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Jazz Up Your PSP with GPS

Posted Jul 24, 2006 at 05:42PM by Myra M. Listed in: Applications Tags: Deniska, GPS, Google, remote control
Ó

PSP with GPS

Deniska has cooked up a fine way to connect a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver to your PSP. Neat huh? Not only can you play with your PSP, you could also use it as stalking device! (Clears throat) What we meant was "navigational tool", not "stalking device".

So, are you itching to know how to add a GPS receiver to your PSP? Here's how:

First off, you got to get your hands on these things:
  • Holux GPSlim236 ($100)
  • Intec G6704 PSP Remote Control ($11). Alternatively you can rip the connector of your original remote control.
  • USB (Mini B) cable ($5-10) (NOT the included USB power cable, buy another one)
  • 1K 1/4watt resistor ($1)
  • Electric tape ($2 roll)
  • Multimeter (for checking the connector pins, alternatively you can use just a circuit made out of a low voltage bulb and a battery)
  • Soldering iron
  • Razor blade (for cutting and cleaning)
Remember, if you guys are not that good with the soldering iron and the razor blade, ASK HELP from someone who is in-the-know with these things. After all, these tools are quite dangerous if not handled properly.

But if you consider yourself a pro with soldering irons and blades (or already found someone willing to handle those for you), and have everything you need in front of you, all you have to do is cut the USB cable and PSP remote plug and well, connect those into places that are needed to be plugged in.

To see if you did things correctly, Deniska thoughtfully included a GPS program viewer to check if you installed it the right way, which could also be downloaded here (link below). Nice as he is, he also included words of advice/caution for those who want to try this project out:

The source code is included in the zip...
Note, the program is written to work in kernel mode, so I doubt that it will work on 2+ fw..
Perhaps someone can look in to how to adjust it...

Use caution when connecting the wires, make sure all of them are carefully insulated. You don't want to short any of them, since this may brick your PSP or GPS device.
Also, GPSlim 236 spec says that the TXD voltage may range from 3.2 to 5 V, so 1K resistor may not be enough to lower the voltage in some cases. So buy a few resistors: 5k,3k,2k,1k and see if your circuit works with a bigger value resistor first..

So, what's the point you ask? I am planning to plug this in to the upcoming map viewer application, which, of course will be able to point your gps location on a google-like map in real time... and scroll the map as you move along...

Special thanks to Art and futaris for helpping me out with serial port comm problems...

Almost forgot a disclaimer: As always, I am not responsible for any damages.

Download: [GPS Viewer Program for PSP]

Here are some images of the set up, and a screenshot of Deniska's program:

Guideinterface

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40 Comments


Sort by:
   by eternalcold (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » WOW that is amazing!
Sweet! I might do this so i dont get lost anymore! lol sweet first post.

   by crash (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » positon?
this only say the position , not the traces between places?

   by 1st yay (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » fsfsfs
1st comment

   by safsdf (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » sdfa
FIRST

   by anonymous (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » late
Seen this 2 days ago.

   by peter (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » maps
maps are needed.. that is the biggest problem. unless the dev will find a way to use commercial maps from other products you have already bought (i.e TomTom..)

   by GPS_FAN (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » Googleearth
WOW this is Amazing!!!!
Would be cool, when GoogleE. works, but I think it will be very slow, my laptop sometimes even gets slow, looking google earth....
MFG
FAN

   by JK (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » why not ?
Why not use a bluetooth dongle instead of serial port ?

Like this one : http://www.ever-e.com/product_a375.htm

   by Advertising -
   by Hoshi (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » senseless...
without a touchscreen!!!

a tomtom go unit costs below $ 340,00 (EUR 270,-) including all maps for europe!

   by sdsdsdsd (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » sdsd
the bluetooth dongle only has audio input output...

it needs the other thing...

   by Jonny (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » GREAT!!!
Very great, I like your idea!

