Well gaming fans, it’s your man Gee. I’m back. Delighted to be here. The executives on the top floor of TBG towers were pleased with my last article. Some visitors to the site even liked it enough to leave a comment and give it a ‘like’. How about that? Those executive types though, I’m wary of those. You know the type: three-piece suits; champagne brunches; BMWs etc. They keep offering me more money. I keep telling them, I’m an artist! I’m not interested in money. It is you, dear readers, that I care about most.
Anyway, for this article, I’m back with another episode of retro-fixing the beloved consoles of the past. Classics I should say, are as good and enjoyable and endearing today as the day they were released. Once again I want to encourage you all to look after these gems for posterity. Or, for those of us with a philosophical leaning: To transcend conflict by repairing something that is very possible to fix.
Wrong crowd for philosophy? Let me know in the comments below.
Last we spoke I replaced the battery on a bruised and battered GBA SP. A fresh battery from Aliexpressed breathed new life into the old girl at a point when I was ready to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom (the local skip recycling center). I’m relieved and felt proud to the point of wanting to write about, and share the experience with you all dear friends and readers.
At any rate, it was a rewarding and satisfying endeavor. It wasn’t long before I was looking for something else to fix. I had something in mind. It’s my PSP 1003. It has been whimpering and yearning for a repair. The frontage glass had an ugly crack running along the right-hand side. It didn’t interfere with the gaming while being used, the bright screen shone right through. Barely knew it was there. Switched off, it was a different story. The crack was obvious. Like the scar on the face of a leading lady. I would have to fix it with some plastic surgery.
After consulting Uncle Ali again (Ali-Express) I saw a gorgeous set of replacement front and back panels, all the buttons too. Silver, taking the PSP to a new level of elegance. Think Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and you have the same foaming-at-the-mouth excitement that I had. On a second viewing with less emotion, and more rationality I read the reviews. ‘Poor quality’, ‘Doesn’t fit’, ‘gaps’. Oh no, not good enough. Added to this was the price of 10 guineas and up (£11.00 including postage and packaging).
So I bounced on to eBay to see what they had. Their replacement shells and buttons are even more expensive at £15. However, they do appear to be of superior quality. The reviews are positive. Now, I would hasten to interject that £15 is the going rate for a second-hand PSP with some sort of defect. However, if you have patience and guile you can get yourself a ‘broken or for spares’ PSP for approximately £10 including P&P! There is a lot of tech out there listed as ‘broken or spares’ when in fact it is just fine! Maybe a battery missing, or not holding a charge, a missing battery cover, or a software update perhaps?
Spare a thought for any sellers though. At a given time we may not have the resources to test, poke and prod at our tech in the hope it returns to life. They have my sympathy.
I jumped in with both feet and ordered myself a ‘broken or spares’ PSP. It was at my front door before the end of the week. Wonderful receiving a package, isn’t it? Particularly so when there’s a heritage console inside! Now, I cannot lie, the poor thing was missing a battery and the cap from the analog stick. Other than that the PSP looked, in the first instance, to be absolutely fine. I took the battery from my damaged PSP and put it in. I put the device on charge and went for lunch. Fed and watered I returned and unplugged the PSP. Appeared to be functioning fine, other than the missing bits mentioned. Not a problem, what was lacking in this PSP I had with my old one.
Now, let’s get to the important bit – the repair.
Six screws at the back of the PSP. The first two are on the right-hand side and can be easily spotted. The other four are beneath the battery. So, take the battery cover off, pop out the battery, and remove the two screws at the top. There are two lower-down that are covered by the warranty sticker. Not the warranty sticker – ahhhh! What will I do without a warranty – ahhh!! Fear not friends, the warranty was up a long time ago. (Around the time the Vikings were torturing my kin I should think.) Run your finger over the sticker and you’ll see the impression of the last two screws. A little pressure on the screwdriver punches through the label onto the screw. Remove the two screws and the front shell of the PSP comes off easily and comfortably.
Now, do the same with the PSP whose screen you want to replace. Switch one screen for the other and re-screw. Be careful with those screws. The screw has to go back into the same hole it came out of. Seen pics online of an unfortunate chap that put a longer screw into the shorter hole closer to the UMD drive. The screw went in far enough to damage the screen.
You should have one PSP looking and working as it should. The other will have parts missing and the cracked upper clear screen of the shell. Pause for reflection. Fear not, there are still many parts you might cannibalize in the future. Spares for another repair. Or indeed pass on to another honest gaming brother/sister of the realm.
Job done. I’m feeling satisfied, pleased with myself, and even a little bit of relief. A natural cocktail of good vibes coursing and vibrating throughout my body. As with my last repair job, I want to pass these good feelings on through this article and to inspire you to do something similar. To fix something. You can do this – believe me!
Perhaps this satisfaction will last for a relatively short time. Nothing lasts forever, they say. I would add, however, I will be reminded of that same feeling every time I pick up this PSP for a game.
Now, what should I do next…
Take me down baby, take me down to China Town!
Terror-Byte Gaming 