Memory stick swaping for firmware - no not another theory

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 4:26 pm

Out of curiousity I made an adapter that allows me to (in theory) remove the memory card with out the PSP knowing that I removed it. (playing off swap trick theorys for firmware updates)

But I noticed something when I remove the memory card from teh adapter it see's that I did it and removes the memory card contents that were displayed. (Such as viewing a jpg) or any memory card menu that shows up under the diff catagories.

So does the PSP look for more than the fact that the switch is switched?
Apears so

What is it doing to check that it is there?
Checking data on the memory card to verify information and that it is in place? Detects that an electrical charge that is usualy there isnt?

Any input and links to spec's on the mem cars (such as what each pin is used for) Would be very usefull.

Thanks,
PyroSama

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:34 am

Ok it is detecting that an electric charge is still there. I did some playing around and crossed some wires on my dummy card and I am now able to pull a memory card with it still thinking it is in. If I go to the diff menu's it simply says no files. Doesnt even think it is corupt.

Thanks,
PyroSama

EDIT:

To clarify and avoid pm's asking how I made this because you have a 1.5X and want to downgrade. I am not saying that you can downgrade by this method or that any thing can be achived by this method. I am simply investigating what it takes to trick the psp into thinking you have a memory card in to have the ability to do it if it comes into play in the future.

Can any one point me to threads on update comparisons? - Do the updates use diff encryption keys?

Thanks,
PyroSama

EDIT 2:

I was messing around and if you pull the memory card and replace with a second one it doesnt recognize it as having any data on it. And when you replace with the first memory card it can find the data again. I was about to test if I had two memory cards of the same size set up w/ the same dir structure if it would recognize it but I managed to snap one of my 32's in half - I opened it to see what the circuts looked like - How I found what pins to cross.

I will test with a 128 and my 32 now.

Thanks,
PyroSama

Josh1billion · Post by **Josh1billion** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:27 am

Pyrosama is a good guy, working on a method which just might help in the exploit challenge. Good luck and good work.. you might be onto something.

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:54 am

A couple more updates.

I put the same files on both mem cards - 32 and 128 - loaded my 128 first and swaped to my 32 and it found files under the games foler just shows corupt data for all of them

Also if you exit the menu and swap back and then go to teh game folder again it wont display any data. But if you swap while in the menu it and scroll down it starts showing things corupt and if you switch back and continue down the list they start showing as good data and you can launch them.

I also did the old swap trick w/ my 32 and 128 and when I swaped and it continued to launch it gave an erorr and showed that it was a 128 now instead of my 32 - tested twice and both times fails to launch the game and displays the card that is actually in there.

Posible check used by 1.51 and 1.52?

More to come as I test more things.

Thanks,
PyroSama

F9zDark · Post by **F9zDark** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:09 am

[please dont flame]

And once again, FIRMWARE CANNOT BE DOWNGRADED THROUGH SHODDY MEANS.

How many times must I say this? I made a thread about it and tried every damn thing under the sun. Swapping mem-cards gets closer, but once the update program, the PROGRAM ITSELF, sees that the firmware in flash is newer than the source, it stops.

Get over the damn downgrade bandwagon. It is impossible without EITHER ONE of THREE things:

1)Hardware meant to tap into flash and reflash it.
2)Official Devkit being used to program a legitamate firmware downgrade
3)Writing to flash properly and without making a brick(could be because AES keys aren't found...)

Neither of the two we have access to, legally, as of yet. Go ahead and work everything out, but I gurantee I have tried it before. And what good is making the PSP think that the Memstick is still inserted when it isn't? The only reason I got anywhere in using the swaploit method for Updates is because the swap took place without the PSP even trying to run off the memstick(during that PSP intro clip before running all games).

We CANNOT use jerry rigged updates to downgrade. I am sorry, but that will never work.

Here is the thread for your viewing convience:

http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=2257

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:50 am

My goal is not to downgrade. - The title is simply stating what theories happend to lead me to look into what can be done. (the posts about tricking the psp into thinking that it still has a memory card in so you can swap)

I simply asked about it because I was curious about what had been achived and what was tried and what the results were. And my guess is and was that not many people if any one treid it by making the psp belive that a memory card was never removed so I was seeing if it was worth atemptng a swap trick after it does the firmware check (were it ether continues or returns the error). I did not expect any results that hadnt been achived before nor do expect to make some grand breakthrough by doing this.

I am simply studying what all happens when doing diff tasks while switching cards around and doing things without cards.

Is this ok with you or should I stop posting what I learn through doing what I am doing?

Its up to you.

