~ Aidan's YLOD Repair Guide ~

[funkyweed]

YLOD repaired, thanks Aidan for this guide, combined with some youtube vids made it very straight forward! It's saved me some cash and more importantly has allowed me to transfer all of my game saves to a new system (I bagged a new slim after this happened, I won't be using the original console).

 

The PS3 was a launch console which I have sunk some serious gaming hours into, so i'm not that surprised that it occured in the end. I was just playing as normal when the system crashed, followed by a beep and a nice bright yellow light

 

I was well happy when I hit the power button after the repair process to the sound of a fully functional PS3 again! Although I managed to pull the whole connector off for the cmos battery, it went back on ok as the pins were not bent.

 

During the heating process I used the youtube video below for timing and copied exactly what the guy did in the video, time wise and method. I found both parts of the video very useful and a bit more technical/speedy than the others.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr1zyAGwnuU]YouTube - PS3 YLOD Fix Part 2 of 2[/ame]

 

Images of the operation in the spoiler tags below:

 

[spoiler=1245]

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv60/funkyweed/YLOD/12022010150.jpg

 

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv60/funkyweed/YLOD/12022010152.jpg

 

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv60/funkyweed/YLOD/12022010153.jpg

 

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv60/funkyweed/YLOD/12022010155.jpg

 

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv60/funkyweed/YLOD/12022010159.jpg

 

 

 

As Aidan says when dissembling any devices like this separate all screws/fittings removed into different containers. As stated thermal compound needs to be applied equally across the top of the CPU/GPU. Other than that just take your time and concentrate.

 

Thanks again Aidan, I owe you a drink

Edited February 13, 2010 by funkyweed

[Pokkit_]

When a mod posts his horror/success story, you KNOW this will work.

 

funkyweed, a toast to me and you! I'm liking my Slim more than my old PS3 lol.

[JackSD884]

Wowzas. I never saw this thread before. I got an old YLOD PS3 in the attic.

 

Time for some... repairs.

[MUFC-17]

Wowzas. I never saw this thread before. I got an old YLOD PS3 in the attic.

 

Time for some... repairs.

Exactly what I'm thinking. I have an old 60gb lying in a cupboard with a lot of saves on it

[Cruore]

Question: It should be possible to get the saves after the Ylod? After all, it doesn't harm the HDD.

 

Can't you just take the HDD out, hook it up to a PC, put the PS3 stuff on the PC, put the HDD in a new PS3, format it, and then go back and put the saves back on, or just put them on a new HDD?

 

As for the Ylod, it's not really a problem to me yet, as I live in Norway. Due to special laws, everything bought from store has a 5 year warranty, meaning the store I bought the PS3 from (Not Sony), must replace or fix my PS3 if it breaks.

Don't you have laws like that in the US?

[Casio1987]

Question: It should be possible to get the saves after the Ylod? After all, it doesn't harm the HDD.

 

Can't you just take the HDD out, hook it up to a PC, put the PS3 stuff on the PC, put the HDD in a new PS3, format it, and then go back and put the saves back on, or just put them on a new HDD?

 

As for the Ylod, it's not really a problem to me yet, as I live in Norway. Due to special laws, everything bought from store has a 5 year warranty, meaning the store I bought the PS3 from (Not Sony), must replace or fix my PS3 if it breaks.

Don't you have laws like that in the US?

You need to copy the ps3's hdd contents bitwise to the new hdd. If you want to access hdd content from the ps3, it's not going to happen. It's encrypted by a key which is unique for each hdd inside Sony's filesystem.

[Aidan]

You need to copy the ps3's hdd contents bitwise to the new hdd. If you want to access hdd content from the ps3, it's not going to happen. It's encrypted by a key which is unique for each hdd inside Sony's filesystem.

Yeah, really sneaky. Some users that run Linux have been able to retrieve data, but it's a really long process with a low success rate. I couldn't say much about it, because I've never tried it myself.

