How to: Pandora's Battery - High Res Pics

[sexybeast099]

Undoing the pin on the battery is the easy part, assuming you don't want to use it as a normal battery again. If you take a soldering iron to it, it becomes immensely harder. I find that unless you have some mad soldering skills, you should leave that alone. Besides, if you cut open the battery then it's already prone to numerous problems with structural support at the top of the list.

[one]

I've desoldered and resoldered my pin at least 5 times. I like having my backup battery when I am out and the main goes dead, but I need the pandora sometimes. I'll be adding a switch to it sometime when I have the free time.

In any case, if you bend the pin more than three times total it will break off. (off, on, off) To keep from doing this, the second time I had to remove it I simply spaced the pin off the circuit board only 1mm. This allows it to not make connection, but a spot of solder can bridge up to 3mm of space quite easily so I just touch it with solder to put it back together (not physically, the solder makes the bridge) plus it is much easier to take back off. Once the solder gets hot you can just slide a razor blade under it and it the solder bridge comes off with the cold razor since it pulls the melted solder off and cools it back hard at the same time onto the blade.

I use a small strip of clear packing tape in a thin band around the battery, which is perfect to hold it together until I need to get back in it. The clear tape used to wrap X-mas presents works excellent also.

[destrux]

The batteries in the PSP aren't just normal lithium ion cells... they're lithium ion polymer cells. You can tell them apart from normal li-ion cells because the cells are flat instead of round like a normal liquid li-ion battery. They're usually called li-poly or li-po batteries, but sony likes to just call them li-ion. These things don't just give off toxic fumes and burn if you short them, they can go off like a propane cylinder in a campfire. Do a search for li-po explosion on you-tube. Impressive stuff.

Anyway, somebody asked if it was ok to use it after it swelled up...

If it swells up it means it was shorted or damaged and you should take it outside IMMEDIATELY and put it somewhere that it won't matter if it bursts into flame. If it does, don't use water to put out the fire, water will make it worse (it actually burns so hot that it strips the hydrogen out of the water and burns it). Cover it in sand after the initial "pop" is over to help put it out. Then soak the battery in salt water for a week to discharge it to zero volts, then throw it away (or recycle it..). If you try to recharge or use a swelled up li-po battery it might catch fire.

You probably shorted it or punctured it with the knife blade when you were cutting the case open. Try cutting very carefully on the other 3 sides of the case next time, and popping that last side apart by hand.

[sexybeast099]

@one:You don't have problems with structural support with the system you've got? Maybe I just cut open my battery horribly or something, but whenever I try to tape it up and apply any pressure, it starts to bend. I'm afraid I'll crack the casing if I apply too much pressure. Well, if it's just the fact that I didn't make the cleanest of cuts that attributes to the structural instability, then I retract my comment about the structural faults.

@destrux:Are you an expert in the that field? Do you know an expert in the field and heard this from them? Do you have any source for this info? I wanna quote you elsewhere to warn others about this. I knew the batteries were psycho-dangerous if breached but I didn't know it was quite to this extent! Kudos for finding this!

[ALpHaMoNk]

to be honest i just puctured my battery and nothing that you mentioned happened, no explosions, no fumes. it did get hot and swell up and you can see it all glowing redish orange inside. i did throw it in the sink and let water run on it for a few minutes and it was cool.....not trying to call you out as a liar i am sure it is all possible , just didn't happen in my case. everyone please use caution when messing with these batteries, it did get me shook up for a sec.

[andrew22li]

How do you desolder?

I need help with the battery how do you desolder that big chunk part? or that little wire of that chip?

any help?

thanks,

[sexybeast099]

@andrew22li: You just cut/desolder the wire. I repeat, DO NOT REMOVE THE CHIP! That will ruin your battery and make your life a whole helluva lot more stressful!

[diomedes]

I'm really new to this and I have a question:
Before I cut the pin, I must desolder that other chip near as shown in the picture, right? And by "desolder" you mean placing melted metal over it?

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

[VeryThinPSP]

Desoldering does not mean placing melted metal over it. Desoldering is the removal of solder. You are only using the soldering gun to heat things up and disconnect them though. You don't have to desolder the other chip....it is just to make sure you don't short your battery.

[diomedes]

I see; so I would heat up the other chip with the solder gun and completly remove it to avoid shorting the battery.

And "shorting the battery" means losing its potential? Or completly killing it?

[Mr.Behr]

Question. Does it matter how bad the battery is... like I have a sony battery that will charge up and run the psp for about 2 hours before it dies, but if I charge it and put it away, it will be dead after 2 days. Does this make any difference?

Also if I buy a new battery for this, does it matter if I get a regular one or the longer lasting one? Or does it even have to be a 'sony' battery or will any cheap-o battery work?

[Snyper]

Originally Posted by sexybeast099

The weird batteries with the circuits on the end should still have a chip labeled S93C56. I believe it is one of the few still there, lucky enough. when you see the words right-side up then cut/lift/incinerate the lowest pin/leg on the right side of that chip. That's the only difference.

This Is my First time Modding a PSP , I have opened one of my batteries and realised Its not the same as any In the Tutorials, so I opened my 2nd Battery and found the same, Ive read and found that other people have this problem, so I thought Id take Pictures and show that,

There are no labels that say S93C56.





If there Is still a way to do the Battery mod with this kind of Battery, please, I would like to know.

(Woot First Post!)

[CatastropheInc]

Sorry for the ignorant question, but does the type of battery matter? I just purchased by PSP Slim, and on the back of the battery it says, "3.6v - 1200 mAh" and not, "3.6v - 1800" like the one pictured above.

[sexybeast099]

@CatastropheInc: No it shouldn't matter. as long as it's a sony brand battery that's made in China, it is garunteed to work.

[Cyanide]

When I opened mine it had a silver wrapping on it what do I do with that?