LOG: PS3 YLOD Fix
- Thread starter trentlad
- Start date
what exactly does reflowing do ?
does the solder crack and reflowing it joins it back up ?
I did this to my ps3 last night with a proper heat gun etc and it's working again, but not sure why !!
Basically, yeah it sorts the connections out
I fixed my PS3 with flux and Heatgun set to 350C over a month ago and its still working great
To prevent it from happening again, I cut a hole at the bottom of the case so the fan can suck in more air, I also removed the memory card reader (60GB Model) to fit 2 40mm fans. and finally I stuck a slim 80mm usb fan on the top of the case above the area of the power supply because it gets so hot when you touch the area, but now its warm to touch with the fan.
To prevent it from happening again, I cut a hole at the bottom of the case so the fan can suck in more air, I also removed the memory card reader (60GB Model) to fit 2 40mm fans. and finally I stuck a slim 80mm usb fan on the top of the case above the area of the power supply because it gets so hot when you touch the area, but now its warm to touch with the fan.
Cheers for that link, registered my 5 month old PS3 that snuffed it. Sony refused to fix it because I brought it with me to the states so I took my anger out on it with a hammer.
Electronics use something called solder, this connects the components (i.e. graphics processors, integrated circuits, capacitors, resistors, etc) to the circuit board. This solder melts at around 120oC and forms an electrical conductor between the component and circuit board.
So like I said in an earlier post, they've made health and safety changes to the solder (removed lead from it) which causes it to crack after prolonged periods of heat. So if you leave your console on for hours at a time you'll end up generating so much heat that the solder expands. When it cools down it contracts. Too many repetitions of this causes fine hairline cracks to be produced, which end up becoming large enough to stop conducting electronic signals.
The reflow simply heats up the solder so that it can melt to provide electrical conduction again.
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ITS WORKING!!
I followed Gilksy's guide to the T. His videos really are perfectly detailed to allow anyone to fix a YLOD PS3. I did however alter a few of his instructions. I applied the heat gun to his locations for about three times longer. The four ICs on both sides barely had solder on them, so I got my flux and soldering iron and applied more solder.
Strange how the exact same process is fixing all YLOD PS3s. Hmmm manufacturer defect maybe... or maybe a a very poor design at the buyers expense! I do have a little (very very litte) sympathy towards them, since they were selling the consoles at a loss of $800 per unit.
I put the case back together and plugged it in, switched it on and... nothing. So I ripped off the top half of the case and realised the power and eject board wasn't seated correctly. Once that was put right, it fired up like a beaut!
Very much to my delight the HDD functions correctly in the PS3 with all the data remaining in tact. I was able to access all the photos, music, etc. I'm guessing that option Windows 7 provides (the message box that pops up) when you connect the PS3 HDD to your PC is the part that determines whether the HDD signature is affected.
I'm sorry that the two who mentioned this concern lost their data. I think I just got lucky... nothing else. Incidentally, did you guys personally experience that HDD signature alteration or did you hear/read somewhere that the PS3 will not accept the HDD once connected to a PC?
I followed Gilksy's guide to the T. His videos really are perfectly detailed to allow anyone to fix a YLOD PS3. I did however alter a few of his instructions. I applied the heat gun to his locations for about three times longer. The four ICs on both sides barely had solder on them, so I got my flux and soldering iron and applied more solder.
Strange how the exact same process is fixing all YLOD PS3s. Hmmm manufacturer defect maybe... or maybe a a very poor design at the buyers expense! I do have a little (very very litte) sympathy towards them, since they were selling the consoles at a loss of $800 per unit.
I put the case back together and plugged it in, switched it on and... nothing. So I ripped off the top half of the case and realised the power and eject board wasn't seated correctly. Once that was put right, it fired up like a beaut!
Very much to my delight the HDD functions correctly in the PS3 with all the data remaining in tact. I was able to access all the photos, music, etc. I'm guessing that option Windows 7 provides (the message box that pops up) when you connect the PS3 HDD to your PC is the part that determines whether the HDD signature is affected.
I'm sorry that the two who mentioned this concern lost their data. I think I just got lucky... nothing else. Incidentally, did you guys personally experience that HDD signature alteration or did you hear/read somewhere that the PS3 will not accept the HDD once connected to a PC?
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However, the battle is not over.
