How to Replace a PSP 2000 LCD Screen

The top mounted LCD screen of the Playstation Portable 2000 (PSP) has no protection against damage during or after use. A cracked or otherwise damaged LCD screen must be replaced if you want to continue using the PSP. You can replace the LCD of the PSP 2000 using a few common household tools.


Instructions

 1. Place a soft cloth on a table. Place the PSP 2000 face down with the disc door farthest from you. Remove the battery lid from the battery compartment on the left side. Pull the battery out of the battery compartment.

 2. Scratch off the sticker inside the battery compartment with the tip of the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver. Remove the screw hidden beneath the sticker with the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver. Remove the three screws inside the battery compartment with the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver.

 3. Remove the two screws on the right side of the PSP next to the memory card slot, using the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver. Remove the screw from the middle of the bottom edge with the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver.

 4. Turn the PSP over so that the disc door is farthest from you. Pull the PSP’s faceplate off with your hands.

 5. Place the tip of the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver beneath the left side of the black metal bracket in the bottom edge. Lift up on the tip of the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver to loosen the side of the black metal bracket. Repeat this on the right side of the black metal bracket. Pull the black metal bracket out of the PSP with your fingers. Place the black metal bracket to the side of the PSP, taking care not to disconnect the cable connected to it.

 6. Place the tip of the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver beneath the left side of the LCD screen assembly in the middle of the PSP. Lift up on the tip of the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver to loosen the side of the LCD screen assembly. Repeat this on the right side of the LCD screen assembly.

 7. Pull the LCD screen assembly out of the PSP with your fingers. Pull the cable attached to the LCD screen assembly out of the PSP’s circuit board, using the tweezers.

 8. Place the LCD screen assembly on the soft cloth. Insert the tip of the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver into the clip on the left side of the LCD screen assembly. Lift up on the tip of the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver to release the clip. Repeat this on the right side of the LCD screen assembly.

 9. Slide the LCD screen out of the LCD screen assembly. Dispose of the LCD screen properly.

 10. Remove the protective paper backing from both sides of the replacement LCD screen. Slide the replacement LCD screen in the LCD screen assembly. Push down on both sides of the LCD screen assembly to engage the clips.

 11. Plug the cable connected to the LCD screen assembly into the PSP’s circuit board, using the tweezers. Place the LCD screen assembly back into its original position on the PSP. Press down lightly on both sides of the LCD screen assembly. Place the black metal bracket back into its original position in the PSP. Place the faceplate back onto the PSP.

 12. Turn the PSP over. Reattach the screws. Put the battery back into the battery compartment. Place the battery lid back onto the battery compartment.

Wii MotionPlus Review

The Wii MotionPlus, Nintendo's hardware patch to make true on the promise of true motion-control gaming, is here. While it's pretty damn amazing—it truly is 1:1 motion detection—it still isn't perfect. And part of that is the software.

The Hardware:
The are two components to the Wii MotionPlus, the hardware attachment itself and the software that supports it. The hardware, which consists of a sensor which detects rotation that hooks into the expansion/Nunchuk port of the Wiimote, allows the setup to feed back exact 3D positional information to the console. It still requires the other motion-detection systems of the Wii, including the sensor bar, which may contribute to the flaws of the overall system.

Here's the best example of what we're talking about. In Wii Sports Resort's Swordplay mode, where you swing around a kendo sword, there's a game called Showdown where you advance along a fixed path and swordfight about 50 continuous people. Even after calibrating your sword (Wii MotionPlus) at the start of the fight, the sword will go about 20-30 degrees askew after a few minutes of swinging, requiring you to recalibrate the system quickly by pressing down on the D-Pad. That wouldn't be bad, except for the fact that the Wiimote is still susceptible to interference from bright sunlight through a window or any pair of incandescent lights it thinks are the sensor bar, which totally screws up your orientation. But for the most part, it's 1:1 motion. Wave your Wiimote around and the sword follows. You bowl or throw frisbees or swing a club or shoot a basket and the Mii on screen actually traces the actions of your controller. It's a very different experience than the past three years of flicking around the Wiimote. If you control your environment (limit the amount of sunlight, don't have any light bulbs to interfere), the hardware does what it claims.
The Software:
We tested it with the three types of games that are out now, Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo's own offering that it's been working on since the MotionPlus unveil at E3 2008), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Golf) and Virtua Tennis 2009 (Tennis). We passed on Grand Slam Tennis since we didn't think we needed to test two tennis games to get the idea of how tennis worked for the platform, and reviews on Amazon rate the two titles as more or less equivalent in MotionPlus usage.

