Question about PSP Pandora battery hack

[norkusa]

I've had my fat PSP since launch but I've been thinking about moving up to a new slim PSP. I already have 3.90 M33-3 on my fat and I'm going to make a Pandora battery + memory stick so I can get the custom firmware on the slim.

I've read up on how to make the Pandora battery & memory stick and it doesn't look that hard. Just a few questions before I start:

1. I know the new Sony PSP batteries are unhackable. Any way to tell the difference between the old and new ones? I've heard the unhackable ones are made in Japan (whereas the old were made in China). Is this still the case or are the Chinese batteries unhackable now too?

2. Also heard something about a new anti-Pandora motherboard on the slims. Not sure what this does though. Does it just not allow you to *create* a pandora battery/stick with the slim, or does it prevent you from actually using the Pandora hack on the slim?

[rurouni318]

I can help you out with the second question. The anti-Pandora motherboards just make it so that you cannot create a Pandora Battery on your PSP. You are still able to use the Battery to put the CFW on it.

As for the first question, I had bought a brand new offical Sony battery and it worked perfectly fine. I didn't have any problems creating the Pandora Battery, I did this back in Jan though and my battery hasn't let me down yet. I'm not too sure about the new batteries coming out, but I have not had any problems. Hope I helped out.

[zektor]

Yes, I recently purchased a Slim that has the latest motherboard that does not allow the MAKING of pandora batteries. I already had a pandora battery and was able to install 3.90 m33-3 just fine on it. As for the battery question, not sure there is any way externally to tell which batteries are able to be hacked. The new stamina batteries will definitely not work (tried them already) and you can definitely bet on any battery being released right now to be unhackable. But, the batteries sold right up to at least Dec 07 can pandora in my experience...even the slim versions. I soft modded a battery that came with a Daxter pack from around then. Eventually it will become harder and harder to get Sony batteries that are hackable, and the alternative will be Datel batteries and the like.

[norkusa]

Thanks a lot for the replies. I'll go to Gamestop and see if I can find any of the used Chinese batteries for sale. I guess if I end up getting an updated one, I can always use the one that came with my fat as the Pandora.

One more thing...do slim PSP's have the same dead pixel problems like the early fat ones did? Or is Sony using better LCD's now? I just don't want to worry about having to return it 3 or 4 times before I get one with a good screen since I went thru all that once already with my fat.

[zektor]

Thanks a lot for the replies. I'll go to Gamestop and see if I can find any of the used Chinese batteries for sale. I guess if I end up getting an updated one, I can always use the one that came with my fat as the Pandora.

One more thing...do slim PSP's have the same dead pixel problems like the early fat ones did? Or is Sony using better LCD's now? I just don't want to worry about having to return it 3 or 4 times before I get one with a good screen since I went thru all that once already with my fat.

I had to return my slim twice to get one dead pixel free. They are better, but the problem still exists. The slims I had previously only had one dead pixel each however...but still enough to bug the perfectionist in me More of a problem I would say is cosmetic. Seems MANY of the slims have the metal ring on the UMD door completely scratched up right out of the box. It must be some sort of manufacturing issue, but I have opened over a dozen (I mod systems for people frequently) that all had that issue. The first two I purchased had it too, but the one I kept without the dead pixels is perfect. Very odd.

You can always soft mod that battery back and forth with great ease. Look for the "Open Source Pandora Battery Tool" by cory1492. The app works great, and I have converted the same battery back and forth between pandora mode and standard battery mode dozens of times. Just do not use the backup/restore eeprom method as that is flakey. Simply use the "Convert to service mode" and "Convert to standard mode" options and you'll be just fine. When you want to convert the battery back, just boot the PSP with the wall charger plugged in and the battery OUT. Then after entering the XMB, pop the battery in and run the app....and convert to standard battery. Very easy to use tool...even works on the last revision slim units/batteries. You can always try to run it on your new slim and see if it works. If it does not it will just error out back to the XMB.

[ssjlance]

As said, the only thing you can't is make a Pandora. I have a fat myself, and I've used the one I've made to hack friends' PSPs. Just remember that some applications won't work as well on the slim because you can't install the 1.50 subset.

[zektor]

As said, the only thing you can't is make a Pandora. I have a fat myself, and I've used the one I've made to hack friends' PSPs. Just remember that some applications won't work as well on the slim because you can't install the 1.50 subset.

Actually, you can use time machine and use the 1.50 firmware on the slim, hence run older apps designated for that firmware...all but the apps that use IR (since the slim does not have the IR that the old unit does). But still, every app/emu that I ever used has been updated to the 3.xx firmware anyway, pretty much making the v1.50 subset kind of obsolete.

[norkusa]

Yeah, the only reason I've been holding onto my fat PSP is the 1.5 kernel. But now it seems like every homebrew app worth using has been re-written for 3.xx now, so I don't think I'll miss having it.

One more thing, what size memory stick do I need for the pandora? Some places say 512mb is the smallest you can use, but other places say 128mb & 256mb. So which is it?

[zektor]

I actually used the 32MB card that came with the original fat pack to make my original pandora stick, so 32MB would probably be the smallest you can use (to contain all files and the 3.90.PBP). Nowadays I use a 1GB for the task however....memory is just so cheap and dime a dozen at this point.

[Poofta!]

the new psp batteries that you cant hack are the slim ones. all official sony thick batteries work fine.

there are still dead pixels on the pspslim.

i never heard of 1.5 kernal running on a pspslim since the hardware is simply too different. there is an issue with video. 1.5 WILL run, but you wont see anything on hte screen.

[ProgrammingAce]

There's a mixed mode that combines 1.50 with 3.40 that lets 1.50 software work with the slim. You need to use time machine to run it. That being said, someone needs to port rRootage to 3.xx. That someone not being me.

[DOL_001]

I used a Sony 256mb card. The readme file for Pandora says 256mb is the smallest one you can use.

I bought my Slim brand new from Amazon a few months ago and it is perfect, no dead pixels.

As for running 1.5 on the Slim, I just use eLoader and it works fine.

[zektor]

the new psp batteries that you cant hack are the slim ones. all official sony thick batteries work fine.

As I said earlier, slim batteries (all those up to around Dec of last year) ARE hackable. I used OSPBT to soft mod quite a few of them, and they converted to service mode just fine. The ones release right now are not of course. If you buy a Daxter pack and the accessory box has some ads for other peripherals on it, that is the newer release with the unhackable battery. I only learned all of this from personal modding experience