How to repair your PSP’s LCD Screen

Recently, I finally ponied up the funds to get myself a new PSP. To be specific, I bought this thing for the ability to customize it with firmware and all the cool little addons that are coming out every day. If you know where to look for them, you can score video camera attachments, gps dongles, and there are even rumors of a keyboard coming out soon. You’ll be able to video conference with Skype and then turn around and write and email in a flash. And the GPS? Don’t even get me started on how freaking cool that is.

Only I ran into a problem just after buying this thing. I managed to get the one PSP that is unhackable. No dice. No go. The processor/motherboard combo built into it does not accept the first few lines of code using a TOOL battery for custom firmware installation, so I was stuck with a PSP that I couldn’t play around with. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can still play my games and watch movies on it. But I’m a fiddler. Meaning I like to fiddle around with things and see how far I can take my curiosity. So why did I buy this thing?

PSP with a broken LCD screen… but it’s hackable, so it’s worth saving!

So I started asking around and found someone who had a broken PSP Phat. The original 1000 model. The screen isn’t so much widescreen, the speakers are on the bottom instead of on the front, and the WiFi switch is on the side rather than the bottom, but other than that, there’s nothing really amazingly different about them. Except for the size of the grips. That’s what makes them a phat (rather than fat. Wouldn’t want to make consumers think there’s something wrong with it. Call it Pretty, Hot And Tempting instead.)

So this PSP original has a broken LCD, a missing battery, and the thumb pad is gone from the analog joystick. Also, no memory stick. So I got it for mere pennies compared to buying a new one or a fully functional one on eBay. Hell, even the broken ones on eBay are still over $50.00, so I feel like a winner. So I hit up eBay and found an LCD supplier who sold me a new screen for $25 with free shipping. I also ordered a 6-pack of the joystick thumbpads (the fewest I could find) for $1.99, a new PSP battery, and an 8GB Pro Duo for $21.00. I also came across a seller in Hong Kong who had the clear vinyl screen protectors for $1.99 as well. Dope.

Taking apart and repairing your PSP is really easy, so don’t be intimidated. After you see how easy you’ll think twice before sending it off to Sony for a month, or to some sleazy repair tech who only wants to charge you 60 bucks for a repair that takes 20 minutes, tops.

So let’s get down to business…

First of all, you have to get all those screws out. At first glance, you might think there are only 5 screws. And for some reason, people who do instructionals on this subject on YouTube say there are 5 screws, and then the hidden one. Okay, I’m shooting you straight. There are 6 screws on this thing, and you have to peel back the “Do not open or your sh$t is voided” sticker in the battery compartment to find the last one. It’s not hidden, there are no booby traps, and info on some missing mobster isn’t hidden in there. It’s simply a screw with a warning label over the top letting you know that you are about to void your warranty.

Let’s face it… if your PSP were still under warranty, would be we doing this repair ourselves? (Un)screw it.

find all of the screws so you can take off the case

There are two screws located in the upper battery compartment as well, two on the back of the console near the Memory Stick compartment, and one on the bottom in the dead center. Take them all out and then come back to me. Got them all out? Good. Now let’s pry that faceplate off and set it to the side. Start at the bottom and slowly pull it up, it should come off pretty easily. Once you have that off, you can get to work on taking the LCD out. Some people think it’s necessary to remove the L and R buttons from the top. It’s not. Ignore them and try not to scuff them up with a screwdriver.

revealing the creamy goodness

Assuming the PSP is facing you in the proper orientation, with the L/R buttons at the top, you’ll see that the metal plate containing the menu buttons at the bottom crosses right in front of the LCD panel. To remove this, you simply take a small flat-head screwdriver remove it at the lower left hand corner. Slide the screwdriver under the menu plate and pop it off gently. This won’t take much pressure at all. Try not to disconnect the wire ribbon that is attached at the other end.

The LCD and its ribbon cables

Once this is moved to the side, it’s time to remove your LCD. See how easy it is to get to this point? Take your tiny flat-head once again and go to the upper left corner of the LCD. You’ll see there is a peice of raised metal on the LCD’s frame holding in the compartment. Slide your screwdriver in here and slowly move the LCD up and out until it is no longer held down. Do the same with the one at the lower left corner. Now you should be able to just grab the screen with your fingertips and remove it. Be careful once again with the wire ribbons that are attached.

pull up the LCD and disconnect its ribbon cables

You will see that there are two ribbons that connect to the PSP’s motherboard. A large one and a small one. The large once can be removed by simply popping the black connector up and away from you, then sliding the ribbon out. The small one is reversed. Grab the black snap with your fingernail and pull it up and toward you, then slide this ribbon out as well. Congratulations, you just removed the broken LCD panel and are halfway home.

Okay, grab your new LCD panel. They typically come with a blue film over them and a sticker underneath this to protect the screen. Remove the blue film, but not the sticker. We need to make sure we don’t scuff or scratch the screen during the installation. Also, fingerprints are a pain in the ass when they require you to dismantle the system to wipe them off.

peel off the protective film from your new LCD

Okay, take the ribbons and slide them in the way the old ones came out. Pay close attention to make sure they are pushed in all the way. If they are not far enough in your screen won’t work. Now close down the black tabs and get ready to put your screen in its cradle. Start with the right side, sliding it into place, then the left side. Once this is snapped in, you can replace the menu plate that you took off. It snaps in just as easy as it came off. The only thing left is to replace the faceplate and put all those screws in. Remember, the longer silver screw goes on the outside at the bottom of the PSP, the shorter silver screw goes next to the black one in the battery compartment. The black screws are pretty much all interchangeable.

good as new! Let’s play some homebrew games!

Okay, everything is back together once more. Power up your PSP. If your screen works, then congrats to you. You just repaired your broken PSP and didn’t even break a sweat. Or your wallet. Sorry greedy PSP techs. And that concludes today’s lesson. Tomorrow I will show you how you can derive solar power from a sun-baked pile of dog feces.