r/PSP May 28 '26

Guide DIY Solderless Baryon Sweeper for Absolute Beginners (with photos)

53 Upvotes

DISCLAIMER
Follow this guide EXACTLY. Support will not be provided for steps and/or components that deviate from the provided instructions. Modify at your own risk.

What is it?

The Baryon Sweeper is a modern unbricking tool that evolved from the classic Pandora Battery. It works universally on all PSP models - 1000, 2000, 3000, Go, and Street. By emulating the official Sony JigKick service tool, it triggers a hidden diagnostic mode to revive previously irrecoverable models.

Why write this?

This guide aims to complement u/khubik's original guide, with close-up photos and additional details for the absolute beginner. You're expected to at least know your way around Windows.

This is a minimalist build to keep it simple and very low cost. We'll focus on the 1000/2000/3000 setup, since the 3000 is the model I own.

Before You Begin (Don't Skip)

Watch the videos below to make full sense of the steps outlined here.

It's all right if you don't understand everything at this point. Simply familiarise yourself with the basic concepts and overall process.

What You Need

While often used to refer to the physical build, the "Baryon Sweeper" is the combination of software (pysweeper) and hardware (adapter) to trick the PSP into service mode.

Software

DCARK / Aiseirigh / DC8

This is the actual recovery software installed on a "Magic Memory Stick" to flash OFW or CFW. DCARK and Aiseirigh work universally for all PSP models. Use DC8 as a fallback for older 1000/2000 models if the other two don't work (incompatible with 2000v3 or newer).

JigKick Media Creator is obsolete.

CP210x Universal Windows Driver

This is the official CP2102 driver from Silicon Labs. Don't rely on default Windows drivers.

Python 3

This is required to run pysweeper. Refer to video to install pycryptodometk, and pyserial packages.

The requests package is optional.

pysweeper

This is the JigKick emulator that recreates the handshake between the official Sony service battery and the PSP in combination with the physical adapter.

If successful, the service mode is triggered, allowing to boot directly from the Magic Memory Stick.

Hardware

1x (mini) breadboard

The power bus (+/- lanes) on larger breadboards isn't needed. The CP2102 module will take power directly from the PC via USB.

1x Silicon Labs CP2102 USB-to-TTL (5-pin)

Look for the "SILABS" branding on the centre chip. Support will not be provided for the 6-pin multifunction variant.

1x 1N4148 diode

Cut the legs around twice the length of the exposed pin on the jumpwires. You can shorten the legs when you do the wiring later. It should sit flush on the breadboard as a best practice.

3x round-head male-to-male jumpwires (10-15cm)

While longer wires can work, keeping them short minimises signal interference or loose connections. Black/Yellow/Orange follow electrical convention, but any colour will do.

1x female-to-male USB-A cable extender

USB 3.x is generally preferred for CP2102. It provides improved data stability, power headroom if needed, and presents no drawbacks when using a 3V3 configuration.

1x DC power source

This shows a powerbank with a USB-C to DC cable adapter. You can use any normal PSP charger.

1x Magic Memory Stick

It's strongly recommended to use a genuine Sony/SanDisk/Lexar 1-4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo. Larger capacities and microSD adapters may fail.

Build Your Adapter

Stick the CP2102 module into the breadboard. Connect the negative end (black band) of the diode to the TXD row, and the positive end to the RXD row.

If you get a "No port echo detected" error in pysweeper later, it's almost always caused by using CH340, wrong switches on a multifunction CP2102, loose wiring, or putting in the diode backwards.

Connect the wires to GND (black), RXD (yellow), and 3V3 (orange). The diode bridges the TXD and RXD rows to create a single data line on the yellow wire.

Don't use +5V unless you have a 10 kΩ resistor. However, this is unnecessary because the 3V3 suffices without it.

Your completed adapter should look like this.

Assuming you've done both software and hardware preparations, you're ready to start unbricking your PSP!

How to Use

Connect the adapter to your PC via USB using the cable extender.

The LED on the CP2102 module will light up.

Refer to video for installing and running pysweeper.

