Where to get Ps3 Slim Laser?

Boss Hog

Hi Guys,

I have recently acquired a Faulty Ps3 Slim (CECH 2503A) with from what i believe to be a faulty Laser (wont play any Games, BR's, DVD's and wont spin them at all and no noises from the drive) I believe this is the problem anyway. Correct me if you know better as this is my first time delving into the diagnostics of games consoles.

So what im asking is,

1. Am i on the right track (correct codes,conclusion)?

2. Am I better off getting just the Laser not the laser and deck?

3. Where Have you found be the Cheapest place/s to buy (delivered) the laser (KES-450A) or if i need the Deck and Laser the (KEM-450DAA)?

4. second hand option thaughts? (reliability : Price ≠/= Value) ?

Thanks

Henry

TouchingVirus

From what I know about broken lasers usually you can hear the drive spin the disc around and the laser going up and down trying to focus and get a signal back. Is your DVD drive completely silent even after putting in a disc and closing the tray?

wotzgoingon

TouchingVirus wrote: »

From what I know about broken lasers usually you can hear the drive spin the disc around and the laser going up and down trying to focus and get a signal back.

I agree, if it was the laser it would still try to read.

Boss Hog

i read up on it a bit and i read somewhere that it wont even bother to spin the disk if the laser's gone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhFYNpIvZbg << before replacing Laser

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhx4e42dPo0 << After

Myrddin

I half remember reading that too, if the laser is gone the drive isn't aware there's a disc in the tray & doesn't bother trying to read it. It must send out a "disc present?" burst before actually proceeding to read...or maybe I'm completely wrong...because that has happened before

Boss Hog

Im pretty sure its the laser, unless some one can tell me another reason?
anyone tell me where they get there Hardware for repairing consoles? or what second hand parts are like are they worth getting are they readily available?

wotzgoingon

Boss Hog wrote: »

Im pretty sure its the laser

Maybe I never owned a PS3 so I don't know, but I know from the xbox that when the laser is on the way out it fails to read and you hear it trying to read.

Damien360

Ask in the playstation forum. Pretty sure the bluray controller is married to the motherboard. A quick google confirms but maybe there is a workaround.

Anyhow the PS forum is your best bet. Ask mods here to move thread.

Boss Hog

This is Console modifying and Repairs. My console is broken and in need of repair.
This is more applicable than just Playstation section, i was hoping to find some better Technical Help Here.
Does anyone have any expierience with Playstation repair Or where do you xbox people get your replacement parts, chances are they have Playstation parts as well?

Myrddin

Damien360 wrote: »

Ask in the playstation forum. Pretty sure the bluray controller is married to the motherboard. A quick google confirms but maybe there is a workaround.

Anyhow the PS forum is your best bet. Ask mods here to move thread.

The thread is perfectly fine here The blu ray controller is indeed paired to the motherboard too, there are no workarounds to my knowledge.

Boss Hog wrote: »

This is Console modifying and Repairs. My console is broken and in need of repair.
This is more applicable than just Playstation section, i was hoping to find some better Technical Help Here.
Does anyone have any expierience with Playstation repair Or where do you xbox people get your replacement parts, chances are they have Playstation parts as well?

You're going to have to make this a process of elimination. The single most common cause of this problem is diode failure, so I'd suggest starting there. You can buy replacement ones on ebay, though be very wary of cheap Hong Kong lasers...I got one before that was dead on arrival. Stick to reputable sellers where possible.

There are different types of laser unit, for different types of drive, so know which model you need first. Personally I'd buy just the laser unit, & use the existing carriage. It adds additional expense buying the carriage, & if you're any way handy, you can swap out the part while keeping the existing carriage.

If this fails to fix the issue, you're looking at a logic board problem, & this is a much bigger deal. As mentioned above, they are paired to individual motherboards, & cannot be exchanged. To my knowledge this is a Sony repair, not a diy job.

Boss Hog

Myrddin wrote: »

You're going to have to make this a process of elimination. The single most common cause of this problem is diode failure, so I'd suggest starting there. You can buy replacement ones on ebay, though be very wary of cheap Hong Kong lasers...I got one before that was dead on arrival. Stick to reputable sellers where possible.

