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+---
+date: "2008-02-16T15:37:32Z"
+title: Custom Firmware on the PSP
+---
+
+<p>Last night I installed a custom firmware (CFW) on my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation&#95;Portable">PSP</a>.  The
+custom firmwares allow you to run unsigned homebrew (e.g. non-Sony
+sanctioned) applications.  </p>
+
+<h2>Applications</h2>
+
+<p>The PSP homebrew community has been pretty active; there are several
+useful applications and emulators for lots of older systems.  There are
+even emulators for obscure systems like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColecoVision">ColecoVision</a> and
+<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo&#95;Geo&#95;%28console%29">Neo Geo</a>.  </p>
+
+<p>Here's what works for me so far, in no particular order:</p>
+
+<ul>
+<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vnc">VNC</a> client</li>
+<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ssh">SSH</a> client</li>
+<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo&#95;Geo&#95;%28console%29">Super Nintendo (SNES)</a> emulator </li>
+<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game&#95;Boy&#95;Color">Game Boy Color</a> emulator</li>
+<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOS">MS-DOS</a> emulator</li>
+<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J2me">J2ME/MIDP</a> emulator (e.g Mobile Java, or the crappy games on
+your cell phone)</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>I also tried the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega&#95;genesis">Genesis</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo&#95;Entertainment&#95;System">NES</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N64">N64</a> emulators, but they
+aren't working yet.  Here's a picture of the SNES emulator at work:</p>
+
+<table>
+<tr><td>
+  <a href='http://pablotron.org/files/20080216-psp_cfw/snes.jpg'><img 
+  src='http://pablotron.org/files/20080216-psp_cfw/snes-thumb.jpg'
+  title="Playing SNES on a PSP" alt="Playing SNES on a PSP"
+  width="642" height="482" border="0" /></a>
+</td></tr>
+<tr><td style='text-align: center; font-size: 9pt'>
+  Playing SNES on a PSP
+</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>The custom firmware also allows you to dump <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal&#95;Media&#95;Disc">UMDs</a> and run them
+from a memory stick.  Since it's pretty much impossible to fit a PSP and
+8 UMDs in the your pockets without looking like a complete tool, I'm
+going to offload as many UMDs as I can into the 3GB remaining on my
+memory stick.</p>
+
+<p>The next section explains the firmware installation process.  If you
+don't have a PSP, you may still find my creatively ominous safety
+warnings entertaining.</p>
+
+<h2>Installation</h2>
+
+<p>Installing the custom firmware varies in complexity depending on the
+model of PSP model and version of the original firmware.  If you're
+fortunate enough to have an older "phat" PSP (e.g. the larger black
+model) that's running firmware 1.00 or 1.50, then installing the custom
+firmware is fairly straightforward.  </p>
+
+<p>If you know someone with a PSP who already has the custom firmware
+installed, then the installation process is still easy enough, because
+they can use their PSP to help you with yours. </p>
+
+<p>If you've got a newer PSP Slim (the smaller white model, like the one in
+the picture above) and/or are running a newer firmware, then there are
+no easy options left, so get ready for the comically unpleasant
+experience below.</p>
+
+<p>In order to install the custom firmware, you'll need a spare battery and
+a spare memory stick.  For the love of Douglas Adams, <b>please do not
+use this post as a guide!</b>  There are several web sites
+(<a href="http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2665424&amp;userid=0&amp;perpage=40&amp;pagenumber=1">here</a> and <a href="http://forums.qj.net/f-psp-homebrew-and-hacks-help-21/t-guide-unbrick-a-psp-slim-or-classic-122651.html">here</a>) that cover the entire installation
+process in far more detail and with the appropriate safety precautions.
