Tips, Tricks and Fixes

[Marine Mike]

Originally Posted by Marine Mike

If my evening wasn't already going horribly, my PS3 YLOD again.

So right now I'm in the process of letting my CPU cool down from the reheating.

Looks like its working...for now. I really hope I do not have to do this once a month. Its starting to get pretty annoying, however, I think that I could do the entire process in 30 minutes.

[Bageara]

Shes dead man! my PS3 is dead!

[aygie]

Originally Posted by Bageara

Shes dead man! my PS3 is dead!

what happened bag? YLOD?

[Q?]

Originally Posted by Bageara

Shes dead man! my PS3 is dead!

I feel for you man!

[Clark W Griswald, Jr]

I had to reflow my PS3 again (second time). Used the flux technique and hope it holds.
If it dies again, I'm on the road to a Slim.

[dgator783]

Last night, my PS3 went from slightly working to dead. The yellow light has come. I knew it was coming, games and blurays were freezing, games had grapical glitches for no reason, I have the original 60gb from launch...lol....I knew my time was numbered. And to make matters worse, my Watchmen bluray is stuck in the damn thing, I have even owned that movie for a week yet...grrrr....

My options:
Send to Sony, pay 150 for a refurb, lose all my information and Watchmen Bluray (more likely, doubt they'd send it back) and wait for the refurb 60gb to die after that warrenty expires.

Send to http://www.ps-pros.com/(X(1)S(wpqbvg...ookieSupport=1, pay $150 more likely, get my Bluray back and my save data as well as the same system. It will probably die again down the road but at least I could back up my files.

Buy a PS3 Slime 120 Gb for $299, take apart current 60gb PS and retrieve Watchmen and more likely junk the system, I more likely will break something taking the drive itself apart for the movie.

Buy a PS3 Slime 120 Gb for $299, rebuy Watchmen (maybe just the disc on ebay since I have the box for 10 bucks or so), and somehow try to trade in my 60gb or sell it to someone for them to fix which I doubt its worth probably nothing right now. Does Gamestop plug in and check system before giving tradein credit towards the slim?...lol

Suggestions welcome....

I was going to buy the Slim after my taxes came back in the next couple of months, transfer the data over thanks to firmware 3.15 and sell of the 60gb or trade it in. O sooo so close.....also I just bought a Disney Season Pass for 520 bucks on Monday so Im a little broke right now, but will be getting a little xmas money from the folks....

[Lepidopterous]

The best advice I can give you for the YLOD is to try to fix it yourself or try to find someone local that does it for a cheap price and a guarantee. It might break again, but there is a PS3 intercooler you can buy to prevent it from overheating which is what I have learned the problem is usually. That way you can keep your files and keep your PS3, all for a small price. Try Craigslist to find someone that fixes PS3's if you don't want to risk it on your own.

[digitalfilmlover]

My advice. Buy the 250 GB with two games for 350 if you can afford it. Not only will you gather audio decoding capabilities with the PS3 slim, but it will be worth it. Mine died before the slim came out. I paid 150 bucks to send it back into Sony, but, I'd go with the slim and junk the one you have.

[saprano]

Originally Posted by Clark W Griswald, Jr

I had to reflow my PS3 again (second time). Used the flux technique and hope it holds.
If it dies again, I'm on the road to a Slim.

The damaging of the thermal paste is whats causing the YLOD right? how can you tell if its getting worn?

My PS3 fan stays on 1st gear most of the time. i guess that means my paste is still good?

EDIT- Is it possible that all 60gigs will break? i mean some PS3's should be ok.

[bhampton]

For $150 you can have Sony exhange it with one that was fixed right, of course you must know that.

I read something on the PS forum yesterday about Sony taking in trades of launch-era PS3's (60GB, 20GB, 40GB) for Slims for less than $150 but I didn't find a link.

-Brian

[Clark W Griswald, Jr]

Originally Posted by saprano

The damaging of the thermal paste is whats causing the YLOD right? how can you tell if its getting worn?

My PS3 fan stays on 1st gear most of the time. i guess that means my paste is still good?

EDIT- Is it possible that all 60gigs will break? i mean some PS3's should be ok.

There was almost no thermal paste in place when I opened my unit. I hoped that was the only problem. I added the proper amount of Arctic Silver and followed the reflow technique step by step from Gilsky (youtube). The fix lasted 6 weeks and YLOD'd again.

My guess is that the main issue is failure of the solder points under the BGA's (that's Gilksy's theory and the point of the reflowing-the heat gun re-melts the solder to allow for proper contact of the joints) so I used the liquid flux the second reflow. The PS3 started right up again afterward.