Keep up the good work!

   by mmick (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » GPS in the future
This is a great step to PSP homebrew! If this is really working as GPS and as this GPS brand unit is one of the cheapeast around (in some stores it can go as low as 70€), we just need homebrew software that emulates some other GPS device like tomtom, navman, sony, etc and then, we copy our legitimate GPS device card to a MSDUO and run on PSP (as PSP has a bigger screen and a lot easier to see than most sub-400€ GPS devices).

Lets see what this can do for us...

   by OGLOC (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » NOTHING NEW
uh, why do you guys think this is such a breakthru? ART, the creator of Xflash, created a much more functional gps interface using a garmin gps mouse almost a year ago.

   by cki (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » ..........................
Will it works with other gps receiver?

   by gambiting (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » for 14
You must look at the specs.

   by FLai - 2006-07-25
 » .
Serial Port?! We could make a flasher out of this!

   by terminalblue - 2006-07-25
 » OGLOC (#13) is Correct....
this is not really a breakthrough at all, because it has been done already. Not that its not badass, but i fail to see why this is really anything new.

   by Advertising -
   by VgSlag (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » ...
"Holux GPSlim236" when you can find a working one it's nice, I've had 2 that have been utter crap.

Using a GlabalSat BT 338 at the moment for TomTom on my iMate Jamin.

   by SSChevy2001 (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » OLD NEWS
Late again
Beside what you going to do with it? It this very basic function no map.

PSP do I make a right here?

   by PSP duder (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » cool beans
this is pretty cool

i just hope they can integrate it with websites for geo caching

that would be awesome

   by bakir (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » awsome
well this is sik, i think some one should take advantage and make a pro one, like a sony one or w/e! plus if u can do that with gps, then think about other possibilities, like linking a hard drive the same way!

   by Some Guy (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » lol
uh... i think i'd rather get the PSP GPS when it comes out, seems like it could be safer. When is it coming out anyway?

DAMMIT SONY! GIVE US MORE UPDATES! I WANT EYETOY AND PSONE!

   by FLai - 2006-07-25
 » .
Does nobody realise that we could make a NAND flasher with this? The serial port has full access to the PSP's flash on any FW. This isn't just GPS. We could do a whole lot more with this than just maps.

   by Walkir (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » GameBoy GPS
http://www.redskymobile.com/gameboy/ (kinda expensive)
http://www.msh-tools.com/GBA/gbagps.html

I still think that the classic GBA is the most amazing handheld ever. Mostly since the cartridge design allows developers to add whatever they want to the hardware.

Offtopic:
If you would like to tune your car:
http://www.turboxs.com/

There's probably hundreds of projects like these for the GBA. All of them also working on the Nintendo DS.

   by gaber1187 - 2006-07-25
 » sure this is old news, but...
There are at least two other gps for psp's that have been made--one used a usb host device--something like an iRiver or something, and the other used a garmin unit and a couple of interface boxes. I think the key here is the simplicity, not that it was the first to be done. Using resistors to change the voltage level is not the right way to do it, but it "works" as long as you don't mind doing a bit of fine tuning, and are ok with burning a bit of power using those resistors. There are dedicated chips that are meant to change from CMOS to TTL/USB levels. The Holux GPS's are the state of the art as far as value goes--I just got one on ebay for 50 bucks shipped. Holux sells their GPS devices with serial or usb on many models--and apparently the protocol to talk to the Holux GPS is fairly simple--so once you get your serial connection, getting data from the GPS is fairly straightforward. So good work on making a simple to make GPS. Now if somebody will just make the cable for us, this would be awesome... :-)

   by gaber1187 - 2006-07-25
 » flasher??
@23:

I don't remember hearing about this:
"The serial port has full access to the PSP's flash on any FW. "

What's your source for that claim?

   by soapinmouth - 2006-07-25
 » it would be sweet
If a mod chip store started selling theese pre made.

   by Advertising -
   by dubuque (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » sony gps
il just wait till sony's GPS comes out

   by mmick (Unregistered) - 2006-07-25
 » sony gps - when?
When will we see sony GPS? For what price?

I hope Sony GPS is a lot cheaper (

   by terminalblue - 2006-07-25
 » i dont know about fw access
i never heard of that part either, but maybe i missed something



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