Pandora Battery / Magic Memory Stick Guide

Fixing the unfixable using Pandora/MMS

What is a Pandora Battery / Magic Memory Stick?

A "Pandora Battery" is a regular PSP battery that has been modified to become a Service Mode battery, often referred to as "Pandora's Battery". The modified battery is then used in conjunction with a memory card that contains specific files that allow it to access Service Mode, this memory card is often referred to as a "Magic Memory Stick". Once in Service Mode, users can install custom firmware, back up their PSP's data, and perform other actions that are not possible in the standard PSP environment. 

If your curious, read more about the origin of the Pandora Battery.

Ready to give it a go? Let's get started...

Note: This method only works with 1000 and 2000 series PSPs using official Sony batteries - not all 2000 model PSPs are compatible (see the chart).

Most/all official batteries from Malaysia and China are not compatible.

Preparing your memory card:

1. Using your PSP, format a spare memory card via Settings > System Settings > Format Memory Stick.

2. Download the PSPTool package.

3. Extract the contents of the PSPTool.7z to your PC.
Inside, you'll find two .zip files - begin with the 'PSPTool-MagicMemoryStick.zip' - extract the zip file.
Inside this folder is the a folder named 'Magic Memory Stick-update EBOOT', open this folder and locate the 500pbp file - copy this file to the root of your memory card.
Next, access the other .zip file, named 'PSPTool-1.00.zip' - extract the zip file. Inside is a 'PSP' folder, copy this folder (and its contents) to the root of your memory card.
Disconnect your PSP (or safely remove your memory card).

4. On your PSP, go to the Game menu and launch PSP Tool.

5. In PSP Tool:
- Go to Memory Stick Options
- Select Create Magic Memory Stick
- Choose the 5.00 M33 option

When prompted, choose a button to use for launching the installer during boot (the L shoulder button is the traditional choice — hold it when inserting the battery to boot the MMS)

PSP Tool will then ask to inject the Time Machine IPL - choose 'Yes' (this is required for booting from the Magic Memory Stick)

6. While still in PSP Tool...:
- Go to Battery Options
- Select Convert to Service Mode Battery

7. Exit the app and power off your PSP. You have now created a Pandora Battery and MMS, and you're ready to fix a bricked PSP.

Using the MMS & Pandora Battery to unbrick a bricked PSP:

1. Remove the battery and Magic Memory Stick from the PSP used to create them, and insert both into the bricked PSP while holding the button you selected earlier (e.g., the L shoulder button). This should boot the PSP into the Pandora menu.

2. From the menu, select the first option: Install 5.00 M33.

3. Wait for the installation to complete.

Restoring back to normal:

You can now either leave the battery and memory card as they are for future recovery use, or restore them to normal.

To change the battery back to normal mode , follow these steps:

1. After the PSP reboots, launch PSP Tool again.

2. Go to Battery Options and choose Convert to Normal Battery.

To restore the memory card to normal, simply format it using the PSP’s Format Memory Stick option.

Updating and installing custom firmware (CFW):

You may now update your firmware and install your preferred custom firmware (CFW). We recommend you use our PSP Hacking / Modding Guide.