Time To Troubleshoot The PSP

[Atari6600]

So back in December, my mom was cleaning out her house and gave me my brother's old PSP.  Just my luck with him.  I didn't know how bad off the system was until about last month.  Aside from a visual glitch that I can't really describe in words (might be able to snag a picture of it over the weekend though), I figured I'd take the PSP off the charger when it wasn't charging.

Well last month (or late May...forgive my Swiss cheese memory) I picked it up and turned it on.  It didn't turn on at all.  It was as if the battery was dead...which was impossible (or so I thought) because it was powered off and the battery had been fully charged.  So I stuck it on the charger and lo and behold it turned on...but the system memory had been reformatted.

So I ask: What's wrong with my PSP (besides the screen glitch...which we'll discuss at a later date) and how can I fix it...preferably on the cheap?

[SirPsycho]

I don't know what caused the reformat but I do know that PSP batteries drain even if they're off the charger and "turned off". Its one of those off switches that's never really actually turned all the way off.

[bombatomba]

So back in December, my mom was cleaning out her house and gave me my brother's old PSP.  Just my luck with him.  I didn't know how bad off the system was until about last month.  Aside from a visual glitch that I can't really describe in words (might be able to snag a picture of it over the weekend though), I figured I'd take the PSP off the charger when it wasn't charging.

Well last month (or late May...forgive my Swiss cheese memory) I picked it up and turned it on.  It didn't turn on at all.  It was as if the battery was dead...which was impossible (or so I thought) because it was powered off and the battery had been fully charged.  So I stuck it on the charger and lo and behold it turned on...but the system memory had been reformatted.

So I ask: What's wrong with my PSP (besides the screen glitch...which we'll discuss at a later date) and how can I fix it...preferably on the cheap?

When you say "reformat" do you literally mean that everything you put on the PSP (saves, demos, etc.) is now gone, or just that it required you to set the time again? 

[Atari6600]

So back in December, my mom was cleaning out her house and gave me my brother's old PSP.  Just my luck with him.  I didn't know how bad off the system was until about last month.  Aside from a visual glitch that I can't really describe in words (might be able to snag a picture of it over the weekend though), I figured I'd take the PSP off the charger when it wasn't charging.

Well last month (or late May...forgive my Swiss cheese memory) I picked it up and turned it on.  It didn't turn on at all.  It was as if the battery was dead...which was impossible (or so I thought) because it was powered off and the battery had been fully charged.  So I stuck it on the charger and lo and behold it turned on...but the system memory had been reformatted.

So I ask: What's wrong with my PSP (besides the screen glitch...which we'll discuss at a later date) and how can I fix it...preferably on the cheap?

When you say "reformat" do you literally mean that everything you put on the PSP (saves, demos, etc.) is now gone, or just that it required you to set the time again? 

It made me reset the time but I don't know if it reformatted everything.  All I know is that I've never had to reset the time on my 3DS before so I have no clue what's happening.  I can check my memory stick for save data.  Good news is a friend of mine mentioned I might just need a new battery.

Ok here's a massive update: Two of my three games have sava data intact.  However, it won't load the games I when I put them in.  The screen goes and the system makes a weird high pitched prolonged scraping noise...which wasn't happening the last time I powered it on...additionally I removed a UMD and placed it back in...didn't fix this problem...

[bombatomba]

When the battery runs dry on a PSP it forces you to input the date and time again, that is the good news.  The bad news is that it really sounds like your PSP is in sad shape.  Quality replacement parts for the various PSPs have started to dry up over the past two years, and have been replaced with super cheap knock-offs.  There is still hope, but in the end it might just be more cost effective to replace the entire unit, as PSPs tend to sell for around $50 USD on ebay (for a PSP 2000). 

If you still want to repair it, depending on your type of PSP, a replacement screen will cost around $15 USD, a UMD drive $10-$18 USD, and a battery $5-$10 (though battery quality is so bad now you will no doubt have to buy multiple).  Repairs aren't super difficult, and there are detailed guides online to help (ifixit has some good ones).

[Atari6600]

I can't use tools to save my life so I'd be better off paying a repair specialist.

As for the visual glitch?  It appears to come and go.  All day long I have YET to see the weird visual distortion...but I'd probably be better off fixing the screen as well just to be safe.  Also I could just purchase a replacement, however, I do have a pretty tight budget.  I've had a to give up the purchases of a few games I was looking forward to and may have to sacrifice a few others as well.

The earliest I could consider dropping 50 on a replacement PSP is roughly around the end of the month.  And that's assuming that I have 50 in the bank at that time. :/  I know my brother did NOT take good of things because he was high all the time (he totaled my dad's car a couple years ago and they had to cut their visit to see me short as a result), so since it's a hand-me-down the quality and shape might've been this way all along and all it took was a little playtime on the system to mess it up worse

At this point I'm not sure if I should find a repair specialist and get the repairs done that way and then buy a few extra batteries and learn how often to change them or if I should just cross my fingers and hope I can afford a replacement unit before the prices drive up...if they go up at all.  I know Lukie Games sells PSPs in the 100s and Amazon ranges anywhere from 50 to 90.  The lower priced units tend to sell the fastest which is what worries me.

[bombatomba]

I can't use tools to save my life so I'd be better off paying a repair specialist.

As for the visual glitch?  It appears to come and go.  All day long I have YET to see the weird visual distortion...but I'd probably be better off fixing the screen as well just to be safe.  Also I could just purchase a replacement, however, I do have a pretty tight budget.  I've had a to give up the purchases of a few games I was looking forward to and may have to sacrifice a few others as well.

