QJ How-To #4 is opening the box: Making Pandora's Battery |
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And it's time once again for another edition of the QJ How-To series. This time we're going to teach you how to make Pandora's Battery, your best buddy when you do the bad, bad thing of bricking your PSP, or if you just want to upgrade/downgrade your custom firmware.
Before anything, I recommend you have our PSP Homebrew Dictionary open in case there are terms you don't understand.
A Quick History
First, let's open up the box by giving you guys a brief explanation and history of what Pandora's Battery actually is. Pandora's Battery is the product of years of loving development from Team C+D. The first thing you need to know is that it doesn't refer to just a battery - if you read our PSP Homebrew Dictionary, you'll know that Pandora is made up of two things: the Magic Memory Stick and the JigKick Battery.
Pandora's Battery is used to rescue a bricked PSP, and to downgrade the PSP firmware to v1.5 so CFW can be successfully installed. (If you remember from our previous How-To, you'll need to downgrade to FW 1.50 to install CFW on your PSP.) The rules changed when the PSP Slim came out though, since the lowest downgrade that could be achieved on the model was only to 3.6x. This rendered Pandora obsolete - which is why our Tutorial on how to install custom firmware only showed you how to downgrade until OFW 3.50.
Dark AleX solved this by making Despertar del Cementerio, which not only allows you to downgrade the Slim, but also to install kernel support. Despertar del Cementerio (or DDC for short, sometimes just DC) is effectively the modified form of a Pandora Install.
However, even DDC is not able to unbrick Slim models with the TA-088v3 motherboard, and the PSP Brite. And in case you were wondering, no, your PSP does not need to be bricked to use Pandora. And that's Pandora's Battery 101.
The JigKick Battery
What is it
So what is a JigKick Battery anyway? If you don't care about technical hoozits and whutzits then you can skip this part. A JigKick Battery is a PSP battery with its serial changed to 0xFFFFFFFF. When the PSP detects this, it will boot the IPL from the Magic Memory Stick instead of the PSP's flash0, unlocking service mode.
You can JigKick a battery through a hardware mod, or a software mod. For a hardware mod, you will need to open up your battery and tinker with the insides. Hardware modding won't be covered in this tutorial.
Your Tools
To make a JigKick Battery through software modding, you'll need a spare battery you won't mind converting, and a PSP. That's it? Of course not. There are rules. First of all you'll need a compatible battery. You can't just use any old battery you can get your hands on. Here's a list of Pandorizable batteries:
Compatible:- Sony PSP-100, 1800mAh, 3.6v
- Sony PSP-280, 2200mAh, 3.6v.
- Datel Go Max GM100, Reusable Battery Pack
- Datel X2, 3600maH
- Datel MAX Power, 1800maH, 3.6v
- Sony PSP Slim Battery, 1200mAH, 3.6v, PSP-S110
- MEGA Lithium, 2600 mAh, 3.6v
- Sony (Fake) PSP-280, 2200mAh, 3.6v
- Unknown brand TYP-107, 3600mAh, 3.6v (Gold Letters)
- Unknown brand PSP-360, 3600mAh, 3.6v (Silver Letters)
Now, if you have the compatible battery, and the right kind of PSP, then you're good to go. Satisfying these requirements are actually the hard part.
JigKicking
Because it's a friendly app (and because I like the soothing XMB wave background) we are going to be using Marce82's UltraPandora Installer for this tutorial. Download it from here. Put the (fully-charged) battery you want Jigkicked into your PSP. Install UltraPandora Installer on your PSP and run it. Go to Battery Options, and choose to make your battery a Pandora.
Aaaaand you're done. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. You can also convert your battery back to normal with this program, only choose "Make Normal Battery" this time. Note that the serial for Datel's PSP Battery GO MAX will reset if you take out the AAA batteries, which means you'll have to JigKick it again afterwards.
The Magic Memory Stick
What is it
The Magic Memory Stick is simply a converted memory stick that is made to boot the PSP in service mode when used with the JigKick Battery. Because the PSP boots from a specific sector of the Mem Stick, you'll need to use an original Sony Pro Duo to make a Magic Mem Stick. You can make one from a fake mem stick, but you'll likely have issues.
Your tools
Like the JigKick battery, there are certain rules in making an MMS. The first is, you'll need an original Pro Duo Stick (not just a Duo), and it needs to be at least 256 MB, and it must not exceed 4GB. Be sure to back up the files you have in your mem stick, because you'll need to format it to make an MMS.
You will need several homebrew files. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about looking for all of them because there are already existing homebrew that have them in neat packages. There are two popular choices. You can download Rain's Ultralite MMS Maker, or DJB's PSP Pandora Deluxe. The major difference between the two is that Rain's program doesn't need the.NET Framework, while DJB's does.
To be safe, use Rain's program in case you don't know if you have .NET. It's also a no-frills program that pretty much does everything for you, and you can use the Pandora Battery normally without entering into service mode every time you do a cold boot.
Making magic
To use it, download the appropriate Ultralite version of your choice (there are different versions depending on the CFW version you want to install). You can download the version that supports 5.00 M33-4 from here, and for every other version from here. You will also need to put the corresponding Official Firmware update in the same folder as the program (you'll need to download them separately).
Connect your PSP to your PC, and run the program. You'll need to enter the drive letter of your mem stick, and just to be safe, check the tick box to format the card (so remember to back up your files first). When you're ready, click on the Make MMS box, and there you have it. Your very own Magic Memory Stick. Ta-da!
By the way, you can use your memory stick again after using it by just formatting it.
