PC CARD CompactFlash
Early Japanese PS2 models have a PCMCIA slot. With a CompactFlash card (or an SD card through a CF bridge) in it, Launchstation can browse the card and move files on and off it. This is file management only: programs and games cannot be launched from it.
The driver is adapted from the PS2CF project and passes its host tests, but it has not yet been confirmed on a physical SCPH-10000, 15000 or 18000 with this build. Treat it as test-only, keep backups, and report results with your exact adapter, card and console.
When the device appears
The PC CARD CF card (cf0:; cf: is accepted as an alias) is listed only on consoles whose ROM identifies the early Japanese retail family: ROM versions 1.00, 1.01, 1.10 and 1.20 with the Japanese retail region marker. DESR/PSX, development, arcade, later retail and unknown ROMs are not eligible. This is a first hint only: the IOP driver independently checks the hardware family, that no DEV9 driver is resident, that a card is present and that its CIS says it is a fixed (ATA) disk. A LAN PC card or an empty slot is rejected before any ATA command is sent. In the recovery boot (hold SELECT) the card is listed on every console, with the status Unsupported console model or Disabled in safe mode, and is never powered.
Hardware you need
- A compatible PCMCIA Type II CompactFlash adapter, or a CF card in one. An SD or microSD card can be used through an SD-to-CF bridge; compatibility depends on the bridge.
- The card needs an MBR partition table with a FAT32 or exFAT volume. Other filesystems show FAT32/exFAT volume not found.
- Capacity is shown on the card (for example 3.7 GB capacity). The driver supports LBA28 and LBA48 transfers (covered by host tests with modelled cards); behaviour with real large cards is unverified.
How to use it
- Insert the card, then open PC CARD CF in the Files tab device cards. Launchstation reserves the PC CARD bus, loads the BDM modules and the CF driver, and probes
cf0:/for up to two seconds. - Browse, Copy / Cut / Paste, create folders, rename and delete as on USB. Text files open in the Text Editor. File operations stop with a clear message if the card goes offline.
- To start something you copied, copy it to USB, a memory card or another supported device first.
Status lines
| Status | Meaning / action |
|---|---|
| Not connected (dim) | Not checked yet; open the card. |
| Ready (PCMCIA) | Mounted and online. |
| No compatible CF adapter | The probe ran and found no supported fixed-disk card. |
| CF card offline or I/O fault | The card was removed or an I/O error latched the driver offline. |
| PC CARD / DEV9 bus busy | A DEV9 stack (HDD, exFAT HDD, network) is already using the bus. Reset the IOP first. |
| Unsupported console model / Disabled in safe mode | Shown only in the recovery boot. |
Limits
- No launching. ELF/KELF, Neutrino ISOs, POPStarter VCDs, Ember games and Start with arguments are blocked from
cf:with “Direct launch unsupported” or “Launching executables or game images directly from PC CARD CF is not supported yet”. Virtual memory card mounting from CF is disabled too. - One bus owner. The CF driver owns the PCMCIA/DEV9 bus. It refuses to start if HDD, exFAT HDD, network or UDPFS drivers are resident, and those loaders refuse once CF owns the bus. Only a real IOP reset (Tools > Reboot IOP, or a stack change) releases the reservation.
- No safe-remove. The driver can be powered off for reset or launch, but that is not an eject: filesystem state is not flushed for removal and a same-session re-probe is not supported. Do not remove the card while Launchstation is using it; power off or reboot first.
- Transfers with DEV9 devices are refused. Copying between CF and internal HDD, exFAT HDD, SMB, UDPFS,
host:or PSX flash/DVR shows “Incompatible drivers to perform action”. Use USB or a memory card as the middle step. - Never auto-started and never powered in safe mode.
- Before any ELF launch, reset or Ember hand-off the CF driver is asked to power down; if that request fails the signer, Ember and ELF hand-offs abort rather than continue.
Troubleshooting
- No PC CARD CF card. Your console is not in the eligible ROM set. Hold SELECT at boot to see it with its reason.
- “No compatible CF adapter”. Re-seat the card, try a different adapter or card, and check it is a fixed-disk (not network) PC card.
- “PC CARD / DEV9 bus busy”. Use Tools > Reboot IOP, then open PC CARD CF before any other DEV9 device.
- “FAT32/exFAT volume not found”. Re-partition with an MBR table and FAT32 or exFAT on a PC.
- Odd data after write. Back up first, run a file-system check on a PC, and report the card, adapter and console.
Credits
The CF PIO/ATA foundation comes from PS2CF by mihhru (pinned upstream commit recorded in the repository’s iop/pccf/VENDORED.md), under the licences listed there.