Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • Accounting
  • CRM
  • Academy
Resources
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Newsletters
  • Resource Library
  • Forums
  • Sponsored
Go Premium
Popular Topics
  • Top Products
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • Accounting
  • CRM
  • Academy
  • Project Management
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
View All Topics
Go Premium
After Hours

Sony PSP Go Teardown

By Bill Detwiler November 8, 2010, 4:43 AM PST Bill Detwiler on Twitter billdetwiler

Image
1
of 60

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Box contents

Box contents

In the box are the PSP Go unit, the AC power adapter and cord, Media Go CD-ROM, and product documentation.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

AC Power adapter and cord

AC Power adapter and cord

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

AC power adapter

AC power adapter

The PSP Go has a 5V AC adapter.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Front - Screen closed

Front - Screen closed

With the display panel closed, we can see the speakers, WLAN indicator, Bluetooth indicator, and PS button on the front of the PSP Go.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Front - Screen open

Front - Screen open

With the display panel open, we can see the directional buttons, analog joystick, microphone, Start button, Select button, and control buttons.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Back

Back

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Bottom

Bottom

On the bottom of the PSP Go are the multi-use connector and headset connector.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Top

Top

On the top of the PSP Go are the L button (left trigger), display button, volume up/down button, sound button, and R button (right trigger).

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Left side

Left side

Along the left side of the PSP Go are the Memory Stick Micro slot, Memory Stick Micro indicator, wireless switch, and strap holder.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Right side

Right side

Along the right side of the PSP Go are the power indicator and the power/hold button.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Removing the back panel screws

Removing the back panel screws

The first step in disassembling the PSP Go is to remove the four Phillips #00 screws on the back panel.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Removing the top screws

Removing the top screws

Two more Phillips #00 screws are located along the PSP Go’s top edge. You’ll also need to remove these.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Removing the back panel

Removing the back panel

With all six external screws removed, you can lift the back panel away from the case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Back panel - Interior

Back panel - Interior

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Back panel - Exterior

Back panel - Exterior

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

First look inside

First look inside

With the back panel removed, we get our first look inside the PSP Go. Unfortunately, this is about as far as you can go without voiding your warranty.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Void Warranty sticker removed

Void Warranty sticker removed

With the warranty sticker removed, we can see the battyer connector.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Disconnecting the battery

Disconnecting the battery

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Battery 3.7V Li-ion

Battery 3.7V Li-ion

The PSP Go has a 3.7V Li-ion battery.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

With the battery removed

With the battery removed

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Removing the bottom plastic cover

Removing the bottom plastic cover

With the battery and back panel removed, the thin plastic cover the run along the top of the PSP Go should pop off.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Trigger button screw

Trigger button screw

Before removing the logic board, we’ll need to remove the two trigger buttons. A single Phillips screw holds each in place.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Trigger button cable

Trigger button cable

Before removing the triggers, you’ll also have to disconnect their ribbon cables.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Trigger button removed

Trigger button removed

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Bottom cover screws

Bottom cover screws

Two screws hold the plastic cover that runs along the PSP Go’s bottom edge in place. You’ll need to remove both screws before removing the cover.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Bottom plastic cover

Bottom plastic cover

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Removing the headphone jack

Removing the headphone jack

A single screw and thin ribbon cable hold the PSP Go’s headphone jack in place.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Headphone jack

Headphone jack

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Analog joystick screw

Analog joystick screw

To the left of the headphone jack is the screw for the analog joystick.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Disconnecting the analog joystick cable

Disconnecting the analog joystick cable

With the screw removed, you can disconnect the analog joystick’s ribbon cable and separate it from the logic board.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Analog joystick

Analog joystick

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Last logic board screw

Last logic board screw

A single screw remains in the logic board.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Ribbon cables

Ribbon cables

With all the screws removed, you’ll also need to disconnect several ribbon cables from the logic board.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Case and circuit board

Case and circuit board

With all the screws removed and the ribbon cables disconnected, you can lift the logic board from the case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Case with circuit board removed

Case with circuit board removed

We’ll turn our attention back to the logic board in a bit. But now, let’s concentrate on the case and the components that remain inside.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Direction buttons

Direction buttons

The direction buttons are part of a single cross-shaped button. It should just fall from the case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Removing the screen assembly screws

Removing the screen assembly screws

Four small, black screws remain in the case. These screws hold the sliding display assembly to the black plastic case. You’ll need to remove all four screws.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Screen assembly removed

Screen assembly removed

With the display assembly removed, you can more easily see the four screws holes in the black plastic case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Case

Case

At this point, there’s not much left attached to the PSP Go’s case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Display assembly - Back in "closed" position

Display assembly - Back in "closed" position

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Display assembly - Back in "open" position

Display assembly - Back in "open" position

The display assembly contains the sliding hinge, a base plate, the display, and the exterior plastic frame. There are a total of 10 screws on the back of the display assembly. Six of the screws hold the hinge to the plastic base plate. You don’t need to remove these.