Unboxing Pandora
To use Pandora's Battery, put your Magic Memory Stick into the PSP, then - don't forget this part - hold L while you insert the JigKick Battery into your PSP.
If you did everything correctly, you'll reach a screen that will allow you to do several things, like Installing Custom Firmware, Nand Operations, and viewing hardware info. You can enter service mode again by holding the L button while doing a cold boot (with both the Jigkick and the MMS in your PSP of course).
Now if you brick your PSP while attempting this guide (which you shouldn't if you follow instructions), then you'll need... that's right, a Pandora's Battery. You're so smart. And that ends our How-To tutorial on how to make a Pandora's Battery. Watch out for more PSP homebrew guides here on QJ.NET.
Visit: QJ.NET PSP FAQs, Guides, and Tutorials - Pandora's Battery FAQ
Visit: QJ.NET PSP FAQs, Guides, and Tutorials - Make the perfect Pandora's Battery
* Credits and much thanks go to Team C+D for creating Pandora's Battery, Dark AleX and N00bz for innumerable things, and the developers who created the Pandora Battery installers, RainMotorSports, DJB, and Marce82. Thanks also go out to the QJ.NET Forum's Moose, and Bubbletune for posting the Pandora guides that served as the base of this How-To guide.
** Disclaimer: As with any process involving homebrew, you are running the risk of bricking your PSP. In the end, you are the only one responsible for the health and well-being of your PSP, treat it with loving care.
16 Jumps PSP Revolution v0.3
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Comments
A 0xFFFFFFFF serial is perfectly readable by the PSP, just like a 0x00000000 is (which causes the PSP to autoboot.) What does happen is the hardware gets the serial number (before the unit is even turned on) and if it is either of the above it sets a GPIO bit, which causes a branch in execution during the pre-IPL causing either IPL load from MS or auto power on (quite possibly was intended for kiosks?)
Sony PSP Slim Battery, 1200mAH, 3.6v, PSP-S110 this can be turned into a jigkick battery by using the psp tool program i use on psp tool 0.9 ill add vid on youtube proving it here is link to my profile http://www.youtube.com/user/andrewpo*****1
Alec DarK AleX's webmaster put on his site that the reason all this works AleX wote this in slightly different context is that part of the psp's boot code is contained in the battery this was probably added as a failsafe if there were any problems with them
is? sony 3.6v 1800mah model psp-110 is that battery pandorisable? i got it with my original phat 2.00
i think so but it might not just try it using psp tool 0.9 the best tool for it its under battery then convert to service mode then convert to notmal mode after (dont use this to create a magiv memory stick as you still need all the programs including dc) if you wont ill uploud to megauploud and give you link with the tool and dc8 plus time machine (that works)
iwas going to get a friend to change it for me.
Umm wow this is Like Super OLD news =P i have made a video on hard modding to make a Pandora's battery like Years ago and for softmodding a pandora's battery Just use UPMS
is making the pandora battery this way, better than the guide "perfect pandora"?
we all know that. qj is just doin this to shed light to people who haven't made it yet or confused and want to make one. not everyone has made a pandora battery before. if u've already done it before, don't worry about it and stop complaining on how qj is giving old news. they are just trying to help.
i recomend using psp tool for psp but do not forget that the only softmod way involves using a psp with custom firmware if you would like a jigkick battery spare go to deal extreme and buy one for 20$ including memory stick then use rains ipl tool to make a magic memory stick through your pc (remember all jigkick (mistakenly known as pandora) batterys are the same just a normal battery that has had the serial changed to fource it to boot the psp in a different way)
compatible w/mac all i saw were pc pics
You don't need a spare battery to do this. My only battery is permanently jigkicked and my psp boots up all the time no problem. I just hold down L button when booting to get into service mode. This also works for a slim battery, that is what i have anyway.
I would think that any original Sony battery would work, even the slim battery works. Not sure about batteries that come with PSP brite though?
are you sure he is your friend?
Any slim battery excluding those that came with a PSP with OFW 3.95 and upwards can be soft modded. Just did it myself, actually. Successfully on the battery that came with my first PSP ta-085(which came with 3.60 OFW) while I was unsuccessful on my second PSP ta-088(which came with 3.95 OFW). Had I known earlier that my battery was soft-mod-capable, I'd have gone that way instead of doing the hard-mod. :/
I made Magic stick on linux following this guide: http://psp.jim.sh/fanjita/linux.txt. Working perfectly. I think, this should work on Mac.
Does this mean that I can conver my slim battery to a pandora battery, I have CFW on it. I need a pandora battery so that I can mod my cousin's phat psp with 4.05 OFW.
Won't let me edit my previous comment - I wanted to add. even though it say Sony PSP Slim Battery, 1200mAH, 3.6v, PSP-S110 incompatible? I have a Slim that came with the Daxter silver pack.
You CAN convert a 1200mAH, 3.6v, PSP-S110 battery into a pandora battery, BUT since you have a slim that came with the Daxter sliver pack, you can't convert your battery into a pandora because your motherboard is most likely a TA-85v2. The slim battery doesn't fit in the fat psp anyway. You could try hardmodding though.
And to think I went through the trouble of hardmodding my supplies... what a spirit killer. My MMS isn't even that great, it only installs 3.71 m33, nothing fancy about it. It's got that terrific Recovery Menu style to it as well, then again that's probably because I'm using a hardmod Slim Battery... Owell, nice tutorials QJ, keep it up!
i was able to put custom FW on my GOW PSP! but it got a hardware malfunction that was out of my hands.... :( but i was able to get a White StarWrs one soo it's not all bad, but i will forever miss my PSP....
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