Hi everybody. I recently searched a psp testing tool unit, and finally found it with the help of some friends and contacts. Thanks again guys. All is working fine, UMDs, DVDs, display on a computer screen etc. no problem. But since I haven't received some manuals or documents with the unit, I still don't know the usage of everything. I hope to find some PSP experts or devs here to help me hardware : - What is the usage of buttons F1 and F2 in the front of the kit? - What is the usage of the 8 GLO lights / 8 GPI switches? Software : - My kit is quite old, and firmware displayed on the DTP-H110 is really outdated. Is there a way to update it cause many recent games can't work on it now. (to insert an UMD and use its fw update can't work on that unit) - It could be stupid, but if I update something, what will be flashed? The DTP-H1500, the DTP-H110, both? - If the tool firmware is updated, is there a way to downgrade it easily then? or I can't go back? (I don't see any reason to return in the past for the moment, but it's still interesting to know.) So any documentations or firmware updates could help me. Feel free to catch me in PMs if you don't want to have files leaked or whatever... Thanks in advance to any contributors !
Hey psyk0pat, first of all: congrats to your DTP-H. This piece of hardware is what entertained me the past few months.. until I got my DTP-T just recently. The GPI/GPOs are used during game development to trigger some debug menus, etc. and show status information. Some old games like Wipeout or Midnight Club make use of them. The commander itself is just that: a commander / controller. Nothing will be flashed there. The actual PSP is inside the casing. You might me able to grab 6.00TT as it got leaked some time ago. Probably still there, somewhere. Downgrading the system is also possible (assumed you have the proper tt fw files). AFAIK every SCE Tool is capable of downgrading (PS3 and PSP). Regarding the manuals: You could search the FCC database. I've found them there some time ago. Edit: There you go: https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas...&application_id=167297&fcc_id='AK8DTPH1500AB'
Thanks for all these answers Tsukasa. When you say : "Some old games like Wipeout or Midnight Club make use of them." It means that some rare retail games can have some debug options triggered with theses switches? or you're just talking about real protos/samples? Each switch got a very different usage? I need to investigate about which is doing what hehe I'll search the 6.00TT asap. But I'm afraid it will not be enough.. I got some games already asking 6.40 :\ Thanks for all the docs, I'm going to read them now!
Yep, even some retail games use the GPI/Os. They are customizable by programmers, so they can choose what they want them to do. Btw: You've got games requiring 6.40? Thought 6.37 was the latest one.
Wipeout (Pure as well as Pulse) unlock everything when a certain GPI dipswitch is set (can't remember which one ATM, but IIRC one of the first three, it was). Basically the GPI/GPO can be used for whatever the dev's want, they can be queried and set freely from the running app/game. > - What is the usage of buttons F1 and F2 in the front of the kit? For users they do nothing. If anything, they're only used by SCE service techs when fixing broken units. On DevTools (DTP-T1000) they are used to reset either network settings only or the whole kit to factory default.
Hmm interesting, I'll try to find an UMD of wipeout to test this. I should have one around. The switches usage could be totally different for each games so? It's just depending of what the devs decided to link to each button..? But about F1 & F2 buttons, Tsukasa told me that it was to activate a sort of emulated battery built into the kit, to test the battery life during gameplay. Who's right... I'm lost lol.
Anyone know how to get into a 'service mode' or something on one of these? I have an L1500A, which doesn't seem to allow you to update the firmware (I believe this is a video-only test box). But there has to be a way to override that and force it to allow me to flash a normal H1500 firmware to it... Any thoughts? Has anyone seen any kind of flash-recovery menu (or boot loader, something like that?) I'm convinced I can force this thing to be an H1500 (the motherboards are identical from what I've seen)...
Yeah, totally at the dev's will. Unfortunately, you're not The Battery-Emulator, I think Tsuki is talking about, has nothing to do with those buttons, it's running as part of the FW and is controlled from a Windows app. As the manual states: "Those buttons are for service technicians only". Of course there's some kind of service mode, that's how these things get installed in the first place. But there 1000% is no bootloader-/bootstrap-/recoverymenu of any sorts. Also, updaters check the what kind of TOOL it is, you even if you get a TT updater to run, it'll just throw you an error.
well ok.. and just one more thing about the switches: When it is better to use them? Even before to boot the umd/dvd? or directly during game? Because if a debug menu appears, I will see it of course. But if triggers an unlock, like vehicles in Wipeout, I'll never spot the changes lol. Thanks for the precious infos hellcat and Tsukasa
Well.. like Hellcat and I said, it's up to the devs how to use the GPI/Os. They can use them during bootup process to trigger some devtool evens like assigning host0, etc. or in game to show some debug infos. So every game is somewhat different regardig this. A good example for debug infos could be "Ghostbusters - The Videogame". You can barely watch the gameplay because of the mass of debug printf.
Yeah, I know there is a service menu, the question was is there any way to access it (easily). The hardware of the L1500 is identical to the H1500, it's just the firmware that makes it different. Once you have an L1500 firmware on it, it won't allow you to update with the H1500 firmware. What I want to do is make the system think it has no firmware and is basically asking for the first one to be installed... If that's possible. I suppose that might require a special 'firmware update' software that's never been released (something only Sony has), but I figure if I never ask, I'll never know for sure.
I've also recently got a DTP-H1500 Testing Tool.. and I'm not sure what to actually do with it. The firmware displayed in the console is 1.52, so currently it only plays very old games. One of the free filehosters gave me an eboot.pbp which is supposed to be a 6.00 update, but I've got no clue how to install it. The txt included with the eboot only mentions that with 4.00 the update method was changed from DVD to Memory Stick, but no hint about how to install if the current version is before 4.00 If anyone could point me in the right direction of a guide or a 4.00 FW as an intermediate upgrade step, I'd be really grateful. (non-public pointers as far as the forum rules require, of course...) Also, I'd be interested if the Testing Tool allows to display and/or change the region code.. I've tried feeding it a few EU UMD Videos, but none of them play.
Don't ask for dev firmware/sdk files. PSP is still a active console and violates the rules. Regarding your other issue, copy the eboot given to you onto a memory stick like you would if you where updating a retail unit (so memstick:/PSP/GAME/UPDATE/EBOOT.PBP) then on the test go to the game folder, find the update and run it. The note is talking about that in previous firmwares the only way to update was by burning it to a dvd. Now updates are done by memory sticks.
As the note (and you yourself ) state, launching the EBOOT from MS won't work as this method was introduced in 4.00+. Lower FW don't have MS access (the "Game" column is empty and shows no icons besides the one of inserted UMDs). You have to update to 4.00 first (using the UMD image that update comes as) and from there on you can use the EBOOT updates. @Woo: Since you say yourself you have no real idea of what to do with it, you might consider selling it again - if you do decide to do so, make me an offer
So I absolutely have to find the 4.00 firmware image first? Or is there a way to burn the 6.x firmware to a DVD and update via the drive? I don't really intend to sell the dev box.. I'd prefer to keep it in my curio collection.. but it would be cooler if it was actually usable.
Will it be possible for the testing tool to install on a retail psp without xgen v2 if the custom ipl bin is signed correctly? Sorry if im mistaken please correct me so
