Original launch day PS3 Phat YLOD - how to fix?

Soldato
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Like launch day as in the US.. One of the only 150,000 worldwide that were available for launch.

Anyway after 6 yrs is it? It's finally died with the YLOD, then a flashing red light.

OK, so the disc is stuck inside, and holding eject button, while turning on the physical power button does nothing.

How do i know if i've got a bad drive, bad drive motor, or a cpu coming away from the mobo issue?

Is the fact that I can't eject the BD, enough for me to go on that I need to replace the BD Drive itself?

Also how do i get the disc out?

I'll have a go at fixing myself. But i do need a pointer to make sure I don't go replacing the BD drive only to realise that its the cpu & mobo that just needed fixing.
 
Like launch day as in the US.. One of the only 150,000 worldwide that were available for launch.

Anyway after 6 yrs is it? It's finally died with the YLOD, then a flashing red light.

OK, so the disc is stuck inside, and holding eject button, while turning on the physical power button does nothing.

How do i know if i've got a bad drive, bad drive motor, or a cpu coming away from the mobo issue?

Is the fact that I can't eject the BD, enough for me to go on that I need to replace the BD Drive itself?

Also how do i get the disc out?

I'll have a go at fixing myself. But i do need a pointer to make sure I don't go replacing the BD drive only to realise that its the cpu & mobo that just needed fixing.

Actually scrap that, i watched a few video's using the heat gun, and then read it only last for a week on 1 out of 3 fixed.

So instead of messing around, I may just go to Sony.. No doubt I'll get one of their refurb units... However have they addressed the problem? Will i get an original phat with a modified mobo? The only reason I'm keeping this noiser phat is cos i have some old PS2 classics. No other reason..
 
anyone i know that had theirs replaced got a newer model

I thought perhaps they'd replace it with an original (which is ps2 compatible) but with a revised mobo or something.

Looks like i have some decision making to do.

1.\ Either heat gun the damn thing, for it to only last a short period of time
2.\ Just go and buy a 12g, and chuck the 1TB drive in it, which will be coming out of the phat, and re-download 500gb of games. ugh.
3.\ Just count my losses & sell it as broken, i have 3 other ps3's in my house, plus a ps4 arriving on launch day.

It was an actual launch day console, that i was very lucky to get.. I sold its twin sister for three grand on flee bay, allowing me to buy all the other consoles, over the yrs. I have two young boys and there's a ps3 for every tv. They all get used. I also have two PS+ accounts, ever since they limited to 2 consoles per title. So it was loaded with titles. Even to get the thing backed up would take FOREVER ! If i could genuinely re-ball the thing (which is waaaay beyond my capabilities) then that may be the best option.

I dunno. Sad to see it go, given it was my only source for ps2, not that i used it for that. I do have a collection of ps2 titles, that i mainly keep for nostalgia. I can't remember the last time i played any of them.

Anyway, sitting here having a drink to the old boy ! So long ol' timer, it was fun while it lasted.
 
The phat ps3s ain't bad for taking apart, everything is module; anyone with some PC building experience shouldn't find it too hard.

Or just get yourself a ps2, flip top slimline (not the 90k range thou) and have lots of fun with home brew stuff. They tend to go for around £50 to £100 pounds. I have mine in the bedroom so it can double up as DVD player.
 
my friends bluray drive died but that didnt produce anny ylod and the rest of the console worked fine.. so i wouldnt think it likely to be your drive, sadly.

i thought id sell my launch 60gb ps3 as i barely use it.. but they dont seem to fetch much on the bay.. meh

its almost purely a bluray player now
 
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You've got no chance of getting a PS2 compatible phat from Sony. Working ones are rarer than rocking horse poo. They're probably supply a refurbed slim.
 
is it really worth reballing them?

I mean if i can reball for $100, i would, BUT, i watched a youtube, and it was a lengthy awkward process, and needs to be done by someone with a lot of experience, patience and someone who pays a lot of attention to detail. I just can't see your average small ad, fix your ylod blah blah blah, going thru all that for someone else's ps3.

Even then, how long would it realistically last? even if done properly.

Those 12GB's are $199 over here. + $15 for the cradle. and i get a new controller, cos the original sixaxis for that phat is pretty shot too. So it would be the equiv of $150, which is prob the same as what Sony charges for a refurb. But then no ps2 compatibility.
 
I thought perhaps they'd replace it with an original (which is ps2 compatible) but with a revised mobo or something.

The YLOD error is caused by the solder that was used, so there wouldn't be a revised motherboard since it would use the same solder and have the same chance of failing.
 
Original PS3 is really easy to take apart. I done it with mine when i got YLOD. Any fixes were only temporary though. Got a PS3 slim now.

Had no luck selling my old one as faulty either :(
 
A friend of mine has given me his original PS3, it has the YLOD but he claims you can 'rev' it up so allowing it to eventually turn it on. Is there any point trying to fix it?
 
A friend of mine has given me his original PS3, it has the YLOD but he claims you can 'rev' it up so allowing it to eventually turn it on. Is there any point trying to fix it?

No harm in trying, do you have a heat gun and a lot of patience? Patience as in you're going to have to pull it apart every couple of months to re-fix.

As for me? AI tried the heat gun trick which didn't work. So i ended up pulling the BD Drive apart just to get my disc out. didn't bother trying the heat gun trick again, i just threw the zillion parts up in a box, up in the attic, and went out and bought myself a new super slim, and a PS2 on top for good measure..
 
Don't have a heat gun but assume I can get a cheap one for this situation? So heat gun, clean, reapplication of thermal compound and a whole lot of luck might do it? Can the Blu-Ray drive be used in a PC? My HTPC is itching for some Blu-Ray goodness!
 
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