If there's no option under the Port dropdown, you need to manually install the official CP2102 driver on Windows. Close pysweeper including the CMD prompt window.

Open Device Manager. If you see a yellow triangle, right-click to update the driver. Browse to the extracted folder of the driver you downloaded earlier.

If successful, the CP2102 module should be recognised under Ports (COM & LPT) as Silicon Labs.

The COM# differs per PC because Windows assigns port numbers independently. Check Device Manager for your adapter's COM port number.

Run pysweeper again. Your adapter (COM#) should now be under the Port dropdown for selection. Keep pysweeper running.

You should get FFFFFFFF serial after starting the service. This is the same serial used by the Pandora Battery.

Insert the Magic Memory Stick into your PSP. Remove the battery, but keep it nearby. Connect the DC power to the PSP, ensuring the console remains turned off.

Your PSP should automatically power on later without the battery inserted.

Connect GND (black) to the left pin, TXD/RXD or "K-Line" (yellow) to the middle pin, then 3V3 (orange) to the right pin for 2-3 seconds.

The round-head tip is easier for probing the jumpwire pins closer to each other, whereas the square-head (DuPont) tip has a fixed spacing that makes it less flexible.

Pysweeper streams the hexadecimal challenge-response handshake between the PSP (5A) and Baryon Sweeper (A5).

If it disconnects, it means physically losing contact with the battery pins. Keep your hands steady.

Service mode is triggered, automatically booting DCARK (shown here) or Aiseirigh directly from the Magic Memory Stick.

PSP-1000: If it shuts down after a green light, power it on manually to make it boot into DCARK.

Insert the battery into the PSP and disconnect the DC power. For DCARK, Install 6.61 for OFW (stock) or Install 6.61 ARK for CFW (modded).

Don't mess with NAND operations in DCARK unless you absolutely know what you're doing! Misuse can permanently brick your PSP that even the Baryon Sweeper can't fix.

For Aiseirigh, press X to begin the flashing process.

You should end up with OFW 6.61 if you created the Magic Memory Stick correctly.

ASKING FOR SUPPORT:

  1. All private messages will be ignored moving forward. Use the comment section, so others can benefit.
  2. Post your question including a clear close-up photo of your adapter wiring. No photo, no reply.
  3. Mention the Magic Memory Stick you're using. For example:
    • 2GB Sony MS PRO Duo - Aiseirigh
    • 16GB SanDisk microSD - DCARK

r/PSP Mar 06 '22

Battery Battery Megathread

781 Upvotes

Last Updated 10/30/2024

QUICK ANSWER: Buy Ostent Batteries for PSP 1000, 2000 and 3000. If you want a more in-depth answer, check out Total Kommando's video testing multiple PSP Batteries

I've also been told multiple times the PSP Go uses the DXR8 Baby Monitor battery. From what I know these still get produced so they aren't difficult to find. You get about 4 hours out of them in the Go.

Buying Links:

Ostent 2200mAh (PSP1000/Fat)

AliExpress

Amazon US

Ostent 1400mAh (PSP2000/Slim and PSP3000/Brite)

AliExpress

Amazon US

Total Kommando's testing video essentially makes this post obsolete, for the moment. Since I can't get a new post pinned easily, here's the text to preserve the original post, incase anybody needs it.

ORIGIONAL POST

Hey everyone. This post will be continually updated until Reddit forces us to make a new one. You will be able to find out which batteries we currently recommend, and which ones to avoid. You can also leave your own experiences in the comments to help contribute. Topics currently covered in this post include Batteries for PSP 1000, 2000 and 3000, Chargers for PSP 1000, 2000, 3000, Go and Go Docks, and Products to Avoid.

Batteries for PSP 1000, 2000, 3000

To answer the question upfront, currently, the best replacement batteries for PSP 1000, 2000 and 3000 are Cameron Sino brand. You should expect to get about 5 hours out of them. Just buy them off Amazon. Ostent is also good but gets slightly fewer hours at around 4. You should avoid Insten brand batteries like the plague, most of those being sold are New Old stock meaning they are sealed products that have been sitting on a shelf for about 10 years. EBL is also bad, but nowhere near as much as Insten. Keep in mind using these batteries in a 1000 may result in the battery Door being unable to close with the stock battery cover.

