60GB Drive Nearly Dead

[junglebungle]

Hey guys, been researching lots about this... DVD's work fine, just not Blu Rays....

I'm thinking about buying a replacement lense and carriage, but i don't know if the problem lies within the logic board :/

if i leave the system off for a long time, turn it on, then try a blu ray, it loads, then a little while in, it freezes, i have to restart the console, then try it again i get the error code 80029906 invalid disc etc.

People have said over heating problem, it's getting too hot and therefore stopping the drive from working properly, i could understand this, as if i turn the ps3 on after a long settle down, when its cool it works for a little while, but if i do it straight after, it don't work at all... so maybe heat?

i've read lot of comments about people getting replacement lasers, and then it not working still, or works for about 20 mins, then fails again...

any ideas? think i should get a replacement laser? or could it be the IC chip?

Thanks

[solid~snake]

hi, my ps3 was doing the same thing (60gb model), every once in a while it would start to load a blu ray or a game and a few minutes into it it would freeze or say data corrupt. i'd restart the system and the drive would just dissapear until i restarted a few times. I replaced the lense( bought one off of ebay) and everything is perfect again. as for the overheating, usually if its overheating the system shuts down not usually freezing. I would replace the lense if your comfortable with taking your ps3 apart. There are alot of guides out there to help you out.

[garyopa]

Overheating is almost right.

Except the overheating is happening inside the blu-ray diode 5pin can.

Only way out is replacing the laser with a new one.

I found that lasers do one of 3 things when they go:

1: No blu-ray, but play PS2 and DVD fine (there is still Red Light!)
2: Blu-ray works for between 5 to 20 minutes on a cold start (your case)
3: Everything is dead, no spin of disc (means laser is totally burned out!)

If the disc goes in on a curve you have a 410a dual-eye laser
if the disc goes in straight you have a 400a single-eye laser.

[junglebungle]

Thanks for the replies.

So you think i should get a replacement laser? i might just get a laser and deck, £50 on here: http://www.jackofallgames.co.uk/play...ge-p-2244.html

they say there new, but i'm not sure if they refurbished etc....

i don't wanna waste money, getting it, and it being the IC chip board? but it cant be that can it? if it actually loads Blu Rays, but then crashes? like you say, the diode getting to hot....

I've read so many stories of people replacing the laser, and it happenin a short while after exactly the same problem, whats the chance of this happening?

could it be because the console itself is getting hot, i mean, i've got the top off, and the power supply, and the shield underneath the actual drive itself does get pretty hot, hot air blows out the sides too.

Thanks alot.

[junglebungle]

After some more looking into it, i held the drive completly out of the tray, loaded a blu ray for a bit, was working fine, then it stopped, sounds like it keeps trying to read it then failing.

i felt the board on the back, the big square chip which in the middle showing through the metal cover on the board, gets quite hot, is that normal? there is a red heat pad on it, so i presume it supposed to get hot...

[junglebungle]

Ok now i've think i've completly messed it up lol

It accepts discs, it goes into position, doesn't spin up, makes a noise as if it goes to spin up, then does nothing, all i can do is eject....

[garyopa]

I've read so many stories of people replacing the laser, and it happenin a short while after exactly the same problem, whats the chance of this happening?

That normally happens if the replacement lasers are rebuilted ones.

There is two suppliers out there, new original factory lasers, and ones which have had the bad diode desolder, removed, new diode installed, soldered inplace.

Finding out the truth is impossible, most "rebuilted" laser suppliers call them "new", since it is partly true the "diode" is new, the rest is just OLD!

Plus to find true customer reviews, or track down the supplier phone number, and call them, pretend you are dealer, and alot of dead lasers, and ask their pricing on "rebuilting" them. -- Normally a place that rebuilts, does not sell new.

But then their is people that buy bulk rebuilt lasers, and then test each single one for hour to make sure it works, and sell them at new prices with a better warranty.

Either way, rebuilt is normally about half the price of a true new laser, and in both cases you should ask for at least 30 day free return replacement policy if something happens.

As for your drive making noises now, if they are grinding sounds, then you got one of gears or rails out of place, if it is small clicking sounds, then the laser is totally dead now.

[ruzhda]

Hi. I fix many problems with PS3 lens . Best solution is to clean main lens with 98% pure alcohol. For cleaning use smooth cloth or cotton.

[garyopa]

Hi. I fix many problems with PS3 lens . Best solution is to clean main lens with 98% pure alcohol. For cleaning use smooth cloth or cotton.

You must have been luckly. - Of all the thousands of PS3's I have see, I have only got 2 going again by cleaning, one was for an in-house smoker family (that is getting rarer these days, so I guess that is good sign), and the other had milk on the lens (must be from a kid playing and eat breakfest)

No amount of cleaning is going to get the blu light to appear once the diode stops working, and that is the case in 99% of systems I have seen.