There are different types of laser unit, for different types of drive, so know which model you need first. Personally I'd buy just the laser unit, & use the existing carriage. It adds additional expense buying the carriage, & if you're any way handy, you can swap out the part while keeping the existing carriage.

If this fails to fix the issue, you're looking at a logic board problem, & this is a much bigger deal. As mentioned above, they are paired to individual motherboards, & cannot be exchanged. To my knowledge this is a Sony repair, not a diy job.

Thank you. I appreciate the information and speedy reply.
Reg Reputable Sellers, is their any irish ones or would one have to look to the UK or further afield. Im trying to minimise on shipping costs. Is their any where you have delt with and had a good experience with?

Ill look into diode I haven't heard that suggested before.

Myrddin

Boss Hog wrote: »

Thank you. I appreciate the information and speedy reply.
Reg Reputable Sellers, is their any irish ones or would one have to look to the UK or further afield. Im trying to minimise on shipping costs. Is their any where you have delt with and had a good experience with?

Ill look into diode I haven't heard that suggested before.

The diode is in the actual laser unit assembly, so it's all the one part really. The diode is the part that fails. The whole unit will look like this.



There's nowhere in Ireland that I'm aware of where they're sold, so I'd imagine you'd be looking at the UK.

Boss Hog

http://shop.irelandpcparts.com/ ever dealt or heard about these people?

Celeron Media

Have you checked or tested the disk loading tray alignment? by inserting a game while the drive is exposed and lifting the white circular magnet to see if the game is fully engaged on the spindle...

Or tested the laser by opening the top part of the drive to see if the laser diode glows and moves up and down the track or manually placing a disk on the drives spindle and putting the circular white magnet on top and turning the console on.

Just a few things to test before spending money on a new laser.

Boss Hog

I ordered a T8H screwdriver and im waiting on it so i can start opening it up, i looked at alot of how to's on youtube so i could actually visually see the symptoms of problems they were fixing rather than just descriptions.
I get what you mean i came across the problems you have described and I am going to check that stuff before i order a laser but not spinning the disk at all seems to be a dead laser, the others seem to have hideous noises or just loading tray sounds.
Im just pre-empting the eventuality that one might be needed, and seeing if someone here Had a high level of technical expertise with them and be able to point me towards a reputable Irish supplier and confirm my diagnosis 100%.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhMTFmhabi4 <<< something interesting I found (dont know if its widely known)

Celeron Media

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhMTFmhabi4 <<< something interesting I found (dont know if its widely known)

It's only a fan test. But just to confirm the Sony PS3 does NOT have a self cleaning mode . The fan test is only to test the fan and it's also a great way to test and confirm YLOD was caused by overheating and not PSU failure. Also the fan cannot clean or vacuum dust from inside the disk drive as the drive is a closed unit. When you get your T8* this will make a lot of sense.

but not spinning the disk at all seems to be a dead laser

A burned out laser will still silently spin a disk at a lower speed for a few seconds before stopping. It's visible too see when the drive is exposed.

the others seem to have hideous noises or just loading tray sounds

That would be the miss alignment of the disks guide for insert or ejecting disk. But there is also the alignment of the laser track. (too low will not read a disk & too high scratches disks). And the most common alignment issue is the tray carriage that lifts the disks up to engage with the magnet and spindle. A simple reset of the gears by the motor realigns that issue.

Also the KES-450A laser is a dual diode lens. The larger lens reads the blu-ray and the other smaller lens read DVD/CD. It's kind of rare that both lenses are not reading data, It's possible with pcb issues or over burning but it's kind of uncommon with a dual laser. Normally the dvd lens functions 99% of the time. That's why I asked did you check the drives alignments.

and seeing if someone here Had a high level of technical expertise with them and be able to point me towards a reputable Irish supplier and confirm my diagnosis 100%.

I'm sure someone with some knowledge of PS3 consoles will stop by the forum or recommended a supplier, but be aware your chances of a new genuine KES-450A are slim to none. Most of the new lasers are third party devices and there is 2 versions of the KES-450A, one that is a lower quality device which is only good for 3-5 months and the high quality KES-450A which is good for about 2 years. The trouble is finding out which seller stocks the high quality version :eek:.

