PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Step-by-step PSP tutorials: install ARK-4 and ARK-5, a permanent custom firmware, plugins and homebrews on every PSP.
User avatar
TGbot
Famous Member
Members
Posts: 4742
Joined: Sun 21 Sep 2008 09:15
Wi-Fi: Oui
CFW Wii: Aucun

PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by TGbot »

Automatically translated from French.

2026 update: this kit can still repair a bricked PSP 1000 or 2000, but to hack a PSP today you no longer need a Pandora battery: ARK-5 installs on every model, see our tutorial Hacking your PSP in 2026: ARK-5 on every model, PSP Street E1004 included.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Image unavailable (removed by its host) Warning, this tutorial is only for the PSP 1000, 2000.
The 2000 TA-088v3, the 3000 and the PSP Go are not compatible.
Like any software that touches flash 0 of the Psp, there are risks of bricking.
Tgames and the creators of the programs cannot be held responsible in case of a brick (any install or update should be done with a full battery or while plugged into mains, do not turn off the Psp during installation, etc...)
For this tutorial, you will need an official Sony battery and a Sony Magic Gate compatible memory stick.
Otherwise, it won't work!

INTERNAL MENU Brick - The Kit - The Pandora Battery - Identifying the Psp - Creating the kit - Creating the Pandora battery - Creating the magic memory stick - Modifying the magic memory stick - Debricking and downgrading - Un-pandora-izing the battery
1/ Brick? [top of page] There are two types of brick on Psp, the semi brick and the brick!
If you have installed a custom firmware on your Psp, you can tell one from the other by starting it up and holding the R trigger.
Either you get to the recovery menu and it's a semi brick, or it's a brick because nothing happens.


2/ The Kit [top of page] This kit will let you debrick (brick or semi brick) a Psp, downgrade, upgrade, and on top of that it has a special feature: it has 2 utilities to carry out these operations!
This kit will consist of a magic memory stick containing Hellcat's Recovery Flasher and Despertar del Cementerio V8.


3/ The Pandora Battery [top of page] The Pandora battery is a battery that puts the Psp into maintenance mode.
In fact your battery has a serial number and the Psp checks the serial number, which makes the Psp boot on its internal memory and then the memory stick.
Pandora-izing allows the serial number to be modified and therefore lets the Psp boot directly on the memory stick.
There is the soft Pandora battery (which is what we're going to see) and the hard Pandora battery, which you can buy or modify yourself.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Image unavailable (removed by its host)

Modifying the Psp 1000's battery
Image unavailable (removed by its host)

Modifying the Psp 2000's battery
From 15 to 20 euros, the battery, it's up to you!

It's true that the best solution is to have an extra battery and memory stick to always have a kit ready.
Because if the psp is bricked, it's impossible to pandora-ize a battery with a black screen.


4/ Identifying the Psp [top of page] So there is a way to debrick your Psp with a magic memory stick and a Pandora battery, but before all that, you're going to identify your Psp's motherboard, because not all Psp's are able to do this.[/align]

For that follow the [TUTORIAL] Identify your Psp's motherboard with PSPident

If in Psp Ident, on the line "Bat eeprom access" (possibility of creating a pandora battery), you have Yes, you're all good, if you have No, it's lost, your Psp cannot create a Pandora battery.

In any case, if your motherboard's version is TA-085v2 or higher, your Psp cannot create a pandora battery.


5/ Creating the kit with Psp Grader, Despertar del Cementerio V8, Recovery flasher and its pandora add-on. [top of page] Psp Grader is a pc software that lets you create a magic memory stick that will work in tandem with the Pandora battery. It will also install Despertar del Cementerio on the memory stick.

So let's download it. Download Psp Grader + Official firmware 5.00
This content is for members only. Log in or register for free to see it.


Despertar del Cementerio is set up by Psp Grader when creating the magic memory stick, we'll see these functions further down and how to access them.

We will also need Hellcat's Recovery Flasher.
This utility can pandora-ize a battery and put it back into normal mode.
It has plenty of other functions that you can discover in this guide [Tutorial] Hellcat's Recovery Flasher.
So let's download the version that matches your Psp. Download Hellcat Recovery Flasher + file for Psp 1000
This content is for members only. Log in or register for free to see it.
[/align]
Download Hellcat Recovery Flasher + file for Psp 2000
This content is for members only. Log in or register for free to see it.
[/align]

We will also download an add-on for Hellcat's Recovery Flasher that will let us boot into it.

This add-on will let Hellcat's Recovery Flasher take the place of Despertar del Cementerio but will not stop us from accessing it.
Download Pandora Add on for Recovery Flasher
This content is for members only. Log in or register for free to see it.
[/align]


6/ Creating the Pandora battery [top of page] Extract the Hellcat Recovery Flasher archive to your Windows desktop.

