Old ps3 died what are the best options?

[EvilRyu2099]

Sony these days will just mail you a refurbed model but is it actually better to take it to a third party repair center? I want the warranty sticker to stay there however.. I've been told by most to try to just get it repaired at said centers instead of sending it to Sony... Any advice?

[o.pwuaioc]

Try maybe an SNES or Genesis? Those things last years.



Just kidding. I have no idea.

[flex wood]

I have no idea about sending it in but the service sticker is pretty tamper proof. Soon as part is peeled off void starts showing on the sticker.

Do you know what the problem is with the ps3??

[AznKhmerBoi]

I hope you know most repair are temp meaning they will need to be fix 3-6 month down the line.

[EvilRyu2099]

Do you know what the problem is with the ps3??

YLoD

[Cronozilla]

If it's under warranty and not a backwards compatible PS3 ... send it in. Send it in again and again until the warranty is gone!

Unless you know a third party repairer who does NOT automatically strap a heat gun to the motherboard DO NOT TAKE IT TO THEM THEY WILL DESTROY THE PS3. (I'm serious)

What will happen is they'll use a heat gun to melt the solder that the processors are connected to the motherboard with. Which sounds fine ... except it's like 400ºF and the components are only rated to go to about 120ºF. So, what'll happen is ... yeah everything will reconnect and it'll work ... then it'll break. Because the act of melting everything and letting it set, weakens everything else. The board will become more pliable and will warp during normal temperatures while playing. So it'll just happen again. This is the solution everyone suggests, it's shortsighted and makes the components more susceptible to failure. (No guaranteed to die in 6 months ... but most do not make it long. And there's no amount of magic dance you can do to change it )

And, the chips might not even be the problem! The PS3 also errors with YLOD when the power supply is bad, a fuse is blown, and when caps are busted (and more!). All of those things are immensely easier to fix and cheap. (we're talking $20 if you don't have the soldering equipment and 20 cent parts here)

But if the chips ARE the problem ... then you have a big problem. Re-flowing (which is what the heat gun treatment is called) is a poor solution, obviously, because it damages the console. But, because the chips are surface mounted (there's no pins, everything is connected with solder) you can't realistically remove them and re-solder them at home (this is actually called re-balling, since they use solder balls to attach surface mounted chips) ... this requires some pretty heavy duty equipment from an electrical engineering lab. If you know a buddy who does that stuff ... you should talk to them. There ARE spread version ... but they're very iffy (messy) and I haven't seen many successful cases of them being used with PS3s. It also requires a chip stencil for the pin layout.

There's an alternative which requires you re-baking the entire board in the oven (not as dangerous as it sounds) it's at much lower temperatures and doesn't actually destroy the board, it just melts the solder. If you use tin solder, it should align itself vertically. However, you really have to know what you're doing in that situation.

If you get a refurbished model from Sony, just take care of it. Don't cram it in some small area where there isn't air flow, and don't let it get clogged up. You need a decent amount of space for the PS3's cooling system. When you start covering up vents you're just making an oven ... with a bluray player.

It really ... depends on what you want. I mean, Sony at the least is (somewhat) responsible for what they give you ... a repairer will say, this is at your own risk and maybe a 90 day warranty. If you want to fix it yourself, it's a possibility, but it's not like replacing a pin connector on an NES. It requires some steady hands and patience and isn't for most people.

If you do decide to take it to a repair place ... just realize the unit is on its last legs, but it doesn't have to be.

[EvilRyu2099]

^ Very good post... The biggest reason I have such an incentive to repair is because it's the BC 60 gig model... It's not under warrantly but I hear I can still get a refurbed model of my version from sony as long as that sticker is still on for a price of course.. I guess there is no way to get my saves back but I'm fine with it...

[AznKhmerBoi]

^ Very good post... The biggest reason I have such an incentive to repair is because it's the BC 60 gig model... It's not under warrantly but I hear I can still get a refurbed model of my version from sony as long as that sticker is still on for a price of course.. I guess there is no way to get my saves back but I'm fine with it...

Yea if you choose to keep the 60g BC, then you could just send it to sony and they will replace it for teh same model. Most likely theyll ask if you want to upgrade to slim, but the options are available. My friend actually went this route and just got the same fat model when he sent it in for repair from Sony.

[Curlypaul]

Has anybody heard if the slims are any more reliable? I hear that the xBox slim seems to have fixed the reliability issues, is the PS3 the same?

I might get one or the other sometime this year.

[EvilRyu2099]

Has anybody heard if the slims are any more reliable? I hear that the xBox slim seems to have fixed the reliability issues, is the PS3 the same?

I might get one or the other sometime this year.

The slims are indeed much more reliable than the fats as their CPUs use less energy meaning they don't overheat as often...