Tips, Tricks and Fixes

[Johnny Vinyl]

Just got my launch PS3-60gb back from repair due to a stuck disc (still under warrenty til 05-12-10..phew). Started watching Ratatouille and after all of the endless Disney previews my console started flashing the red light and the video went. Removed the disc, did a hard shut down, restarted and same thing. Is it fried?

John

[Snake_XRS]

Originally Posted by John72953

Just got my launch PS3-60gb back from repair due to a stuck disc (still under warrenty til 05-12-10..phew). Started watching Ratatouille and after all of the endless Disney previews my console started flashing the red light and the video went. Removed the disc, did a hard shut down, restarted and same thing. Is it fried?

John

How is your launch 60gig still under warranty? These things have been out since 06.

Also, I believe you have the YLOD, because that's exactly what mine does. Currently, my PS3 is all over my bedroom, i'm doing Gilksy's fix (google Gilksy on youtube). Seems the only option in order to get it to work long enough to do a backup. I'll be getting a 120gig slim soon.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by Snake_XRS

How is your launch 60gig still under warranty? These things have been out since 06.

Also, I believe you have the YLOD, because that's exactly what mine does. Currently, my PS3 is all over my bedroom, i'm doing Gilksy's fix (google Gilksy on youtube). Seems the only option in order to get it to work long enough to do a backup. I'll be getting a 120gig slim soon.

Launch version bought in May 2007 with extended warranty that expires this May 12.

What is YLOD? They said last week after I brought it in to be fixed, that if they couldn't they'd give me a new Slim. I hope they do as then I'll sell it and buy an Oppo. Not a gamer.

John

EDIT: - YLOD Yellow Light Of Death?

[cheaitsjustin]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Lie.

If there was over 50% failure rate on these models there would be A LOT more reports of failure, massive media coverage. It's simply not true, not even close.

Wish people would think before making such ridiculous claims.

It seems that I worded it wrong. I didn't mean most people have had their PS3's break; I meant most people that have said their PS3 has died has had one of the 40/60/early 80GB models. Sorry for the confusion!

[ShawnE94SL]

Originally Posted by cheaitsjustin

How did you know it was going to die? I've had my PS3 for 2 and a half years now (I have the 80GB MotorStorm bundle) and I'm afraid mine will probably break soon because most people that have had their PS3 die have had the 40/60/80GB models.

I've had my orginal 60gb fail with in the first 7 months. It was barley ever touched and it was kept in a cool area. They said it was the drive.....2 1/2 years later the thing won't even turn on. Internal power failure. This time it was out of warranty, so I had to pay them an extra $150 to get a 120gb slim. I don't even play the PS3 anymore....I've moved it to my kids room.

[Stiny-Ray2]

Will Sony replace an out of warranty PS3 if it was modified or work on by a repair shop?

[Shin-Ra]

Originally Posted by cheaitsjustin

It seems that I worded it wrong. I didn't mean most people have had their PS3's break; I meant most people that have said their PS3 has died has had one of the 40/60/early 80GB models. Sorry for the confusion!

Ok cool. But you'd hope it was the earlier models that started malfunctioning more before the newer ones too.

[ShawnE94SL]

Originally Posted by Stiny-Ray2

Will Sony replace an out of warranty PS3 if it was modified or work on by a repair shop?

Not if it was modified.

[Jonno2009]

So i set up my new slim PS3 last night, downloading ALL the stuff I’ve purchased over the last 2 years(took almost all day). I didn’t realize how much I’ve spent on rock band and guitar hero dlc, I kind of wish I didn’t know heh

But yeah I’m all set up now and using my new slimy, and besides having more HDD space it’s pretty much a downgrade in every single aspect! I was so used to having 4 USB ports, I have all my plastic instruments plugged in plus my USB recharge cable and my USB which I use quite often. Oh well, the important thing is that it does whatever it supposed to do!

I’m still so ticked off about the whole YLOD thing, we keep hearing about Sony and their 10 year plan for the PS3 and the console can’t even last 3-4 years.

I assume mine died early because I used it HEAVILY, maybe I should not have used it as much like my Wii :P

I mean I took good care of my 80GB MSG4 PS3 over the years, it was always in a well ventilated area with nothing around it, it wasn’t’ just laying on a carpet or something, I regularly vacuumed the vents. The only bad thing I did to it was just using it a A LOT! Heh

I’m going to attempt to fix it using the videos on youtube next weekend, it’s already dead and bricked so might as well try stuff no?

[Uxi]

Originally Posted by ShawnE94SL

Not if it was modified.

What modifications can be done?

[Uxi]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

If there was over 50% failure rate on these models there would be A LOT more reports of failure, massive media coverage. It's simply not true, not even close.

I thought the same thing... until mine died. If they were all dying at once, it could be publicized... if they're all dieing slowly apart from each other, who would be able to correlate that data? Doubt Sony will release the numbers...

Ironically enough, my xenon 360 still works... even though i never use it. My confidence in the PS3 and it's engineering isn't what it once was, however.

