PS3 (Research/Experimental) - NEC/TOKIN Capacitors Replacement - YLOD

Idea...

If I buy one of those cheap shitty scopes and I verify that it has the resolution needed, can we just start a "pay it forward" chain for anyone in the USA?

Whoever needs it, buy it from the last person for $30. When you're done, sell it to the next person that needs it for $30. Everyone gets to use a scope, only lose a few bucks to shipping.
 
I'm also finding a short between the positive and negative of the NECs, same as @cauPRO. Also I managed to knock 3 tiny SMD components while performing the infamous "knife method"® by @Naked_Snake1995, my hopes for this console are really low, adding to this, it seems it has been reballed or reflowed and the RSX seems to be slightly twisted clockwise
:rolling:

I'll try the capacitor replacement anyways, but with no hope at all. This console cost me 10 bucks so it isn't a big loss.

Edit: also motherboard screws are missing and the fan shroud and the rear plastic plate (the fan exhaust) are molten
 
Idea...

If I buy one of those cheap shitty scopes and I verify that it has the resolution needed, can we just start a "pay it forward" chain for anyone in the USA?

Whoever needs it, buy it from the last person for $30. When you're done, sell it to the next person that needs it for $30. Everyone gets to use a scope, only lose a few bucks to shipping.
That would be cool in an ideal situation, but this involves people knowing how to manage a scope. And I see any other issues with that..

Btw, how do you do to know which NEC is faulty if you have them all in parallel and the system shut down due YLOD? Since your test was in a system that we know was running normally. This without applying heat, obviously, to avoid any kind of faulty NEC revival.
 
That would be cool in an ideal situation, but this involves people knowing how to manage a scope. And I see any other issues with that..

Btw, how do you do to know which NEC is faulty if you have them all in parallel and the system shut down due YLOD? Since your test was in a system that we know was running normally. This without applying heat, obviously, to avoid any kind of faulty NEC revival.

The crappy scopes should be easier to use since they don't have a lot of features and options. I can laminate an index card of instructions.

You can't know which one is bad, another reason to just replace them all at once if you're doing it. Heating the caps doesn't tell you anything.
 
buenas noches, dos ps3 fat una CECHA01 y una CECHE01 reparadas y funcionando a la perfeccion, delid a la CECHE01 en RSX y CELL gestionado para que de 66 grados max con ventilador a 40 sin aire acondiconado, con aire acondiconado encendido la velocidad del ventilador se baja a 30 o menos jugando, en este al estar en el menu el RSX se pone uno o dos grados mas caliente que el cel pero siempre sin pasar de 66 grados, CECHA01 delid solo en el CELL nya que el RSX siempre se mantuvo a menos de 60 grados, de igual forma gestionado para que se mantenga debajo de 66 grados con mismas respuesta que la CECHE01 solo que esta se mantiene mas fresca en el RSX, una se adquirio por 400 pesos la CECHE01 con sellos intactos, las dos removiendo los tolkin de arriba y remplazando por 4 smds de 470 en cada uno. muchas gracias ya que ambas ps3 se compraron solo por el gusto de tenerlas y no pense qeu se pudieran reparar hasta que vi este post.
 
Ahh la CECHA01 la consegui con un cambio, di una tarjeta de memoria generica de ps2 por ella, algo asi como 100 pesos mexicanos seran menos de 4 dlls al tipo de cambio actual.
 
@tenshin72 Te felicito, pero la proxima vez escribi en ingles por favor. Next time write in english. Also you could post what you did on pics here.

The crappy scopes should be easier to use since they don't have a lot of features and options. I can laminate an index card of instructions.

You can't know which one is bad, another reason to just replace them all at once if you're doing it. Heating the caps doesn't tell you anything.
That's the problem I see, everyone has a YLODed PS3 here, the scope is not useful for this case. That's why everyone are replacing the NECs even if the YLOD is instant or not. Many had both cases, so the only fix "at hand" I see here, and since this is a very common problem on these mobos, is replacing at least half NECs to see how it behaves.
 
buenas noches, dos ps3 fat una CECHA01 y una CECHE01 reparadas y funcionando a la perfeccion, delid a la CECHE01 en RSX y CELL gestionado para que de 66 grados max con ventilador a 40 sin aire acondiconado, con aire acondiconado encendido la velocidad del ventilador se baja a 30 o menos jugando, en este al estar en el menu el RSX se pone uno o dos grados mas caliente que el cel pero siempre sin pasar de 66 grados, CECHA01 delid solo en el CELL nya que el RSX siempre se mantuvo a menos de 60 grados, de igual forma gestionado para que se mantenga debajo de 66 grados con mismas respuesta que la CECHE01 solo que esta se mantiene mas fresca en el RSX, una se adquirio por 400 pesos la CECHE01 con sellos intactos, las dos removiendo los tolkin de arriba y remplazando por 4 smds de 470 en cada uno. muchas gracias ya que ambas ps3 se compraron solo por el gusto de tenerlas y no pense qeu se pudieran reparar hasta que vi este post.

