PS3 Flashing red light?

[Rissy]

My apologies if this is a topic previoulsy discussed, I couldn't figure out how to search for keywords already on the forum.

Basically, my PS3 tonight did a weird thing. Turned off at the rocker switch at the back as normal, I turned it on. Now that i've uninstalled PlayTV, my PS3 has much more behaved itself when turning it on from cold in this way. However, tonight, once booted up to the XMB, I selected to play Flashback. The game loaded up and at the point it warns you about the autosave, and not to turn off the console during autosaves, the console died with three beeps, and the red light was left flashing silently, seemingly forever, until after a minute in shock, i pressed the power button to bring it back on, which it did, and then the warning about not shutting it down properly, and having the rebuild the database for several minutes. Once this was finished, I was returned to the XMB where, with a little hesitation, I opted to load up Flashback again. This time, it was completely fine. Game booted in and I could play no problem. I've tested a couple of games now, and even turned off the console and tried to retread the previous steps to see if I could get the same issue again, but it's not doing it now.

Concerned, and relieved at the same time.

This issue was very reminicent of stuff happening with PlayTV before I uninstalled it the other week (see my previous thread about this).
What could be the cause of this? Why only once? I believe sometimes people talk about the flashing red light as a consequence of over heating, but my PS3 was completely cold, and I'd only just turned it on from cold after being sat for a couple of weeks and hadn't even been playing a game on it yet.

I've never opened my PS3. It's a Phat one (original 80GB model), and i'm still running OFW 4.91.
I tested the console tonight to see if the clock still comes up even without being connected to the internet, and it does.

 

[JelkoBG]

My apologies if this is a topic previoulsy discussed, I couldn't figure out how to search for keywords already on the forum.

Basically, my PS3 tonight did a weird thing. Turned off at the rocker switch at the back as normal, I turned it on. Now that i've uninstalled PlayTV, my PS3 has much more behaved itself when turning it on from cold in this way. However, tonight, once booted up to the XMB, I selected to play Flashback. The game loaded up and at the point it warns you about the autosave, and not to turn off the console during autosaves, the console died with three beeps, and the red light was left flashing silently, seemingly forever, until after a minute in shock, i pressed the power button to bring it back on, which it did, and then the warning about not shutting it down properly, and having the rebuild the database for several minutes. Once this was finished, I was returned to the XMB where, with a little hesitation, I opted to load up Flashback again. This time, it was completely fine. Game booted in and I could play no problem. I've tested a couple of games now, and even turned off the console and tried to retread the previous steps to see if I could get the same issue again, but it's not doing it now.

Concerned, and relieved at the same time.

This issue was very reminicent of stuff happening with PlayTV before I uninstalled it the other week (see my previous thread about this).
What could be the cause of this? Why only once? I believe sometimes people talk about the flashing red light as a consequence of over heating, but my PS3 was completely cold, and I'd only just turned it on from cold after being sat for a couple of weeks and hadn't even been playing a game on it yet.

I've never opened my PS3. It's a Phat one (original 80GB model), and i'm still running OFW 4.91.
I tested the console tonight to see if the clock still comes up even without being connected to the internet, and it does.

There are a lot of 80GB models. Which one it's exactly? Also it's probably the nec tokins failing to deliver enough power to either the CELL or RSX.

Sent from my 22081212UG using Tapatalk

 

[Rissy]

Hi and thanks for your reply. After having a proper look, I can report my model number is CECHK03 with a date code of 8B (I think).

what are these NEC tokens? Is this just a sign of age? My PS3 has always been very well looked after (bought from new back in 2007 or thereabouts) and is kept under the TV in a well ventilated location etc.
How much time do I have before it gives up completely?
what would be the solution to fix this?

 

[Rissy]

So it looks like these NEC "Tokin" things, are capacitor banks? It looks like there are four of these on my motherboard, two of one sort and two of another sort. Not sure what the differences are between these (not googled part numbers or tried to understand the differences). This definitely looks like a professional job required. I'm handy with a soldering iron, and have things like vacuum pump solder sucker etc, but I think i'd even be ill-prepared and capable of making a good or passworthy job at things like this with surface mount components so as to keep my console working properly afterwards! I suspect i'd have to take mine some place and let someone more experienced etc to take this on for me.

I was playing on the console for hours last night just fine, so it's clearly not a completely detrimental state i'm in....yet, but this makes me nervous about changing out firmware versions now, which is something I was considering doing after talking to some of you last month here.

Anyone here have experience of doing this job, or other intrusive electronics work to their machine? If so, how was that experience for you? Did it all work out, or was it a catastrophe? I'd be too nervous at undertaking this work I think. I wouldn't like to ruin my console.

 

[Rissy]

Well. What can I say? After a LOT of reading and watching YouTube videos, I'm now aware that this is a HUGE subject! I'd heard of Playstation Yellow Light Of Death (YLOD), but had no idea about what it was or that fact that this looks like what my PS3 suffered last week, except it's still working afterwards, even after another few hours of play between that night and the next night again. It's more of a flashing red light of death. I have no idea whether my LED turned yellow or not. It only happened once, and I wasn't observant enough to watch it closely enough to see what it did (or know what to look for). I just know it went from green to flashing red with 3 beeps, but not sure if it showed yellow briefly or not.

I can't believe these TOKINS only have a run time lifespan of around 1000 hours! Unbelievable.

