.FLYINGHEAD HACKING THE PSP
.TITLE The hows and whys of hacking the PSP
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY There are a multitude of reasons for hacking Sony’s Playstation Portable, but the most basic is that the PSP is capable of so much more than Sony has allowed. In this introductory article, Editor-at-Large James Booth covers the hows and whys of hacking the Sony PSP.
.OTHER
As neat a device as the PSP is, why would you want to hack it? There are a multitude of reasons, but the most basic is that the PSP is capable of so much more than Sony has allowed. In this introductory article, I will show you the hows and whys of hacking the Sony PSP in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A Sony’s mobile gaming platform the Playstation Portable, or PSP.
.H1 What is hacking?
As many of you are aware, hacking can have many meanings, from illegally gaining access to a program, network, or IT infrastructure, to a crude attempt at chopping with a bladed object. In this particular instance, hacking refers to the modification of a program or device in order to give the user access to features that were otherwise unavailable.
.BREAK_EMAIL Learn more about hacking the PSP by clicking here.
Hacking can be physical, in that a physical modification can be made to one or more components that alter how the object functions. Or hacking can be software-based, where the operating system, a program, or feature is subverted via utilization of some utility or developer backdoor. In hacking the PSP, we will be using a combination of both methods.
.H1 Why hack the PSP?
By hacking the PSP you will be able to install customized firmware and utilize features of the device the common user otherwise could not. It’s no secret that by hacking the PSP users can install pirated software, in fact, hacking is the only way this can be accomplished; but this article will not cover the use of illegal or pirated software on the PSP, nor will it provide information on how to obtain pirated software.
There is a real gray area regarding making copies of titles a person legally owns. Depending on where you live, it may or may not be a violation of the law to make backup copies. Any information gleaned from this article that may be used to create a backup is solely for informational purposes only.
One particular feature I’ve been able to utilize by hacking my PSP is to install a screenshot utility. Normally, there is no way to take a screenshot on the PSP, leaving you with no means of proving that awesome score to your friends, or capturing an image for an article or strategy guide.
Another utility I’ve made use of allows me to calibrate the analog stick of the PSP; a handy piece of software considering I’m rather hard on them. As they begin to drift I can recalibrate the stick to get a bit more life out of an analog stick that would otherwise need to be replaced.
Other utilities that can be loaded on the PSP are PIM (Personal Information Manager) organizers, e-book or PDF readers, a variety of user-created games, and other this-and-that programs or utilities. In fact, Sony has hindered the capabilities of the PSP quite dramatically by maintaining strict control over the commercially available software. But as in many fields, the user community has decided they want more from the device, and have taken steps to make that possible.
.H1 Can you hack?
I must tell you straight off… there are some versions of the PSP that simply cannot be hacked; yet. The PSP 3000, which is the model currently available on the retail market, cannot be hacked; at least not in the manner described here. Nor can certain models of the PSP 2000/Slim; and it can be somewhat difficult to determine whether or not you have a hackable model of the Slim. Of course, I can only imagine the recently debuted PSP Go is also unhackable. And from Sony’s perspective, the motivation to inhibit device hacking is as a deterrent to piracy.
Regarding the PSP 2000/Slims that are not hackable… it is the model of motherboard that prevents the hack. Unfortunately, there are only a few methods of determining whether or not you have the unhackable TA-88v3 motherboard. Oddly, several of the methods I’ve come across to determine the motherboard model involve the unit already being hacked, which is kind of like putting the cart before the horse.
I was able to determine my motherboard model while I had the unit open for an analog stick replacement. Figure B shows that by lifting the heat shield on the motherboard, you can find out which model it is; in this case a TA-085.
.FIGPAIR B Find the model number of the motherboard.
I’ve also read that attempting to hack a TA-88v3 model can either do nothing at all, or render the device completely useless; so you’re taking the viability of the device into your own hands if you’re uncertain of its model.
Otherwise, all PSP 1000/Fat (the original PSP), and most varieties of the PSP 2000/Slim can be hacked to accept custom firmware. Be aware that opening the PSP to find the model number will void the warranty, while merely hacking, or installing a custom firmware will not. And the custom firmware can be undone simply by downloading and installing the most recent official firmware from Sony.
.H1 How to hack
Hacking a PSP to accept custom firmware is actually a rather simple procedure. The only required tools are a Pandora battery and a Memory Stick with the custom firmware, what is referred to as a Magic Memory Stick.
Pandora batteries can be made from either a Fat or Slim battery, or purchased already made. When making your own, it’s best to only use a Sony-branded battery in order to ensure continuity in parts. Understand, once a battery has been physically modded into a Pandora battery, the change is permanent and it can no longer be used as an ordinary battery. Some ready-made Pandora batteries have an additional circuit and button that allows the battery to switch from normal to Pandora, others are hardwired as strictly Pandora.
