LOG: PS3 YLOD Fix

I'm currently fairly satisfied with my PS3 running with the fan controller mod I sourced through Ebay (though have been spending several hours researching how I might build my own PWM controller!).

At present the exhaust air barely gets warm, but the fan does run *quite* fast, it would verge on annoying whilst playing a movie. But I want it to remain healthy while I embark on some lengthy GT5 sessions from tomorrow ;) In addition, because I have Remote Start (PSP) enabled, the fan doesn't slow down when I turn the console off; I am using this to my advantage by powering off 5 minutes before I leave the room, allowing the system to fully cool, then flipping the switch at the back of the console.

In addition, I got a very useful reply from the Ebay seller on the circuit design of the mod:

"The chip itself is not programmable. The circuit is a "pulse-stretcher" which takes whatever signal the ps3 is sending to the fan and makes it longer, and therefore the fan faster. If the machine speeds up the fan, by making the pulse longer still, our module increases it still more so making the fan even faster still.

If the fan speed doesn't change it means the ps3 isn't telling the fan to go faster. This is a good thing as the machine obviously thinks the chips are cool enough as it is and doesn't need to try to make it cooler. (ps3 has temperature sensors in the two main chips)

The fan remains on when you switch it off (on the front) because it always did stay on --- it was just going so slow you couldn't hear it.

It is possible to make the module go faster by changing a fixed resistor on the module but this would be a bit of a job as it is buried under a thick layer of encapsulating material. The one to change (on 60 gig modules) is a 33k resistor (the only 33k one) I was putting 44k in 40 gig machines because the fans are quieter and so would take a faster speed without being too noisy. I think if you go to more than say 50 k it would be too noisy in a 60 gig machine.

It should go without saying any customer modification to a module will void the warranty."
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..so I have asked them to send a version with the 33k resistor, as I am assuming mine might have the 44k one in it. Alternatively I could make that change myself, or insert a potentiometer in there so I can vary the 'boost' applied to the speed - this would be my preferred solution, even more so if I can locate it in a way that allows me to adjust from outside the case!


Alex
 
Hopefully he's right about the circuit just using a pulse-stretcher, if so, you shouldn't need to build a Pulse Width Modulator (PWM). A single JK Flip-flop can double the pulse width. You can buy those in IC form for about 45p.

2u5clm8.png


Just tie the J and K pins high and connect the PWM signal to CLK, then the PWM signal is doubled at the Q output.
 
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trentlad - that looks perfect, thanks! Was looking for this sort of thing for ages.. Have been shopping around to try and find an appropriately specced single JK flip-flop chip, but I don't think I'd be able to pick the right one without knowing A: what's fitted in the console at the moment, B: what sort of voltage and current levels I'm dealing with on the PWM wire.

This is definitely a step forward though, when I find time I'll definitely be looking into this more! Cheers


Alex
 
Man my PS3 is just one problem after another - finally got the ribbon cable, tried the ps3 last night: still ylod! I took it apart and was going to reflow it to rule out a hardware failure and the RSX chip cover came off with the fan, i didn't think that much of it as i could just replace the thermal grease between the chip right? WRONG. The thermal paste in the RSX was rock solid/kind of burnt, which made me wonder whether they'd even reballed the thing at all! Surely if they had, the paste would still be sticky and not crispy?! I called Retronix and the guy was indeed as miffed as I was and was very helpful indeed, he's arranging a courier to take the whole PS3 unit and they are going to sort it all out and test it themselves, hopefully sometime soon i'll have a working unit.

I'm not impressed with Retronix's work, but have to say their customer service is spot on, I really do hope they can sort out my PS3 cuz i'm getting tired of all this trouble, i had better luck reflowing the damn thing than getting it reballed!
 
TheKeiron said:
I'm not impressed with Retronix's work, but have to say their customer service is spot on, I really do hope they can sort out my PS3 cuz i'm getting tired of all this trouble, i had better luck reflowing the damn thing than getting it reballed!
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:eek: I'm still waiting (its been 2 weeks today) to hear from Retronix about mine but after reading your post i'm now both worried and anxious about my repair. Retronix seem on the level so maybe you're either just unlucky or the process is not meant to work on our PS3s BUT it could simply be that they messed up :confused:

At least they're not shying away from the fact that they might have played a part in your chip becoming toast, one of reasons i waited soo long to find a legit business. And i assume they're covering the cost of this return return trip?

