ta-88v2 mobo question.

[ahivebeenburgled]

hi guys...this is my first post here...i guess you could call me a lurker.

anyways, i recently ran into a major hardware problem on my slim, and i was wondering if maybe i could get a little help...

the only site on the entire freaking interwebs that had anything to say about the issue was a hard to find development forum called "lan.st". and they didnt even know what caused it. one member thought he had it narrowed down to either the CPU or the GPU...but i ramble.

so the problem is that my screen wont stay on. not the backlight, the screen. (had to clarify since every other forum has told me "bridge the backlight fuse!")

it began with the screen "melting" away in the middle of a game, and started happening more frequently, then came the day when it just wouldnt come on with the system when i booted it. (i know the system still works properly thanks to remotejoy) i proceeded to take it apart, and to my amazement, with absolutely nothing else hooked up except the home bar, the screen, the mobo, and the battery, it worked fine. now when i say this i mean neither of the control pads, the ac port, the wifi antenna, none of that was attached.

now this originally led me to believe that the problem was with one of these connecting parts, but i no longer think this is the case because the condition continued to degrade to the point where the screen wont come on at all now. regardless of whats hooked up to the mobo.

so after trying everything i could think of (including trying to bridge the damned backlight fuse...i ended up blowing it and had to bridge it anyway) i ended up with a very crappy workaround.

 i reassemble everything up to the point where i would put the faceplate back on,
1)   then i leave the battery out for about a half hour,
2)   i then insert the battery.
3)   then the screen doesnt come on 99% of the time
4)   then i repeat steps 1 and 2 anywhere from 5-20 times until i get lucky and the screen comes on.
5)   then i put the faceplate back on.
6)   then i leave the psp on with all power save settings turned off, because if i turn it off or put it on sleep or if the powersave makes the screen go off...i have to start all over.

(the reason i leave the face off is because the screen wont come on 100% of the time if the faceplate is attached.)

this leads me to believe (possibly) that the faceplate is putting pressure on the mobo and causing a bad connection or something similar.


soooooo...advice? comments? flames?



also, noob question. what is the tiny black pressure switch right next to the battery terminal on the mobo?

[bustinthejustin]

That little black pressure switch has something to do with UMD drive detection or something. As for your problem, we have had a few members with that problem, including a friend of mine. We have come to the conclusion, that the GPU is getting a poor connection/dying, and so therefore won't show anything on the screen anymore. I was told unless you could rework the GPU chip, you have to get a new mobo.

[ahivebeenburgled]

hey, thanks for the reply. and after you saying that i took a closer look and its to tell if the umd door is open or not. a lot more simple than i thought.

as for the GPU issue, that seems to be the general consensus over at lan.st as well. which is a shame since the reworking of it would be miles above my skill set. i was really hoping it would be something i could fix, just for the sense of accomplishment after how much grief its caused me. (lol)

so could you recommend a reliable source of mobos? or someone with one to sell? also, will it have to be another ta-088v2 or are they interchangable? b/c they seem to think its a recurring issue with those mobos.

[bustinthejustin]

Yeah I heard a ghetto fix, which was to take it, and put a little tape ball on top of the GPU to put some pressure on it to make it work, but I heard it's not a very reliable fix, so idk, it's mostly temporary. Reliable source of mobos you could try ebay, but they're mostly around 100 bucks each. Cheaper to buy from places like acidmods since it'll only cost about 50 plus shipping, but you have to find somebody trustworthy to sell to you. Also, I think mobos are interchangable, but I think if you interchange the mobo, you have to interchange the tv out board thing too. (the board that has the headphone and tv out ports.)

[JoblessPunk]

ahivebeenburgled, try this.

Put your PSP back together then put some pressure on the faceplate with your thumb between the nub and the screen.
While holding that down turn on the PSP with your other hand.

If that works then what bustinthejustin is talking about is your problem.

So far, I haven't heard of someone actually fixing it... the only way is to replace the motherboard.