Myrddin

Celeron Media wrote: »

I'm sure someone with some knowledge of PS3 consoles will stop by the forum or recommended a supplier, but be aware your chances of a new genuine KES-450A are slim to none. Most of the new lasers are third party devices and there is 2 versions of the KES-450A, one that is a lower quality device which is only good for 3-5 months and the high quality KES-450A which is good for about 2 years. The trouble is finding out which seller stocks the high quality version :eek:.

This is the trouble I had, it's hard to know whether you're getting a decent or poor replacement part. The one I got was dead on arrival, so I sent it back. The actual installation isn't too bad at all, save for timing up the drive gears which can be a tad tricky

Boss Hog

@ Celeron Media thanks for your reply good info from what im aware the previous owner said that DVD's were working on it but games werent then he put it up on a shelf for a while and when i got it, it played nether. so they went in a short time of eachother.

Celeron Media wrote: »

A burned out laser will still silently spin a disk at a lower speed for a few seconds before stopping. It's visible too see when the drive is exposed.

and are you sure about this? >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX9jPp_7b6U <<
numerous videos show no movement, at all. before replacing the laser then it works. (i think these are the original models I haven't seen one for the slim yet)

anyway opening it up will yield the answers im looking for, i found a place in Meath http://shop.irelandpcparts.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=KES-450A that say they stock the part. But the add is a bit ambiguous about (loads of different codes on the one item) I emailed them to confirm they have the Laser and am waiting on a response.

Thanks for your help anyway lads, ill put up what transpires with this. weather anything else is off internally, if this place in meath has the part and if the laser fixes the problem. im on a car forum and hate when threads go dead and you dont know weather the issue was resolved or not.

Wez

The 2500 models have their daughterboard/logicboard built into the motherboard of the PS3. So replacing/remarrying can't be done.

I have bought a number of 360 lasers from these guys, but not a PS3 one. Decent price and quick shipping: LINK

Consolerepaircentre.ie have sold me one before (they're in Old Bawn SC @ Tallaght), ages back and had a number of pallets full of just lasers when I was there.

You should also see the clock spinning on the XMB if it's trying to read a disk.

Boss Hog

Thanks for the input. i never got a reply from the other place i emailed (Irelandpcparts) when i enquired about the part number for the laser. and the place i ordered the TT8 screwdriver off still havent delivered it (Efox.ie) thanks for the options.

Boss Hog

was a month long delay with getting the screwdriver from Efox but that was An Post's fault said they attempted delivery twice but just left it in the local depot. anyway replacing the Laser worked (consolebitz.co.uk quick delivery. irelandpcparts never got back to me) total cost of a PS3 slim €51.60

deano59

Hi - how did the laser work out for you - would you still recommend that company - I just got a 60gb backwards compatible and am skeptical about purchasing one from ebay.

Boss Hog

Yea that one I got from the company is still working grand no problems at all.
Something I found out in the meantime if your getting stuff from the UK and they offer free shipping or its a good bit cheaper than shipping to Ireland - http://www.parcelmotel.com

ItsHoggie

Hello, don't know if this is the right place to post but my brother bought a ps3 slim for €30 the other day, he already knew it didn't work but was only told it was dusty and a good clean would sort it out, the only problem he has with it really is it won't read games but reads DVDs fine? He can get it too read games if he told the console up when he puts te game in and puts it back down again anyone know what's actually wrong it an how to go about fixing it?
Cheers

Wez

ItsHoggie wrote: »

Hello, don't know if this is the right place to post but my brother bought a ps3 slim for €30 the other day, he already knew it didn't work but was only told it was dusty and a good clean would sort it out, the only problem he has with it really is it won't read games but reads DVDs fine? He can get it too read games if he told the console up when he puts te game in and puts it back down again anyone know what's actually wrong it an how to go about fixing it?
Cheers

Would be worth opening it up, checking the ribbon cables to see if they're loose and maybe giving the lens a clean by dipping a cotton bud in Isopropyl Alcohol and rub off excess.

Worst case, the price of a fresh laser on top of the €30 still isn't a bad price all in.

ItsHoggie

Wez wrote: »

Would be worth opening it up, checking the ribbon cables to see if they're loose and maybe giving the lens a clean by dipping a cotton bud in Isopropyl Alcohol and rub off excess.

Worst case, the price of a fresh laser on top of the €30 still isn't a bad price all in.

Ill let him know, cheers