Ahh la CECHA01 la consegui con un cambio, di una tarjeta de memoria generica de ps2 por ella, algo asi como 100 pesos mexicanos seran menos de 4 dlls al tipo de cambio actual.

Your only allowed to post in your native language if you also provide an english translations..
 
@tenshin72
That's the problem I see, everyone has a YLODed PS3 here, the scope is not useful for this case. That's why everyone are replacing the NECs even if the YLOD is instant or not. Many had both cases, so the only fix "at hand" I see here, and since this is a very common problem on these mobos, is replacing at least half NECs to see how it behaves.

Sorry, I'm not sure what you're saying. What do you mean the oscilloscope is not useful? It shows when the caps have failed.
 
Sorry, I'm not sure what you're saying. What do you mean the oscilloscope is not useful? It shows when the caps have failed.
Maybe my question before wasn't well asked, my bad. I was talking about the case where you have a YLOD and you don't know if are the caps or anything else, like a damaged RSX/CELL, or some short around the mobo.

Now, with the scope could you get a "normal reading" from the caps in those few moments before the system turns off due YLOD? This to discard anything related to the caps.

The readings you got in normal condition:
https://i.imgur.com/vCSGUVB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zzNXQVs.jpg

That's how I see it :culpability:
 
Look, in my point of view and when no monkey business is performed on the mobo,
you change the tokins and you pray to be the issue. If this doesn't work tough luck

Στάλθηκε από το POCOPHONE F1 μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk
 
Maybe my question before wasn't well asked, my bad. I was talking about the case where you have a YLOD and you don't know if are the caps or anything else, like a damaged RSX/CELL, or some short around the mobo.

Now, with the scope could you get a "normal reading" from the caps in those few moments before the system turns off due YLOD? This to discard anything related to the caps.

The readings you got in normal condition:
https://i.imgur.com/vCSGUVB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zzNXQVs.jpg

That's how I see it :culpability:

Yes, YLOD due to anything else (that I've run in to so far) shows up looking normal on the scope. Nothing else has looked like the bad cap images, either. So probing those points with an oscilloscope only tells you if the caps are good or bad - it doesn't narrow anything else down.

Even the cheap scopes have a memory function so you can capture a little bit to make sure you get the couple of seconds before it shuts down.
 
Just adding another success story!

I own a CECH-A01 since launch and it started failing in 2012 where it would shutdown in the middle of a game. I had it reballed at ps3repairshop.com (no longer in business), but the same thing happened again in 2014 so I bought a super slim and put my fat in my garage.

Fast forward to few months ago, I started reading about how the fat can be made into the ultimate retro gaming machine with CFW. I took out the old PS3 can tried using it. Yup, still YLODed less than 10 minutes into TLOU. I then came across this thread and got curious. I bought a lot of two clean but YLOD CECH-A01s on eBay, both still with the warranty sticker (so no funny business), with the intention of practicing the repair before doing it on my own console. The last time I soldered something was adding a DMS3 modchip to my PS2 in 2003. :)

I was too successful and was able to revive both eBay consoles. I was able to play the entire TLOU prologue on both of them with no issues at all. It's only been a day, but they seem to still be working without issues. If I'm able to fix my original console, then I'll have 3 fully functional CECH-A01s, enough to last me a lifetime of retro gaming.

For reference, here's my fix:
Replaced all the NECs with 32 capacitors. The capacitors are KEMET T520B337M2R5ATE009 from Mouser (Newark has them at a discount now). They're not cheap, but they're the closest specs to the NECs that I could find, and they were B case, so I could fit on the board without having to put them at an angle. They're 330uF/2.5V/9mOhms.
Bridged with 2 wires only using 14 gauge wire (important!)

