESR-x100) and v5.14 (CXR706080-703GG) (for DESR-x500 and DESR-x700).

Major version number for Dragon MechaCon firmware is always >= 5.

List might be incomplete. Source

    version     |   chip label    |                              remarks
----------------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------
5.0    (0x0500) | CXR706080-101GG | very early H-chassis, GH-023
5.2    (0x0502) | CXR706080-102GG |      early H-chassis, GH-023
5.4    (0x0504) | CXR706080-103GG | H-chassis and I-chassis, GH-023 and GH-026
5.6    (0x0506) | CXR706080-104GG |
5.6mx  (0x0506) | CXR706080-106GG | different from other v5.6 MechaCons, only sold in Mexico
5.8    (0x0508) | CXR706080-701GG | (Not confirmed)
5.10   (0x050a) | CXR706080-702GG | PSX v1 (DESR-x000 and DESR-x100), XPD-001
5.12   (0x050c) | CXR706080-105GG | J-chassis, GH-029, has also been found on a CXR706F080-1GG
5.14   (0x050e) | CXR706080-703GG | PSX v2 (DESR-x500 and DESR-x700), XPD-005
----------------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------
6.0    (0x0600) | CXR716080-101GG | very early K-chassis, GH-032, GH-035
6.2    (0x0602) | CXR716080-102GG |      early K-chassis, GH-032, GH-035
6.4    (0x0604) | CXR716080-103GG |            K-chassis, GH-032, GH-035
6.6    (0x0606) | CXR716080-104GG | L-chassis, GH-040, GH-041
6.8    (0x0608) | CXR716080-105GG | (Not confirmed)
6.10   (0x060a) | CXR716080-106GG | M-chassis, GH-051, GH-052
----------------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------
6.12   (0x060c) | CXR726080-301GB | all N, P, R chassis consoles, GH-061, GH-062, GH-070, GH-071, GH-072

EEPROM layout

Start (word)	End (word)	Size (byte)	Offset in file	Description
0	48	0x60	0x0
48	90	0x54	0x60
90	96	0xC	0xB4	gap
96	128	0x40	0xC0
128	150	0x2C	0x100
150	160	0x14	0x12C	gap
160	190	0x3C	0x140
190	192	0x4	0x17C	gap
192	198	0xC	0x180	Region params (only slim)
198	204	0xC	0x18C	gap
204	208	0x8	0x198	MAC address (only slim)
208	211	0x6	0x1A0	gap
211	216	0xA	0x1A6	wake up time
216	225	0x12	0x1B0	model number
225	227	0x4	0x1C2	gap
227	232	0xA	0x1C6	Region code key seed
232	237	0xA	0x1D0	Region code ciphertext
237	240	0x6	0x1DA	gap
240	245	0xA	0x1E0	iLink id
245	248	0x6	0x1EA	(used by scmd 3, subcmd 48 and 49)
248	253	0xA	0x1F0	Console id
253	256	0x6	0x1FA	(used by scmd 3, subcmd 48 and 49)
256	312	0x70	0x200	config 2
312	344	0x40	0x270	config 0 (EEGS)
344	400	0x70	0x2B0	config 1 (OSD)
400	512	0xE0	0x320	Rom patches ciphertext

Region params

Offset		Size	Description
0x180		0xF	Various region parameters. Type char. Zero padded. On dragon FATs (mechacon v5) filled with FF. Does not have checksum. Normally write-protected by mechacon.
Region params	0x180	1	On 70k exists but has no effect. On Deckard will patch rom0:ROMVER (4th byte 0220HD20060905) and rom0. Possible values: "J" - for Japan, "A" - for America and Mexico, "E" - for Europe, Oceania and Russia, "H" - for region Asia, Taiwan, Korea, "C" - for region Mainland China. Each region checks license data in the PS2 titles. "A" region has this check disabled. "H" region untested.
	0x181	4	On all slims will patch rom0:OSDVER (5-8th byte) ("0190Csch"). This mostly controls OSD language sets, and other changes are not tested. Possible values: "Jjpn" - for Japan, "Aeng" - for America, "Eeng" - for Europe and Oceania, "Heng" - for Asia, "Reng" - for Russia, "Csch" - for mainland China, "Kkor" - for Korea, "Htch" - for Taiwan, "Aspa" - for Mexico. "Ccsh" will crash cause rom2 (containing Simplified Chinese font) is missing on slims.
	0x185	1	On 70k exists but has no effect. On Deckard will patch rom0:VERSTR (0x22 byte: "System ROM Version 5.0 06/23/03 J") and rom0. Possible values: "J" - for Japan, Asia, Taiwan, Korea, China, "A" - for America, Mexico, "E" - for Europe, Oceania and Russia. Each region checks license data in the PS1 titles. "A" region has this check disabled.
	0x186	1	On all slims will patch rom1:DVDID (5th byte) ("3.11A"). This change DVD player region. Possible values: "JUEAORCM".
	0x187-0x18B	5	Zero filled.