The earliest I could consider dropping 50 on a replacement PSP is roughly around the end of the month.  And that's assuming that I have 50 in the bank at that time. :/  I know my brother did NOT take good of things because he was high all the time (he totaled my dad's car a couple years ago and they had to cut their visit to see me short as a result), so since it's a hand-me-down the quality and shape might've been this way all along and all it took was a little playtime on the system to mess it up worse

At this point I'm not sure if I should find a repair specialist and get the repairs done that way and then buy a few extra batteries and learn how often to change them or if I should just cross my fingers and hope I can afford a replacement unit before the prices drive up...if they go up at all.  I know Lukie Games sells PSPs in the 100s and Amazon ranges anywhere from 50 to 90.  The lower priced units tend to sell the fastest which is what worries me.

In that case, I highly recommend getting a replacement.  Try opening a thread in the Sales Extravaganza part of the RFG forum and see if you can find anything for a competitive price.  Prices of the PSP should stay fairly steady, as most people are simply waiting for the PS Vita to become more "hacked" than the PSP.  There are a lot of people trying to price gouge, but that is normal.  Just stay vigilant.

The largest problem with PSPs now are the batteries, which are dying in large numbers.  As SirPsycho mentioned above, even when fully turned off they use energy, and once they die that is super bad for battery (fully draining a Lithium Ion battery is one of the worst things you can do to it).  The main problem now is while replacement batteries are cheap, their quality is very bad, necessitating a purchase of several hoping to get one working.  "New old" stock is also questionable at this point, as they have basically sat on the shelf for years (possibly) without being plugged in for charging, and buying used OEM batteries can be just as bad.  The solution I found is a little weird, but works fine.  I bought a micro USB to PSP power adapter from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Da...le-Sony-PSP/dp/B000LEFKXC) and a USB power bank.  I recommend getting a high mAh model with high amp capability (many advertise "fast" device charging, which is usually high amp), so that it can actually supply the power to run the PSP.  I bought an ARCENET 17,000 mAh bank off Amazon, mainly because it advertised 3A.  It works great, though the portability of the PSP is reduced slightly by the length of the cord and the weight of the power bank.

[Atari6600]

I'll go ahead and draft up a competitive prices proposal and see what I can do but I DO have an update.  First off I can say the visual glitch looks like some sort of blurriness that randomly blinks on and off of the screen.  Secondly, I only own three games for the PSP right now and I tested them all.  Here are my findings:

Bust-A-Move: Deluxe: This game plays with no problems whatsoever.  No weird scraping noises.

Guilty Gear: Accent Core: This game loads and can be played, however the scraping noise is present.

Metal Slug Anthology: This game retains a black screen and the scraping noise is present and consistent.

For the record all three games were purchased on Ebay brand new still in the plastic wrap.  Also if I were to take and show pictures of the discs, you would see there are no signs of any sorts of scratches or damages.  I'm not sure if the issue is with the UMD drive itself or if there's something wrong with the two discs in question.

[bombatomba]

If I could hazard a guess I would say the drive, though Bust-A-Move working puts that in question.  How do the actual game look?  Are the shells that hold the UMD disc together 100% (meaning, no gaps in between the two halves)?  I've known some people just having the raw discs laying around and putting them into the shells for playing.  This kind of thing almost always leads to broken shells, and this could (possibly) lead to the games making that horrible scraping sound you are talking about.

[Atari6600]

They look 100% together to me.  I don't see any gaps in the in shells.  I heard somewhere online that the scraping means the shell is pressing against the disc and that means it's "easy to replace."  I don't know how to remove and replace cases, but I wouldn't be able to say if it's the drive or the UMDs without having a second system to test the two games in question with.  Once I'm in a position to buy a replacement I can find out more though.

I keep the games in their cases when I'm not playing them and I leave the shells intact without removing them.  And I like I said they were shipped in brand new condition when I bought them so if the problem IS with the shells then that might be a defect from the packaging and shipping process.  I'm guessing that's where the alleged defect could've happened anyway.

I'm pretty strict about keeping my games and systems in good condition.  For retro games I insist on cartridge holders, dust protectors or even those Universal Media game cases that I found out about through here.  For more modern games I insist on keeping them in their boxes at all times.  For collection and display purposes I prefer to have the original box, but I'll settle for a generic one if the need be.  I don't let ANYONE leave my discs laying around and I always prefer to set up a system if it's not out in the living room (My Genesis is a MAJOR dust magnet so when I'm not using it I keep it in a sealed container...and prefer to set it up myself even someone else wants to use it...my apartment is hardwood flooring so I don't want it getting banged up).

[bombatomba]

Hmm.  I'm at a loss for that one.  Maybe the drive is squeezing some of the UMDs?  AI had UMD problems with my PSP 2000 at one point, but it turned out the battery cover needed to be reseated properly (on the PSP 2000s the battery cover can push on the UMD drive door).  If you do need to replace the UMD shell you can buy them on eBay pretty cheap (generally less than $1 a piece).  Can't imagine you need more than a little flat-headed screwdriver to open one of them.

On another note, I'll share a little trick I learned from Addicted.  Using Multi-Surface Pledge on a Genesis works wonders.  Not sure if it works well on the Genesis 2 or 3, but does an amazing job at repelling dust from a Genesis 1.

[Atari6600]

Luckily for me my Genesis IS a model one.  I'll have to look into that little trick.