Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler PS3... again

So I went and did some reading on the PS3 and found another used one, 80gb this time, that appears to be the older model that plays PS2 games and has sacd support. The price is reasonable.

So, are there any known issues or gothca's to watch for in a used PS3?

This one is without controllers so that has me wondering...

The HDD is easy to change. IIRC, you just pop in a new HDD and it configures itself.

So you're only concern is if the motherboard is working fine. If you can, go see and try it w/ a controller.

Yeah, only the older ones can play PS2 games. Also, they can also run Yellowdog Linux, but I've never heard anyone actually do it.

It seems the only issue is with a 'yellow ring of death' non-specific hardware failure that hit a small number of units.

I may pick up a used controller to test it out.

I have Yellow Dog on my 60 gig.

It's the "YLoD", or Yellow Light of Death on the PS3. It does seem to be some hardware failure on the mainboard which causes it. The biggest thing is to keep the system well ventilated. Since the system is out of warranty, it may be worth the extra piece of mind to take it apart, clean out all the dust and put a better heatsink compound in place.

The other failure is the laser diode, which results in the drive not being able to read certain types of disc. If testing take a CD, a DVD, and a BD with you. Though it is possible to find repair parts for the drive if it comes to that.

Another thing you should be aware of is 'supposely' there is a firmware update that bricked certain consoles that lead to a higher rate of failures. According to reports it is serious enough to warrant a class action lawsuit. IIRC it was related to firmware 3.0.

Thanks for the replies gents. It looks like he has a controller, its just a little worn so he is not listing it as part of the sale.

Chris. If he does not have a bluray capable system, can I still determine if the ps3 will read bd discs?

The first thing I would do is open up the unit and replace the thermal paste. I remember your post. I would also look at putting in a quieter fan. Scythe has some real winners in the market right now.

How easy is it to replace a laser diode and what are they worth?

If there was a firmware which ran the laser too hot, it was the 3.00 release. 3.15 came out last night, and 3.10 was pushed out not long after 3.00. Just don't play a BD if firmware 3.00 is installed to avoid any possible problem.

The PS3 will play BDs over analog, even composite video. So as long as there's a screen hooked up, you can test it.

Unless Scythe makes a fan specifically for the PS3 (I've never looked), you're going to have trouble finding a replacement. You'll see once you get it apart, but the fan Sony used is a real beast.

All you need is a set of small screw drivers to replace the diode assembly. If you have an original 60 or 80 gig, and the diode is the only thing which failed, then they are priceless. There's two different optical drives used in those original machines. But either way the diode can be had for less than $100.

Thanks Chris. This one looks to be a gen 2 80 gig.

Why are the gen 1 priceless?

I was saying an original 60 gig, or an original 80 gig, the latter of which would be 2nd gen. The 60s are slightly preferred for PS2 compatibility, those had both of the PS2 hardware chips in them, where the 80s were part hardware, part software emulation; thus slightly less compatible with some games. Otherwise the original 80s are equal to the 60s, and run a tiny bit cooler. Either one is highly sought after.

Oh yeah, the 60s also have built-in memory card slots for SD, CF, and MemoryStick, but you can connect a card reader over USB if you really need to use any of those with a later system.

I'm going to check the ps3 out later today. How do I tell what firmware is on the system?