I am buying a Nyko intercooler today to add to the mix and hope that it can keep the temps down and decrease the risk that the solder points with fail again.

And yes all 60 gigs will break...electronic components fail eventually. Keeping the temps down will certainly extend the life. I would love to find a liquid cooling option for the PS3. I had built one into my PC a few years ago and could overclock it like crazy after.

[saprano]

Well thats sad that all60gigs will break, we shouldn't have to worry about that. my PS2 is still going 9 years strong.

Has any body had a 60gig last them more than 2 years?

Had mine 2 years and 3 months.

[Clark W Griswald, Jr]

Mine lasted 2 yrs 7 mos.
I mean 'ALL PS3's will fail' is a certainty...eventually... but the timeline is the kicker. Less than 3 yrs is pretty grim. The PS3 can't be compared to any other PS console b/c of its computing power/prowess. It is more a home theater PC media center than a game console. It generates very high temps as a consequence, and we all know that heat is the enemy.

I wonder if Sony changed the manufacturing process on later generations or if my 40gig is a ticking time bomb too. I keep good airflow, clean the vents, no pets around and the kids keep their meathooks off all but the eject button.

I'll be buying the 3 yr extendeds from now on.

[Snake_XRS]

Originally Posted by saprano

Well thats sad that all60gigs will break, we shouldn't have to worry about that. my PS2 is still going 9 years strong.

Has any body had a 60gig last them more than 2 years?

Had mine 2 years and 3 months.

I've had mine since Oct 06 (launch 60g) and still kicking like Jackie Chan. I probably average 15-20 hours a week since purchasing it. I have noticed a couple games freezing lately (2 instances come to mind), so is that the beginning of the death cycle?

[dgator783]

Originally Posted by saprano

Well thats sad that all60gigs will break, we shouldn't have to worry about that. my PS2 is still going 9 years strong.

Has any body had a 60gig last them more than 2 years?

Had mine 2 years and 3 months.

3 years and 5 days

[dgator783]

Originally Posted by Snake_XRS

I've had mine since Oct 06 (launch 60g) and still kicking like Jackie Chan. I probably average 15-20 hours a week since purchasing it. I have noticed a couple games freezing lately (2 instances come to mind), so is that the beginning of the death cycle?

i believe so, thats what started happening to me first....Rock Band 2 would freeze every so often atfer 2 hrs of play.....then eventually other things started happening.....there were graphical glitches in games (in RE5, I couldnt see half the screen do to random polygon popup for ex)....movies started freezing, disc error when loading every so often.....


ANyways, I called Sony and they have a new policy for 60gb systems, you can trade them in for the 120gb slim for 119 plus shipping and tax (148 even) once it yellow lights....and they are sending me back Watchmen which is stuck in the tray.....word to the wise: eject ur discs after ur done playing for the night...lol...

[dgator783]

Originally Posted by Peacemaker1ps

My 40 gig started to giving me problem with freezing after the recent 3.15 update. Not reading disks sometimes.

Could be needing laser replacement (which ordered).
Now i have been reading ps3 forums, many people (40,60gig owners) having same exact issues with freezing after 3.15 update.

Im gonna wait paitiently until sony come up with newer firmware...

Until then, i just picked up Slim 120gb, nice an quiet....

Any policy for getting slim for 40gb replacement?

nope, only the consoles that had backwards compatbility 60/80gb models qualify, 40gb does not. I will miss my 60gb though, since the slim does not have 4 usb ports, BC, or slots for sd memory cards....o well....at least it wont break in 3 years

[melocubs]

noooooooooo!!!! shes dead!! why!! i got the ylod, it wont turn on and i still have mw2 in it!!

[jethroblu]

Originally Posted by melocubs

noooooooooo!!!! shes dead!! why!! i got the ylod, it wont turn on and i still have mw2 in it!!

i got the YLOD aswell fixed it with a heat gun and yes it does work but only temp though it lasted a week and YLOD again ,so did the heat gun thing again and it worked........................mines a launch 60GB very common in these

[saprano]

Originally Posted by Snake_XRS

I've had mine since Oct 06 (launch 60g) and still kicking like Jackie Chan. I probably average 15-20 hours a week since purchasing it. I have noticed a couple games freezing lately (2 instances come to mind), so is that the beginning of the death cycle?

Originally Posted by dgator783

3 years and 5 days

nice to see you guys had it that long.

Is your PS3's made in china or japan?