Man i'm depressed about your news, maybe i should just ask Santa and by that i mean myself, to get a new console then only play with it outside the bloody window... A new 120gb ps3 standalone is what £210 now? If you could find a buyer for the various surplus components and controller, might be overall cost of £190 depending on overheads.

*sigh* What a start to the christmas season :(
 
looking at just this page, ive just started buying and repairing ps3, and spent a fair bit of money buying manuals to get as much info on this subject as possible. so far ive had 100percent fix rate on the ylod problem i an also in the process of long term testing. I have found the ps3 quite simple to work on and anyone with basic electronic understanding should be able to sort it out for them selfs but i would be interested in your broken ones if you want to sell them for £50 delivered
 
Just read though the whole thread and it makes for interesting reading. I have done a few ylod and they are still fine, i didnt look at the video links but i'll list a few tips
I use an old heat gun that only has one setting and its hot!
First clean off all the old thermal paste
the board need to be level when doing it, not flat on a table but propped up at one side
start by heating up the under side first
heat the two main chips and the other 4 next two then two for each one
Do it in small circular motion to heat it evenly
I heat them up so they are hot, they would burn you if you touch then for mor than a second
then leave it where it is for at least 15min
then use arctic 5 paste in a very thin layer so it is almost transparent
 
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Sir_Alan_ said:
:eek: I'm still waiting (its been 2 weeks today) to hear from Retronix about mine but after reading your post i'm now both worried and anxious about my repair. Retronix seem on the level so maybe you're either just unlucky or the process is not meant to work on our PS3s BUT it could simply be that they messed up :confused:

At least they're not shying away from the fact that they might have played a part in your chip becoming toast, one of reasons i waited soo long to find a legit business. And i assume they're covering the cost of this return return trip?

Man i'm depressed about your news, maybe i should just ask Santa and by that i mean myself, to get a new console then only play with it outside the bloody window... A new 120gb ps3 standalone is what £210 now? If you could find a buyer for the various surplus components and controller, might be overall cost of £190 depending on overheads.

*sigh* What a start to the christmas season :(
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2 weeks is quite a long time, might be worth giving them a call to see whats happening? I doubt yours will suffer the fate mine has i'm sure i was just unlucky, Retronix is a relatively large company which is why I trusted them in the first place, I'm sure there mustve been a mistake somewhere (perhaps they accidently reballed the cell twice?)

they are indeed covering the cost of the return trip, courier picked it up yesterday so hopefully it'll get there today (i hope lol the snow is wreaking havoc on the roads!)
 
I tried emailing, phoning and texting daggerpc and still haven't got anything back. :(

He's changed his ebay page to say any items received by Dec-1 will be returned by Dec-27 since he's receving about 5 PS3's everyday. Mine should have arrived by Nov-19 at the absolute latest, so I'll wait until Dec-20 until I take further action.

EDIT: Just noticed his ebay comments, they were all positive until December. Now he's getting negatives and people are claiming FOURTY FIVE DAYS with no response.
 
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trentlad said:
I tried emailing, phoning and texting daggerpc and still haven't got anything back. :(

He's changed his ebay page to say any items received by Dec-1 will be returned by Dec-27 since he's receving about 5 PS3's everyday. Mine should have arrived by Nov-19 at the absolute latest, so I'll wait until Dec-20 until I take further action.

EDIT: Just noticed his ebay comments, they were all positive until December. Now he's getting negatives and people are claiming FOURTY FIVE DAYS with no response.
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I think me and Keiron know more or less how you feel mate. I need to call Retronix again on Monday because no-one was answering yesterday (Friday), might've had something to do with people not being able to get to work, i dunno... Its kinda ironic but i bet all those weeks previously, we'd have thought this issue would be completely sorted by now and yet here we are :(

I guess all we can do is wait and see how things pan out but obviously it's hard not to be a little annoyed. I can't believe that ebay guy is still taking orders, i mean he says himself he has a back log, so surely his primary concern should be sorting that out and maintaining a decent reputation not continuing to take orders left, right and centre without delivering?!

