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

am a new person on the forums, and decided to take my best shot in the dark to do this on a parts CECHA01 with a delayed YLOD. seems as though when i soldered in the caps (replaced the 4 on the side where the PSU would plug in with 6 470uf 6.3v caps replacing each NEC which is probably overkill and probably wasn't a good idea), i got an instant YLOD. i think i know i did something wrong, especially if my iron is hot garbage. i get 2 ohms on RSX, and 0.4 on cell. unsure what the normal values are, but i think cell is also supposed to have 2 ohms since it uses the same caps. i think lower values mean that not everything is connected. and in that case, my soldering skills might suck too. or i blew some of the caps.
 
When you took the resistance measurement was it between + and GND? Should be 2- 4 Ohms. Anything less than 1 is bad! Probably a short, that's easy to do. But if it read that before, it could be a dead chipset. What did it read before? Also can you provide a link to the capacitors you used.
 
RIP-Felix said:
When you took the resistance measurement was it between + and GND? Should be 2- 4 Ohms. Anything less than 1 is bad! Probably a short, that's easy to do. But if it read that before, it could be a dead chipset. What did it read before? Also can you provide a link to the capacitors you used.
Click to expand...
unsure what it read before as i was not well aware. most surely would have been around that ball park as the YLOD was delayed, so i don't think the chipset is dead. could very well be a short, sure hope the caps aren't f'ed. i'll try it again

caps: https://www.ebay.com/itm/PS3-NEC-TO...SMD-Tantalum-Capacitor-0-045-Ohm/143630135112
probably overpaid but i only really have access to ebay gift cards lol
 
man i hope is something fixable bc consoles worth any repair cost. the caps you buy arent the best btw. but i see several youtube videos with capasitors like those and the console boots
 
RIP-Felix said:
It sounds like you replace all the TOKINs on Side B of the Motherboard. If so the tokins on the other side are acting as the bridge. So you don't "need" jumpers. You want them for long term stability though. Let's focus on your lack of signal first...

Please provide more information. These details will help us:
  1. What model PS3 are you trying to fix?
  2. What was wrong with it to begin with (before you installed tantalum)? Please describe the fault and how the console behaves during startup. Does the fan ramp up to aloud level? Did it try to spin, then the console shuts down? If you had a YLOD how long was it? Did it occur in less than a few seconds after boot (Instant), or was it delayed a few minutes? Or was it only when playing intensive games? Did you see any graphical artifacts?
  3. After replacing the tokins with tantalums, how does it behave? When you say "no signal," what do you mean? A YLOD? Or does the console boot, but no video?
  4. Also can you provide a picture of your work,describe how you removed the tokins and installed the tantalum. Did you use any hot air to assist you or just a soldering iron?
Click to expand...

It's ps3 slim,before install tantalum.. ps3 turns off and after a few seconds the red LED flashes or turn on but run games few minutes shut off end blink red led! i only replaced 2 nec tokin under the logic board... but now ps3 slim turn on but no signal...i used hot air and solder to remove nec tokin
 
k24a1 said:
unsure what it read before as i was not well aware. most surely would have been around that ball park as the YLOD was delayed, so i don't think the chipset is dead. could very well be a short, sure hope the caps aren't f'ed. i'll try it again

caps: https://www.ebay.com/itm/PS3-NEC-TO...SMD-Tantalum-Capacitor-0-045-Ohm/143630135112
probably overpaid but i only really have access to ebay gift cards lol
Click to expand...
Wow, so the tokin narrative sure took some traction. I mean, just look at that ebay ad... Those must be successful ads given that there are so many. Sad

But you may even be in the right track after all. Either way, looks like you can only go forward now.
I'd look again at the CELL side.
Hopefully it's just the capacitors that are causing the near-short.
Which means taking off your yellow ones and checking afterwards. If not, taking off the rest of the CELL tokins which could have been damaged after whatever went wrong.
If the issue persists... I hope your CELL isn't fried. Btw did you use hot air?

Edit: Also btw, you replaced all 4 (2+2) tokins on the top all at once yes? Meaning you didn't do tests in between each move.
Maybe you'd want to test with the top 2 cell tokins simply missing, without those yellow capacitors. (Which are nothing short of a scam. Seller just cashed in with the help of the first pages of this thread. If they actually worked it would be stretching the tolerances. Those aren't well suited for this task. 45miliOhm!... 6.3v 470uF...Better to buy shady Chinese ones at that point)

It may well work just like that if the bottom 2 tokins arent already killed.