[Casio1987]

Yeah, really sneaky. Some users that run Linux have been able to retrieve data, but it's a really long process with a low success rate. I couldn't say much about it, because I've never tried it myself.

Yes, I tried it myself too. It's all encrypted unfortunately

One of the best unhacked console for so many years, Sony did a really good job!

[Crazyfrog23]

Wanted to day thank you for this great guide Aidan.It was a great help when i was fixing my ps3.

I know you said not to but i decided to put my ps3 in the oven after talking to a few different people.

It now works fine and i was easily able to transfer all my data onto a new slim.

 

Picture of it in the oven in spoiler.

 

[spoiler=aspgih34]http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8616/p1302102003.jpghttp://yfrog.com/bfp1302102003j

 

 

Thanks again Aidan for the great thread:applause:

Edited February 21, 2010 by Crazyfrog23

[Pokkit_]

I know you said not to but i decided to put my ps3 in the oven after talking to a few different people.

 

/facepalm

 

Glad it worked out for you, but why would you ever put electronics in an oven though?

[Crazyfrog23]

Double post.Sorry

Edited February 21, 2010 by Crazyfrog23

[Crazyfrog23]

/facepalm

 

Glad it worked out for you, but why would you ever put electronics in an oven though?

 

Well the main problem was i didn't have a heat gun and i didn't really want to buy one but a few other people told me it is a better way overall.Wasn't trying to get at Aidan or anything, as you can see i am just trying to thank him in my post and show there are other methods.

I put it in the oven as it works the same way as a heat gun does.Both heat the connections on the motherboard so that they can re solidify.

[Aidan]

However, the true trick is to have concentrated heat in specific locations. Not heat up the entire motherboard. You don't want to heat up the entire thing, because that has an incredibly high chance of damaging things that don't need to be messed with. Whoever told you that putting it into the oven was better was lying to you, or didn't know what they were talking about.

 

Concentrated heat will not damage the motherboard, or melt it. It's made mostly out of fiberglass anyway, and that takes a few thousand degrees more to even lose substance.

 

You got lucky, and I'm happy that you did. However, I will still highly recommend against it, and will not condone that method for anyone else.

[bartalbee001]

I found a YLOD 60G BC PS3 for sale on craiglist. I have been looking for a second PS3 to play PSN games and watch Blu-ray movies on in my bedroom.

 

I want to know if I should invest the time and money into fixing this PS3. I am currently trying to weigh the pro's and con's on this purchase. The seller is asking $120. It would cost me <$30 to fix it.

 

My questions:

1. What is an estimated success rate to fixing it this way?

2. Any estimate on expected life span after repair?

3. What does Sony charge to repair the YLOD?

4. Can the repair be done again if the YLOD reoccurs?

[Aidan]

1. What is an estimated success rate to fixing it this way?

If the problem is indeed the YLOD, then this repair method has about an 85% success rate, I'd say. It's hard to give an exact figure, but going by success not only here, but across the internet, I'd say 85-90% is accurate.

 

2. Any estimate on expected life span after repair?

If done correctly, as long as a newly refurbished unit. Based on conditions of said unit and the location of the unit, this differs, but it pretty much depends on how the quality of your repair job was, and how you treat it afterwards. As long as both are good, it'll last forever until something inevitable happens again.

 

3. What does Sony charge to repair the YLOD?

$150

 

4. Can the repair be done again if the YLOD reoccurs?

Yeah. It's the same thing you do every single time. If the connections are broken again, the same method will be applied. It doesn't lose quality over time, so you could technically perform the same repair over and over again if the problem is similar each and every time. However, if done correctly, you shouldn't have to anyway.

 

Again, don't hold me liable for anything, lol. It might not EVER work for you, and you might be kidnapped by aliens tomorrow. I can't tell the future, nor am I the one repairing it, so I cannot warrant your own repair jobs. Regardless, I've fixed multiple systems, and people I know have as well, so it's safe to say that your chances are good. However, you have to make sure nothing else is wrong with the unit.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Aidan

[bartalbee001]

Thanks for the advice. I am going to try and purchase the PS3. It would be nice to have a BC model. I will post and let you know the repair went.

