Filed under: Games, Features, Windows, Freeware, How-Tos
Mod your PSP the easy way
by Ian Dumych Mar 5th 2008 at 11:00PM
In our last column, we covered the history behind the PSP homebrew scene. We hope that this has whetted your appetite, because today we will show you how you can enjoy the homebrew phenomenon on your own PSP!As with any community created technology, PSP homebrew can be overwhelming, especially when you are new to it. Many people become confused and frustrated when searching for information on how to do things such as modding their PSP. We at Download Squad don't think you should have to spend a whole weekend getting to know Google better, so we did the hard work for you. We searched, cussed, and scratched out heads for weeks to deliver you this, the simplest and most painless guide possible, a full solution that will work on ANY PSP and ANY firmware, and even on "bricked" PSPs!
There are many ways to accomplish this task, but we believe this is the easiest. You will need the following:
Before you do anything, make sure the battery is fully charged. Then, to make the "jigkick" battery, you will need to pry it open with a screw driver. Do it carefully, you don't want to poke the cells! Once you get it open, you need to cut one of the connections on the board. If you have a soldering iron, you can always reconnect it later.
Once you have severed that leg, put the battery back together, and set it aside.
Now, you will need Catb50 Team's Magic Memory Stick creator. A magic memory stick is basically a boot disk for the PSP, and the battery is what makes the PSP read it. Download the full 60 MB version, and extract the files somewhere. Run the program, and follow the simple on-screen prompts. The program will format your Memory stick, so make sure to back up your files!
Once the program finishes it's work, you will have a magic memory stick with a program called Despertar del Cementerio, which is by far the simplest way to install custom firmware. Unplug your PSP from the USB and Power, and take out the battery if there is one. With the magic memory stick inserted, quickly and carefully insert the jickkick battery, and put the lid on. Put the PSP down carefully, and wait for it to boot. When prompted, press the X button (called "cross" in the app). Watch in wonder as the files are installed to your PSP! When the installer finishes, you may put in your spare battery, or plug the PSP in.
Congratulations! You now have a homebrew capable PSP. For some reason, some PSPs, especially Slims, lock up the first time you boot them after installing custom firmware. To fix this, hold down the power switch to shut down the PSP completely, and then turn it back on, holding down the L and R buttons. Use the D pad to select Advanced settings, and then select and press X on "Format flash1 and reset all settings". Click back, and then Exit. Everything should be working fine now.
Stay tuned for our next article, when we will tell you about the best PSP homebrew apps to play with!
- One PSP (duh)
- one "phat" SONY battery (must be official SONY, designed for the original non slim PSP)
- A soldering iron or clipper of some sort
- A spare battery, any sort
- A memory stick (for installation files)
Before you do anything, make sure the battery is fully charged. Then, to make the "jigkick" battery, you will need to pry it open with a screw driver. Do it carefully, you don't want to poke the cells! Once you get it open, you need to cut one of the connections on the board. If you have a soldering iron, you can always reconnect it later.
Once you have severed that leg, put the battery back together, and set it aside.
Now, you will need Catb50 Team's Magic Memory Stick creator. A magic memory stick is basically a boot disk for the PSP, and the battery is what makes the PSP read it. Download the full 60 MB version, and extract the files somewhere. Run the program, and follow the simple on-screen prompts. The program will format your Memory stick, so make sure to back up your files!
Once the program finishes it's work, you will have a magic memory stick with a program called Despertar del Cementerio, which is by far the simplest way to install custom firmware. Unplug your PSP from the USB and Power, and take out the battery if there is one. With the magic memory stick inserted, quickly and carefully insert the jickkick battery, and put the lid on. Put the PSP down carefully, and wait for it to boot. When prompted, press the X button (called "cross" in the app). Watch in wonder as the files are installed to your PSP! When the installer finishes, you may put in your spare battery, or plug the PSP in.
Congratulations! You now have a homebrew capable PSP. For some reason, some PSPs, especially Slims, lock up the first time you boot them after installing custom firmware. To fix this, hold down the power switch to shut down the PSP completely, and then turn it back on, holding down the L and R buttons. Use the D pad to select Advanced settings, and then select and press X on "Format flash1 and reset all settings". Click back, and then Exit. Everything should be working fine now.
Stay tuned for our next article, when we will tell you about the best PSP homebrew apps to play with!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sicsided said 11:51PM on 3-05-2008
do you really need the battery hack to install the program?
Reply
Tom said 11:58PM on 3-05-2008
I hate that you can't use replies here at DS. But no, you don't need to do the battery trick IF your psp is still software upgradable to a hackable version. If you have a newer fatty, or a slim, you will need to do so. There's tons of guides on maxconsole and pspupdates.qj.net, but it really depends on you having a psp with like, 2.7 or so on it still. You can then upgrade to a hackable version, then downgrade to 1.5, then upgrade to 3.51 OE-A, then upgrade to 3.71 OE-A, or something like that.
It was an annoying process, but I did it. And I need to do it for the other PSPs I own.
Reply
Matthew Pollard said 4:12AM on 3-06-2008
You don't need to break your battery - lookup Datel Tool on amazon.