Then again, we are just dogs barking in the distance

Cheers
 
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Pacorretaco said:
Wow, so the tokin narrative sure took some traction. I mean, just look at that ebay ad... Those must be successful ads given that there are so many. Sad

But you may even be in the right track after all. Either way, looks like you can only go forward now.
I'd look again at the CELL side.
Hopefully it's just the capacitors that are causing the near-short.
Which means taking off your yellow ones and checking afterwards. If not, taking off the rest of the CELL tokins which could have been damaged after whatever went wrong.
If the issue persists... I hope your CELL isn't fried. Btw did you use hot air?

Edit: Also btw, you replaced all 4 (2+2) tokins on the top all at once yes? Meaning you didn't do tests in between each move.
Maybe you'd want to test with the top 2 cell tokins simply missing, without those yellow capacitors. (Which are nothing short of a scam. Seller just cashed in with the help of the first pages of this thread. If they actually worked it would be stretching the tolerances. Those aren't well suited for this task. 45miliOhm!... 6.3v 470uF...Better to buy shady Chinese ones at that point)

It may well work just like that if the bottom 2 tokins arent already killed.

Then again, we are just dogs barking in the distance

Cheers
Click to expand...
thanks for the response, i kinda feel like the resistance was too small, lol. cell works fine now after fixing the short, reading 2 ohms, but gets a delayed YLOD. may need to resolder the caps on the RSX, as i tested it without the yellow caps and it had the same issue of a delayed YLOD. i sure hope i can save this console so i can stop being hyperfocused on fixing it :/
i used a cheap 60W iron i bought to get by. i have more money available to buy something better, but i also need to save some money for a new PC build.
 
Hi all, I recently purchased a YLOD A01 and I tried replacing the 4 NEC/TOKIN caps with 470uF tantalum caps on the bottom of the board with no luck. When I went to check over my soldering again after it didn't boot, I noticed that IC6200 (BD3520FVM-TR) was not sitting straight and not making good contact with the board somehow, so when I attempted to straighten it out, one of the pins broke off of the IC itself. I have tried looking for a replacement IC6200, but it seems that part is extremely hard to find, and the places that say they have stock for that part require that you purchase a minimum of 3000! So my main question is, is my board hosed? Yes I know, I should have done the syscon diag before doing any replacements, but I just learned that was an option after this happened, next time I won't be touching anything on the board until after I dig into syscon now that I know it's a step.
 
k24a1 said:
thanks for the response, i kinda feel like the resistance was too small, lol. cell works fine now after fixing the short, reading 2 ohms, but gets a delayed YLOD. may need to resolder the caps on the RSX, as i tested it without the yellow caps and it had the same issue of a delayed YLOD. i sure hope i can save this console so i can stop being hyperfocused on fixing it :/
i used a cheap 60W iron i bought to get by. i have more money available to buy something better, but i also need to save some money for a new PC build.
Click to expand...
So you solved the CELL under 1 ohm instant YLOD huh, and now back to the original problem yes? That's good news.

Maybe it would help other people if you document how, or if unsure, what steps you took.

In any case, I'd suggest you go adding tantalums to see if the YLOD goes away.
I'd begin adding to the RSX side.
Given that you mention your YLOD is "delayed" I assume it is more than 5 seconds long, and we are "assuming" that your console indeed has the famous tokin problem.

After that, the most sensible thing to do is SYSCON diagnosis.

Again, only you can balance your own priorities.
Your machine could be one of the fixable ones though.
So keep us updated whatever you decide.
 
seems to have it, yes. tested it again and heated up the board a bit, came to life. delidded the CPU, RSX, and southbridge, although i may or may not have damaged the CPU as i see a bit more copper now (person who opened it before i did went overbored with the flux, good god). put more of it back together and i get a GLOD. probably RSX/RAM issue. think it may still have life, but i also think the previous repair this board had caused me to screw it up. does a damaged CPU lead to a GLOD? if not, great. if yes, i'm screwed.
 
traplio24 said:
It's ps3 slim,before install tantalum.. ps3 turns off and after a few seconds the red LED flashes or turn on but run games few minutes shut off end blink red led! i only replaced 2 nec tokin under the logic board... but now ps3 slim turn on but no signal...i used hot air and solder to remove nec tokin
Click to expand...
What Model slim?

