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The most common "power" problem I see is "bricked" firmware which basically means the operating system or the "brains"
of the PSP have somehow been corrupted or deleted. When this happens the green light will usually come on for about
15-20 seconds and go back off by itself. There's rarely any other signs of life other than the light will turn orange if you plug
it into the charger. Bricking a PSP is usually caused by a version update being interrupted in some way though I have seen
several PSP's with physical motherboard damage display the same symptoms. Sony puts out a new firmware version every
few months and you have to update your PSP's firmware to play the newest UMD games put on the market at the time.
Children in particular have a hard time with this - updating isn't a complicated thing but it does have to be done exactly right
and completely which takes time. Kids just want to play their new game and when the screen comes up asking them to
update before they can play they'll often press a few buttons and give up which leaves you with a bricked PSP. By the way
the term "bricked" came along I believe because a bricked PSP is about as much fun as an actual brick - very apt. The good
news here though is that a bricked PSP can often be revived good as new for a relatively small amount of money, $49
altogether in my case. You can look into unbricking the PSP firmware yourself using the relevant hacks available on the
Internet and the one I use will require you buying a modded Pandora battery and memory stick. For un-brickable PSP's sent
in to me I replace the original PSP firmware as it was when you bought it brand new as well as performing the proper
internal maintenance clean-up I do with all repairs. I don't sell the modded batteries or memory sticks mentioned above but
if you want me to handle the job just go to the "repair requests" page and check the appropriate box so I know it's coming.
Once I have it in hand allow 2-3 days for the repair and you'll have it back good as new in no time. Do keep in mind though
that not all PSP's are un-brickable and those that aren't would need a whole new motherboard installed to get them going
again ($89 in my case). Almost all PSP-1001's, most 2001's but no 3001's (yet), will just need the firmware
re-flash/un-bricking though to give you an idea. I can't say 100% for sure up front whether any particular PSP will
successfully take a firmware re-flash or not, I can say though that it doesn't cost anything to find out under the "free
diagnosis" service. I also buy bricked PSP's all the time for the used parts section so at worst that'd at least be something to
put towards a new one if that's what you decide to do at the time.
If you have no life at all when you turn the PSP on but the switch doesn't feel loose it could be the main data cable that runs
to the power PCB assembly causing the problem. Sometimes they get crushed and lose a trace connection causing no power
to the motherboard. The power PCB itself could also cause this behavior if it's simply malfunctioning rather than having the
switch part broken off or maybe the battery itself is a goner. A common cause of power switch failure is water damage and
the ensuing corrosion. While there's a solid rubber backing to the buttons if you play the game with wet hands a drop or two
can get underneath it and ruin the PCB completely. In many cases the internal components can be cleaned up just fine and
there's no permanent damage but with any electronic water damage you'll want to have it done as quickly as possible. The
more time that passes the bigger the chance of a major component being ruined and of course then it's just that much more
expensive to get it fixed. My PSP water damage clean-ups are charged at the 'labor-only' price of $49 but you'll want to
hold off on payment until we know for sure that no components are actually ruined. If something does end up needing to be
replaced it'll be the same price as advertised elsewhere on the website same as if you asked for that item in the first place,
(not in addition to the original $49).
To initiate a repair request click here to go to the general repair page and fill out the form. Shipping instructions are all right
there and I'll email you to confirm the repair request and again once the PSP arrives so you'll know it got here safely. No
credit card or payment details are required to initiate a repair. This is simply to let me know that your PSP is coming and a
general idea of what's wrong. If it turns out that something different is needed to fix your PSP I'll notify you by email and
you can decide at that point if you want me to continue with the repair. As always, diagnosis is free and if choose not to
have your PSP repaired at that time you would only owe me for return postage.
______________________________________________________________________________________
If the external sliding switch is obviously loose and not making contact with anything inside I'll be happy to take care of it
for you or you might want to look at trying one of the do-it-yourself kits I have advertised below. Any average person can
easily handle the job when armed with the right parts, tools, and information. I know that it can seem a little daunting to
work on something so foreign to most people but there really is nothing to it and in most cases it takes about half an hour to
have your PSP up working good as new. Not only do you save money but you also don't have to mail your PSP off across
the country and have your kids on your back every 15 minutes wanting to know if it's back yet :-) Lastly, if you change your
mind or something goes wrong during the repair you can always mail it off to me as-is, in pieces if need be, and I'll take the
purchase price off of my normal repair charge so there's really nothing to lose other than a couple dollars for postage.
of the PSP have somehow been corrupted or deleted. When this happens the green light will usually come on for about
15-20 seconds and go back off by itself. There's rarely any other signs of life other than the light will turn orange if you plug
it into the charger. Bricking a PSP is usually caused by a version update being interrupted in some way though I have seen
several PSP's with physical motherboard damage display the same symptoms. Sony puts out a new firmware version every
few months and you have to update your PSP's firmware to play the newest UMD games put on the market at the time.
