How NOT to brick your PSP

Barts_706 · Post by **Barts_706** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 5:15 pm

Since I am moving on from compiling examples and slight modifications to someone else's code to writing my own little pieces of code and experimenting with PSPGL, I would like to ask one very important question before I start.

I have heard quite a lot about bricking PSP. Is there anything that should absolutely NOT be done by the homebrew programs in order to avoid bricking PSP?

Theoretically if the firmware rests intact, there shouldn't be any issues, but I prefer to ask nevertheless. Because firstly I tend to have this little unlucky moments, after which everyone tells me "How come you didn't know that you're not supposed to do that? Everyone knows that you can't..." (everyone but me usually) and secondly I don't have funds for second PSP.

So if there are any nasty surprise waiting for unexperienced PSP programmers (I don't dare call myself developer), please tell me.

urchin · Post by **urchin** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 7:53 pm

If you are so unsure, you can always run your apps in user mode (rather than kernel mode), until you pick up enough experience and courage to start experimenting with other things.

danzel · Post by **danzel** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 8:11 pm

basically: dont touch the flash.

Running in usermode is good, as then you can't touch it :)

placasoft · Post by **placasoft** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:30 pm

You can touch flash in user mode, too!

Brunni · Post by **Brunni** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 1:46 am

May I ask a question, please?
Once, as my program (running in user mode) crashed severely (I forgot to check if the file could be opened before reading with fgetc), I had a blue screen when rebooting the console and the firmware settings (date, and so on) had to be reseted, like if I bought a new PSP. Hopefully, my PSP isn't bricked, but does this mean my flash has been touched when the program crashed?

funetik · Post by **funetik** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:39 am

There are two parts of flash - flash0 and flash1.

Flash0 contains the firmware and Flash1 contains system settings/date and time etc. At least, that's the way I understand it.

Looks like you upset flash1 and that's why it needed the date etc reset.

dot_blank · Post by **dot_blank** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 7:40 am

just dont use any flash0 calls and keep in mind
you still can brick in user mode ...but kernel mode
you should stray far away until you need a kernel
feature ie...usb, kprintf ... and certainly do not
ever write over any file in flash0

greets

Arwin · Post by **Arwin** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 7:55 am

As far as I understand it, you don't need kernel mode for USB. At least not for the basic file stuff - Fanjita's loader shows this.

Barts_706 · Post by **Barts_706** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:33 am

Wow. Looks like my post initiated some more serious discussion.

Well, as for me. I'll stick to user mode then.

Gary13579 · Post by **Gary13579** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 12:35 pm

Sorry for the noob question, but no one in IRC answered (hey, what else is new?).
How do I make sure my app is launched in user mode? I want to make sure it is compatible with all firmware versions, so this is a must..

Also, if the program is in user mode, will DHCP for WiFi still work?

HaQue · Post by **HaQue** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:34 pm

//kernel mode
PSP_MODULE_INFO(MODULE_NAME, 0x1000, 1, 1);

//user mode
PSP_MODULE_INFO(MODULE_NAME,0, 1, 1);

Im fairly sure thats all there is to it.

Dr. Vegetable · Post by **Dr. Vegetable** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:13 pm

I wouldn't worry too much about bricking your PSP by writing buggy homebrew. This is very unlikely unless you experiment with re-writing the firmware flash chip on the motherboard, which is not the same as writing to the flash chip on a memory stick.

Accidental bricking is not something I worry about, and I've written some pretty buggy homebrew apps. Just last night I hung my PSP with a dark screen, and then it wouldn't reset (hold the power switch up for 10-20 seconds) and wouldn't turn on again even after I removed the battery from the unit for a few seconds. It turns out that the battery was dead, and the PSP revived as soon as I plugged it into the charger.

Just like dropping the soap in the shower, everyone will warn you against bricking your PSP, but I suspect that nobody is speaking from personal experience. So how many of you reading this have actually bricked a PSP by having one of your own applications crash? I am curious to hear any first-hand horror stories...

Shatterdome · Post by **Shatterdome** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 10:05 am

None, the worst I get is it will freeze and you may not be able to shut it off yourself, but it turns itself off eventually. Ocassionaly you wont be able to turn it back on, until it sits for like 20 secs, or you remove the battery...I've yet to play much with reading and writing to the MS, but like it's been said, shouldn't be too much risk if you are not touching the flash...

dbeyer3069 · Post by **dbeyer3069** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:25 am

Dr. Vegetable wrote:I wouldn't worry too much about bricking your PSP by writing buggy homebrew. This is very unlikely unless you experiment with re-writing the firmware flash chip on the motherboard, which is not the same as writing to the flash chip on a memory stick.

Accidental bricking is not something I worry about, and I've written some pretty buggy homebrew apps. Just last night I hung my PSP with a dark screen, and then it wouldn't reset (hold the power switch up for 10-20 seconds) and wouldn't turn on again even after I removed the battery from the unit for a few seconds. It turns out that the battery was dead, and the PSP revived as soon as I plugged it into the charger.

Just like dropping the soap in the shower, everyone will warn you against bricking your PSP, but I suspect that nobody is speaking from personal experience. So how many of you reading this have actually bricked a PSP by having one of your own applications crash? I am curious to hear any first-hand horror stories...

I managed to brick my first PSP in the first 4 days of owning it. Turned out the battery was bad...and somehow when I did a "restore default settings" in the PSP menu... it was all she wrote. Had to ship it back to PSPville and I got a new one. Wasn't anything I did. Was just one of those flukes.

Can't say I've had the soap experience though :)