[TUT] Security Switch for your PSP Phat or Slim

[l0rdnic0]

By L0rdnic0

Security Switch for your PSP Phat or Slim

Ever want to keep your little brother or sister from playing your PSP? Or maybe you broke your power switch. Well here’s a solution for under $10.00 bucks that adds that touch of class to your PSP as well as the security you need to prevent others from turning your PSP on.

READ THE FULL DOCUMENT BEFORE YOU START!

NOTE: A how to build your own reed will be added by Neubit soon!!!!!

Supplies needed for the Security Power Switch
30-gauge Kynar wire
Soldering Iron (nothing more then 15 Watt)
Solder (.015 size works best)
Flux
Read Switch – or - Window/Door Alarms (got mine at Wal-Mart) See the end for part #s
Advanced soldering and PSP disassembly Skills
Access to the Following Tutorials
   PSP Slim & Lite Disassembly Tutorial by T3KN1K4L
   PSP Phat Disassembly Tutorial by Kenshinffx

Refer to T3KN1K4L’s PSP Slim & Lite Disassembly Tutorial for removing the face plate on the slim only.

Refer to Kenshinffx’s PSP Phat Disassembly Tutorial for removing the faceplate off the phat PSP and some other parts.


Removal of the Face Plate


NOTE: Follow the correct tutorial for your PSP type, to remove the face plate then stop and refer back to this Tutorial.


Power Board removal for the Slim.

What you will need to do is remove the power board.
On the Slim you will need to remove the black screw at the top of the power board and then remove the flexible circuit cable by lifting the black bar as shown here. PICTURE Take caution when messing with this black bar. You don’t want to break it. Gently lift up on the bar to open.

At this point you should have the power board out of the slim. You are now ready to skip to the section labeled Switch Install

Power Board removal for the Phat.

Ok with the Phat PSP refer to Kenshinffx’s tutorial. Basically, you will need to remove the button bar and the LCD Screen and then the cage that holds the LCD in place to be able to access the power board fully.

Once that stuff is out of the way you will be able to access the power board. When removing the power board take note, there is a flexible circuit cable that needs to be removed from its holder on the bottom of the power board. To do this lift on the bar that rests on top of the flexible circuit cable holder then slid out the cable.

NOTE: Taken from Kenshinffx’s document. “Then you remove the ABXY Power switch but carefully making sure that you get the little black nub out of the power switch on the outside. Note: when you remove that always take special care to know where that black nub is for the switch it’s the easiest thing to break if you aren't careful when you reinstall the power board always make sure that nub is in the outer area of the switch correctly Before you push the board into place. J R told me about how he took all day doing a huge LED mod and everything thing worked. Broke the switch off reinstalling it. Made the whole thing useless. I've broken the switch once. And I will not do it again”.
At this point you should have the power board out of the Phat. You are now ready to go to then next section.

Switch Install

OK so if you bought a reed switch go to the section labeled Install, if not and you bought a Window Alarm then continue reading this section.

Note: Not every window alarm is the same try to get the same one I got. If you can’t find one, then order this from Mouser.com

1.   OK start by removing the batteries from the Window Alarm.
2.   Then remove the screws (on the unit that I used there was one in the front and one in the back).
3.   Separate the front and rear panels.
4.   Carefully remove the circuit board.
5.   Look for the read switch, which should look like this.


6.   Remove the reed switch by de-soldering or cutting (if you cut make sure to leave yourself enough room to solder your wires on to.
7.   Get rid of everything but the reed switch and the little bar that came with the window alarm.
8.   Remove the magnet from the little bar by unscrewing the two screws and removing the cover. Then bang the bar against a hard surface to remove the magnet.

Install

So this will be the same for both types of PSPs but I’ll include pictures.

1.   To install the switch take 2 pieces of Kynar wire of equal length about three inches or so and strip the ends of the wire.
2.   Hold the two pieces of wire together and twist then so that they look like this, also It will help your install and make things look cleaner.


3.   Then solder the wire onto the ends of the reed switch. (I would normally use heat shrink on the exposed endpoints but I was out of it when I took the pictures. So I will apply tape to the areas around the switch).
4.   Next you will solder the wire onto the power switch
5.   For the slim solder the wire here and here.


6.   For the Phat solder the wire here and here.


7.   Then install the power boards back into the PSP

When installing the power boards you want to ensure that the new wires you just installed are not going to get in the way of the existing charger port wires when reinstalling the power board. Also you are going to be installing this new switch parallel to the lower right hand side of the LCD screen as shown here.

NOTE: if you don’t use heat shrink on your endpoints put tape on the exposed metal surfaces to prevent shorts!

8.   Put your PSP back together again but don’t install the face plate yet.
9.   Make sure that the contacts in the glass reed switch are horizontal. Then place your battery in the PSP and using a magnet wave it above your new reed switch. The PSP should power on.
10.   Turn off your PSP and make any final adjustments to the reed switch so that the reed switch is as close to the face plate as you can when you put the face plate back on, without interfering with the LCD screen or the buttons.



Optional

To use this mod as a security switch you can do a few things!!!