Tiger Woods: The game lets you go 1:1 motion in terms of your swing, but still manages to keep the game a game. There are three modes of difficulty, basically how realistic you want to map your motions, with the advance mode putting the most control of drawing and fading into your hands. I'm not a golfer, so I can't say with any kind of expertise how realistic this is, but it felt like what I was doing actually made a difference on screen. Instead of just going through any old swing, I had to pay attention to my form and keep the Wiimote face pointing the right way through contact with the ball. The two questions that you have to ask are if the implementation actually makes you feel like you're making 1:1 motions with the golfer on screen, and whether or not it's fun. It is definitely fun, but it's not exactly 1:1 in terms of being ultra realistic. As good as the Wii MotionPlus hardware is, the developers took the liberty of not making the speed of your swing reflect the speed of your swing in game. Point being, very few people can actually swing as hard as Tiger, so in order to make the game entertaining, they had to level the playing field. If you really wanted to do 1:1 golfing, you'll have to pony up some club fees and go outside.

Virtua Tennis: Now tennis I do know, and Sega's implementation definitely is not 1:1. In a MotionPlus tennis game you would imagine the avatar on screen taking his backswing at the same time you do, mirroring your forehand, backhand or even overhead smash windup. It does not. In fact, it still gets confused half the time as to whether you're even doing a forehand or a backhand! Trying to direct the ball crosscourt, down the line or up the middle is equally as futile—I could only get this to work accurately at most three shots out of five. The positional data from the Wiimote is there obviously, since other games have that data, but the game chooses to process it in a weird way. Like in golf, swings don't map 1:1 in that the speed of your swing doesn't quite determine how fast you swing. I can hit a decent serve, but I'm nowhere up into the 130s.
But the most annoying part of the game is the constant calibration. You have to point your Wiimote at the middle of the screen before every point (screenshot above), holding it still so the game knows where "front" is. Again, a huge waste of time when you want to be playing, and it puts the limitations of the platform in your face every few minutes.
As for the two questions of whether or not the game lets you feel like you're playing 1:1 and whether or not it's fun, we have the same answer. It is fun, but it's definitely not 1:1. It's a few steps up from Wii Sports Tennis (the first one, without MotionPlus), but it definitely isn't a "realistic" tennis experience. You will, however, be able to get more of a workout since you're trying to go 1:1 instead of just flicking your wrist. I'd imagine that this is similar to experienced golf players playing Tiger Woods; because you actually know what you're doing, the fact that this isn't quite 1:1 makes the process more frustrating.


Wii Sports Resort:
The fact that Nintendo's own game is the best, both at showing the potential of the MotionPlus and in the implementation, should be no surprise. They developed the hardware and they've had the most time incubating their game, which makes Wii Sports Resort the most polished of the bunch. I won't go through each of the games—you can catch that on Kotaku's review—but I will touch on some of the highs and lows. The previously mentioned Swordplay is pretty great, despite the quirks in the mode that caused frequent calibration issues, and really translates your swinging into sword motions well.
Frisbee and basketball and bowling and table tennis all fare equally well, and actually make you feel like you're controlling what's happening on the screen. It's a feeling that was lacking from Wii Sports. Letting go of the frisbee (B button) at just the right time determines angle, height and power, and flicking your wrist in basketball actually determines the angle your ball approaches the hoop.

But the flaws of Wii Motionplus show up in games like archery and canoeing. In archery, you hold the MotionPlus with your non-dominant hand to aim the bow and pull your string back with the Nunchuk. The MotionPlus gets de-calibrated super easily so that "front" often means 30 degrees off to the side and 20 degrees down. And in canoeing (as well as table tennis), you have the problem of the Wiimote not knowing which side you're pulling your controller to, so precision is not as perfect as you'd imagine. Verdict
The hardware is a big step forward, but it's not the end of the road. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say this was 80% of the way there to delivering true 1:1 motion detection in the hardware. Unless Nintendo releases a Wii MotionPlusPlus, I don't expect that it will get all that much better in this generation, hardware-wise.
However, even with the slight limitation that the hardware platform has, the software can make up with it by allowing you to do things that cater to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses (like detecting which side of your body you're pulling the controller towards). Sega's tennis implementation, for example, is one that needs refinement, whereas swordplay and frisbee and basketball—for the most part—are fine.
But if your question is if the Wii Motionplus is fun, it definitely is. It's the closest you'll get to 1:1 motion gaming until either the Sony or Microsoft motion solutions come out in 2010. Go and give Nintendo some more of your money.