[Shin-Ra]

Originally Posted by Uxi

I thought the same thing... until mine died.

Great logic there.

If they were all dying at once, it could be publicized... if they're all dieing slowly apart from each other, who would be able to correlate that data? Doubt Sony will release the numbers...

If they're all dying slowly apart from each other that's perfectly normal.

What data do you have to support that an abnormally high number have died?

[Rike255]

Originally Posted by Uxi

I thought the same thing... until mine died. If they were all dying at once, it could be publicized... if they're all dieing slowly apart from each other, who would be able to correlate that data? Doubt Sony will release the numbers...

60GB Ps3's will reach 100% failure rate at some point, it's out of production now so the number will always climb. But like Shin-ra said, failing slowly and apart from each other is the way to go.
That said, if 50% of them were broken by now people would have noticed. The 360 doesn't even have that high of failure rate (from what we "know") and look at all the publicity around that.

[Snake_XRS]

Awesome news! I just finished the Gilksy 6-part YLOD repair on Youtube, fired up my PS3 and it has come back from the dead!!

Here are some notes/observations while doing the repair and some background for those interested.

I regularly sprayed the vents with compressed air and vacuum, and have the unit set up high and in a well ventilated area. I thought it was pretty clean, but after taking it apart there was MASSIVE dust in the unit. I vacuumed and cleaned everything as I was taking it apart, and after firing it up it runs MUCH quieter than it has been recently.

Also, there was basically no thermal compound whatsoever on either the RSX or Cell chips, so I took care of that with some Arctic Silver 5 as well. I was also pretty impressed at the size of the fan/heatsink, as it pretty much covers the entire underside of the unit. It's easily 3 times larger than the heatsink/fan combos I have on my PC graphic cards. This was also by far the dirtiest part of the PS3 as well.

Also, I took on this project as a last ditch effort, as I didn't want to pay $150 for a refurb (I'd much rather go with a new slim 120). I really didn't have anything to lose, so I went for it. Gilksy's guide is VERY easy to follow, really anyone can do it.

I'm not really sure how long the reflow will last, but at least i'll be able to backup my unit so that I can transfer my data to the new 120gig. And, any extra game time is pretty much a gift from the grave lol


UPDATE---Dead again Now time to get me a 120 gig and my copy of RE out of the drive.....

[fsavoie]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Great logic there.


If they're all dying slowly apart from each other that's perfectly normal.

What data do you have to support that an abnormally high number have died?

Those would be hard to count because most of people that have a dead lunch unit buy a new one instead of sending it back to sony.

I'm not saying PS3 is crap or anything, but you must admit that looking in many forum YLOD on lunch unit is quite commun. Its not as rare like my new ps3 failure with the red screen.

I still have my lunch PS1 and PS2 and PSP with no problem (my parent are still playing on my PS1 and brother on the PS2) and yet, I'll be on my 4th PS3 now... so as much as I'm a big PS fan, I'm starting to lose faith on them.

[Trailbreaker77]

My PS3 is going it is a 60 gig launch console the repair fee is to much. I upgraded the hard drive so I have to figure out a way to back it up if I do my the slim jump. I would really like to get it fixed and in 3 or 4 years down the road it breaks again I will upgrade then. I guess I need to find some stuff I can e-bay to pay the $190 repair bill.

[Shin-Ra]

Originally Posted by fsavoie

Those would be hard to count because most of people that have a dead lunch unit buy a new one instead of sending it back to sony.

I'm not so sure most people buy a new one but imagine they all sent their PS3's back to Sony, how are you getting the figures to work out there's unacceptable failure? Still impossible to count.

I'm not saying PS3 is crap or anything, but you must admit that looking in many forum YLOD on lunch unit is quite commun. Its not as rare like my new ps3 failure with the red screen.

There's millions of 20/60GB, 40, 80 and 160GB PS3's out there and forums increasingly bringing users together. What do you expect to see exactly?

I still have my lunch PS1 and PS2 and PSP with no problem (my parent are still playing on my PS1 and brother on the PS2) and yet, I'll be on my 4th PS3 now... so as much as I'm a big PS fan, I'm starting to lose faith on them.

And I've only ever had a PC and Mac have critical components fail completely. Worst I've had in a console was dirty/rusty PSU contacts causing random resets on a Dreamcast.

Doesn't mean every other system since the PSone was as reliable as my experience.

[Stiny-Ray2]

Originally Posted by Uxi

What modifications can be done?

Yeah i would like to know too anyone.

[Snake_XRS]

If the system gets a YLOD again with a disc inside, is there a manual bypass button of some sort that will manually eject it? (like on a PC where you can stick a paperclip to pop the drive out)

[Scarriere]

My sister bought a 120 slim, so I've put my 60G away for now. I am wondering how to get my Yamaha 863 to do the decoding on blu rays. I've set the hdmi to bitstream, but the rcvr still doesn't say dts-ma or dolby true for movies. I press select on the controller and see that the ps3 is still doing the codec internally.
Does anyone know how I can get the rcvr to do the decoding?
Thanks in advance!