I had some learning moments with the first PS3! I tried to replace only a few capacitors, but it didn't work until replaced all of them. Also, the first time I bridged it, I used 22 gauge wire, despite the advice in previous posts. It booted up for 10 seconds and then turned off and subsequently had instant YLOD. I opened it up to see that the wire burnt up (see picture). I replaced it with 14 AWG which works now.

Anyhow, thanks for all the information!
 

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Turns out the YLOD CECHE01 I had simply needed a repaste and nothing else....B01 likely had a dead cell or dead RSX. I replaced the OE128s with known good working ones and still had YLOD so that one is a lost cause.
 
Hello, I was wondering why 4x 470uF are recommended to replace a single NEC capacitor?
Only 3 should be more than enough, or 4x 330uF would give an even closer equivalence.

Also I read on the first pages it's better to not replace the top capacitors if the replaced bottoms are enough to work. But why not replacing all of them since they are likely starting to fail?
 
Just adding another success story!

I own a CECH-A01 since launch and it started failing in 2012 where it would shutdown in the middle of a game. I had it reballed at ps3repairshop.com (no longer in business), but the same thing happened again in 2014 so I bought a super slim and put my fat in my garage.

Fast forward to few months ago, I started reading about how the fat can be made into the ultimate retro gaming machine with CFW. I took out the old PS3 can tried using it. Yup, still YLODed less than 10 minutes into TLOU. I then came across this thread and got curious. I bought a lot of two clean but YLOD CECH-A01s on eBay, both still with the warranty sticker (so no funny business), with the intention of practicing the repair before doing it on my own console. The last time I soldered something was adding a DMS3 modchip to my PS2 in 2003. :)

I was too successful and was able to revive both eBay consoles. I was able to play the entire TLOU prologue on both of them with no issues at all. It's only been a day, but they seem to still be working without issues. If I'm able to fix my original console, then I'll have 3 fully functional CECH-A01s, enough to last me a lifetime of retro gaming.

For reference, here's my fix:
Replaced all the NECs with 32 capacitors. The capacitors are KEMET T520B337M2R5ATE009 from Mouser (Newark has them at a discount now). They're not cheap, but they're the closest specs to the NECs that I could find, and they were B case, so I could fit on the board without having to put them at an angle. They're 330uF/2.5V/9mOhms.
Bridged with 2 wires only using 14 gauge wire (important!)

I had some learning moments with the first PS3! I tried to replace only a few capacitors, but it didn't work until replaced all of them. Also, the first time I bridged it, I used 22 gauge wire, despite the advice in previous posts. It booted up for 10 seconds and then turned off and subsequently had instant YLOD. I opened it up to see that the wire burnt up (see picture). I replaced it with 14 AWG which works now.

Anyhow, thanks for all the information!
i just ordered these for my CECHB01 to see if these will work on it, can you post another photo of the other side of the board?
 
Yes, YLOD due to anything else (that I've run in to so far) shows up looking normal on the scope. Nothing else has looked like the bad cap images, either. So probing those points with an oscilloscope only tells you if the caps are good or bad - it doesn't narrow anything else down.

Even the cheap scopes have a memory function so you can capture a little bit to make sure you get the couple of seconds before it shuts down.
Thanks for the explanation, that's really good info. I was seeing the prices over here and a cheap and nice scope (Unit) is around 222 bucks. It really worths buying it for this situation, but I don't think I will use it that much in anything else to be honest, maybe for learning how to use it..
 
Hello, I was wondering why 4x 470uF are recommended to replace a single NEC capacitor?
Only 3 should be more than enough, or 4x 330uF would give an even closer equivalence.

Also I read on the first pages it's better to not replace the top capacitors if the replaced bottoms are enough to work. But why not replacing all of them since they are likely starting to fail?
That's right, but this was stated for the case you couldn't get 330uf caps, and in normal conditions you'll only need 3x470uf per NEC, but that depends a lot of the quality of the tantalums. Some chinese caps will have less value than it should be, then you have less capacitance per NEC, like happened to me. Usually adding a little more of capacitance won't damage any circuit, so putting an extra tantalum per NEC won't prevent you to make the console boot.

The recommended is replacing all of them, but if the console boots fine and runs every heavy game, then it will be fine for many months or years. It depends of how bad is the state of the NECs remaining, it could be see it as the case where you need to replace 4 tyres in a car and you only replace 2. You can play TLOU (better finish it) for stressing the console and see how far it can go with that fix.

I did this in a CECHG, only half NECs, and is running good so far. And since I have a few more fatties to repair, and these are imported and not so cheap capacitors, you'll know what's the best option that fits you.
 
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