Attaching Wii Accessories to Wii MotionPlus

Description:
Step by step instructions on how to attach Wii accessories (Nunchuk, etc.) to Wii MotionPlus.

Important Note!

• The Nunchuk, Classic Controller, or other accessories that connect to the External Extension Connector on the Wii Remote can be used with Wii MotionPlus.

What to do:

1. Grasp the connector cover by the sides and pull it out to remove it from the bottom of Wii MotionPlus.


2. Insert the connector plug of the accessory (such as the Nunchuk) into the External Extension Connector on the bottom of the Wii MotionPlus until it clicks into place.


3. Pass the connector cover cord through the connector hook on the back of the connector.


4. Insert the tab on the edge of the connector cover into the connector hook. Press the connector cover firmly into place on the connector plug.


5. Place your hand through the wrist strap and adjust the strap lock so that the strap will not fall off your wrist. Do not over tighten the strap lock so that it's uncomfortable. It should just be tight enough to hold the wrist strap in place. Close the lever (if the strap lock has one) until it clicks to hold the strap lock in place.

Removing Wii MotionPlus from the Wii Remote

Description:
Step by step instructions on how to remove the Wii MotionPlus accessory from the Wii Remote.

Important Note!

• The Wii Remote will still function normally with games that do not include Wii MotionPlus gameplay features. The Wii Remote does not need to be disconnected from Wii MotionPlus once it is installed, unless using the Wii Remote with the Wii Zapper, Wii Wheel, or other accessories that attach in a similar way.

What to do:

1. Slide the lock switch on the back of the Wii MotionPlus accessory down, towards the bottom of the Wii Remote.


2. Press and hold the release buttons and pull the Wii MotionPlus accessory out of the External Extension Connector on the bottom of the Wii Remote.


3. Gently pull the Wii MotionPlus accessory down and towards the back of the Wii Remote.


4. Pull the Wii Remote out of the jacket.

Installing the Wii MotionPlus

1. Remove the original Wii Remote Jacket from the Wii Remote and keep it in a safe place for future use if the Wii MotionPlus is removed.
2. Make sure the lock on the back of the Wii MotionPlus is in the unlocked position, with the arrow visible.


3. Insert the Wii Remote all the way into the Wii MotionPlus Jacket.


4. Insert the wrist strap through the hole in the back of the Wii MotionPlus Jacket and pull it completely through.


5. While twisting the Wii MotionPlus slightly, gently pull the Wii MotionPlus accessory down and over the end of the Wii Remote.


6. Hold down the release buttons on both sides of the Wii MotionPlus accessory and insert the plug into the External Extension Connector on the bottom of the Wii Remote.


7. Make sure that neither the wrist strap nor jacket are pinched between the Wii Remote and the Wii MotionPlus.


8. Lock the Wii MotionPlus in place by sliding the switch in the direction of the arrow.


9. Place hand through the wrist strap and adjust the strap lock so that it will not fall off your wrist. If the wrist strap has one, close the lever to hold it in place. (Some strap locks do not have a lock lever.)

How to Check the Wii Remote's Battery Levels

Description:
Step by step instructions on how to check battery levels on the Wii Remote
Important Note!
If you would like to use rechargeable batteries, the only type of battery recommended are Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. When it comes to using rechargeable batteries, you must follow manufacturer guidelines for safety and proper usage. Failure to do so could cause damage to the Wii Remote and void the warranty.

What to do:
There are two ways to check the Wii Remote's battery levels:

1. Remove the battery cover and press the Red "Sync" button. The number of Player LED lights flashing indicates the Wii Remote's battery strength. Four flashing lights indicates full strength, with one light flashing indicating the lowest level.


2. Use the HOME Menu to check battery level of each Wii Remote.
• Press the HOME Button on a Wii Remote that is synchronized with the Wii console.


• Select the Wii Remote Settings option from the Home Button menu.


• The battery level of all synced Wii Remotes is displayed along the bottom. Four bars indicates a full charge, with one being the lowest charge.

How to Sync Wii Remotes to Wii Console (Standard Mode)

Description:
Step by step instructions on how to sync the Wii Remote or Wii Remote Plus to the Wii console using Standard Mode.
Important Note!
Only a Wii Remote in Standard Mode can turn the Wii console power ON or OFF.

What to do:

1. Press the Power button on the Wii console to turn it on.
2. Remove the battery cover on the back of the Wii Remote to be synced. Open the SD Card Slot cover on the front of the Wii console.
3. Press and release the SYNC button just below the batteries on the Wii Remote; the Player LED on the front of the Wii Remote will blink. While the lights are still blinking, quickly press and release the red SYNC button on the front of the Wii console.