[Crazyfrog23]

However, the true trick is to have concentrated heat in specific locations. Not heat up the entire motherboard. You don't want to heat up the entire thing, because that has an incredibly high chance of damaging things that don't need to be messed with. Whoever told you that putting it into the oven was better was lying to you, or didn't know what they were talking about.

 

Concentrated heat will not damage the motherboard, or melt it. It's made mostly out of fiberglass anyway, and that takes a few thousand degrees more to even lose substance.

 

You got lucky, and I'm happy that you did. However, I will still highly recommend against it, and will not condone that method for anyone else.

 

Well at first i talked to a friend and he was advising me not to use a heat gun and use the oven instead.I was unsure at first.I could see his logic but didn't know if i really wanted to try it.

I then went to a third party repair shop and discussed it with the owner.He advised me to use the oven instead a heat gun.They use a type of incubator oven to fix ps3's so they know what they are talking about.A lot of third party console repairs do this instead of a heat gun.

So i don't think i there is a higher chance of damage, i don't feel i got lucky and i wasn't lied to.

 

Here is a video showing a BBC show investigating the ylod and showing a third party fixing them using an oven.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDu9ePWF4gg]YouTube - PS3 Potentional Yellow light FIX BBC TV[/ame]

 

 

EDIT: After reading over that it might seem like i am complaining or attacking you and the way you use to fix ps3's.Sorry if you read it like that.As i said before i am just trying to offer an alternative method and really were all trying to reach the same goal.You have a great guide here that helped me and alot and i thank you for all the work you have put into it.

Edited February 26, 2010 by Crazyfrog23

[Aidan]

If it's a specially designed oven, then perhaps that would be different. However, I would still recommend against it, because people will be throwing theirs into a regular kitchen oven, causing massive damage to things. Not all connections have to be re-flowed. Just the once we discussed. A regular oven would melt everything, resulting in a much higher chance of damage seeing as you then attempt to fix what's not yet broken.

 

A heatgun will not damage anything, because then you have 100% control over it. It's similar to painting part of a car and using precision painting, or just throw a bucket of paint on there. Both will get the part painted, but one has a much higher chance of screwing up the rest.

[Jaime]

Yeah, I wouldn't put in the oven either. Why take the chance of damaging what is not broken, when you can easily just repair the source of the problem with the heat gun.

[bartalbee001]

I just bought a 40gb YLOD for $50. I am hoping I can fix it using your guide. Hopefully tomorrow or tonight I can start looking into it more. My biggest concern is that the problem is something different.

 

I am also worried because the guy who had it "had a friend who knew how to fix it." Which resulted in a missing HDD cover, missing rubber pad, broken top cover slide clips, and who knows what else. If all else fails I'm sure I could sell it for what I paid with ease.

 

This was my third attempt at buying a broken PS3. All the other ones sold before I had the cash. But it was also the cheapest, seeing the 1st one go for $140(60gb) and the 2nd for $120. I also missed out on a working 80gb for $115 by 10 minutes.

[minko]

Will have to try this, PS3 died off yesterday.

[IDOLO1013]

Just got the YLOD today:mad:. I'll be using this guide tomorrow to try to fix my PS3.

[Aidan]

Apologies for the complications regarding the photobucket bandwidth problem. It's been fixed now, and shouldn't happen again. Thanks to jcstahl for pointing out to me that the images were broken.

[minko]

Finally got around to fixing my PS3 and it's now working and is shockingly quiet. I'm worried that it may be too quiet, but the fan's running so it can't be so bad. Alot of thanks for the guide.

[TheChronicSmoker]

would you say a novice could attempt this? or perhaps an individual often intoxicated?