Is the DMS EZI any good?

[Morph]

I have heard that this chip has all sorts of problems due to its simple means of installation, can anyone who has bought this chip share their experiences...
Cheers

[Hysteria]

Hmm I have recently been recommended this and got one sitting on my table at home. I hope it doesnt have any problems ! Its suppose to be `really` good?

Its still sitting on my table as after I read the installation guide I decided I better let someone with some computer sense to fit it :/

[sj33]

I have one myself.

First of all, while it's not 'difficult' to install as such, there's no margin for error. You *have* to take your time. If it takes all day, it takes all day. Your basically clipping plastic clips onto the components (bios chip etc) of your PS2! If you get clumsy, you could break them). First time I installed it, I actually bent some of the pins on the DSP chip in my haste >_< Got a needle, straightened them out, sorted! But that's really the only risk in the installation process. You *have* to be prepared to be prepared to troubleshoot if problems occur, spend some time fiddling with your installation, and try various things out.

But on the other hand, you are rewarded with a fully modded PS2 that does everything. you will never need to open your machine again.

I managed to install it, and that's saying something! It's not a difficult install really, you just gotta be careful.
I recommend people go to the webpage, download the manual anc check out the installation process for themselves. If they think it looks too much for them, stick to swap discs/flip tops.

Overall though, it's a fantastic chip that does anything and everything (including booting games from HDD if you have the Pro).

(Anyone who does choose to install this, I can talk them through it over messengers).

[will2003]

I have heard that this chip has all sorts of problems due to its simple means of installation

Clip kits of any sort are, and always have been, a totally stupid idea. Clip kits are originally designed for attaching to ICs in situ on a live board, for testing purposes. They are *not* designed as a permanent means to connect to a component. As well as being very easy to cause damage to the ICs, as the guy on this thread found out, they can and often do start to behave very oddly after a while - usually due to oxidisation on the contacts where they meet the IC legs, and also expansion and contraction of the plastic clip frame itself, with heat and age. PS2 run very hot anyway, which compounds this problem.

The clips are having to connect to ICs with incredibly fine leg pitch, especially the DSP clip. The extremely high quality clips used on professional IC test equipment are very, very expensive. Hundreds of pounds expensive. If you look what you get for your money in the EZI package, it's a lot of kit for the money - there is no way the clips are of a good quality, it would make the EZI mod very expensive if they were. Call me a cynic, but I'll be very surprised if people don't experience all the same problems that happened with all those cheap Magic chip clip kits at some point in the future.

[will2003]

First of all, while it's not 'difficult' to install as such, there's no margin for error. You *have* to take your time. If it takes all day, it takes all day.


You *have* to be prepared to be prepared to troubleshoot if problems occur, spend some time fiddling with your installation, and try various things out.

Yeah, I've heard this from other people too... kind of defeats the "EZI" aspect of it all, a bit...

[sj33]

Indeed, 'Effort Zero Installation my ass' was the first thing I thought when I finished installing it! That said, it wasn't really that difficult to install really... I expect most people here will manage it... it's just not something a 'n00b' should be trying.

As for your comments about the clips... I daresay you are right. Then again, that's really the worst case scenario. All I can tell you is that so far it's never failed me. I'm loving this thing, and find it to be well worth the money.

A solderless solution will never, ever be as secure or solid as a solder solution. But at the end of the day, you get all of the features of the solder modchips (including some exclusive to the DMS4 Pro range, such as ToxicOS), without having to touch a soldering iron at all. For people like me who can't use soldering irons due to shakey hands when soldering, this is a godsend.