4. When the Player LED blinking stops and stays lit, the syncing is complete. The LED that is illuminated indicates the player number (1 through 4).

This sync procedure must be followed for each additional Wii Remote added to the system.

How to Sync Wii Remotes to the Wii Console (One Time Mode)

One Time Mode Synchronization

Description:
Step by step instructions on how to temporarily sync the Wii Remote to a Wii console.

Important Note!

• Only a Wii Remote in Standard Mode can turn the Wii console power ON or OFF.

One Time Mode Synchronization allows temporarily use of a Wii Remote on a Wii console other than your console, or to use a friend's remote on your console. It can also be used to change the order of the Wii Remotes without the need to turn off the Wii console.
One Time Mode does not delete the Standard Mode setting stored in the Wii Remote. In this mode, the Wii Remote will only communicate with the Wii console while the power is on. When the power is turned off, the Wii Remote will lose its sync with the Wii Console. When the power is turned back on again, the Standard Mode settings will return.

What to do:

1. Press the HOME Button on a Wii Remote that is synchronized with the Wii console.


2. Select the Wii Remote Settings option from the Home Button menu.


3. Select the Reconnect Option.


4. Press the 1 and 2 Buttons at the same time on the Wii Remote that you want to synchronize with the console.


• If you are syncing multiple Wii Remotes, press the 1 and 2 Buttons on each Wii Remote immediately (without a significant pause) in the order you want them synced. The order in which you synchronize Wii Remotes determines the player order (1 through 4) for multiplayer games.
5. The Player LED will blink during the syncing process. When the blinking stops, the connection is complete.

wii remote won't connect to the wii console

Here is what I went through, hopefully it will save you some time.

The first thing I did while the Wii was turned on was that I tried to sync the Wii Remote by pressing the "1" + "2" buttons at the same time. The lights at the bottom of the controller flashed for about 30 seconds, but never received the signal from the Wii. Bummer.

The next step I followed was to hit the sync button on the Wii Remote (Wiimote). Then immediately opened the cover for the opening where the SD Flash card goes and pressed the sync button on the Wii. 30 seconds of flashing, and no result. Double bummer.

Finally, after some Google searching, I found a couple of message boards where people had to press the Sync button on the Wii (not the Wii Remote) for 15 seconds to reset it. I performed this step and then pressed sync on the Wii Remote. The 2nd controller synced up almost immediately. What a relief!

Apparently the problem lies in the fact that the Bluetooth technology being used has to be manually synced in order for it to connect to the Wii. It does not make much sense at all. You would think they could be pre-authorized in order to minimize time and ease of use. In addition, you really have to be careful that your other controllers are turned on while syncing or else the controller that you are trying to put on channel 3 might end up on channel 2! This happened to me on one occasion.

Good luck with getting your Wiimotes in sync with your Wii. Hopefully this helped!

US$22.99

Nunchuck and Remote Controller for Wii

US$14.80

MotionPlus for Nintendo Wii

US$7.93

Classic Controller for Wii

US$56.00

250GB HDD Hard Drive for Xbox 360 Slim

iRig and Amplitube

When you think of the history of rock guitar music there's one iconic scene always comes to mind: Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar onstage. Would it have been the same if he toasted his iPad or blew his speakers apart with his iPhone? Hendrix was renowned for experimenting with the sound of the electric guitar. One can only wonder what classic riffs he would have created with a portable amplifier and effect simulator that he could record to wherever he went.
While swiping a portable device may not drive a rock'n'roll audience into the same sort of frenzy as AC/DC's Angus Young duck-stepping across the stage, the recent release of guitar adapters and amplifier/effect apps for portable devices has put a huge array of amplifier simulators and special effects in the hands of the bedroom jammer.

The "signature sound" that is the hallmark of any superstar band usually comes from using a particular guitar amplifier. AC/DC's Angus Young uses four Marshall stacks, the Beatles used VOX AC-30s and blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn was famous for tweaking a studio full of Fender amps before recording an album. Now anyone with an iRig connector, the AmpliTube app and an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and a guitar can create their own signature sound at a fraction of the cost of the original hardware.

What is the iRig?