If you took the archive for the Psp 1000, you will find the following directories and files.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) If you took the archive for the Psp 2000, you will find the following directories and files.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Copy these files to the root of your memory stick.

Then head to the games icon, then memory stick and launch Hellcat's Recovery Flasher.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) When you're on custom firmware, the application detects active plugins, so it will disable them and restart the Psp.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Relaunch Hellcat's Recovery Flasher and choose "I agree, Now take me to the program!"
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Then head to Make the battery a pandora one and press X.

You can exit Hellcat's Recovery Flasher, your battery is now pandora-ized!


7/ Creating the magic memory stick [top of page] Extract the Psp grader archive to your Windows desktop.

Psp grader has been tested on Windows XP, Vista and Seven (32 or 64 bit).

1. Format your MS from the PSP, in the Psp's menu, go to System Settings --> Memory Stick Formatting
2. Connect your Psp to your computer.
3. Plug the usb cable into the Psp and the computer.
4. In the Psp's menu, go to Settings--> USB Connection.
3. Press X

Launch Psp grader.

Check that your Psp and its memory stick are detected as shown in this image.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Then, set Select Trigger Button to None.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Then click on Clean Pandora Stick.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) A window appears, click on YES.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Once the process is finished, click on Close.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Now, you can start the creation of the magic memory stick, by clicking on Create Pandora Stick.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) The process runs and finishes with this screen.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) You can click on Close and close Psp grader.


8/ Modifying the magic memory stick with Hellcat's Recovery Flasher's add-on [top of page] Do not disconnect your Psp from your PC!

Now we're going to open the magic memory stick from Windows' my computer.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Open the TM folder, then the DC8 folder and finally the KD folder.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Look for the file resurrection.prx and rename it ddc.prx.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Now, extract the Pandora archive and copy the resurrection.prx file into TM/DC8/KD (the same folder where we renamed the old version to ddc.prx).
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Image unavailable (removed by its host) To finish our magic memory stick, we're going to copy Hellcat's Recovery Flasher onto the memory stick again.

Extract the recovery flasher archive to your Windows desktop.

If you took the archive for the Psp 1000, you will find the following directories and files.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) If you took the archive for the Psp 2000, you will find the following directories and files.
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Copy these files to the root of your memory stick.

There you go, the magic memory stick is ready!


9/ Debricking and downgrading [top of page] Turn off your Psp, remove the battery, leave your magic ms in the Psp and put the battery back in its slot.

The psp should turn on directly and boot into Hellcat's Recovery Flasher. This will let you, by following the [Tutorial] Hellcat Recovery Flasher reinstall a custom firmware.

Second important point, in Hellcat's Recovery Flasher, right at the bottom, you can see the line " Go to original DDC menu or boot FW".

By selecting this line and pressing X, another screen appears with 2 choices.

Go to original DDC menu or Boot up CFW from Stick.

If you choose Go to original DDC menu, a new screen appears!
Image unavailable (removed by its host) Despertar del Cementerio V8! (designed by the greatest Psp hacker, Dark_AleX!)

Description of the Options

Flash Install CFW 5.00 M3-4-d3: lets you switch your PSP to custom firmware 5.03M33-4.

Flash Install OFW 5.00: reinstalls sony's official 5.00 firmware.

Test DC8 M33: lets you run the M33 test of Despertar del Cementerio V8.
This consists of emulating other custom firmwares and letting you launch homebrews without having to flash your PSP.
(You can for example un-pandora-ize the battery)

Hardware Info: displays information about your PSP's motherboard.

Nand Operations: lets you dump your nand (make a copy of it), or reinstall your original nand.

Warning!!! Never install a nand coming from another PSP.
Each nand is specific to each PSP system and would cause an immediate brick.

Shutdown: used to turn off your PSP.

Reboot Device: lets you restart your PSP.

If you select Boot up CFW from Stick.
This lets you run the M33 test of Despertar del Cementerio V8.
This consists of emulating other custom firmwares and letting you launch homebrews without having to flash your Psp.


Once the custom firmware is installed, plug your Psp into mains power and remove the battery.

Your Psp will restart normally.

You will need to reconfigure it.


10/ Un-pandora-izing the battery [top of page] Put the battery back in its slot, but leave the Psp plugged into mains power.
Relaunch Hellcat's Recovery Flasher and choose "I agree, Now take me to the program!" Image unavailable (removed by its host) Now, scroll down to "Make the battery a normal one again" and press X.

The battery has gone back to normal, you can exit Hellcat's Recovery Flasher by doing " Go to original DDC menu or boot FW" then Go to original DDC menu and once in Despertar del Cementerio V8, choose "Shutdown"

The Psp shuts down, remove the memory stick, remove the battery, put the battery back.
Restart, the Psp starts up normally, you can put your memory Stick back in.