The four outer screws hold the display’s exterior frame (and thus the display) to the base plate. You’ll need to remove these four screws to remove the display.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Display ribbon cable

Display ribbon cable

A thin ribbon cable connects the display plate to the display. You’ll need to disconnect this cable before proceeding.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Display, front case panel, base plate, and hinge assembly

Display, front case panel, base plate, and hinge assembly

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Display base plate and hinge assembly

Display base plate and hinge assembly

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Removing the display

Removing the display

With the base plate removed from the display assembly, you can separate the display screen from the exterior frame. You could use a thin metal blade or a plastic PSP case opening tool. But, I found the my fingernail work just as well and didn’t scratch the frame or display.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Display and front case panel - Exterior

Display and front case panel - Exterior

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Display and front case panel - Interior

Display and front case panel - Interior

The speakers and PS button are still mounted to the display’s frame.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Circuit board (with EMI shields) - Top

Circuit board (with EMI shields) - Top

We’ll need to remove the EMI shields before we can see the main chips on the PSP Go’s logic board.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Circuit board (without EMI shields) - Top

Circuit board (without EMI shields) - Top

Unfortunately, the EMI shield bases have cross beams, which obscure some of the chips. As I want to reassemble this PSP Go in working order, I’m going to leave the beams in place.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Sony CXD2986A1GG chip

Sony CXD2986A1GG chip

Sony Computer Entertainment CXD2986A1GG

SL38007C1C0934C9165B

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

SL38 007C1C 0934 C9165B

SL38 007C1C 0934 C9165B

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Samsung flash memory and stereo codec

Samsung flash memory and stereo codec

The Samsung 922 flash memory module provides 16GB of storage. The Cirrus Logic 42L52CNZ CFTW0937 MAL is a stereo codec.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

SHARP LR388G1

SHARP LR388G1

OKI L86V7657 9405903J

SHARP LR388G1

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Circuit board (with EMI shields) - Bottom

Circuit board (with EMI shields) - Bottom

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Circuit board (without EMI shields) - Bottom

Circuit board (without EMI shields) - Bottom

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

ZVF 9AK CLP3

ZVF 9AK CLP3

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Foxconn T60H975 802.11b WLAN chip

Foxconn T60H975 802.11b WLAN chip

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

SCEI 940EM0E 4053 and other chips

SCEI 940EM0E 4053 and other chips

SCEI 940EM0E 4053

U2021 9T127

S158 0719

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Fujitsu chip

Fujitsu chip

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Sony PSP Go Teardown

Completely disassembled

Completely disassembled

The Sony PSP Go was fairly easy to disassemble. Sony used standard Phillips #00 screws and didn’t solder any of the key components in place. Although disassembling the PSP Go will likely void the warranty, it’s definitely serviceable with the right tools and a little patience.

If you’re thinking about buying a PSP Go for your favorite gadget geek this holiday season, check out our Geek Gift review.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • After Hours
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Sony PSP Go Teardown

    Your email has been sent

Share: Sony PSP Go Teardown
Image of Bill Detwiler
By Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show.
  • Account Information

    Contact Bill Detwiler

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Bill's content

Daily Tech Insider

If you can only read one tech story a day, this is it.

TechRepublic TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on X
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on YouTube
  • TechRepublic on Pinterest
  • TechRepublic RSS
Services
  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Careers
Explore
  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Editorial Policy
  • Legal Terms
  • Privacy Policy
© 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
CLOSE

Create a TechRepublic Account

Get the web's best business technology news, tutorials, reviews, trends, and analysis—in your inbox. Let's start with the basics.

Already registered? Sign In
Use Facebook
Use Linkedin

* - indicates required fields

CLOSE

Sign in to TechRepublic

Not a member? Create an account
Use Facebook
Use Linkedin

Lost your password? Request a new password

CLOSE

Reset Password

Please enter your email adress. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.

Check your email for a password reset link. If you didn't receive an email don't forgot to check your spam folder, otherwise contact support.

Back to login
1 Finish Profile
2 Newsletter Preferences
CLOSE

Welcome. Tell us a little bit about you.

This will help us provide you with customized content.

No thanks, continue without
1 Finish Profile
2 Newsletter Preferences
CLOSE

Want to receive more TechRepublic news?

Newsletter Name
Subscribe
Daily Tech Insider
Daily Tech Insider AU
TechRepublic UK
TechRepublic News and Special Offers
TechRepublic News and Special Offers International
Executive Briefing
Innovation Insider
Project Management Insider
Microsoft Weekly
Cloud Insider
Data Insider
Developer Insider
TechRepublic Premium
Apple Weekly
Cybersecurity Insider
Google Weekly
Toggle All
No thanks, continue without

You're All Set

Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye out for a confirmation email from our team. To ensure any newsletters you subscribed to hit your inbox, make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts list.

Back to Home Page
×