I don't know about you guys but i'm managing to kill some time by doing my christmas shopping but i always seem to get distracted whenever i see something game related :p
 
I fixed two original PS3's a few weeks ago, 1 died again within a week and the other which is older than the other is still going strong :D
Also had to take the blu-ray completely apart, god damn the tiny springs and cogs are annoying :p
 
Thanks for asking Alex!

I still haven't had any response from him, even after politely threatening him with a police report. Here's the note I've sent to him:

Hello Branden,

- OFFICIAL NOTICE -

I've really tried hard to contact you directly and haven't been successful. Is everything ok?

Obviously with no news I can only assume the worst so please consider this as my last ditch attempt of asking you for a status update about my order.

I’m sorry but if you do not send me a status update about my order by Dec-17 then I have no choice but to file a complaint to Paypal and eBay. I will also be forced to file a police report for a stolen Playstation 3.

I apologize if this seems strong but I have tried to call you on (9xx-8xx-7xxx) eleven times, text you seven times, emailed you four times, asking for a status update. I have received no status update what so ever.

My PS3 was posted to you for re-ball on November 5th and you received it on November 16th.

Branden, I trust that you are a decent guy and especially with the excellent feedback you have. All I need is an update, did you repair my PS3 and when will you post it??
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I just got a message back from daggerpc. Turns out he had a death in the family and has had to tend to family, which is why there is an entire backlog.

He's offered to refund the entire cost (inc. shipping) and post the PS3 back to me. If he's offering that to everyone that's one hefty bill he's going to be paying... 30 PS3's at $17 a pop!!

He asked me to open an eBay claim... which I found quite odd.
 
im ylod ps3 died again the other day, so i whipped the laser out and put it ikn another one, the only real way to fix them. i also took the hd out and used it as it was going into a 40gb, i clicked no for the format and i was able to keep the log in info on it :)
 
trentlad said:
I just got a message back from daggerpc. Turns out he had a death in the family and has had to tend to family, which is why there is an entire backlog.

He's offered to refund the entire cost (inc. shipping) and post the PS3 back to me. If he's offering that to everyone that's one hefty bill he's going to be paying... 30 PS3's at $17 a pop!!

He asked me to open an eBay claim... which I found quite odd.
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So there was a reason after all...

Indeed his offer sounds quite decent, are you taking it up or leaving it with him to deal with as and when? What would you do if you got it back? Retronix is still a bust atm (4 weeks+, still waiting) and with this new cold snap (they're based in scotland and the roads are a right mess) i'll be lucky to see my pcb back before 2011 and spring rolls round :mad:

The eBay thing is a bit weird, perhaps he wants them to step in and help him sort his mess out. I assume there are quite a few people out there just as annoyed as you were, perhaps they weren't as calm with their threats :confused:

UPDATE: Just got off the dog and bone to Retronix, my pcb is being shipped off but they predicted Monday/Tuesday for arrival, same price as Keiron said £85ish. Haven't a scooby doo why shipping costs soo much, I sent the the thing up there for £6.80 guarenteed deilvery by 1pm next day and yet from my calculations they're charging me £20 odd for a much slower service. Either way in a couple days time i'll find out if i just flushed £85 or saved myself £125.....please let it be the latter *crosses fingers*
 
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Sir_Alan_ said:
So there was a reason after all...