Children in particular have a hard time with this - updating isn't a complicated thing but it does have to be done exactly right
and completely which takes time. Kids just want to play their new game and when the screen comes up asking them to
update before they can play they'll often press a few buttons and give up which leaves you with a bricked PSP. By the way
the term "bricked" came along I believe because a bricked PSP is about as much fun as an actual brick - very apt. The good
news here though is that a bricked PSP can often be revived good as new for a relatively small amount of money, $49
altogether in my case. You can look into unbricking the PSP firmware yourself using the relevant hacks available on the
Internet and the one I use will require you buying a modded Pandora battery and memory stick. For un-brickable PSP's sent
in to me I replace the original PSP firmware as it was when you bought it brand new as well as performing the proper
internal maintenance clean-up I do with all repairs. I don't sell the modded batteries or memory sticks mentioned above but
if you want me to handle the job just go to the "repair requests" page and check the appropriate box so I know it's coming.
Once I have it in hand allow 2-3 days for the repair and you'll have it back good as new in no time. Do keep in mind though
that not all PSP's are un-brickable and those that aren't would need a whole new motherboard installed to get them going
again ($89 in my case). Almost all PSP-1001's, most 2001's but no 3001's (yet), will just need the firmware
re-flash/un-bricking though to give you an idea. I can't say 100% for sure up front whether any particular PSP will
successfully take a firmware re-flash or not, I can say though that it doesn't cost anything to find out under the "free
diagnosis" service. I also buy bricked PSP's all the time for the used parts section so at worst that'd at least be something to
put towards a new one if that's what you decide to do at the time.
If you have no life at all when you turn the PSP on but the switch doesn't feel loose it could be the main data cable that runs
to the power PCB assembly causing the problem. Sometimes they get crushed and lose a trace connection causing no power
to the motherboard. The power PCB itself could also cause this behavior if it's simply malfunctioning rather than having the
switch part broken off or maybe the battery itself is a goner. A common cause of power switch failure is water damage and
the ensuing corrosion. While there's a solid rubber backing to the buttons if you play the game with wet hands a drop or two
can get underneath it and ruin the PCB completely. In many cases the internal components can be cleaned up just fine and
there's no permanent damage but with any electronic water damage you'll want to have it done as quickly as possible. The
more time that passes the bigger the chance of a major component being ruined and of course then it's just that much more
expensive to get it fixed. My PSP water damage clean-ups are charged at the 'labor-only' price of $49 but you'll want to
hold off on payment until we know for sure that no components are actually ruined. If something does end up needing to be
replaced it'll be the same price as advertised elsewhere on the website same as if you asked for that item in the first place,
(not in addition to the original $49).
To initiate a repair request click here to go to the general repair page and fill out the form. Shipping instructions are all right
there and I'll email you to confirm the repair request and again once the PSP arrives so you'll know it got here safely. No
credit card or payment details are required to initiate a repair. This is simply to let me know that your PSP is coming and a
general idea of what's wrong. If it turns out that something different is needed to fix your PSP I'll notify you by email and
you can decide at that point if you want me to continue with the repair. As always, diagnosis is free and if choose not to
have your PSP repaired at that time you would only owe me for return postage.
______________________________________________________________________________________
If the external sliding switch is obviously loose and not making contact with anything inside I'll be happy to take care of it
for you or you might want to look at trying one of the do-it-yourself kits I have advertised below. Any average person can
easily handle the job when armed with the right parts, tools, and information. I know that it can seem a little daunting to
work on something so foreign to most people but there really is nothing to it and in most cases it takes about half an hour to
have your PSP up working good as new. Not only do you save money but you also don't have to mail your PSP off across
the country and have your kids on your back every 15 minutes wanting to know if it's back yet :-) Lastly, if you change your
mind or something goes wrong during the repair you can always mail it off to me as-is, in pieces if need be, and I'll take the
purchase price off of my normal repair charge so there's really nothing to lose other than a couple dollars for postage.
There are a lot of different things that can cause a PSP power problem. Most people assume it's the
power switch PCB but the most common cause is a plain old dead battery. The battery in a PSP is
rechargeable but sooner or later they'll all stop taking a charge just like normal batteries. If a PSP
doesn't turn on at all - that is the green power light doesn't come on - the first thing to do is check
that the battery and charger are'nt causing the problem. Ideally you can borrow someone else's
charged up battery and see if that fixes the problem - if you don't know anyone with a PSP though
you can usually get someone at a Gamestop to provide one or you can even buy a new one and
return it for refund if it turns out you don't need it. Borrowing someone's charger to see if your
battery will charge properly will rule out a bad charger/adaptor. With a bad battery and/or charger
the orange charge light may or may not come on, even a completely waterlogged and ruined PSP will
still often show the orange charge light so it's not really a good indicator of anything.