And there you go!
Last edited by Tgames on Sat 24 Oct 2026 07:10, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Ajout d’un lien vers la méthode à jour (2026)
User avatar
TGbot
Famous Member
Members
Posts: 4742
Joined: Sun 21 Sep 2008 09:15
Wi-Fi: Oui
CFW Wii: Aucun

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by TGbot »

Automatically translated from French.

Well, by preparing a kit, you'll be less scared!
User avatar
zinzin
Gamer
Members
Posts: 665
Joined: Wed 8 Sep 2010 15:12
Wi-Fi: Non
Firmware Wii: 4.3E
CFW Wii: d2x v7b1d
Type de DS: 3DS
Linker DS: Acecard 2I 1.8.9 Z
PS3 Dongle: Aucun
Type PSP: Slim
Firmware PSP: 6.20 Pro b10 v2

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by zinzin »

Automatically translated from French.

Yes hats off nice tutorial.
despite my 3004.........
You gathered all the tools to work miracles ;)
Vw ! What else ? Mk1 only ! Lower is better !
Miui-france Moderator ^_^
User avatar
Jiiwah
Master Gamer
Members
Posts: 2207
Joined: Sat 7 Mar 2009 20:50
Wi-Fi: Oui
Firmware Wii: 4.1E
CFW Wii: d2x v6
Type de DS: 3DS
CFW PS3: kmeaw
PS3 Dongle: Aucun
Type PSP: Fat
Firmware PSP: CFW 6.20

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by Jiiwah »

Automatically translated from French.

Great work Kalidor on this tutorial. Clear, neat and precise. Nice work :accord:

I'll start by coming back to look at this tutorial when I get back into the psp scene.
User avatar
Oops
God Member
Members
Posts: 7083
Joined: Thu 2 Apr 2009 00:35
Wi-Fi: Oui
CFW Wii: Wii vendu
Type de DS: 3DS
Linker DS: R4i GOLD 3DS (r4ids.cn)
CFW PS3: ode a venir
Type PSP: Fat
Firmware PSP: 6.60 pro-B10
lecteurxbox: LiteOn
Firmware lecteur Xbox360: LT+3.0 rgh2 coolrunn
Dashboard: 3.775
Location: 17 et 95

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by Oops »

Automatically translated from French.

A tutorial with a capital T :accord: :74: hoping I won't need it :P :vacance:
User avatar
TGbot
Famous Member
Members
Posts: 4742
Joined: Sun 21 Sep 2008 09:15
Wi-Fi: Oui
CFW Wii: Aucun

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by TGbot »

Automatically translated from French.

It's better to have a kit before a bricking, I think I'm going to add that to the tutorial!

Unless you have two psps...

Very hard to pandora a battery with a black screen.

Anyway, thanks, I'm really happy to have made a tutorial a bit different from other sites.
User avatar
darkscad
Master Gamer
Members
Posts: 1735
Joined: Sat 19 Sep 2009 14:06
Wi-Fi: Oui
Firmware Wii: 4.1E
CFW PS3: 4.5 Rogero
Type PSP: Slim
Location: France d'en BAS !

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by darkscad »

Automatically translated from French.

let me paste the PM I sent you.


tutorial tested! by luck I have one fat battery and one slim battery
my psp slim can't pandora either battery...
but my psp fat can pandora... so that's just the point that needs to be mentioned!

otherwise huge amount of work!
thanks for this tutorial...

ps: I really don't want to test my battery the hard way...
5.00 M33? what's the best for going forward .... otherwise I'll go back to 6.39 cfw

* I'm now on cfw full 6.39v6+fix and fr_recovery!
* my psp is a flashable psp2000
*DATE CODE 8B
User avatar
Jiiwah
Master Gamer
Members
Posts: 2207
Joined: Sat 7 Mar 2009 20:50
Wi-Fi: Oui
Firmware Wii: 4.1E
CFW Wii: d2x v6
Type de DS: 3DS
CFW PS3: kmeaw
PS3 Dongle: Aucun
Type PSP: Fat
Firmware PSP: CFW 6.20

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by Jiiwah »

Automatically translated from French.

Here's my experience with this tutorial which starts badly but ends up almost well.

I applied this tutorial to the letter from A to Z, only to end up with a black screen when I put the battery in.

I should mention I had installed a long time ago Time Machine and so I think the installed IPL wasn't recognized by the pandora'd battery.

So thanks to Pandora Installer I repartitioned and formatted the MS (R+X) to totally remove (I thought) Time Machine . No other formatting method managed to do that properly (via PC or PSP). From there I was able (I was able because before the step Pandora Installer, PSP Grader 8 gave me "the IPL Failed to inject - no enough reserved sector space for IPL") reinject an IPL again thanks to PSP Grader 8 but still with a "format failed" error.