So I went to the Backup Utility and took a full back up of the entire 24GB of data onto a USB drive (it took almost an hour). Here's a quick video of where to find that option:
I then connected that USB drive to the new PS3 and attempted to restore, only to be presented with the message "We have detected that this backup is from another Playstation, you can only restore this data to the original Playstion. Would you like partial restoration on this Playstation?".
WHAT THE HELL!?!?!
So I attempted the partial transfer, which reformats the new PS3 HDD but then barley copied over a thing (it took 60 seconds... compared to the hour it took to backup so it copied over nothing). I guess my only choice now is to try hooking up two PS3's to my router and attempting a transfer.
Has anyone overcome this HDD transfer issue?
So I went to the Backup Utility and took a full back up of the entire 24GB of data onto a USB drive (it took almost an hour). Here's a quick video of where to find that option:
I then connected that USB drive to the new PS3 and attempted to restore, only to be presented with the message "We have detected that this backup is from another Playstation, you can only restore this data to the original Playstion. Would you like partial restoration on this Playstation?".
WHAT THE HELL!?!?!
So I attempted the partial transfer, which reformats the new PS3 HDD but then barley copied over a thing (it took 60 seconds... compared to the hour it took to backup so it copied over nothing). I guess my only choice now is to try hooking up two PS3's to my router and attempting a transfer.
Has anyone overcome this HDD transfer issue?
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msmalls74; even though I have this PS3 up and running, I and many other potential readers would greatly appreciate it if you still gave us the oven profile info when you get chance.
Overkill or not, the fact that your PS3 is still running strong after one year goes to show you know what you're doing. It's actually the longest I've ever read anyones last after a fix.
Please do let us know.
Overkill or not, the fact that your PS3 is still running strong after one year goes to show you know what you're doing. It's actually the longest I've ever read anyones last after a fix.
Please do let us know.
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Ok, so this is the end of my PS3 log for fixing the YLOD.
All the articles that helped me get a fully functional system have been linked and all videos have been embedded. I've tried to cut and paste as many quotes as possible in case the source sites go down.
I found many different types of articles but only linked the one's that gave the most detailed information or information that rang true across the board.
Hopefully this helps other people fix their YLOD, allows them to save cash, get all their data back and recover the games swallowed by their consoles. It certainly got this PS3 system working. One thing that was hard to research was how long each fix lasted, so I'll be sure to post on this thread if it ever stops but one major issue is that it will not be used as much as before.
Feel free to post in here if you find any good tips or have sound advice from personal experience related to YLOD.
If you have any non-YLOD questions then open up a new thread and I'll try to help and I'm sure others will too. It's easier to do that then de-rail this thread from its title and OP.
PS: Fingers crossed that msmalls74 comes back with the oven profile information since his system has been running strong for over a year.
All the articles that helped me get a fully functional system have been linked and all videos have been embedded. I've tried to cut and paste as many quotes as possible in case the source sites go down.
I found many different types of articles but only linked the one's that gave the most detailed information or information that rang true across the board.
Hopefully this helps other people fix their YLOD, allows them to save cash, get all their data back and recover the games swallowed by their consoles. It certainly got this PS3 system working. One thing that was hard to research was how long each fix lasted, so I'll be sure to post on this thread if it ever stops but one major issue is that it will not be used as much as before.
Feel free to post in here if you find any good tips or have sound advice from personal experience related to YLOD.
If you have any non-YLOD questions then open up a new thread and I'll try to help and I'm sure others will too. It's easier to do that then de-rail this thread from its title and OP.
PS: Fingers crossed that msmalls74 comes back with the oven profile information since his system has been running strong for over a year.
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In UK it looks like many have been able to use the Sales Of Goods Act (SOGA) to get the game stores to provide a replacement for free.
Read the article from the top but the linked post is also good in explaining how to go about the engineers report that may be required.
http://whatconsumer.co.uk/faulty-playstation-3/#comment-2660
Read the article from the top but the linked post is also good in explaining how to go about the engineers report that may be required.
http://whatconsumer.co.uk/faulty-playstation-3/#comment-2660
IMO the most sure fire bet to keep your PS3 working after a YLOD has to be reballing your BGA. There's many people that have attempted this successfully, here are a few links.
source
Hmm... looks like you need to buy a few parts to get it going though. Maybe not for me but someone who thoroughly uses their PS3 may see it as an investment... especially if you want to repair other peoples PS3s too.
source
Hmm... looks like you need to buy a few parts to get it going though. Maybe not for me but someone who thoroughly uses their PS3 may see it as an investment... especially if you want to repair other peoples PS3s too.