The iRig is a thumb-sized adapter that plugs these devices together, along with headphones or external speakers. The AmpliTube app (guitar amplifier and effects simulator software) gives you the digital equivalent of many thousands of dollars worth of the same sort of classic big name guitar amplifiers, microphones and effect pedals used by the rock stars, without needing a truck and a team of roadies to haul it around for you.
For our test we purchased the full version of the Amplitude version 2 for $23.99 from the iTunes store and installed it on an iPad. Although amp and effect simulators have been available on computers and in pro audio software for years, this is the first time we have seen so many quality sounds for portable device. The makers of AmpliTube 2 claim the new app has improved sound by adapting DSP (digital signal processing) technology derived from flagship desktop computer software AmpliTube 3 and T-RackS 3.
This full featured version of AmpliTube includes five amplifiers with virtual dials to shape the tone, reverb, and gain as well as five speaker cabinets, two microphones and the following effect pedals: Delay, fuzz, distortion, overdrive, wah, envelope filter, chorus, flanger, phaser, compressor, graphic EQ, parametric EQ, reverb, limiter, octave and a noise filter.

Wired for sound?

You can interchange up to four effects at once and store them with custom names in one of the 36 preset configurations. The makers of AmpliTube, IK Multimedia, have indicated that more (virtual) amps and effects will be available in the future.
Visually and aurally the five amps reflect the clean reverb and tremolo tones of Fender, the crunch sound of a Vox, lead sounds of Marshall as well as a heavy metal guitar and bass rig. The slick interface is easy to navigate and these classic amps and pedals look very much like their 'real' but unbranded cousins.
AmpliTube has recently announced a Fender Amplifier app version (soon to be released in Australia) of the software which includes the following amplifier and effect simulators: '65 Deluxe ReverbTM, the Super-SonicTM, the '65 Twin ReverbTM, the '59 BassmanTM LTD and the Pro JuniorTM, Tape Delay, Compressor, the Fender BlenderTM, FenderTM Phaser, Overdrive and Noise Filter. Its available for iPhone and iPad costs $14.99.
We achieved more realistic interpretation of classic guitar sounds by combining these amps with multiple speaker options (1 x 12", 2 x 12", 4 x 10", or 15") as well as the choice of two virtual microphones that change the tone of the sound.
You can listen to the iRig with headphones or plug it into a guitar amplifier, mixing desk or powered monitor speakers. It's a very quick way of emulating an array of guitar sounds that cover blues, rock, metal, funk and experimental.

Same but different

"Real" guitar amplifiers are made of solid state and/or tube (valve) electronics technology. The sound or tone between the two can vary greatly, as can the dynamics. Tube amplifiers are popular for their unique tonal qualities of "breaking up". This means you can strum a chord gently and get a soft undistorted sound or hit the strings hard to get a loud distorted or overdriven sound. Take a listen the our demo recordings below to decide for yourself how well the Amplitude app simulates a real amp's sounds and effects.
Software emulation of amplifier and guitar effects has come a long way. The apps sounds are so realistic you even get the hum and feedback that comes with distorted guitar effects and overdriven amplifiers, however there is a "Noise filter" and "no feedback" option to mute this.
We found that a big amplifier stack sounds realistic through a set of headphones. Looking for that elusive Hendrix tone? Try the lead amp with a large speaker cabinet, add a wah and fuzz pedal. Going for that country/rock sound? Try the tremolo, with some gain on the vintage tube amplifier. (See audio examples below)
Hang on? How can I swipe my iPad to control the wah pedal when I need two hands to play the guitar? You could try using your toes. Unfortunately there are currently no remote or external control pedals to control this setup with your feet so an auto wah is the best option in this case.
If you're keen to jam along with your favorite band, you can import up to 50 songs from iTunes as backing tracks directly from the iPod library on your device or your computer using file sharing or Wi-Fi. Learning those tricky guitar solos and chord progressions is easier with the ability to set loop points and slow down or speed up tracks (50-200%) without changing the pitch. Other handy tools include a chromatic guitar tuner and metronome.

Benefits of buying digital

The real strength of this portable setup on an iPad is the ability to easily adjust the knobs on the all the amps, effects and tools. By swapping the order of effects around and saving presets you can quickly experiment with a wide range of sounds and save them as presets for later use. Another handy feature is the ability to synchronise delay and flanger effects to the tempo or BPM (beats per minute) of the song you are playing.
AmpliTube version 2 comes with a recording and production studio built-in. This includes a single track recorder with re-amping capabilities. This will allow you to record and export your recordings and mixes as high quality audio files.
It is possible to expand the recording capabilities to enable a multi-track recorder with eight tracks and a master FX section with five effects (Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Compressor & Parametric EQ). This comes at an additional $17.99 as an in-app purchase.
Only one question remains, what would Jimi Hendrix do with one of these?
The AmpliTube iRig adaptor costs $16.76 availavle at zeromartz.com  .
EXAMPLES:
We recorded three different styles of guitar music with the iRig and ampliTube as an example of the different sounds available.