Indeed his offer sounds quite decent, are you taking it up or leaving it with him to deal with as and when? What would you do if you got it back? Retronix is still a bust atm (4 weeks+, still waiting) and with this new cold snap (they're based in scotland and the roads are a right mess) i'll be lucky to see my pcb back before 2011 and spring rolls round :mad:

The eBay thing is a bit weird, perhaps he wants them to step in and help him sort his mess out. I assume there are quite a few people out there just as annoyed as you were, perhaps they weren't as calm with their threats :confused:

UPDATE: Just got off the dog and bone to Retronix, my pcb is being shipped off but they predicted Monday/Tuesday for arrival, same price as Keiron said £85ish. Haven't a scooby doo why shipping costs soo much, I sent the the thing up there for £6.80 guarenteed deilvery by 1pm next day and yet from my calculations they're charging me £20 odd for a much slower service. Either way in a couple days time i'll find out if i just flushed £85 or saved myself £125.....please let it be the latter *crosses fingers*
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They Use TNT for their deliveries which is why its so much

I got an email from Retronix - apparently they were unable to fix my PS3 its still YLOD :confused: I'm gonna get the guy to outline what exactly they did to try to fix it so i can try to get to the root of the problem (on Gilksy's YLOD fix videos he mentions faulty power supply being a cause of YLOD so I think I might get a replacement one) does anyone know any way i can test what could be wrong with it?!

EDIT: BTW i am still waiting for my PS3 and it was sent last wednesday, I do love the snow but damn it why does everyone stop working because of it?! I wish i'd have sent a bag of salt with my PS3 now haha

EDIT 2: It's arrived! As I was told the YLOD still exists...but (to my bemusement) a letter was with it stating it had been reflowed - NOT REBALLED! I've just called Retronix and the guy who dealt with me isn't there but I left my number so hopefully he can explain whether this is a typo or if they actually just reflowed it and not Reballed it as i requested
 
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TheKeiron said:
They Use TNT for their deliveries which is why its so much

I got an email from Retronix - apparently they were unable to fix my PS3 its still YLOD :confused: I'm gonna get the guy to outline what exactly they did to try to fix it so i can try to get to the root of the problem (on Gilksy's YLOD fix videos he mentions faulty power supply being a cause of YLOD so I think I might get a replacement one) does anyone know any way i can test what could be wrong with it?!

EDIT: BTW i am still waiting for my PS3 and it was sent last wednesday, I do love the snow but damn it why does everyone stop working because of it?! I wish i'd have sent a bag of salt with my PS3 now haha
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In hindsight i should have insisted they use royal mail, at least then my pcb would probably be back by now. If you're still waiting on yours then i have no idea when in the hell to expect mine!

Thats sucky news about your ps3, did they offer any sort of refund on the original repair? As for repair ideas, i'm fresh out but personally i would just say cut your losses and buy a new machine (and maybe a mini fridge to place it in), unless you're really desperate to retrieve irreplaceable files?

Agreed about the snow, as much as i enjoy the stuff, it doesn't half mess with peoples plans, I'm glad my holiday has started now but with no ps3 its kinda really boring at times...

And i just realised its started snowing again which is really nice to watch but no doubt will delay deliveries even further :(

Update: Pcb just arrived as i was admiring the snow, time for a brew and re-assembly...
 
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Sir_Alan_ said:
In hindsight i should have insisted they use royal mail, at least then my pcb would probably be back by now. If you're still waiting on yours then i have no idea when in the hell to expect mine!

Thats sucky news about your ps3, did they offer any sort of refund on the original repair? As for repair ideas, i'm fresh out but personally i would just say cut your losses and buy a new machine (and maybe a mini fridge to place it in), unless you're really desperate to retrieve irreplaceable files?

Agreed about the snow, as much as i enjoy the stuff, it doesn't half mess with peoples plans, I'm glad my holiday has started now but with no ps3 its kinda really boring at times...

And i just realised its started snowing again which is really nice to watch but no doubt will delay deliveries even further :(

Update: Pcb just arrived as i was admiring the snow, time for a brew and re-assembly...
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I really am considering cutting my losses and buying a fresh machine (it really sucks tho as this ones a launch 60gb with PS2 backwards compatability!) Reckon I'll try a reflow for old times sake just to definately rule out a faux pas on Retronix's end (which may very well have happened - just taken off the hard drive cover to find a possible missing screw there and the screw holding the hard drive in place is not the screw thats supposed to be there!)

Let us know how your PCB gets on (hope you have more luck than me!)
 
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