MAC address

Offset		Size	Description
0x198		0x8	48-bit MAC address. On dragon FATs (mechacon v5) filled with FF. On 70k exists but has no effect.
MAC address	0x198	3	Organizationally unique identifier (OUI). On 70k always 00:04:1F and has no effect. On Deckard units can be 00:13:15, 00:15:C1, 00:19:C5, 00:1D:0D, 00:1F:A7, 00:24:8D, 28:0D:FC, A8:E3:EE. Full list unknown. By OUI registration date, console manufacture date can be partially evaluated.
	0x19B	3	Random part of MAC address. On 70k always 00:00:00 and has no effect. Assignment unknown: probably is somehow calculated from data on the sticker.
	0x19E	1	checksum of even bytes uint8_t sum = 0x199 + 0x19B + 0x19D
	0x19E	1	checksum of odd bytes uint8_t sum = 0x198 + 0x19A + 0x19C

Model number

Offset		Size	Description
0x1B0		0x12	Model number string. Type char. Zero padded.
Model number	0x1B0	1-16	Model name string. Max 15 or 16 characters. Zero padded. If started with "DTL-H" then OSD will block DVD player from work.
	0x1C0	1	Null.
	0x1C1	1	uint8_t sum = 0xFF - sum(0x1B0:0x1BF)

Region code

Decryption

int getRegionFlags()
{
	// read kek
	uint8_t key508[8];
	ksGetKey(key508, 508);
	
	// read saved seed from eeprom
	uint8_t keyseed[10];
	eepromRead(227, sizeof(keyseed), keyseed);
	
	// read encrypted region from eeprom
	uint8_t ciphertext[10];
	eepromRead(232, sizeof(ciphertext), ciphertext);
	
	// generate key
	uint8_t key[8];
	desEncrypt(key508, keyseed, key);
	
	// decrypt ciphertext
	uint8_t plaintext[8];
	desDecrypt(key, ciphertext, plaintext);
	
	uint16_t crc = *(uint16_t *) plaintext;
	crc += *(uint16_t *) &plaintext[2];
	crc += *(uint16_t *) &plaintext[4];
	
	// check checksum
	if (crc  == *(uint16_t *) &plaintext[6])
		return *(uint32_t *) plaintext;
	
	retrun 0;
}

Bits

Bit	Description
0	Japan
1	USA
2	Europe
3	Oceania
4	Asia
5	Russia
6	China
7	Mexico
16	Development (changes MagicGate keys)
17	Retail MagicGate keys on Development, bypass BootCertify
18	Arcade (changes MagicGate keys)
19	Prototype? (changes MagicGate keys)
20	? (dvd related)

i.Link ID

Offset		Size	Description
0x1E0		0xA	i.Link ID
Console id	0x1E0	1	EMCS ID. Id of plant, where the console was manufactured. Can be restored from the console sticker. 0x10 - SKZ (SONY KISARAZU, Japan), 0x11 SKD (SONY KOHDA, Japan), 0x18 - S.EMCS (Japan) only seen for PSX DESR, 0x20 - FOXC (Foxconn, China), 0x21 - FOXC (Foxconn, China), 0x30 - SZMT (SuZhou MainTek), 0x40 - S WUXI, only seen for SCPH-50009. Difference between 0x21 and 0x20 is unknown, 0x21 appeared in 2007-2008. EMCS ID (0x20-0x21) changed somewhere in 77k era, early 77k were still with 0x20, while older 77k already has 0x21. EMCS ID almost always is printed on sticker - this is first 2-digits in the barcode.
	0x1E2	3	Model ID. Can be calculated from Console Model ID (0x1F0-0x1F1) = ConsoleModelID + 0x200001
	0x1E4	3	i.Link ID. Can be calculated from Console Serial Number (0x1F4-0x1F6) = 0xFFFFFF - SerialNumber
	0x1E7	1	Unknown. 0xB0 on PSX DESR units, 0x80 on all other units.
	0x1E8	1	Null.
	0x1E9	1	uint8_t sum = 0xFF - sum(0x1E0:0x1E7)