[ahivebeenburgled]

wow, im in awe. joblesspunk, you are my new hero. 1000 internets to you sir.

i applied pressure to said spot and it worked fine, it actually allowed me to get into recovery finally and turn my remotejoy prx back on. lol.

also, if anyone knows about mobo interchangeability that would rock. such as "if i swapped to a different model of mobo would i also have to get the tvout board to go with it?" and if anybody reading this has a mobo for sale, PM me. i know this isnt the section for that, but i figured id throw it in as an afterthought.

[JoblessPunk]

wow, im in awe. joblesspunk, you are my new hero. 1000 internets to you sir.

i applied pressure to said spot and it worked fine, it actually allowed me to get into recovery finally and turn my remotejoy prx back on. lol.

also, if anyone knows about mobo interchangeability that would rock. such as "if i swapped to a different model of mobo would i also have to get the tvout board to go with it?" and if anybody reading this has a mobo for sale, PM me. i know this isnt the section for that, but i figured id throw it in as an afterthought.

haha, no problem.
As for buying a new motherboard it might be a better idea to go down to your local GameStop and buy a used PSP (make sure is hackable! FW 3.95 or lower). Last time I checked I could get a use PSP for as low as $119 at my GameStop, and if you look online to buy a new Motherboard its around $99. So its up to you what you want to do.

As for the other parts such as the PVout board, powerboard, UMD drive, I think it will be fine. I've never had a problem... but I don't remember if I've swapped boards around...

[ahivebeenburgled]

also, i have another question.

about half the time when i go to turn my psp off, weather its sleep mode or full shutdown, the screen will go black but the backlight will stay on and the green power light will blink rapidly about 15-20 times, then the wifi light, the mms light, and the power light will all blink at once and the psp shuts off.

coould this possibly be related to the same issue?

thanks in advance.

[JoblessPunk]

also, i have another question.

about half the time when i go to turn my psp off, weather its sleep mode or full shutdown, the screen will go black but the backlight will stay on and the green power light will blink rapidly about 15-20 times, then the wifi light, the mms light, and the power light will all blink at once and the psp shuts off.

coould this possibly be related to the same issue?

thanks in advance.

yes, its all related to the same problem.

[ahivebeenburgled]

so, this is an old, and resolved thread, but ive been revisiting my old psps lately , mostly out of sheer boredom. i was wondering if anyone could provide me with a pic of the gpu mentioned above so i could fabricate some sort of pressure mechanism on the inside of the faceplate. i feel like it would work  better and probably be less detrimental to the psp instead of pushing on the faceplate from the outside.

[ahivebeenburgled]

so, a lot of views but no replies eh? well i found out from a friend of mine. so then i tried this ghetto fix that bustinthejustin mentioned about the tape ball, but the problem is that its also putting pressure on the back of the screen and its warping it slightly. im wondering how much this is damaging the screen over the long term. any ideas?

[Newbi-Modder]

hey, is it true that tha TA-088 v3 MoBo's cant be hacked???
cuz i did sum "experimenting" on my psp and i hacked it!!!
and it wasnt (5.03 Gen-a) it waz (5.00 m33-4)
i dont kno how
if any one knows wat i did, plz tell me
i dont want it to blow up becuz of that incedent

[W-Gaming5]

[Newbi-Modder]

ok u waz rite, it waznt permanent
i thought i couldve had tha 1st 5.00 m33-4 hacked ta-088 v3 mobo
lol

[cinki]

maybe reballing method can solve it..but i never try..i've just try reballing the analog ic..psp cpu can be defective i u do it wrong..maybe no need for reballing,,just reflow it using Blower and RMA..BUT I NEVER RECOMMEND ANYTHING...just giving info because i've done many time mobile phone BGA ic reballing..truth is,if anything goes wrong..bye2 to ur psp..since that psp BGA ic is can't be found in supplier shop..just try get another mobo..its safer and not risky..