So I went back through the tutorial and now it works fine, except that after going through "I agree" I get a screen telling me "TimeMachine detected - Restore and Backup functions are disabled" :(

Now regarding the tutorial itself, at step 8 you say "To finish, our magic memory stick, we're going to copy Hellcat's Recovery Flasher onto the memory stick again." But HRF is already on the MS, it was never removed. The 2 in step 7 only removes the pandora files, so not the HRF homebrew, isn't it?

:74: the Hellcat's Recovery Flasher add-on, I quickly checked OFW 6.20 then went back to CFW 5.50 GEN D-3.

End of report!!
PSPially yours
User avatar
TGbot
Famous Member
Members
Posts: 4742
Joined: Sun 21 Sep 2008 09:15
Wi-Fi: Oui
CFW Wii: Aucun

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by TGbot »

Automatically translated from French.

Hi Jiiwah!

When creating the mms, psp grader copies a 5.03 firmware, a kd directory and a TM directory (like in flash0) onto the ms and hrf detects that and says an ipl is present (as if time machine were there), don't worry I get that message too. HRF is very safe in terms of handling.

If you test it with a psp 3000, it tells you HRF isn't for you.

2nd point, after pandoring the battery with HRF, you format your ms with your psp or psp grader, so no more hrf, that's why we copy it a second time.

Thanks for this test Jiiwah!
User avatar
Jiiwah
Master Gamer
Members
Posts: 2207
Joined: Sat 7 Mar 2009 20:50
Wi-Fi: Oui
Firmware Wii: 4.1E
CFW Wii: d2x v6
Type de DS: 3DS
CFW PS3: kmeaw
PS3 Dongle: Aucun
Type PSP: Fat
Firmware PSP: CFW 6.20

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by Jiiwah »

Automatically translated from French.

kalidor wrote: 2nd point, after pandoring the battery with HRF, you format your ms with your psp or psp grader, so no more hrf, that's why we copy it a second time.
Hmm, nowhere do I see you asking to format the MS in your tutorial and it's not done automatically at any step.
User avatar
TGbot
Famous Member
Members
Posts: 4742
Joined: Sun 21 Sep 2008 09:15
Wi-Fi: Oui
CFW Wii: Aucun

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by TGbot »

Automatically translated from French.

7/ Creating the magic memory stick
[top of page]

Extract the Psp grader archive onto the Windows desktop.

Psp grader has been tested on Windows XP, Vista and Seven (32 or 64 bit).

1. Format your MS from the PSP, in the Psp menu, go to System Settings -->Memory Stick Format
2. Connect your Psp to your computer.
3. Plug the usb cable into the Psp and the computer.
4. In the Psp menu, go to Settings--> USB Connection.
3. Press X
User avatar
Jiiwah
Master Gamer
Members
Posts: 2207
Joined: Sat 7 Mar 2009 20:50
Wi-Fi: Oui
Firmware Wii: 4.1E
CFW Wii: d2x v6
Type de DS: 3DS
CFW PS3: kmeaw
PS3 Dongle: Aucun
Type PSP: Fat
Firmware PSP: CFW 6.20

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by Jiiwah »

Automatically translated from French.

ok sorry, although I think formatting it is pointless
User avatar
Gojyo
Novice
Members
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue 2 Aug 2011 11:58
Wi-Fi: Oui
Firmware Wii: 4.2E
CFW Wii: d2x v10 Et Hermes + Rodries
Type de DS: DSi
Linker DS: M3 DS Real, CycloDS Evolution, R4I-SDHC
CFW PS3: Aucun
PS3 Dongle: Aucun
Type PSP: Fat
Firmware PSP: 6.60 ME-1.8
Firmware lecteur Xbox360: pas de Xbox360
Yahoo Messenger: aucun
Location: Belgique

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by Gojyo »

Automatically translated from French.

Superb tutorial, honestly you couldn't find better, if after this there are still questions I don't understand ^^ Great work :bravo:
Le Respect se perd...
AlienWar
Nouvel arrivant
Members
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu 26 Jan 2012 17:14

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by AlienWar »

Automatically translated from French.

BIG PROBLEM!!!!!

I followed the whole tutorial.

I install my kit in my bricked psp 1004 (black screen but power light stays green)

the psp turns on with the green light on its own.

BUT THE RECOVERY FLASHER DOESN'T SHOW UP!!! the screen stays black!!!

HEELLPP
User avatar
TGbot
Famous Member
Members
Posts: 4742
Joined: Sun 21 Sep 2008 09:15
Wi-Fi: Oui
CFW Wii: Aucun

Re: PSP Unbrick and downgrade kit

Post by TGbot »

Automatically translated from French.

Double check everything you did, also non-official memory sticks and batteries make it not work properly.

I checked the tutorial several times and even bricked my psp on purpose to be sure it works.

For the Psp to start on the MS, the battery needs to be pandora'd, otherwise it won't work.

Everything for PSP