+<b>If you mess this up you will turn your PSP into a lifeless and
+possibly explosive plastic brick</b>.</p>
+
+<p>The basic, high-level steps are as follows:</p>
+
+<ol>
+<li>Create a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation&#95;Portable&#95;homebrew#Pandora.27s&#95;Battery">Pandora's battery</a>.  This is a battery that
+has been modified to make the PSP into boot from the memory stick.</li>
+<li>Create a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation&#95;Portable&#95;homebrew#Pandora.27s&#95;Battery">Magic Memory Stick</a>.  This is a memory
+stick that has been specially formatted to boot and perform a
+firmware upgrade.  Note that there are some limits on the capacity
+and brand of memory stick that can be used; see the guides above for
+more details.</li>
+<li>With the PSP powered off and the battery removed, insert the
+magic memory stick into the PSP.</li>
+<li>Insert the Pandora's battery.  The PSP will power on automatically
+boot from the magic memory stick.</li>
+<li>Use the software on the magic memory stick to install the custom
+firmware.  On the PSP Slim the display is blank, so you just have to
+hit X and wait.  The lights on the front of the PSP will blink for
+several minutes.  The PSP will automatically power off when the
+installation is finished.</li>
+<li>Remove the Pandora's battery and the magic memory stick.  The
+memory stick can be reformatted and used as usual.  The Pandora's
+battery can not, because some of the battery's safety features are
+disabled as part of the conversion process.  In other words, <b>do
+not attempt to use the Pandora's battery as a regular battery unless
+you want your PSP to melt into a smoldering puddle of goo.</b></li>
+<li>Power on the PSP using a regular battery or the power cable.
+Congratulations, you are now running the custom firmware.</li>
+</ol>
+
+<p>The hardest part of this process is creating the Pandora's battery.  If
+you know someone with a PSP that already has the custom firmware
+installed, then they can run an application on their PSP to temporarily
+"soft-mod" a regular battery into Pandora's battery.  </p>
+
+<p>If you don't know anyone with a PSP that already has the custom firmware
+installed, then the only way to convert a regular battery into a
+Pandora's battery is to "hard-mod" it; that means cutting open the
+battery casing and disconnecting one of the leads on the internal
+circuitry.  </p>
+
+<p>The guides I read (see above) have plenty of pictures, but I was still
+surprised by how small the pieces actually were.  Here's a picture I
+just took of my Pandora's battery, including a ruler and quarter as
+size references:</p>
+
+<table>
+<tr><td>
+  <a href='http://pablotron.org/files/20080216-psp_cfw/battery.jpg'><img 
+  src='http://pablotron.org/files/20080216-psp_cfw/battery-thumb.jpg'
+  title="Inside a Pandora's Battery" alt="Inside a Pandora's Battery"
+  width="642" height="482" border="0" /></a>
+</td></tr>
+<tr><td style='text-align: center; font-size: 9pt'>
+  Inside a Pandora's Battery
+</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>Creating a Magic Memory Stick is much simpler.  Basically you:</p>
+
+<ul>
+<li>format the memory stick in a special way (using <code>mspformat</code>)</li>
+<li>copy the necessary firmware installation and upgrade files into place</li>
+<li>generates an Initial Program Load (IPL) file, </li>
+<li>copy the generated IPL file to the first sector of the memory stick
+(using <code>mspinst</code>)</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>If you're using Windows, the "TotalNewbi Installer" and
+"Pandora Easy GUI" tools can automate this process.  In
+theory, anyway.  When I tried to use them in my Windows XP <a href="http://vmware.com/">VMWare</a>
+instance, they both had problems.  The TotalNewbi Installer simply
+refused to work, and the Pandora Easy GUI blue-screened XP each
+time I ran it.</p>
+
+<p>Here's what finally worked:</p>
+
+<ul>
+<li>used Pandora Easy GUI to copy the firmware files into place and
+generate the installer definition file (<code>mspinst.idl</code>)</li>
+<li>used <code>dd</code> in Linux to copy <code>mspinst.ibl</code> into the first sector of the
+Memory Stick</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>The good news is that creating the Pandora's Battery and Magic
+Memory Stick are the hardest steps in the process.  Once you get past
+them, everything else is relatively straightforward.  Even better, the
+process can be used to install custom firmware on any PSP, regardless of
+hardware model or firmware version.</p>
+
+<p>That's it for me.  If you're interested in the history and technical
+details of PSP homebrew, check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation&#95;Portable&#95;homebrew">this extremely detailed PSP
+homebrew Wikipedia entry</a>.</p>
+