Over the past few months my PSP started to show the signs of old age. Whether it’s my addiction to World Tour Soccer series that completely worn out the analog stick, or frequent uses of the device in the train, on the beach, and on the planes that resulted in a dirty screen and what not. Cleaning out your PSP is actually pretty easy, and is roughly a 20-30 minute project. Things you’ll need (and I got them all from one place, your shopping experience may differ):
- a high precision screwdriver for hard to reach bolts
- a replacement analog stick if yours is worn out
- button replacement kit, if yours are dirty or unusable. If you only need specific buttons replaced, check out this kit.
Unscrew three bolts on the back of PSP to separate the front and the back of the device. The last screw might be tough to find, and it is under the battery, which you need to take out. There’s a protective seal that warns you about warranty being void if you remove it. If you have any kind of warranty left on the device, you should probably have it replaced instead of cleaning it out yourself.
Separate the front panel of PSP, and remove it. It contains many small buttons such as Start and Select, which could fall out, and get in the way. The front panel frame hardly needs any cleaning, so it’s safe to just put it away for the time being.
The back of the panel, however, contains the analog stick, and 4-directional button. The analog stick can be replaced, if you have a replacement handy, or just cleaned out, if it’s just the matter of dust and a few odds and ends getting in. If you remove it, that’s the only electronic part on the front panel. The rest of it can have a date with Mr. Windex for brighter shine.
Replace the analog stick of 4-directional button, and you’re pretty much done. Check out the top buttons, R and L, that are not used in all the games, and therefore might be in different state of wear and tear. Those can be washed and cleaned out as well, nothing but white plastic there.
Time to put the PSP back together, and remember - no spare parts.
For a pretty small budget, and 20-30 minutes of work you have a good-looking shiny gadget back in shape.