Read my post on page 137. PS3#1 gave me similar behavior. Started as a YLOD then I did the tantalum. Fixed for and hour, YLOD. Checked my work/redid...worked for 30minutes. Redid a bunch more time getting the soldering right using hot air to thoroughly wet the joint, adding more jumpers so they wouldn't short out, and etc. All of that made the YLOD go away, but then it would freeze with graphical artifacts. I attempted to use my hot air rework station to reflow the RSX (was never going to work) and it resulted in a GLOD.

All that means is that the RSX had a BGA defect from the beginning. I was chasing the red herring with the tantalums. The capacitors were never my problem to begin with (as I suspect they are not for your console). Each time I experience a YLOD I used hot air to install the tantalums, which flexed the board causing a mechanical reconnection of the BGA defect. That was temporary so the YLOD came back. I screwed up multiple times with soldering the tantaliums and bridge wires too, which caused YLODs. Eventually I got the tantalum array in solid, but the BGA was still bunked! I NEVER FIXED THE PROBLEM. The Hot air on the RSX w3as enough to flex and break more BGA joints, causing the GLOD. Then I researched how to perform a reball. I attempted and failed. That board is dead now.

So it was BGA from the start. The tantalums were a complete waste of time and money. The console could have been salvaged if I had sent it to a reballer. And for way less than I sank into the equipment I bought to give it a fair go. There is just too big of a learning curve to pull it off on my first try, especially with my redneck reballing setup. PS3#2 failed also (another tantalum attempt...failed). Another Reball attempt failed. So far I am 0/2.

I have been working up the courage for another go at it. But this time I have been doing my research. So expect a long post from me in the future. And when I say long, you know it must be!
 
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k24a1 said:
... does a damaged CPU lead to a GLOD? if not, great. if yes, i'm screwed.
Click to expand...
Sorry, yes it can explain your GLOD! Pls post a picture so we can see. There are places where the traces don't run, but not many. If you're lucky the traces aren't bunked.
 
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tracedg0d said:
Hi all, I recently purchased a YLOD A01 and I tried replacing the 4 NEC/TOKIN caps with 470uF tantalum caps on the bottom of the board with no luck. When I went to check over my soldering again after it didn't boot, I noticed that IC6200 (BD3520FVM-TR) was not sitting straight and not making good contact with the board somehow, so when I attempted to straighten it out, one of the pins broke off of the IC itself. I have tried looking for a replacement IC6200, but it seems that part is extremely hard to find, and the places that say they have stock for that part require that you purchase a minimum of 3000! So my main question is, is my board hosed? Yes I know, I should have done the syscon diag before doing any replacements, but I just learned that was an option after this happened, next time I won't be touching anything on the board until after I dig into syscon now that I know it's a step.
Click to expand...
Yes, IC6200 is the RSX's linear voltage regulator that drives an N-channel MOSFET. These feed PWR to the RSX'a onboard memory. Without IC6200 the RSX is hosed. Best way to get another is from a donor board. If I were you I'd cut my losses and try to find a great deal on a working A model. Keep the busted console for parts and use it as the donor board when that PS3 gets the YLOD. In the mean time learn, read, and get proficient at fixing console.
 
RIP-Felix said:
Sorry, yes it can explain your GLOD! Pls post a picture so we can see. There are places where the traces don't run, but not many. If you're lucky the traces aren't bunked.
Click to expand...
here is my cell. seems as though i had scratched part of the chip. i've done several delids using a razor blade and i've never seemed to have screwed one up before. should have probably used a painting knife/thin metal wire. oh well, this board probably wasn't going to live long anyway due to some terrible repair job done in the past. will send pictures of the board when i initially got it too.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/8f051b5da8b5b45157e94c29f46bb9b6.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/7c8ad0f5ecaccab80fd4e081d9bb0db5.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/84a0ff594ff15b1a11bee6d188259fe6.jpg

forgot to mention that i was not able to connect a controller via USB. this thing is dead.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
 