So with mine being the CECHK03 model, I have the 65nm chips on my my DIA-002 motherboard, and I'm presuming i have the CXD2982GB RSX chip (my thinking based on the 03 where 01 would be the CXD2982BGB RSX and the 02 and 03 would be the CXD2982GB, but I don't know for sure if that's how it works!?)

I was reading this here: https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/RSX

I have 8 of these NEC TOKINS it seems. I don't know what the difference between the 0E108 and 0E128 are though?

My new understanding is that my YLOD (if that's what it was) could be as a result of (most likely) either a TOKIN, or thermal expansion/contraction solder ball failures of either the RSX processor or the GPU (don't know what the GPU is called?). Either of which, is an absolute nightmare, especially the main chips. After watching a few videos on YouTube, I'm feeling that I *might* be capable of replacing TOKINS, but there's no way beyond that. I'm too old to be brave enough to probably even try the TOKINS myself either.

Talking about YouTube videos, this guy "RIP Felix" on YouTube is a legend. This video of his is very good, and I thoroughly enjoyed (and dreaded) all the good insightful information he presented in there. Video Link:

I thoroughly recommend people watch that if they haven't done so already.

According to some graphics on an RSX timeline against model number on the RIP Felix video linked above, the CECHK03 model is just breaching the defective design range (yellow) and the maybe design range (orange) for the RSX processor. Basically, it doesn't look promising at all for my own console. Very sad day for me finding all this out!

I'm now starting to understand there's a thing called "SYSCON", and I believe that if your PS3 hasn't completely died yet (basically it stays on rather than refusing to start up and stay on), that there is a way to use an online version of this, by going to a website on your PS3 web browser. My questions are the following:

1. Can I use this online method with my untampered, unopened, 100% original Phat PS3 with OFW (4.91) to be able to see what the fault code was from my console last week?
2. Will this tool also give me the figures relating to how many running hours my console has been exposed to so far over the past 16 years?

I think I may have to put myself on the market for buying a later generation PS3 second hand. Either a slim, or a super slim, otherwise I lose access to my PS3 games library. I wouldn't like that at all. I hate that I'm now at the mercy of what I can find second hand. Smoking house, no smoking house? Completely filthy PS3 versus an immaculately clean one such as my own which has been looked after really really well, and also, not knowing how many running hours each console has already been exposed to, never mind the additional question of whether it's already been tampered by someone (opening it up etc). Nightmare. I believe the later PS3 consoles have 40nm and 28nm chipsets, and especially towards the end, they don't even have TOKINS. So I guess I'll be looking for one in this category potentially.

Any help anyone can offer up to me, will be gratefully appreciated and responded to. Thank you for making it this far, if you did.

 

[Rissy]

So instead of continuing to update this thread, due to lack of response from people, I'm going to move my questions around the forum instead. I thought it might have been nice to have a complete story of one user experience in one thread, but I need some guidance to keep me moving forward with my learning process and I don't think that will happen by staying here in this thread.

I'll close out this thread by saying I've gone a bit nuts, and have now got myself a further 4 PS3 consoles now!

I've now got the following:

1. CECH2103A Date code 0C (This one I'm going to try my hand at jailbreaking on - I don't know what FW it's running already yet. It looks to be in good condition, and has never been opened.)
2. CECH2503A Date code 0C (This will become my new online fulltime replacement workhorse machine as I've bought it with OFW 4.91 already applied. It looks to be in very good condition from a smoke free house and looks as though it's never been opened)
3. CECH2503A Date code 0D (This will become a new fancy PlayTV/Bluray movie model since it's never been updated in years, so is running an older OFW which should be ok with PlayTV. I've inherited this machine from a family member, so it's very well looked after, and will have my ultimate respect and care. I've yet to check the OFW version on it, but I reckon it's probably about 4.82 or so. It's definitely never been opened, and has light use behind it)
4. CECH4303A (This machine is still running OFW 4.75, so will be another more basic (portable) PlayTV/Bluray movie model but also I will continue to have a reliable machine where the jury might still be out on the reliablity of the slim models. It's been used a bit, but not much I'm told, and i've yet to see if it's been opened or not, but my thinking was why would anyone want or need to open up a super slim? I'm gambling on it being untampered with)

I'm about £300 out of pocket with this going nuts on PS3 purchases.

I will probably have to invest in larger HDDs for all of them (so the spending hasn't finished!), and also buy a super large external HDD so that I can backup all my games to it using the first one in the list once i'm at that point. This will preserve my games from potential disc rot, which is another new thing I just became aware of last month!

I'm thinking that for my CECHK03, while it's still alive (just?), I'm going to retire it back into it's box. This for me is a super sad time. That console has been with me through thick and thin. I just can't bare thinking about it dying on me. I've been nervous to touch it since the middle of last week now, so I know i'll not be able to relax and enjoy my gaming on it any longer. So best to use a more reliable machine from now on. I'd still like to try this SYSCON PS3Toolset read thing on it so that I can see how many hours of fun I've had out of it, and also get an understanding of what happened last week with my YLOD with the error code(s), and therefore have any idea of what it would take to keep it alive. If I ever did swallow a bravery pill and attempt a fix on it myself (only if it is the TOKINS of course). I've now started asking questions on this subject in another thread, hoping for some help there instead now. So all there is left to say from this thread, is adieu and good luck with your own PS3 adventures!