1.   Unclip the metal from the sides of the power switch and remove the metal part and the black nub (be careful not to break the switch off the power board).
2.   Remove the power button from the shell (the piece your thumb presses when you turn on your PSP).
3.   Cut off the black nub part of the switch that moves when you press up on the power button.
4.   On the Phat De-solder the power trace on the power switch or cut it (pictures coming, not sure if this can be done on the slim more investigation need. Sorry I wanted to get the tutorial up for the masses. I am looking into this!).

Youtube url http://www.youtube.com/v/w8PuU7mg0jM

[youtube=425,350]w8PuU7mg0jM[/youtube]

Parts List

From Wal-Mart
   GE Smarthome 45115 Magnetic Window Alarm $9.00 US
-or-
Mouser.com
   Part number 816-RI-27AA   $1.27 US

Special thanks to the following.

Cyberpyrot
Neubit
Can_We_Hack_It
Kenshinffx
T3KN1K4L

AcidMods where consoles evolve!

[lilcrzytimmy]

nice, approximately how long woudl it take to do.  well liek if you dont noe how and using tuts.

[zbblanton]

wow thats awesoem i want to do that maybe not with the psp though bt something

[sniper]

Awesome, now I don't need to figure out the points on my own, haha.  Went and got a reed switch about 4 hours ago, didn't bother with it yet (stupid school).  Still in need of a magnet.  Never realized the door switch things would have a magnet in them that I could use... guess I'll go pick one of those up or something.  Seems a little big though, is the magnet the full rectangular size?

[l0rdnic0]

My est of time for install is about 20 Min in the slim... and about 30 to 40 in the Phat..


The magnet that comes with the window security thing is about 1/4 x 1/4 (or so) x 3/8
ITS SMALL 

[bottmint]

now that makes me angry  ...... I HAVE NO SOLDERING SKILLS lol  and another reason to make me want to have them is this awesome mod coupled with the shoulder flashy lights mod thank you nic0    i just hope i can get the soldering help from a techno savy kid i know ( not that im not techno saby its just i cant use a solder lol ) keep on kickin slim butt lol  (heres a preview of me trying to mod slim lol [the smiley is my slim and i am the box]  )

[kink192]

sweet tut, im getting a slim for x-mas, and i might do this mod, is there any way to get a magnetic ring? so i can wear it and then just amaze people by waving my hand over the switch, and if i were to put a push button in there i would just need to attach it to one of the leads coming off of the reed switch right? so i dont accidentally turn it on or off while playing or while its in my pocket.

[Timmy]

you can any metallic substance that is pure or alloyed iron or some other metal no one cares about

This is where you learn how magnets are made!!

The easiest method that a lot of early manufacturers used was to simply rub it with another magnet. You Put your initial magnet down on a flat surface, then rub the piece of metal you want magnetized along it in the same direction each time

ie: Push to end, lift, put at first end, push, lift, put at first end etc etc

This works because in there natural state iron and the other metal have there electrons delocalised which is how metallic substances are bonded, facing in all different directions, when you rub it against a magnet, the magnet grabs the electrons and spins them like a wheel until they are all facing a similar direction, the negative pole.

So after all that long winded BS yes you can make a steel ring into a magnet 

Just follow the method above

[kink192]

thanks , im thinking about doing this to my ds and psp slim, if i have a ring for it then i would definately alienate my friends.

[l0rdnic0]

HAHAHA just make sure the ring is on the hand furtest from the reed or you will be turning your stuff off an on alot...

[kink192]

hence the push  button, that way i dont accidentally turn it on or off while its in my pocket or while playing, what did you use for yours?

[Timmy]

if your gonna do it in the ds be sure to check out the tut

https://www.acidmods.com/forum/index.php?topic=12085.0

[kink192]

kool, i saw that one while going through the ds board gave me an idea about putting a magnet in the dust cover. so you can just take it out swipe and play

[fysicsluvr]

what about a mod that doesn't let you power on the psp unless you have the right rfid chip? then if someone steals your psp it will be useless to them (unless of course they open it up and remove the mod). I just think a magnet would be too simple.

[Jumbo]

what about a mod that doesn't let you power on the psp unless you have the right rfid chip? then if someone steals your psp it will be useless to them (unless of course they open it up and remove the mod). I just think a magnet would be too simple.

Hey buddy, Try not to bump topics more than a month or 2 old.

But that would be pretty cool but to complicated for a security mod that is honestly unneeded. Like what if you lost the key to it? You'd have to open it all up and take out. To much work just for "Security"...

[fysicsluvr]

Hey buddy, Try not to bump topics more than a month or 2 old.

But that would be pretty cool but to complicated for a security mod that is honestly unneeded. Like what if you lost the key to it? You'd have to open it all up and take out. To much work just for "Security"...

implant the rfid in your hand  . you think i'm joking but i've seen it done. or get an rfid in card form and stick it in your wallet. and lower the power on it so it only works within a few feet (vs a few yards which is typical. they lower the range for the credit cards that use rfid so i know it can be done). not just security, your psp could turn off when you leave the room, and automatically turn on when you're "in range" again. security and convenience.

and i apologize for bumping. didn't look for the dates like i should have (here comes the excuse; look away if you don't care for an excuse) and i'm new to the forum / format, and didn't take the 5 seconds to see where to find the dates things were posted.