How to install custom firmware on slim w/ no custom fat

Here's the deal:

- I got a slim psp
- I wanna install custom firmware on it
- To do that I need a battery that lets me boot of the mem. stick... right?
- To make that battery I need a custom PHAT psp... right?
- BUT I dont have a homebrew-able fat PSP to do it with...
- How can i install custom firmware on my slim under the current circumstances...

QUESTION: Would this problem not even exist if I just had a pandora's battery???

The only way would be to hard mod your battery and then throw the files on your memory stick...it requires taking your battery apart and desoldering a pin...if you think your capable of doing that then let me know and ill link you to a tutorial.

I've heard of the hard mod method and I think I could probably do it.... But I have a couple questions....

1. I've heard that there is something about newer batteries being released by Sony which doesn't let you turn them into pandora's.... whether it be the physical structure or something else, I don't know.... but is this true?
2. Will this require A LOT of soldering and breaking apart wires etc?
3. If you screw up in one tiny part, will the battery go to waste?... well if you mess up on the soldering i guess yu could always fix that by taking the excess solder out...

I'm not worried about questions 2 and 3 much but if yu could at least answer #1 that would be fine... and I guess if yu could link me to a tutorial that would be good too...

Thanx for the help...

1. I've heard that there is something about newer batteries being released by Sony which doesn't let you turn them into pandora's.... whether it be the physical structure or something else, I don't know.... but is this true?

Well...technically you can. The area that holds the pins was pretty much just relocated (as far as i've heard) So it is possible with the hard mod method.

2. Will this require A LOT of soldering and breaking apart wires etc?

Just 1 pin needs to be desoldered/disattached

3. If you screw up in one tiny part, will the battery go to waste?... well if you mess up on the soldering i guess yu could always fix that by taking the excess solder out...

Yes, if you touch the pin beside it while trying to solder/desolder/disattach/assemble the fifth pin it will fry your battery.


Anyways, heres a tutorial if you want to give it a shot...
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/591203

One important thing that tutorial doesn't mention is desoldering the battery pack from the circuit board. It is a bit risky, but in removing the battery, you eliminate the risk of a short circuit.

Once you have made the battery, do you have to use it? or can you use a different battery.. example.

Battery 1 = psp slim battery
Battery 2 = psp moded fat battery

I use battery 2 to get to a cfw, then can i put back in battery 1? or would that not work? (my brother has a phat battery gonna maybe switch them:P)

Same with the magic memory stick.. i have a 1gig, can i use the 1gig to make the stick, then use it for saving files and stuff, or will i need a whole new one?

A Pandora battery will not power a PSP, only activate service mode. So battery 1 would be what you use after getting CFW.

oo ty:) and the magic memory stick..id probably need a new one too? (i just made an edit on it so you probably didnt see it)

formatting the memory stick a few times should make it useable.

alright..hopefully i can do a pandoras battery sometime in the near future:) Better keep reaserching though haha

Getting back to my problem I have found a couple of tutorials on how to hard mod a SLIM battery:

http://www.pspmod.com/forums/hardware/2 ... d-mod.html
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1005104/m ... _mod_quot/

These are two different methods.

The first one shows you how to make a switchable battery. You literally insert a switch into the battery to convert from pandora to back.
The second one tells you to sever a wire or something on the circuit and patch it up again with graphite lead... I think...

I just wanted one of the mods to look at it and very their authentacity....

I would follow the pspmod version. Its got better detailed pictures. The video doesnt show too much cause of the terrible quality of the cam in combination with the lighting.

But yeah, both are correct.

So would these be the steps:

1. Use TotalNewbi Easy Installer to throw files on mem. stick
2. Hard mod battery
3. Place mem. stick and modded bat. in psp
4. So... at this point i follow on-screen despartar cemetario instructions?
5. Then I'm done?

EDIT: I'm asking in so much detail becuz i dont have my psp right now. its still shipping.

EDIT (Again): Also, is it possible to install OFW again after you have installed CFW? I have heard Sony has created blocks which prevent your from installing OFW again after you have downgraded or installed custom firmware....

Yup, your steps are correct.

Sony always tries to block everything but its soon hacked. Anyways to answer your question...The only block i know of was with the idstorage on ta082 motherboards for the fat psp. This problem was fixed with a program that team noobz had released a while back tho. So yes, you can still get to official firmware from custom firmware.

So would these be the steps:

1. Use TotalNewbi Easy Installer to throw files on mem. stick
2. Hard mod battery
3. Place mem. stick and modded bat. in psp
4. So... at this point i follow on-screen despartar cemetario instructions?
5. Then I'm done?

EDIT: I'm asking in so much detail becuz i dont have my psp right now. its still shipping.

EDIT (Again): Also, is it possible to install OFW again after you have installed CFW? I have heard Sony has created blocks which prevent your from installing OFW again after you have downgraded or installed custom firmware....

Yea, those steps are about it, but there is more detail than that.

And yes, you can update back to OFW from CFW, you just gotta use the Recovery Mode to downgrade back to 1.50 then update to the OFW from there.