The most common "power problem" I get is when the green light will come on but the PSP will not
start up, no music, black screen, no sound from the UMD drive when you put a game in, nothing but
the green light (and orange if you plug it in). This can be due to a few different problems, some of
which are very easy to fix yourself and some really need to be handled by a professional.
Descriptions follow of the most common causes of PSP power problems and what needs to be done
to fix them. First though it's important to take note of exactly what the PSP's doing, or not doing in
this case. Whether the green light goes off by itself or not and how long it takes do so is important.
Also check by ear whether the PSP will still load a game or not, if so then you most likely have a
broken LCD screen and if not it may be a firmware problem or a physically damaged motherboard.
Anytime a black screen comes up a lot of people assume it's a bad power switch but this really isn't a
very common problem. In most cases the broken part of the power switch PCB is the tiny black
plastic internal power switch that fits into the back of the external sliding switch you use to turn the
PSP on. It's pretty obvious when the internal switch is broken off because the outer plastic sliding
switch will move very freely and you can usually tell that it's not making contact with anything inside
any more. Unfortunately this is just one of those things that will happen after a certain amount of use
and there isn't really anything you can do differently to stop it from happening to you. The good news
here though is that the power switch is one of the easiest items to replace in many PSPs. For PSP
Slims it's right on top and easy to get at so there's not much disassembly required at all. It's a simple
set up so absolutely zero electronic experience is needed to handle the job as long as you have the
right tools and instructions to go with it. When the internal switch is broken the green light won't
come on and the external silver sliding switch will usually feel very loose like it's not making contact
with anything on the inside. The orange charge light will usually still come on though as it has nothing
to do with the power switch itself. For my repairs I charge $59 to replace a power switch PCB and
this includes a whole new original Sony brand power switch PCB, labor, and return shipping. I have
PSP power switch replacement kits for the original "fat" PSP's and the newer PSP Slim or Lite.
They're $25 each and further info on how to get one is at the bottom of this page. 1001 model power
switch PCB replacements are quite a bit more complicated than a PSP Slim even though they appear
to be easily accessible in a photograph but it's still very do-able with a little patience and attention to
the instructions provided.
power switch PCB but the most common cause is a plain old dead battery. The battery in a PSP is
rechargeable but sooner or later they'll all stop taking a charge just like normal batteries. If a PSP
doesn't turn on at all - that is the green power light doesn't come on - the first thing to do is check
that the battery and charger are'nt causing the problem. Ideally you can borrow someone else's
charged up battery and see if that fixes the problem - if you don't know anyone with a PSP though
you can usually get someone at a Gamestop to provide one or you can even buy a new one and
return it for refund if it turns out you don't need it. Borrowing someone's charger to see if your
battery will charge properly will rule out a bad charger/adaptor. With a bad battery and/or charger
the orange charge light may or may not come on, even a completely waterlogged and ruined PSP will
still often show the orange charge light so it's not really a good indicator of anything.
The most common "power problem" I get is when the green light will come on but the PSP will not
start up, no music, black screen, no sound from the UMD drive when you put a game in, nothing but
the green light (and orange if you plug it in). This can be due to a few different problems, some of
which are very easy to fix yourself and some really need to be handled by a professional.
Descriptions follow of the most common causes of PSP power problems and what needs to be done
to fix them. First though it's important to take note of exactly what the PSP's doing, or not doing in
this case. Whether the green light goes off by itself or not and how long it takes do so is important.
Also check by ear whether the PSP will still load a game or not, if so then you most likely have a
broken LCD screen and if not it may be a firmware problem or a physically damaged motherboard.
Anytime a black screen comes up a lot of people assume it's a bad power switch but this really isn't a
very common problem. In most cases the broken part of the power switch PCB is the tiny black
plastic internal power switch that fits into the back of the external sliding switch you use to turn the
PSP on. It's pretty obvious when the internal switch is broken off because the outer plastic sliding
switch will move very freely and you can usually tell that it's not making contact with anything inside
any more. Unfortunately this is just one of those things that will happen after a certain amount of use
and there isn't really anything you can do differently to stop it from happening to you. The good news
here though is that the power switch is one of the easiest items to replace in many PSPs. For PSP
Slims it's right on top and easy to get at so there's not much disassembly required at all. It's a simple
set up so absolutely zero electronic experience is needed to handle the job as long as you have the
right tools and instructions to go with it. When the internal switch is broken the green light won't
come on and the external silver sliding switch will usually feel very loose like it's not making contact
with anything on the inside. The orange charge light will usually still come on though as it has nothing
to do with the power switch itself. For my repairs I charge $59 to replace a power switch PCB and
this includes a whole new original Sony brand power switch PCB, labor, and return shipping. I have
PSP power switch replacement kits for the original "fat" PSP's and the newer PSP Slim or Lite.
They're $25 each and further info on how to get one is at the bottom of this page. 1001 model power
switch PCB replacements are quite a bit more complicated than a PSP Slim even though they appear
to be easily accessible in a photograph but it's still very do-able with a little patience and attention to
the instructions provided.
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