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YOU CAN TURN A BROKEN PSP INTO A POCKET LINUX COMPUTER

A replacement board and a Raspberry Pi give a dead PSP-1000 a second life as a pocket Linux machine.

by othermod

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Open-hardwareElectronics

Built withRaspberry Pi

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a weekend-plus
license
CC-BY-SA (version not stated)
repo
repo ACTIVE982 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

The PSPi 6 is exactly what it says: a way to resurrect a dead PSP-1000 by replacing the mainboard and screen (with a new 800x480 LCD) while keeping the shell, buttons, speakers and WiFi antenna, with a Raspberry Pi as the brain. The board design is mature, it is actively maintained, and ready-to-flash OS images are published. Buying the ready-made board keeps the build mostly to careful disassembly and plugging things in; the only soldering in the official guide is the optional DC barrel jack and joystick pads, and the solder service does even that for you. Making your own board from the Gerbers is a different story, and the README calls it a job for advanced electronics and soldering skills. The real catch is the PSP itself: only the PSP-1000 series fits. A broken unit is fine because the motherboard and LCD are replaced anyway, but you want a good shell and working buttons. If you have a dead PSP-1000 in a drawer, this is a satisfying weekend build with a real payoff: a pocketable Linux box or retro emulator that feels like original hardware.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Gerbers, BOMs and pick-and-place files for the boards, plus the firmware and software, are in the repository; installation guides are on the project wiki.
  • —Ready-to-flash OS images (RetroPie, Batocera, Lakka) for Pi Zero, Zero 2W, CM4 and CM5 are on GitHub Releases.
  • —Hardware is under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA licence (the version is not stated), which permits commercial use with attribution and share-alike.
  • —You still need a donor PSP-1000 console — other PSP models do not fit.
  • —With a ready-made board the install is mostly disassembly and plugging in; without the solder service you solder the DC barrel jack (optional) and can optionally solder the joystick pads.
  • —The assembled board is also sold commercially by the creator at 74.95–124.95 dollars.

Parts to buy

3 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • PSP-1000 donor (shell and buttons intact)Find
  • 800x480 LCD (othermod sells a matching one)Find
  • 3.7V LiPo battery with a JST PH connectorFind

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Can I build this?

PrintNothing required — this is a PCB-based build.
BuyA PSP-1000 donor (shell and buttons intact), an 800x480 LCD (othermod sells a matching one), a 3.7V LiPo battery with a JST PH connector, a Raspberry Pi Zero/Zero 2W or a CM4 (with the CM4 carrier), and the PSPi 6 board (buy it ready-made or order from the files).
ToolsSmall screwdrivers for PSP disassembly; a soldering iron only if you bought the board without the solder service and want the DC barrel jack. Building your own board needs a full SMD setup.
SkillsCareful disassembly and basic soldering for the ready-made board (barrel jack, optional); advanced surface-mount skills only if you assemble your own board from the Gerbers.
TimeA weekend if you have done this kind of soldering before, a weekend-plus if you have not.
Cost$$ — at othermod.com the board is about 75 dollars (about 125 dollars with the solder service), the matching 800x480 LCD about 37 dollars and a LiPo battery about 15 dollars; add a donor PSP-1000 and a Raspberry Pi at your local prices.
SafetyLow-voltage DC only, no mains. It runs on a 3.7V LiPo battery, so treat the cell with normal lithium care: no punctures, no pinching it in the shell.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the assembly guide in the repository and verify you have a PSP-1000 (not 2000/3000/Go). (The README links to detailed install instructions and a Discord for build help.)
  2. 2.Decide whether to order a bare PCB and source components yourself, or buy an assembled board from othermod.com.(The bare PCB route saves money but adds sourcing time and assumes you can solder 0.5mm-pitch connectors.)
  3. 3.Flash the provided OS image to a microSD card and test it with your CM4 or Pi Zero before final assembly.(Ready-to-flash images (RetroPie, Batocera, Lakka) are on the GitHub Releases page — boot one outside the PSP first to confirm it works.)

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Only the PSP-1000 fits — the 2000, 3000, and Go have different internal layouts and will not work. Check the model number on the back before you buy a donor console.
  • A 'broken PSP for parts' works as long as the shell and buttons are intact — the screen is replaced with an 800x480 LCD anyway.
  • Making your own board from the Gerbers means sourcing and assembling surface-mount parts, and the README warns this needs advanced electronics and soldering skills. If that is not you, buy the ready-made board, optionally with the solder service.
  • If you buy the board without the solder service, the DC barrel jack and the gold-plated joystick contact pads arrive loose. The joystick pins press-fit without solder (soldering them is optional), and the barrel jack is only needed if you want to charge through the round DC jack.
  • The boards folder holds production files (Gerbers, BOM and pick-and-place CSVs) for a PCB assembly service. If you have never ordered an assembled PCB, expect that part to take longer than the build itself.
  • Firmware and OS images are updated often on GitHub Releases — check the latest release and the Troubleshooting wiki first, then ask on the project Discord.

Can I use a PSP-2000 or PSP-3000?

No — only the original PSP-1000 (the fat model) has the internal space and mounting points for this board. Other models have different layouts and will not fit.

What is the difference between the CM4 and Pi Zero versions?

The CM4 version is faster and has more RAM, making it better for Linux desktop use and heavier emulation. The Pi Zero 2W version is cheaper and draws less power, but performance is noticeably lower.

Can this play original PSP games?

Not natively — the original PSP hardware is replaced, so there is no UMD drive or PSP firmware. With a CM4, many PSP games run through emulation; the Pi Zero versions are better suited to older consoles.

Where do I get the OS image?

Ready-to-flash images are on the GitHub Releases page — RetroPie, Batocera and Lakka builds for Pi Zero, Zero 2W, CM4 and CM5. Flash one like any Raspberry Pi image.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Nearly 1,000 people have starred this repository, and the design is on its sixth version — which means plenty of builds have survived real-world testing. If you have a dead PSP-1000 sitting in a drawer, what would you run on it first: a full Linux desktop, or a retro game emulator?

CompareeTEAM13d agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the repository is actively maintained (latest push September 2026, with new releases in September 2026), and the creator sells assembled boards at othermod.com while keeping the hardware design open under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA license. Ready-to-flash OS images (Batocera, Lakka and RetroPie for Pi Zero, Zero 2, CM4 and CM5) are published as release assets, which is rare for projects like this — most leave you to build the image yourself. If you make your own board, the Gerbers, BOMs and pick-and-place files are in the boards folder, but the README warns this needs advanced electronics and soldering skills. The board works only with the PSP-1000 series, so the real hunt is a PSP-1000 donor shell with good buttons; check the wiki's component list before buying one. There is a Discord for build help and a YouTube channel with video tutorials. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

othermod

othermod calls the PSPi 6 a passion project: an open board that turns a PSP 1000 into a Raspberry Pi handheld. He publishes the board files, firmware and ready-to-flash OS images, and sells ready-made boards at othermod.com.

GitHub Web

Star the project on GitHub

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