Home-made fix for PSP's d-Pad

[Timstuff]

I was wondering if anyone else here had heard of this home-made fix that someone made for the PSP's D-Pad to make it work well. It voids your warrenty, but it looks pretty interesting, and seeing as PSP's D-Pad out-of-the-box is a nightmare to use, I might give it a try when my PSP's warrenty expires this september.

http://ufighterx.com/guides/videogame/pspdpadfix/pspdpadfix.htm

He also has a service where he'll do it for you for $30, but I think I have the skills to do it myself if I ever decide to give it a try.

[DarkBubble]

You might want to hold out for something less permanant that doesn't void your warrantee:

http://psp.ign.com/articles/673/673821p1.html

I somehow doubt it'll remain a limited edition item, as much as people complain about the D-Pad on thing.

[Timstuff]

That still voids your warrenty because it perminantly fastens on with adhesive. Once it on, it stays on or you'll wreck it and your PSP's D-Pad. The home-mad solution doesn't change your PSP's aesthetics at all, and it stays in there w/out coming un-done. If I'm going to perorm a warrenty-voiding procedure on my PSP to fix the D-Pad, I'd rather do the one that won't have a noticeable affect to it's exterior.

[Hoagie_one]

I'm really surprized that some mod company hasn't released a whole new molded pad that you can swap in.

[orntar]

i have heard you can do this without removing the two screws under the waranty sticker. i havent tried yet, as i have yet to find a suitable plastic (dont have any nes sleves handy, hm). probabkly incorrect. unless you can leverage the top open enough to slide in the new part.

does any one have a gauge measurement of the nes sleeves?

[orntar]

just did it. you do not have to remove the screws under you warranty sticker. you may not even need to remave any screws in the battery area at all.

i removed the 5 screws, made a cross out of plastic from a ps2 cable blister pack, and put it in. now when i hit left it also hits up. very lame. i made 2 different ones and had issues with both.

its a very inprecise mod, i dont recommend it.

[Timstuff]

If I do it I'll do it the right way and open it up. Otherwise I think I'm just gonna have headaches with it like you did.

For the mod to work right you have to hot-glue the cross to the back of the D-Pad. Otherwise you're just gonna have a little plastic cross bouncing around in there doing who the heck knows what.

Seriousely though, someone should do like Hogie_One suggested and simply manufacture a replacement D-Pad that's already thicker. You would only have to open it up and swap in the new one, with no hot glue and no exacto-knifes. It sounds like something they'd have at Liksang, but I haven't seen any such product there. Oh well, the method at the website sounds fine for now as long as you do it right.

[orntar]

there is no difference from removing the face all the way or opening up the dpad half. the entire dpad comes out. i installed it just like the web site described, with hot glue. the only thing i did different was use a different plastic. mine is thinner from my memory of nes sleeves. the mod is just a poor one. the way the dpad itself works is the problem, if you lesson the push on one button you do so to the 2 adjacent to it as well.

you can perform the mod if you want to exactly as anyone could without removing the warranty sticker.

here is something to consider as well, but in my experience it probably isnt worth it either

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/go.php?http://www.qksrv.net/click-1312731-5463217?loc=http%3A//cgi.ebay.com/SONY-PSP-kit-DPAD-for-diagonal-movie-WORK-100_W0QQitemZ8263128554QQcategoryZ122516QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i have also heard of someone punching out a bunch of electrical tape with a single hole punch and layering 4 dots to the dpad back, but i just cant see that doing it either.

i agree something else needs to be made by a 3rd party, but i have a feling it wount be long till sony will revise it and i can trade mine across for the new one.

[Timstuff]

I think I'd be much more comfortable using a pre-made kit, because then I'd know for sure wether the solution actually works or not, or if it was only my own lack of skill that resulted in it not working. Maybe I'll try buying one of those kits when I want to give the method a try, and eliminate the variables (like how thick the hot-glue layer is or what not).

[Timstuff]

By the way, how did you get the D-Pad out wihtout removing or damaging the warrenty sticker?

[orntar]

looking at the instructions on

http://ufighterx.com/guides/videogame/pspdpadfix/pspdpadfix.htm

remove the 5 screws not under the warranty sticker.

you can then lift apart the psp face on the dpad side, the face will still be attached on the battery side. it kind of hooks along the top, but it is easy to do. then get some tweezers and lift off the conductive pad from the dpad, then the plastic part of the dpad can come right out.

[Timstuff]

I'd probably still want to use some canned are to clean the system out, before closing it up, right?

I might still just wait until my warrenty expires before attempting the procedure, since that kit comes with plastic shims you can use on the face buttons as well, and I'm guessing you can't swap those in and out without removing the warrenty screws.