That should answer the question for about 90% of you. If you guys would like more information and would like to learn slight changes we made in the subreddit in the last 2 weeks concerning this issue, you can go ahead and read on.

First off I want to say sorry for not getting this posted two weeks ago, I had all this information already but have been dealing with some IRL stuff. Sorry, I dropped the ball.

So about 2 weeks ago I decided to start seriously addressing this situation given the sheer amount of battery-related posts we get in here on a daily basis. The main change you've probably noticed already is that u/dcs28 added a new tag titled "Battery" that gets applied to any post about batteries. This is so battery posts are all in a nice neat category for people to search through if they need more help. This was a temporary fix until this particular post was made. However, the new tag is likely to stay as it is convenient.

The following information comes from a test that was conducted by u/pspguru a few months ago.

The Test was conducted with three batteries from each brand: EBL, Ostent, and Cameron Sino. These were tested in a PSP 1000 and 3000 using the PSP Battery Timer) plugin. These tests were performed under the following conditions:

  • Maximum Brightness
  • Screen dimming off in PSP settings (screen always stays on)
  • Clockspeed set to 333mhz
  • WLAN switch off

Here are the results:

EBL

2 Batteries lasted about 3 1/2 hrs give or take 15 minutes

1 Battery was faulty

Ostent

Batteries lasted 4 to 4 1/2 hours

Cameron Sino

Batteries lasted 4 1/2 to 5 hours

As you can see Cameron Sino is the best with Ostent not being too bad either. EBL's quality can be iffy and doesn't last as long, but it isn't outright terrible.

Obviously, this test is not perfect and doesn't cover everything but it still gives us a good idea of the best battery for the PSP 1000, 2000 and 3000. Currently, we don't have info on Batteries for any other models like the Go, Street etc. This post will continually be updated via feedback left here and on posts in the Battery Tag. If you have any info or would like to share your experiences, please leave it in the comments below.

I also asked PSPGuru for his opinion on Insten Batteries. Here is his response:

I know most of you already know Insten batteries are generally terrible, but hopefully this will hammer the point home for anybody considering them.

So, if we were aware of this for a while, why is the information just now being released? Outside of the 2-week delay due to things going on in my personal life, there was also a concern about scalpers/ resellers buying out stock, causing scarcity and prices to rise. However, we determined that these batteries are still being produced, meaning stock will just be replaced if they are bought up.

Here's a few more relevant Links that may be able to help you out with anything not listed here:

Battery Guide from a few years ago by . Some info might be outdated but it's got lots of other info. Here's some topics it covers that are not mentioned on this post:

  • Dead Batteries
  • Reviving a Battery
  • Battery expansions (Big Battery Mod)
  • Pandora Batteries

Keep in mind, we currently don't have any hard info on PSP E1000 (Street) or PSP Go Batteries. You can help the community out by looking into them yourselves, sharing what you know, or pointing us to a battery post we may have missed with relevant info.

Hopefully, this will make the PSP more welcoming to newcomers as one of the major issues has been addressed. And remember, you can always opt to gut the UMD Drive and do a big Battery Mod.

Chargers for PSP 1000, 2000, 3000, Go and Go Docks.

So this is really simple. Just look up PSP-380 and PSP-100. Those chargers are OEM and are still fairly abundant and cheap, and Work on PSP 1000, 2000, 3000 and the Go Dock. I currently Don't own a Street so I do not know if they are compatible. They do not work on the PSP Go itself, just the Dock.

Now the PSP Go has its own charger. The OEM Model is PSP-N100. They're harder to come by than the others, sorry I don't have a better answer for this currently.

This charger section really needs help from the community, so if you have any that work, feel free to recommend them in the comments below.

Products to Avoid

This section is largely based on Feedback from user comments on this post. Thank you! That being said take everything here with a grain of salt. Users that contributed to each entry are credited below the entry title.

