PS3JB - PS3 Jailbreak for TI-84 Plus/Silver Edition

PS3JB - PS3 Jailbreak for TI-84 Plus and TI-84 Plus Silver Edition

Current version: 0.09.0001



Previous versions:

PS3JB is a FLASH application for the TI-84 Plus and TI-84 Plus Silver Edition that helps to exploit the Playstation 3 console. By connecting a USB cable between a PS3 and your calculator and running the application, you can trigger the PSGroove exploit or downgrade your PS3 from your graphing calculator.

Looking for the TI-89 Titanium port instead? Check here.

This exploit is very outdated by now; you should probably ask yourself why you're here, or consider custom firmware instead.

The latest version brings about a couple of changes:

You can now specify the dongle ID to be used (instead of always 0xAAAA) when emulating the Sony official jig stick (for downgrading):



When "Dongle ID:" is highlighted, you can enter the dongle ID using the [0]-[9] and [ALPHA]+[A] - [ALPHA]+[F] keys, or use the [LEFT] and [RIGHT] arrows to increase/decrease the value.

You can also enter "0000" or scroll all the way to the left to have the application randomly generate a dongle ID each time it is used.

When "Dongle ID:" is highlighted, you can enter the dongle ID using the [0]-[9] and [ALPHA]+[A] - [ALPHA]+[F] keys, or use the [LEFT] and [RIGHT] arrows to increase/decrease the value. You can also enter "0000" or scroll all the way to the left to have the application randomly generate a dongle ID each time it is used. There are also a couple of bug fixes involving graphical glitches in the Options menu and enabling the hook even when "Install" wasn't selected.

The application includes the following features:

Current status is displayed at the bottom of the LCD:



To save space, the application does not come with a default payload. To jailbreak the PS3 using the PSGroove exploit, you MUST use an external payload. Most people already do this anyway. You can find more information about this below or here.

To jailbreak the PS3 using the PSGroove exploit, you MUST use an external payload. Most people already do this anyway. You can find more information about this below or here. You can now downgrade the PS3 by emulating the Sony official jig stick. You can enable this in the options menu:



Once enabled, just select "1) PS3 Jailbreak" or install the hook as usual.

Once enabled, just select "1) PS3 Jailbreak" or install the hook as usual. In addition to the usual jailbreak method, you can now install and uninstall a "hook" that allows the jailbreak to work at any point in the calculator's OS:



This even works when the calculator is off; the PS3 will turn it on as it enumerates USB devices, and the calculator will shut off after about 5 minutes of inactivity (configurable through the options menu).

Now you can shove the calculator and the USB cable behind the PS3 and forget it's there!

This even works when the calculator is off; the PS3 will turn it on as it enumerates USB devices, and the calculator will shut off after about 5 minutes of inactivity (configurable through the options menu). Now you can shove the calculator and the USB cable behind the PS3 and forget it's there! External payloads are supported.

These payloads are stored as calculator AppVars and selected through PS3JB's options menu:



These options are stored in an AppVar called PS3JBOPT, which can be archived to keep it safe from RAM resets.

To convert from a binary file containing the payload data to an AppVar, you can use To8XV (a VB.NET 2.0 program) found here, or you can create your own.

These payloads are stored as calculator AppVars and selected through PS3JB's options menu: These options are stored in an AppVar called PS3JBOPT, which can be archived to keep it safe from RAM resets. To convert from a binary file containing the payload data to an AppVar, you can use To8XV (a VB.NET 2.0 program) found here, or you can create your own. AsbestOS is now supported. The stage 1 and stage 2 payloads are specified in the options menu as above. To use the standard jailbreak exploit, select "None" as the stage 2 payload (which is the default).

Other firmware versions below 3.41 are now supported through the use of "firmware compatibility AppVars", which are external files that override specific behavior in the jailbreak to make it function under different firmware versions:



Select an AppVar appropriate for your firmware version along with a payload appropriate for your version and you can now use the jailbreak on 3.01, 3.15, and potentially others (below 3.41).

A basic list of these AppVars as well as their format (for creating your own) can be found here.

Select an AppVar appropriate for your firmware version along with a payload appropriate for your version and you can now use the jailbreak on 3.01, 3.15, and potentially others (below 3.41). A basic list of these AppVars as well as their format (for creating your own) can be found here. The calculator will now automatically turn off after a specified time (default 5 minutes, the same as the calculator's APD (Automatic Power Down) feature):



This is configurable anywhere from 5 seconds to 300 seconds (5 minutes).

This is configurable anywhere from 5 seconds to 300 seconds (5 minutes). The connection of device 6 during the jailbreak can now be enabled/disabled in the options:



This is enabled by default, and useful with payloads that no longer use device 6. If you don't know what to do with it, leave it alone.

There is no need to use modified versions of the application; everything is configurable through options, and if there's something you think a user (or developer) should be able to change, feel free to let me know.

To all the people that thanked me for creating this: you're welcome! Your comments are very much appreciated.

This application is open source and has no license attached to it, so you're free to do whatever you want with it; but please don't slap your name on it and call it your own, it's just rude.

I had to purchase a rather expensive, but useful USB hardware analyzer to make this work. Any and all donations go toward paying off the analyzer, so if you donated to me, thank you very much, and I hope this application saved you some time and/or money.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I still be able to use my calculator like normal after this? Can this cause damage to my calculator?

This is just a FLASH application like any other you would download off education.ti.com or ticalc.org and has no impact on other functionality. There is always the potential that the application could reset RAM, so back up anything important on your calculator to your computer before running this. I'm not responsible for anything that happens from you choosing to run this application.

Do I need a special cable for this?