Console id

Offset		Size	Description
0x1F0		0xA	Console ID
	0x1F0	2	Console Model ID. Unique per model number, color and edition. Can be restored from the console sticker. 0xd301 - 0xd37f reserved for DTL/TEST units, 0xd380 - 0xd400 reserved for PSX DESR units, 0xd401 - 0xd48f reserved for retail units. Full list isn't yet collected, currently it contains more than 100 collected IDs.
	0x1F2	2	0x0111 - always. In pre-Dragon units known as SDMI Company ID.
	0x1F4	3	Console Serial Number (in dec). Can be restored from the console sticker.
	0x1F7	1	EMCS ID. Id of plant, where the console was manufactured. Can be restored from the console sticker. 0x10 - SKZ (SONY KISARAZU, Japan), 0x11 SKD (SONY KOHDA, Japan), 0x18 - S.EMCS (Japan) only seen for PSX DESR, 0x20 - FOXC (Foxconn, China), 0x21 - FOXC (Foxconn, China), 0x30 - SZMT (SuZhou MainTek), 0x40 - S WUXI, only seen for SCPH-50009. Difference between 0x21 and 0x20 is unknown, 0x21 appeared in 2007-2008. EMCS ID (0x20-0x21) changed somewhere in 77k era, early 77k were still with 0x20, while older 77k already has 0x21. EMCS ID almost always is printed on sticker - this is first 2-digits in the barcode.
	0x1F8	1	Null.
	0x1F9	1	uint8_t sum = 0xFF - sum(0x1F0:0x1F7)

Config 0 (EEGS)

Offset		Size	Description
0x270		0x40	Config 0 (EEGS)
EEGS	0x270	1	Unknown, 0x00 or 0x01 or 0x02, looks like it controls HDD
	0x271	1	Unknown, 0x03 or 0x00
	0x272	13	Unknown, always zero
	0x27F	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x270-0x27E)
	0x280	1	bit 7, enable/disable networking features, always = 1, if cleared will show all network devices as disabled
	0x281	3	Unknown, always zero
	0x284	1	Unknown, always zero. In elec tool, March 2003, 0xC0 bitmask is compared to check if console is PAL, but no real console were found with that bitmask
	0x285	1	bit 5, 1=pal, 0=ntsc, 0x10 bitmask is compared to check if console is PAL
	0x286	9	Unknown, always zero
	0x28F	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x280-0x28E)
	0x290	15	Unknown
	0x29F	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x290-0x29E)
	0x2A0	15	Unknown
	0x2AF	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x2A0-0x2AE)
	0x2B0	15	Unknown
	0x2BF	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x2B0-0x2BE)

Config 1 (OSD)

