Modders who enjoy "evolving" their PlayStation Portables should get a kick out the new Razor X PCB released by team AcidMods. The Razor X board will allow the easier installation of a second analog stick on your handheld and features a marked improvement from the previously rolled out boards with the same function. You can check out the details of the Razor X in our full article.

 

For those of us having issues with the self-centering Razor nub - namely, about the spring we have to fiddle around with to get that second nub to center itself - anteroom123 has come up with a handy solution, and one that doesn't involve any sort of dodgy PSP surgery. It's a bit ingenious, really, involving only a steady hand with a sharp knife and one of those small rubber bands used in braces.

So how does one replicate the function of a spring with a small rubber band, but without the hassle? Here's how to do it. For this rubber band trick, you'll need the following:

1. Your PlayStation Portable, of course.
2. A Razor PCB
3. PSP Analog or Digital Nub
4. A cutting tool (dremil or a knife)
5. One rubber band. The small but strong kind. The ones used in braces will do just fine.

If you've got all the items required, then we're all set. The first step is to make four diagonal cuts on opposing sides of the PCB - be careful with the knife while you're doing so. After that, stretch the rubber band over the cuts, then slide a small washer underneath the rubber band. This will hold the washer firmly against the PCB - just make sure that the washer itself is on the copper side before you do so.

After that, it's simply a matter of putting the nub back on and seeing if it re-centers with the help of the rubber band. If not, try again. If it does, yay! It's simpler than it sounds, and you should head on over to the thread itself for the step-by-step guide via the Read link below.

Kudos to zbblanton and anteroom123 for coming up with a handy alternative to fiddly spring application!

 

Straight from 0okm, creator of homebrew enablers, took the PSP Slim and Lite (or PSP-2000) apart and discovered that the the new PlayStation Portable's board is spanking brand new - new enough to warrant a new PCB version. Folks, welcome TA-085.

Now the kicker here is that the new aesthetics, appearance, UMD drives, plus the video-out feature and firmware version 3.60 aren't the only things that would set your trusty PSP apart from its slimmer cousin. 0okm speculates that the NAND Flash and DRAM memory could both be embedded in the new CPU chip, identified as CXD29758GG. An FCC ID would have helped identify the chip's maker and specs, but none was provided as of yet.

Now it's no secret that 4 Mebibytes (mega binary bytes) of DRAM are also embedded in former PSP systems, such as TA-082s, but details as to how much memory and where it's embedded is difficult to determine. The Media Engine chip, specifications unknown as of press time, had the chip ID CXD5029 printed on its surface. More details to come as soon as they develop. Image courtesy of 0okm.

Thanks to xSaVage for the tip!

And this makes it three. PSP modder PvP (aka Tony Hoang) over at AcidMods has apparently been kicking it into overdrive lately, as he informs us of another project that's just been completed. This new mod will ensure that any onboard LEDs mods will only activate under low-light conditions and won't turn on (and drain your battery) when it's bright.

As PvP explained, this was done by wiring the LEDs to a light-sensitive PCB before hooking them up to a power PCB. The sensor is taken from a light-sensitive night light - PvP used the one to the right - which should be readily available in stores. The mod has been described as easy to duplicate and will require the following materials:

• PSP
• LEDs
• IDE cable wires or very thin wires
• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Light-sensitive nightlight ($1.50 at a thrift store)
  

Full install instructions are available at the AcidMods site, provided at the Read link below. There aren't any videos of images available for the mod at the moment - we'll let you know if PvP decides to update with these items.

With the announcement of the redesigned PlayStation Portable, a lot of people have been poring over whatever information is readily available about it.

Apparently, one of these people is 0okm. The homebrew expert has posted a few observations about the new PSP on his blog, and we thought it might make for some interesting reading for those who want to know more about it.

One of the more interesting things about the redesigned PSP is that its main memory has been boosted up to 64 MB. The old PSP-1000's main memory is at 32 MB.

Another thing is that the redesigned PSP can get about 3 to 6 hours of juice from a 1200 mAh battery. It's roughly the same output as that of a PSP-1000 but the PSP-1000 uses 1800 mAh batteries.

Here's a short list of the other things 0okm has discovered about the new PSP-200x:

• it uses TA-085 PCB
• it can use USB to charge battery
• can't use PSP-1000 remote in PSP-2000
• TV output
• WLAN switch on top

The team behind the much-talked about modchip PSP-Devolution said it best, "it's taken longer than expected". Those who have been following the development of this one know fully well that the said chip has had several tentative release dates before.

Anyway, PSP-Devolution is yet again promising a new release date for the modchip: June 13 to be exact. The good thing about this one, if it turns out to be true, is that the chip can downgrade any PlayStation Portable unit regardless of its firmware type. More accurately described as a "USB-JTAG Programmer for a lot of NAND FLASH ICs", some if its abilities include:

• Flash your PSP using the internal USB Port
• No additional USB Port required
• Latest ACTEL ProASIC 3 technology
• NO power consumption
• Doesn't touch the battery power in any way, powered by USB for the time being used to flash the PSP
• Pre-assembled hi-tech flex PCB for easiest possible connection to the psp mainboard
• Works on all available PSP versions incl. the new TA-082 and TA-086
• Custom BIOS with a lot of cool additional features (tba)

Pre-orders for PSP-Devolution modchip are currently priced for US$ 75.95. If you are interested, the Read link below should take you to Mod-Chip's product page for the said chip.

For weeks now, we've been following the developments concerning the TA-086. So far, the closest we got was giving you snapshots after snapshots of the alleged new PSP motherboard. Today, we came across a few details regarding the matter over at 0okm's site. He's no stranger to the scene as the homebrew developer has been constantly providing us with quality releases.

  

Well, it seems that 0okm has been following and paying the matter attention as well. As much as he is concerned, it seems that everything has been confirmed already as his post regarding the matter bears the title: "PSP New Ver. Hardware TA-086 from PSP1000CW [L]." We'd have to see to that over the following weeks or days. We would also be waiting for any official statements and immediately share them with you. In the mean time, please take some moment to analyse the implications of the following details, especially the last two entries:

• PCB Ver. : TA-086
• CPU Core : CXD2967GG
• Media Engine : CXD5026-203GG
• MCP : K5E5658ACM-D060 1.8V/1.8V

Test report :

• Factory FW2.81 (BoxCode L)
• can HardDown to FW1.50
• and run official FW2.71 UpDate EBOOT.PBP
  

We're going to break this thing gently to you. Remember the Terminator movies? In the third installment, Rise of the Machines, we were introduced to a stronger and faster killing machine. It was called TX. T-101, as Schwarzenegger's character said, is already an obsolete design. Don't forget however that during its prime, T-101 gave humans a ton of problems.

Now, think of the cursed TA-082 as the T-101. Why? Because rumors are spreading that Sony just unleashed its own TX. In a post in 0okm's blog, there's an image that shows the latest motherboard PCB called TA-086. Rumor has it that it's another one of those hellish motherboards made specifically to crush the scene. As of now, the homebrew community is still unable to fully crack the previous TA-082.

So, what information are known regarding this TA-086? Unfortunately, no one knows for sure. Firmware restrictions, what firmware it ships with, we do not know. Some are even saying it doesn't actually exist. Good then if that's the case. But what if it's the other way around?