PyroSama

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:08 am

For referance: When pulling the mem card as I have many times before with my adapter it recognizes that it was pulled (I pulled it when it wasnt reading from the card) so this means

THIS CAN NOT BE USED TO DOWNGRADE YOUR FIRMWARE

Agoln · Post by **Agoln** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:46 am

Mod Notes:

Please do not flame, I will keep this post open because it has at least some research involved, but if this flaming continues, I will lock the thread.

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:15 pm

Using the half of my broken 32 that has the controller chip on it I put it into my adapter and it sits there trying to read it - thinking I have a card in the PSP so I am building a second adapter that will allow me to pull the card while the updater application is running. - In theory with that half of the card still there it will both think that I still have a card there and posibly bypass any posible memory card ID check if it reads that chip first or in adition to. - Most likely it will simply say it is corupt when I try to read the memory card or simply ignore that it is there.

We will find out when the epoxy drys.

Thanks,
PyroSama

F9zDark · Post by **F9zDark** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:34 pm

Sorry for flaming and I am sorry pyrosama, it seemed that you were just another person throwing around an idea of how to downgrade.

Now allow me to ask you, what is your intention in mind for this adaptor? I mean, when I read about it, it seems like your trying to make something that you can possibly just activate one stick and then use the other in case any swapping is needed?

If I knew what kind of adaptor you were using I could better realize what it is that you are doing.

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:56 pm

Thank you for apologizing.

Well I really dont have any intention w/ this thing. I am basicly going over every thign people have tried to use swaptricks for that didnt work because the psp recognizes the mem card was pulled.

- More info comming soon - Found some new stuff - looking into it further

EDIT:
Can you send me a copy of the 1.50 update. I am now able to pull the card during the update. - At the menu where it says start.

Thanks,
PyroSama

MelGibson · Post by **MelGibson** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 3:02 pm

pyrosama wrote: Can you send me a copy of the 1.50 update. I am now able to pull the card during the update. - At the menu where it says start.

[EDIT]

Sorry the link doesn't works :(

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 4:06 pm

Well it's bricked.

Good idea pyrosama - try to learn what I can not comming into this with the plan to downgrade and end up with a brick!

Well I do have some good news though.

I was able to swap in the updater app and launch the 1.5 update and it goes to the updater screen with the progress bar and sit's at 0% then it shut it's self off never to turn back on.

I used my 1.5 psp the 1.52 updater and 1.50 updater

1.52 on ms1 loaded updater and swaped in app to 1.5 updater.

Any ways time to take donations for a new mobo so I can brick another one!

Hope this helps people. - This has taught me one thing the psp can not be downgraded w/ sony's updates. Somethign is not reading the same as it should so PLEASE NO ONE ASK ABOUT A DOWNGRADER USING SONY'S UPDATES.

Thanks,
PyroSama

0x0001 · Post by **0x0001** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 4:33 pm

ahh....nothing gets a psp owners heart
down to his ankles like a bricked psp
i hope you have learned well from this
research pyro and hopefully the other members
who read into this learn as well

there is no way to downgrade with any means
of a memorystick swap or any unorthodox
method...do not try any of these activities at home
or you may end up being a lonely psp owner
hold the psp, and hold the friends, cuz once your
psp is dead you will not have many left

good try tho pyro bud
i feel your pain
0x

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:14 am

Ok here are some photo's of what I made.

The one with all the wires wasnt used. I ended up find out that my adapter had broken when I was trying to pull the mem card in the updater and so the one that is white ended up being all that was needed.

http://www.psp-development.com/pyrosama/

Thanks,
PyroSama

Agoln · Post by **Agoln** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:29 am

Might wanna rename the links to .JPG instead of .jpg, case SeNsAtIvE in *nix :)

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:04 am

Yep just noticed. I batchresized for the thumbnails and it renamed the extention and just copy paisted the names from the thumb's and well messed thigns up.

Fixed now thanks,
PyroSama

pyrosama · Post by **pyrosama** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:59 am

Ok here are some vids I made with my buddy's psp.

They are really small because of the digi cam I was using (really old cam)

but they show some of the key things I can do with the adapter.

http://www.psp-development.com/pyrosama/videos/

[edit]
new higher rez vid of pulling the card in the updater app
http://www.psp-development.com/pyrosama ... V00044.MPG

sorry for the vid sizes and lengths but my digi cam stops recording at 1.30mb (sony digi cam that has both fdd and ms so it stops recording at a floppy's capacity)

[edit 2] I added a new pic of the adapter that is really clear and close up so you can see the wire better.

http://www.psp-development.com/pyrosama ... C00077.JPG

Thanks,
PyroSama