Offset		Size	Description
0x2B0		0x70	Config 1 (OSD)
Config 1 (OSD)	0x2B0	1	PS1 (ps1drv settings) Unknown, mostly zero
	0x2B1	14	Unused, the rest of PS1 block, always zero
	0x2BF	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x2B0-0x2BE)
	0x2C0	15	PS2
	0x2C0	bit 0	spdif: 0=enabled, 1=disabled handled by OSD
		bit 1-2	Aspct: Aspect Ration 0=4:3, 1=fullscreen, 2=16:9, 3=unused, handled by OSD
		bit 3	Video: 0=rgb(scart), 1=component, handled by OSD
		bit 4	oldLang: always set to 1. Leftover from older OSD configuration block, left for compatibility.
		bit 5	currentVersion: 0-standard languages, 1-extended languages: Simplified Chinese, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese
		bit 6-7	unused: 0-always zero
	0x2C1	bit 0-4	newLang, handled by OSD, Japanese=0,English=1,French=2,Spanish=3,German=4,Italian=5,Dutch=6,Portugese=7, Russian=8,Korean=9,Traditional Chinese=10,Simplified Chinese=11, 12-31 unused
		bit 5-7	maxVersion: 2=Dragon,1=Pre-Dragon (not used), 0 Unknown, 3-7 unused
	0x2C2	bit 0-2	TimeZoneH: Timezone minutes offset from GMT, higher 3 bits, total 11 bit, handled by OSD
		bit 3	SummerTime: 0=standard(winter), 1=daylight savings(summer), handled by OSD
		bit 4	TimeNotation: 0=24 hour, 1=12 hour, handled by OSD
		bit 5-6	DateNotation: 0=YYYYMMDD, 1=MMDDYYYY, 2=DDMMYYYY, 3-Unused, handled by OSD
		bit 7	Init: 0=OOBE, 1=normal, 0 - will start OSD Initialization on next boot
	0x2C3	1	TimeZoneL: Timezone minutes offset from GMT, lower 5 bits, total 11 bit, handled by OSD
	0x2C4	bit 0	TimeZoneCityH: Timezone ID, higher 1 bit, total 9 bit, handled by OSD
		bit 1-3	Unknown, Value is carried over
		bit 4	dvdpProgressive: 0=disabled, 1=enabled Whether the DVD player should have progressive scanning enabled, handled by DVD Player
		bit 5	rcSupported: always 1=enabled, Whether the Remote Control is supported by the PlayStation 2. Unknown how 0=disabled will affect.
		bit 6	rcGameFunction: 0=disabled, 1=enabled, Remote Control Game Function On/Of, handled by OSD
		bit 7	rcEnabled: 0=disabled, 1=enabled, Remote Control On/Off option, handled by OSD
	0x2C5	1	TimeZoneCityL: Timezone ID, lower 8 bits, total 9 bit, handled by OSD
	0x2C6	9	Unused, always zero
	0x2CF	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x2C0-0x2CE)
	0x2D0	15	Unknown
	0x2DF	1	int8_t sum = sum(0x2D0-0x2DE)
	0x2E0	15	Unknown
	0x2EF	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x2E0-0x2EE)
	0x2F0	15	Unknown
	0x2FF	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x2F0-0x2FE)
	0x300	15	Unknown
	0x30F	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x300-0x30E)
	0x310	15	Unknown
	0x31F	1	uint8_t sum = sum(0x310-0x31E)

Rom patch

Decryption

bool readAndDecryptRomPatch()
{
	// read the patch's first half
	uint8_t patches[0xDE];
	eepromRead(400, 0x70, patches);
	
	// check if the -1th byte is 0 (sum is not checked)
	if (patches[0x6E])
		return false;

	// read the patch's second half
	eepromRead(456, 0x70, &patches[0x6E]);
	
	// check if the -1th byte is 0 (sum is not checked)
	if (patches[0xDC])
		return false;

	// read encryption key
	uint8_t key504[8];
	ksGetKey(key504, 504);
	
	// decrypt the patch using DES-ECB
	for (int i = 0; i < 0xD8; i += 8)
		desDecrypt(key504, &patches[i], &patches[i]);

	// check sum
	uint32_t sum = *(uint32_t *)patches;
	sum += *(uint32_t *)&patches[4];
	sum += *(uint32_t *)&patches[8];
	sum += *(uint32_t *)&patches[12];

	if (*(uint32_t *) &patches[0xD8] == ~sum)
		return false;
		
	return true;
}

Content

The patch can contain up to 4 patches.

addressX = The address where to apply the patch

valueX = The data that's written there

svc_addressX = The address where SVC X instruction jumps to.

payload = Arbitrary, could be code or data as well.

Offset	Size	Name
0x00	0x04	address0
0x04	0x04	address1
0x08	0x04	address2
0x0C	0x04	address3
0x10	0x04	value0
0x14	0x04	value1
0x18	0x04	value2
0x1C	0x04	value3
0x20	0x04	svc_address0
0x24	0x04	svc_address1
0x28	0x04	svc_address2
0x2C	0x04	svc_address3
0x30	0xA8	payload
0xD8	0x04	crc