Review: P3Free Pic-Fun USB Jailbreak Dongle

P3Free Pic-Fun USB Jailbreak Dongle
Manufacturer: P3Free (by Wii-Clip)
Site: Buy from DealExtreme / Buy from VolumeRates / Buy from LighTake / Buy from PriceAngels / Buy from IC2005 / Buy Serial Programmer from IC2005 / Buy Pic-Fun + Serial Programmer from IC2005
Price: $16.50-$29.90 / $29.00 (Serial Programmer) / $39.90 (Pic-Fun + Serial Programmer)


Overview : PS Jailbreak/PSGroove clone that takes advantage of PS3 firmware 3.41 exploit and allows you to install homebrew applications. THIS DOES NOT WORK ON FIRMWARE 3.42 OR ABOVE UNTIL A NEW EXPLOIT/METHOD IS FOUND!

Features :

• Use PIC18F2455/2550/4455/4550 MCU chip
• Come with HID BTL, can upgrade via USB port directly
• Come with the 8pin FPC port, can program any firmware to PIC chip via our FPC programmer
• It can program by any programmer that build in standard ICSP port after use the ICSP swap board
• Come with one RESET/BTL combo button, can use for reset the PIC or enter BTL mode for upgrade
• Come with one switch for set the RC6(TX) to GND, for enter the BTL mode with some firmware
• Come with 2 LEDs to display the working status
• Come with the last "F0" LED demo legit firmware

Quality/Usability : This review is a version and comparison of P3Free PIC Serial Programmer USB. Both are the same with a few slight differences.


As you can see, the noticeable difference between P3Free and its predecessor, Pic-Fun, is LED, buttons and sticker placement. They both have FPC port but is not really needed for Pic-Fun unless you brick it. On the P3Free, the LEDs are visible and on the Pic-Fun, the LEDs are located inside the casing. The switch locations are also different. On the P3Free, the RESET button is in the middle where as the Pic-Fun, the RESET button is on the right side. The newest addition to the Pic-Fun is a switch [RC6/TX to GND] and a yellow unique serial code label. RC6/TX allows you to go into bootloader mode with some firmwares.

Before you start, you'll need these files :

• Microsoft .Net Framework V4.0: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/e...displaylang=es
• Microsoft VC++ 2010 (x86): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/e...3-37bf0912db84
• HID_Bootloader_2.6B
• Latest P3Free HEX files

Once you have downloaded all the necessary files, you can begin to load the latest HEX files onto the Pic-Fun. Make sure that the switch is on the far left. Loading files via USB is known as "softflashing".

1. Insert Pic-Fun into USB port of your computer
2. Now just press the RED RESET/BTL button once
3. HID_Bootloader should detect your kit
4. Click the "Open Hex File", select the right HEX and open it
5. Now click the "Program/Verify" button, when you see "Verify Started", then mean it's upgrade complete

Now, if you ever brick your Pic-Fun by loading the wrong hex or something, you can load it back using a FPC Serial PIC Programmer. This is known as "hardflashing". The FPC Serial PIC Programmer is not included with Pic-Fun and can be purchased separately ($29.00). This is not really necessary unless your Pic-Fun is no longer operational and bricked.

If you ever need use the Serial Programmer, the instructions are as follows:

Click here to download the PICPgm v1420 PC program

How to burn the firmware to the PIC chip :
[1] Insert the Serial programmer to Serial Port of your PC and click the "Search" button, to see if it can find programmer or not.
If can't auto detect, then means your serial port has a problem. Please check it or change to another PC and try again, until to it can auto detect JDM hardware.


[2] Now link to your P3Free kit and click the "Search" button again, it should can auto detect the PIC chip.
If not, maybe you insert the FPC cable in a wrong side.


[3] When everything is ready, click the "Browse" button to select Bootloader_USBHIDC18_P3Free_V1.0_12MHz_BTL-pin1_MCLRon_LVPoff_F0_Version.hex.


[4] Then click the "Program" button


[5] It will start to burn and the progress bar will stop to respond, it may seem like it froze but its still programming.


[6] After program complete, this green window will show 3 seconds and auto close, now the new firmware is ready for test, all done!


The process is the same as the PSGroove and requires 3.41 firmware. Anything above this will NOT work as Sony has blocked off this method. Anything under 3.41 will cause some problems.

The P3Free boot step :

1. Remove the AC power cable from your SLIM PS3, or turn off the AC switch with your FAT PS3;
2. Insert the Pic-Fun, and remove other USB device if you inset it before, and eject the disk from BD drive if exist;
3. Insert the AC power cable to your SLIM PS3, or turn on the AC switch with your FAT PS3;
4. Touch the PS3 power button to active PS3, then touch the EJECT button quickly;
5. You will hear some "beep beep" sound from PS3, then the Pic-Fun's RED LED will start to blink, after a while, the RED LED will turn off and the GREEN LED will turn on. When you see the GREEN LED turn on, it means the Pic-Fun is successfully active, now you can take out the Pic-Fun if you want.

The video shows how to insert the P3Free but the same applies to the Pic-Fun:


In order to make sure the Pic-Fun dongle worked flawlessly, I had to uninstall all my homebrew applications that I had originally installed. To install applications or any homebrew applications, you will need to download and save the .pkg files to a USB drive such as thumbdrive or harddrive. To install, simply insert USB drive to the PS3 and navigate to "INSTALL PACKAGE FILES" on the XMB under GAME. Select the file you want to install by pressing X and it will automatically install the file. All applications installed and loaded without any problems.

Conclusion : Overall, the P3Free Pic-Fun USB Jailbreak Dongle is essentially what the P3Free should have been when it first released. Its USB updatable out of the package. Pic-Fun comes with FPC cable to use with Serial PIC Programmer. But the cable is not even needed if it doesnt even come with the programmer. Even if you were to purchase the programmer, it comes with the cable. The ability to reload the bootloader if it gets erased or corrupted is a big PLUS. Other clones or jailbreak devices does not allow you to do so. The only site that sells the serial programmer that I know at the moment is IC2005. They charge $29 for the programmer. Pic-Fun itself costs $25 at LighTake and $29.90 at IC2005. If you're interested in Pic-Fun and the Serial Programmer, you're better off purchasing the bundle from IC2005 ($39.90). So essentially, you're paying only $10 for the Serial Programmer from IC2005.


Please note that none of the "upgrade" products listed in this site are endorsed by Nintendo, Sony and/or Microsoft. DCEmu Reviews and DCEmu Network does not condone piracy. The primary functions of a "modchip" and/or "flashcart" are to allow you to play imported games and homebrew software that you legally own or simply just for experimenting with hardware. We in no way endorse piracy, and encourage all users to do the right thing and support the developers/manufacturers that support them. We do not take any responsibilities for any use outside of these parameters or where the use of such a device is illegal.

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