Reply
Anon112 said 10:23PM on 3-06-2008
Oh DS, please read more before you write. Your both PSP articles are not quite reliable. You just post for the hype.. And if you want to jump on PSP bandwagon, you really need to research more. This post is just 'old news'. (So old that you could call it AULD)
Reply
Brad Linder said 9:05AM on 3-06-2008
Tom: We're working on the reply problem. We had them for a little while, but we're experiencing a little technical glitch. They'll be back soon.
Reply
Willie said 4:59PM on 3-06-2008
I have a dgraded PSP and I really don't see how this could be called 'the easy way'.
Reply
James Roller said 2:34PM on 3-10-2008
I have a new PSP Slim w/3.80 firmware. I understand the basics of the Pandora battery and the magic stick (I think). This guide lists the requirements to include the "phat" Sony battery. Wouldn't I need the "slim" Sony battery?? Can't I just purchase a Pandora battery to skip this step?? These are probably "obvious" questions but I am new to the PSP world and have already read numerous, and I mean numerous, conflicting comments. Thanks!
Reply
awesemoo said 7:01PM on 3-11-2008
me too new to the game..but i have red that you can do it with an original psp lite battery taken my apart and it doesn't look that hard to cut off that little leg..
thing is if only the whole walk through was a bit more noob friendly.. do i need two batteries? when and where do i leave the catb 50 files .. i'ts all a bit too vague for someone that is doing it for the 1st time :(
can you break it down in easy 1. 2. 3. .... steps
as if you had just purchased one psp lite and wanted to modify it .. and one more thing with my psp lite..(and i havent done anything to it yet)
i tryed turning it off 5 sec's then on while pressing L or R or BOTH and nothing hapopens !!!
pls someone help
Reply
James Roller said 11:41AM on 3-28-2008
Just an update to my early posting. I purchased a Pandora Battery (phat - will work, just w/o battery cover) from Uxcell and then followed the instructions given above. Worked perfectly with no initial lock up (I have a slim). I now have firmware 3.80 M33-5 installed and am ready to exlpore the "homebrew world". Thanks for your help!
Reply
smelven said 4:18PM on 4-03-2008
Ok, I use to be good with PSPs i downgraded only two and fixed them when they weren't working. I would borrow my cousin's PSP for long periods of time but, recently he lost it for good. I stopped paying attention to the HB scene, but now i want a PSP of my own. the other PSP that i hacked is in the shop it belongs to another cousin's. i told him i would buy it if he got it back, but he one of those family members you only see on the holidays.
So I've been searching how to hack newer PSPs before i buy one and i went away from homebrew when the slims came out.
When i was looking for a little bit i read that i need a Homebrew capable PSP to make my own jigkick battery, it was called Pandora's battery though. I was wondering do i need a Homebrew capable PSP to use your method? or was that an old method?
Reply
zephroelectro said 4:17PM on 4-03-2008
Just a note for people with the original PSPs and a firmware lower than version 2.8..you don't need to bunny-hop upwards with each version of the custom firmwares, just to get the latest version installed.
Simply downgrade to version 1.5 and then upgrade to the latest custom firmware available.
Reply
izzo said 12:33PM on 4-14-2008
instead of breaking ur battery for one time use and buying a spare memory card, I tip some1 like 10 bucks to do it for me.
www.craiglist.org many offer cheap service.
unless u own like 10 PSP then its a different story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
dante said 3:12PM on 4-23-2008
i have fat psp with firmware 3.95 how do i downgrade to a hacked firmware i want to be able to download psone games
Reply
Ian Dumych said 3:13PM on 4-23-2008
I don't understand why you would ask a question like that when the entire point of this article is to do exactly what you just asked.
Dalton said 3:31PM on 5-13-2008
So I've completed almost all of the steps except for the last one. I ran Catb50 stick program, and formatted my memory stick and completed all of the steps. After I took away the power supply to my PSP and inserted the Pandora battery, nothing happened. The power light is turned on whenever I insert the battery but nothing. How long does it take for the battery to boot the memory stick and transfer the files?
Reply
Ian Dumych said 3:33PM on 5-13-2008
If the power light turns on but nothing else happens, something is wrong with the memory stick. Try researching a different method for preparing the memory stick. Normally, it takes about 2 seconds before the lights blink and the Pandora menu appears on the screen, after inserting the battery.
Dalton said 1:51PM on 5-14-2008
I hacked it using Dark_Alex's program. I recommend it for users who encountered the same problem as me. It worked perfectly with a few bonuses. After installing the custom firmware, like expected, my PSP Slim locked up. After booting, I held L+R during the start up and nothing happened. Then I researched and found out that you only need to hold R during the boot. So I did as you said and it works like a charm. I had to search for some Pandora battery pics because the battery pic you postedis set up differently from mine (original PSP1001 battery from launch day).
Anyways thanks for guiding me through my first PSP hack. I've been experimenting with it all day. I can't wait for the homebrew article... EMULATION RULES!!!
Reply
Ian Dumych said 1:52PM on 5-14-2008
Sorry it's taking me so long to get the homebrew guide out. I have a new router on the way, so hopefully it will work well and I'll be able to get that done. Thanks for reading!
faraz said 8:03PM on 5-29-2008
hi so i used my friends phat jitjick battery and put the files on the memory stick and when i put the phat battery(btw i have slim)and the memory stick it bricked and when i hloded l and r nothing happens
Reply