.H1 The Pandora battery
I chose to use a Fat battery from a PSP 1000 for two reasons, first, it seemed as though the procedure could be undone with some handy soldering, and second, I had a spare one to play with. Turns out it actually can’t be undone due to the tiny nature of the circuit you’ll be severing, so don’t use your primary or only battery.
Also understand, the procedure outlined here for creating a Pandora battery is only for the Fat battery used in the PSP 1000/Fat model, and not the Slim batteries used in the PSP 2000/Slim models. That is an entirely different procedure.
Using a razor blade/box cutter/X-acto knife, carefully slice around the seam of the battery case. If you do it right, the case will easily fit back together and can be glued closed once finished. With the battery in the orientation shown in Figure C, locate the specified chip and sever the bottom right lead.
.FIGPAIR C Cut the bottom right lead of the chip to create a Pandora battery.
For informational purposes the images of the battery and its components are considerably larger that what you will find when you actually open the battery. That lead is quite tiny, hair-like actually. I scraped it with the tip of a needle to cut it. Be careful you only sever that lead.
I’ve read tutorials that stated another circuit needed to be severed or unsoldered for either safety reasons, or to complete the procedure, but cutting only that lead worked for me to create a Pandora battery.
.H1 The Magic Memory Stick
Before you create your Magic Memory Stick it would be a good idea to copy the contents of your Memory Stick if you’re using your primary or only one. Later, these files can be copied back once the procedure is complete.
You’ll need a utility to create the Magic Memory Stick, which will then be used to install the custom firmware by flashing the ROM on the PSP. There are many utilities available to complete this step, but I used one called PSP Pandora Deluxe. You’ll also need the custom firmware files you wish to install. For this install I used custom firmware 5.00 M33-4. Likely, you will be able to locate the Magic Memory Stick utility and firmware files in the same location.
I’m using firmware 5.00 M33-4 as PSP Pandora Deluxe is set up to use this particular version. Once the firmware is flashed to the PSP you can update it with a more recent custom firmware.
If you choose to use PSP Pandora Deluxe, you should know that it will not work on Windows Vista. I tried using it in Windows XP Compatibility mode and disabling some of the features, but it still would not work on Vista; at least not on my Tablet PC running Vista Business. I had no problems with it on an XP machine though.
Once installed and running, PSP Pandora Deluxe will ask you to verify your Memory Stick drive. This procedure can be done with the Stick in the PSP and connected via USB, or in a card reader, you just need to make sure you have the correct drive letter. You’ll need to select which firmware to load, and the location to which you saved the file.
Select the M33 option under PSP Information, and select all three check boxes under Memory Card Options. Be sure to take note of the proper button to press during the Pandora procedure as shown in the right-side area, in this case the Left Trigger, as we will be using Despertar Cementerio v8. Figure D shows a screen capture of this step of the procedure.
.FIGPAIR D Use this screen capture as a reference.
Next click the Install Options tab and select Despertar Cementerio v8 as shown in Figure E; this is the one appropriate for custom firmware 5.00 M33-4.
.BEGIN_KEEP
.FIGPAIR E Select Despertar v8.
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You’re now ready to prepare the Magic Memory Stick by clicking the Start button. The software will read and test the stick, then display the message in Figure F.
.FIGPAIR F Follow the instructions to create a Magic Memory Stick.
Once the procedure is complete you can close the software, remove the Memory Stick from your card reader if you used one, or disconnect the PSP from the computer.
.H1 Flashing the ROM
The final step is to flash the ROM of your PSP using the Pandora battery and the Magic Memory Stick. Insert the Pandora battery and the Stick into PSP. You may or may not need to activate the Power button to begin the boot process. Once the green Power light on the PSP lights up, press the appropriate button for the Despertar version you’re using, in this case the Left Trigger; you may need to press the X button at the same time to enter the flash menu shown in Figure G.
.FIGPAIR G The flash menu will install the custom firmware.
Press the X button to install the selected 5.00 M33 custom firmware. Once complete you’ll need to reboot or shutdown the PSP. At this point the memory has been flashed with the custom firmware and you can reformat the Memory Stick and copy your data files back.
.H1 What to do with custom firmware
Now that your PSP has custom firmware installed you can update it to a custom firmware with a higher version, as some games and software will require one. A higher version will also be required to access the Playstation Store from the PSP.
You can now install handy utilities such as a PDF reader, screen capture, or any other programs designed to make the use of your PSP much easier and efficient. You’ll likely find these Homebrew games, applications, and utilities at the same location you found the custom firmware and Magic Memory Stick creation utility.
And if you ever change your mind about having custom firmware, all you need to do is download and install the most recent official firmware from Sony.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about [[http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP|the Sony Playstation Portable]].
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