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No luck on the profile 
Looks like the profile has been removed from the system, funnily enough ive just got given one to fix again. I dont think ill have time on the oven to do a profile etc again as its running 24/7 at the mo, may look into using the infra red rework again. If not its the old heatgun repair job, that has been pretty good for a fix for a few months or so. Gives them enough time to save as much as you can on their system ready for a backup. I may try the replace with a slim route from Sony as ive heard its a far better deal than a repair and is supposed to be cheaper.
Looks like the profile has been removed from the system, funnily enough ive just got given one to fix again. I dont think ill have time on the oven to do a profile etc again as its running 24/7 at the mo, may look into using the infra red rework again. If not its the old heatgun repair job, that has been pretty good for a fix for a few months or so. Gives them enough time to save as much as you can on their system ready for a backup. I may try the replace with a slim route from Sony as ive heard its a far better deal than a repair and is supposed to be cheaper.Thanks for looking, shame you don't have any details as that would really have been handy.
I gave the same recommendation for the owner of the PS3 that I just repaired.
Pretty much all YLOD fixes that don't require you to remove the BGA are temporary. So I told him that this was a temporary fix and if he continues to use this PS3 then he'll be in the same boat again but the PS3 may not come back to life and you'll have lost everything.
So they bought a PS3 Slim and just transferred the data once the old zombie PS3 was revived.
I gave the same recommendation for the owner of the PS3 that I just repaired.
Pretty much all YLOD fixes that don't require you to remove the BGA are temporary. So I told him that this was a temporary fix and if he continues to use this PS3 then he'll be in the same boat again but the PS3 may not come back to life and you'll have lost everything.
So they bought a PS3 Slim and just transferred the data once the old zombie PS3 was revived.
Took it all apart, took all the heatsinks off & then clean off the thermal paste.
Heatguned one side of the board for about 3 minutes, let it sit for 5. Heat gun the other side for 3 mins, sit for 5. Resemble and fixed
Looks like i can use the infa red station on monday/tuesday, so i can see how well it works. For anyone else with access to one it will be set to 230 (270 is the MP for the solder on Leadfree BGAs) again as i said NO FLUX as this will wet the balls to much (oh er) and could cause shorts. If i get round to it ill try and get some pics of the ball grid array under the scope as a before and after. Hopefully this will give me a good indication of the state of the soldering prior to reflow, and thus telling me if i did a good job or not.
So I've finally got around to using the PS3... these things are fantastic. The free PSN is just amazing, I've been downloading all these demos that just aren't released on PC. I think Wipeout HD will be receiving my money very soon.
Is it normal for the PS3 to run hot? I'll literally turn it on and mess about on the XMB and about 5 minutes in the fan will kick on. It thankfully hasn't been piping hot but still pretty warm.
Just wondered if that was normal or if I didn't get a good contact between the processor and heatsink.
Is it normal for the PS3 to run hot? I'll literally turn it on and mess about on the XMB and about 5 minutes in the fan will kick on. It thankfully hasn't been piping hot but still pretty warm.
Just wondered if that was normal or if I didn't get a good contact between the processor and heatsink.
PS3 just died! It's official.
Overheated and restarted itself a couple of times. Then I was on the phone to Sony and it literally shut itself down and wouldn't boot. YLOD.
I had the entire thing clean as a whistle inside and out. I put ever such a thin layer of heat compound (Arctic 5) on the processors, so that was good too. I even bent the heat sink clamps so it's tight. The console was also sitting on it's side.
I'm utterly blown away that this just died. I literally did everything as it should have been done and was maticulous about following instructions.
I think I'll try to apply the heat gun for a much longer time now. From what jrwagh333 mentioned, he had it under heat for a hell of a long time. I'll try 3 minutes per side just as he stated.
Overheated and restarted itself a couple of times. Then I was on the phone to Sony and it literally shut itself down and wouldn't boot. YLOD.
I had the entire thing clean as a whistle inside and out. I put ever such a thin layer of heat compound (Arctic 5) on the processors, so that was good too. I even bent the heat sink clamps so it's tight. The console was also sitting on it's side.
I'm utterly blown away that this just died. I literally did everything as it should have been done and was maticulous about following instructions.
I think I'll try to apply the heat gun for a much longer time now. From what jrwagh333 mentioned, he had it under heat for a hell of a long time. I'll try 3 minutes per side just as he stated.
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