Batmax 2Pcs PSP-2000 Battery + LED Dual USB Charger

contributed by u/CountClaw

Amazon Listing

This appears to be New Old Stock, or just really poor quality. Batteries typically arrive dead and non-charging. The chargers themselves don't work, and can wreck other batteries. Avoid at all costs.

BIG UPDATE 5/30/2024

Hey what's up, it's been awhile. I came back today because my official Sony Batteries for my 3000's are finally starting to show age. I usually get under 2 hours out of them so I needed to replace them. I tried to buy some Cameron Sino batteries off Amazon but they will not ship to my location, so I had to hunt a bit. I ended up buying 2 of these Cameron Sino Batteries off Ali Express. I did check the official Cameron Sino store mention in this post, but they only have the thicker 1800mAh batteries I can't use. I have a Falcon Pro Grip from Japan that needs the 3000 to lay flush with it.

Anyways, when these new batts get here ima test them and update the post with my results, but for the meantime, it seems like Aliexpress is the way to go for PSP batteries. From what I saw the Cameron Sino branded ones are all pretty reliable on there, and cheaper than Amazon too! I probably should have included this on the post originally, but this is my first time actually using Ali express.

I also came across this post by u/KSAnnihilation testing multiple Batteries off Ali Express. This is what convinced me to buy off there. It's similar to the tests we did here but is more recent and shows a better supply than Amazon. I understand this post is a year old as of writing. If you guys post something like this to the subreddit related to batteries, feel free to DM me on here about it and I'll take a look. I have reddit notifs silenced but do check everything when I log in so I will see it.

Update Log:

3/6/2022

-Initial Post

3/18/2022

-Added some specific information regarding PSPGuru's Battery Testing Conditions that was retrieved by u/jlnxr

-Fixed some of the post formattings so it's easier to read

8/14/2022

-Changed every misspelled instance of Osten to Ostent as pointed out by u/tuura032

9/15/2022

-Added Section Titles

-Added the Charger Section

-Added Products to Avoid Section

-Added Batmax Dual USB Charger to Products to Avoid Section

5/30/2024

-My personal Sony Batteries finally needed to be replaced so I ordered some off Ali Express for myself. Added a new update, and will post results when they arrive.
-The Batteries I got weren't worth buying, never made an update.

10/30/2024

-Added the Info from Total Kommando's PSP Battery Testing video. Ostent it is.


r/PSP 15h ago

QUESTION Anyone else miss when consoles were true 'everything boxes'? This concept nails it"

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2.7k Upvotes

r/PSP 9h ago

Battery New screen, new shell, new battery

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247 Upvotes

PSP-3000 09G

IPS non-laminated screen by HISPEEDIDO

Monster Hunter shell

Ostent 2500mAh battery

ARK-4 + 128Gb MicroSD

The way it's meant to be played

Better than ever


r/PSP 13h ago

PSP Games are back online

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305 Upvotes

I'm playing a PSP game on my Vita using a PPSSPP online server, and it's working.


r/PSP 6h ago

QUESTION Got my hands on a psp 3004

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73 Upvotes

The first time I got a psp was the red version in 2010 when I was 10 lol

Now after 16 years here we go again I just need help on what shell,screen and battery are best to replace them

I was thinking on going with the monster hunter one since I've seen its pretty good looking


r/PSP 1d ago

SHOW-OFF Looks like someone forgot to check the box.

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2.1k Upvotes

I haven't bothered to check out thrift stores for a while, as gone are the days of finding good deals on psp's or really anything worthwhile retro gaming. But decided to pop into one while running an errand for work. No chance I thought I'd have luck like this!!


r/PSP 7h ago

Guide PSP 10th anniversary edge new version

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44 Upvotes

r/PSP 18h ago

SHOW-OFF PSP 1004 with the new laminated glass IPS display and Matte faceplate

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290 Upvotes

Hey, I just took some photos of my recently installed ips display and one of my own custom themes.


r/PSP 1h ago

Hardware Mod Hand grip psp

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Upvotes

Che ne pensate ? Controller Portatile Ergonomico realizzato con cartone a strati sovrapposti.


r/PSP 5h ago

Cuánto es el máximo de memoria que soporta la PSP Y PSVita???