k24a1 said:
here is my cell. seems as though i had scratched part of the chip. i've done several delids using a razor blade and i've never seemed to have screwed one up before. should have probably used a painting knife/thin metal wire. oh well, this board probably wasn't going to live long anyway due to some terrible repair job done in the past. will send pictures of the board when i initially got it too.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/8f051b5da8b5b45157e94c29f46bb9b6.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/7c8ad0f5ecaccab80fd4e081d9bb0db5.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/84a0ff594ff15b1a11bee6d188259fe6.jpg

forgot to mention that i was not able to connect a controller via USB. this thing is dead.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
k24a1 said:
here is my cell. seems as though i had scratched part of the chip. i've done several delids using a razor blade and i've never seemed to have screwed one up before. should have probably used a painting knife/thin metal wire. oh well, this board probably wasn't going to live long anyway due to some terrible repair job done in the past. will send pictures of the board when i initially got it too.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/8f051b5da8b5b45157e94c29f46bb9b6.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/7c8ad0f5ecaccab80fd4e081d9bb0db5.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210116/84a0ff594ff15b1a11bee6d188259fe6.jpg

forgot to mention that i was not able to connect a controller via USB. this thing is dead.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Well, the pictures are sharp enough to see that whatever tool you used to delid the CELL was certainly inadequate. But I hope you will not do that mistake again.

If nothing else, that is something which will help future readers. I guess.

It's a shame because despite what you say, that machine precisely could probably have had another chance.
I wonder what happened to the other 62 buyers of that "YLOD repair tantalum Kit"
 
Pacorretaco said:
Well, the pictures are sharp enough to see that whatever tool you used to delid the CELL was certainly inadequate. But I hope you will not do that mistake again.

If nothing else, that is something which will help future readers. I guess.

It's a shame because despite what you say, that machine precisely could probably have had another chance.
I wonder what happened to the other 62 buyers of that "YLOD repair tantalum Kit"
Click to expand...
i have another COK-001 board that i was going to do a full replacement on and i can probably try reviving that one. doesn't seem to have been a unit which had some awful reflow job. as for the other 62 buyers, i see a few had positive feedback, but i am unsure about the rest. what caps should i use in the future? thinking maybe 470uf 2.5v like you see on some old laptops, but i am unsure. ebay sellers are wack.
 
k24a1 said:
i have another COK-001 board that i was going to do a full replacement on and i can probably try reviving that one. doesn't seem to have been a unit which had some awful reflow job. as for the other 62 buyers, i see a few had positive feedback, but i am unsure about the rest. what caps should i use in the future? thinking maybe 470uf 2.5v like you see on some old laptops, but i am unsure. ebay sellers are wack.
Click to expand...
Well, honestly that may be outside the realm of my personal experience, because I am yet to find a COK board that indeed has the famous capacitor problem.

I'm not exactly saying that those capacitors are bad quality. But that it's certainly not sensible to use them to do a "full replacement" just to see if CECHA "revives". The whole idea is the problem. Not just the inappropriate capacitors.
You already had a first hand taste of the "tokin fix".

I suggest reading more of this thread if you really are interested.
 
Pacorretaco said:
Well, honestly that may be outside the realm of my personal experience, because I am yet to find a COK board that indeed has the famous capacitor problem.

I'm not exactly saying that those capacitors are bad quality. But that it's certainly not sensible to use them to do a "full replacement" just to see if CECHA "revives". The whole idea is the problem. Not just the inappropriate capacitors.
You already had a first hand taste of the "tokin fix".

I suggest reading more of this thread if you really are interested.
Click to expand...
yeah, full replacements aren't needed unless all of the caps are toast. might plan to get some more tools, like a rework station + painting knives. might also get another A01 because i have a problem, lol.
 
Don't make a repair assumption and destroy you mobo trying to fix it by removing/replacing/adding capacitors. As other people have suggested and I agree, anyone that wants to try to revive their console read the syscon thread and determine what the error is before you attempt a repair. https://www.psx-place.com/threads/f...syscon-first-steps-and-error-reporting.30100/

Post your error in that thread and ask for repair suggestions.

Perhaps this thread should be locked and not allow new posts to prevent false hope and maybe $ave some mobos from being destroyed.
 
i've been contemplating on getting a USB TTY adapter and trying to fix a system by working with the syscon. seems to be a good idea to check that first. just didn't have the right tools at first.
 
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