No, you just need a standard Amini-B USB cable (this is what you use to connect a calculator to a computer and comes with the calculator, it's also used to charge/sync PS3 controllers). You have one of these.

What firmware version does my PS3 need to be on for this to work?

You must be on 3.41 or below to jailbreak with the PSGroove exploit (DO NOT update beyond this if you want to use this or similar exploits). You can downgrade from firmware version 3.50 or earlier by entering factory/service mode and using .self and .pup files elsewhere (don't ask me for them). The application has built-in support for 3.41; there are payloads that work on 3.01, 3.10, 3.15, etc. which require "firmware compatibility AppVars."

Well, I'm on firmware 3.55 (or higher), when are you going to update the application to support it?

First off, the exploit that this application uses was fixed in firmware version 3.42. Downgrading was fixed in firmware version 3.50, so if you're on 3.55 or higher, you can't use this. The only way you can jailbreak your PS3 is by using another exploit, if and when it's found. Second, I'm not a PS3 developer, so I have no ability whatsoever to find any new exploits. But rest assured, if a new exploit comes out by somebody else that I have the opportunity to implement, I will jump on it.

What OS version does my calculator need to be on for this to work?

OS 2.30 or above. You can get the latest version (currently 2.53MP) at education.ti.com.

I get "ERR:VERSION" when I run it from the calculator! What's wrong?

Upgrade to OS 2.30 or above.

How do I get this on my calculator?

Do some reading and/or googling. You will need link software like TI Connect (Windows/Mac OS X) or TiLP (Windows/Linux) and a cable to connect your calculator to your computer.

What do I do after running the application?

Select option 1 "PS3 Jailbreak") and do what the calculator's LCD tells you to do, and read the included readme.

Can I disconnect the calculator from the PS3 once it has booted to the XMB?

Yes, though you need to use it on every boot.

It didn't work! What's wrong?!

Be patient with it. It may take multiple tries for it to work correctly. Make sure the PS3 is powered completely off first and that you press EJECT immediately after POWER. You'll know it worked when you see the calculator's LCD say "Done" at the bottom and you see an "Install Package Files" option under Game in the XMB of the PS3. Also make sure that no other USB devices are attached before booting to the XMB.

It worked and all, but when I select "Install Package Files", I don't see anything.

The "Install Package Files" option lets you select .pkg files from a connected USB storage device. If you don't have one connected with such files, then you're not going to see anything.

It worked and all, but when I select this mysterious "/app_home/PS3_GAME/" menu item, I get an error.

This is normal behavior.

Will this work on my TI-84 Plus (non Silver Edition)?

Yes.

Even the pink model?

Yes. Colors are irrelevant.

Will this work on the TI-83 Plus or TI-83 Plus Silver Edition or [xyz]? It has a cable that's USB on one end, so it can work, right?

No. The calculator must have a USB controller in it, and the only two calculators with USB controllers that this application supports is the TI-84 Plus and TI-84 Plus Silver Edition.

Will this work on the Voyage 200? It can have USB with this silver-looking cable I have.

No. What don't you understand about "It only works on the TI-84 Plus and the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition"?

Can this be ported to the TI-89 Titanium?

Why yes, as a matter of fact, it has been! See this.

Can this be ported to HP or Casio calculators?

Maybe, I don't know. I'm not an HP or Casio person. I can't possibly do it.

Will this work on my TI-Nspire or TI-Nspire CAS? My TI-Nspire can emulate the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition.

No. The Nspire's 84+SE emulator doesn't accurately emulate all the USB controller hardware necessary for this to work.

Which version of the PSGroove payload does this have built into it?

It does NOT have any payload built into it; you must supply your own in the form of an AppVar.

What tools did you use to assemble/build this?

You can build the project with Zilog Development Studio 3.68, downloadable from zilog.com (or here if you can't find the buried link on their site). You can sign the application by using Wappsign for Windows, which comes bundled with the TI-83 Plus SDK from education.ti.com.

Can I use this to play backups?

Backup support is specified in the payload, which I do not provide. External payloads found elsewhere on the internet can be transferred to your calculator and specified in the options menu to provide a myriad of features, including that one.

What's the main purpose of this?

To run unsigned homebrew code on the PS3 that you own, and hopefully, to eventually re-enable OtherOS support on it with the help of the PS3 homebrew community.

Is there a collection of existing payload AppVars somewhere that I can just download and use?

Yes. Some googling reveals this, for example.

How do I create these payload AppVars you're talking about?

See this.

Why didn't you include backup support? I have a legitimate right to play my own backups, you know.

You're right, you do. You and I both know that. However, Sony and the US legal system disagrees with us, and so I'm forced to protect myself first. If you can't understand that, I'm sorry, but that's all I can say on the subject. You can't really know what you'd do unless you were in my shoes and you were actually the target. There are many out there that know how to play backups with this method, so I suggest you bug them instead of me. I'm afraid I just can't help you.

You realize you're going to burn in hell and/or rot in jail for releasing this, right? You're hurting legitimate game sales by releasing this.

No, I'm really not. The intention here is to run our own code on a device we all own, and restore the Linux support forcibly taken away from us. I've done the best I can to prevent this from being used for illegal backups, but it just comes with the territory. See the history of every other console community for examples. Complain to the people downloading games, not me.

I go to play a backed-up game with Backup Manager and it just takes me back to the XMB and I see the actual disc, not the game I backed up. What's wrong?

Ask somebody else. I wrote this to run unsigned code and restore OtherOS/Linux support, not help you play backups. Read above; if you're experimenting with this, google for answers.

How can I scream at you / profess my undying love / throw money at you via PayPal / give a simple thanks / etc.?

brandonlw@gmail.com.