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20 Upvotes

Quisiera saber cuánto es el máximo de memoria que soporta una PSP y una PSVita


r/PSP 9h ago

SHOW-OFF Sonic Themed PSP 🔵⚡️

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36 Upvotes

Third custom PSP that i’ve made. Currently the left d pad doesn’t work so can’t use it yet but it will be fixed soon. Any suggestions feel free to lmk. Gojo themed psp incoming 🔜


r/PSP 17h ago

Game Discussion On my way to restore $3 PSP

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64 Upvotes

yeah i bought it for 3 bucks only!!


r/PSP 26m ago

SHOW-OFF My first boxed PSP UMD software and second PSP accessory

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Upvotes

r/PSP 6h ago

Im thinking of getting a vita

8 Upvotes

The main thing I use my psp for now is music ( and of course gaming) , but I was thinking of getting a vita to upgrade the gaming aspect. My issue is I shell swapped my psp into a beautiful transparent purple shell and now have an ips screen on the way so now I have an attachment to my psp beyond gaming Ive spent sleepless nights working on this thing , and The vita would be a little bulkier in my pocket which is my main drawback for not getting a vita


r/PSP 13h ago

ARK-4 - XMB Cache for a huge speed up

29 Upvotes

Hi guys, I was getting annoyed with the speed of launching games in the XMB. I also wanted memory stick data to be re-arranged with the most recent on top (like the Switch). So I made a plugin for ARK-4 that enables caching and orders with the last used first.

I made this for myself, but it felt selfish not to share. I've only tested it on ARK-4, on a PSP1000 (my PSP). It's just a plug-in doesn't make any changes to any internals of ARK-4.

Note, I'm a software engineer (25+ years), but this was written by Fable 5 and reviewed by me. If you don't feel comfortable with AI writing code for your PSP, this isn't for you. (I wouldn't have time to do this otherwise)

Here is a quick video:

https://reddit.com/link/1v3q6ir/video/mdja205ezteh1/player

You can check out the full source here and customize as you will:
https://github.com/beckerd/xmb_gamecache

I've included a pre-compiled version of the plugin on Github and Fable wrote the instructions.

If anything isn't clear, let me know and I'll make corrections.

Hope this helps someone! I had to disable XMB Cache momentarily for the video, and I was dying waiting for things to load! How quickly we adjust to speed!


r/PSP 9h ago

QUESTION Just some of the GameStop prices for psp!! (How do we feel about the GameStop prices in 2026)!!

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15 Upvotes

r/PSP 12h ago

SHOW-OFF PSP PHAT -

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21 Upvotes

r/PSP 15h ago

QUESTION Is it simple to swap shells?

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39 Upvotes

Told my roommate how much I loved my vita and he doesn’t use his psp as much since he got a vita as well. So he gave me his psp! Super awesome but he’s had this for a long time as you tell by the picture. Just wondering if it’s easy for a replacement for screen and shell. Or just let it ride?


r/PSP 5h ago

Homebrew Red dead redemption 2 no psp

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

5 Upvotes

No da homebrew para espelhar a tela do pc pro psp e o PSPdisp


r/PSP 5h ago

Screen is cooked

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4 Upvotes

Screen on my second psp is cooked😭


r/PSP 3h ago

What is this game screenshot in Pac-Man Championship Edition??

2 Upvotes

How do I get to this game play in Pac-Man CE PSP?


r/PSP 22h ago

With Psp theres never a dull moment !

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66 Upvotes

r/PSP 13h ago

this gem on amazon

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10 Upvotes

how does this even happen


r/PSP 1d ago

Game Discussion Found this at my local game shop and had it recommended!

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636 Upvotes

It doesn’t seem like the type of game I’d usually play but I’m very excited to try it nonetheless! Thanks for the recommendations everyone will be sure to look out for all of the games mentioned!