PS2 Slim scratching discs

Got a v14 slim here that scratches discs. Virtually all of the discs I've had it scratch are scratched with a nice, perfectly circular ring about 2-3cm from the outer edge. Usually come in a pair situated about 1cm apart, I can take a picture later if necessary.

I've had to replace the laser due to disc reading problems but I've had this problem occur with both. The motor has also been replaced as, when spun manually with a finger, it had a very rough feel to a small section of a spin. Problem occurred with both motors.

jinn suggested I raise the hub as he had similar troubles with a PS1 however I can't seem to raise it without flat out destroying the hub in the process. The ceramic spindle hubs I have on hand will not fit flush as with the hub the motors come with. Seems there is a 3-5mm piece of metal that is on the motor's shaft that doesn't exist on PS1s. :banghead:

I can't quite decide if the metal casing is doing the scratching or the lens. Anyone got an idea or two?

 

I had this ages ago i got a faulty ps2 slim and it was the laser ribbon replaced and never ruined my disks again or you could buy a whole new mech with spindle motor.

 

That problem happens when the unit is stored for a LONG period with the laser unit "unparked".

Have you ever wondered why the PS2 SLIM AWAYS pull the laser ALL WAY OUT when you open the lid or power it off properly using the power button ? It's to put the laser pickup ribbon cable in a position it won't "remember" the form and then get close enough of the disc surface to actually touch it. :shrug:

 

I'll be sure to ask the owner if he has done anything like that.

Any way to fix it or is the unit basically worthless?

 

just replace the ribbon cable, theyre pretty cheap online
Just see the right model for your ps2 as theyre some revisions on the motor lens/ ribbon cable

 

There's three types...

Earlier one (7000x/7500x) is "L" shaped, middle one is "L" shaped as well but has no glue and is a bit different (7900x) and newer (9000x) one is more of an "J".

 

Oh I see, somehow I misinterpreted what was going on.

Curious though, I didn't think the ribbon was capable of scratching the discs. Unless I'm yet again misinterpreting what is going on.

EDIT:

Oh yeh I can see how this might scratch something. When I push the laser towards the hub the ribbon comes up with a very lovely sharp edge to it. Not sure how it is even functional.

Thanks l_oliveira!

 

I would call this problem as a serious design flaw.

Just like with the PSPs 100x series where the thumb pressure on the D-PAD damages the RAM/FLASH chip connections to the motherboard, this issue with the laser ribbon comes from design choices made by the SONY engineers. On SCPH-7900x model they alleviated the problem by reducing the motherboard size and making the flat cable run in wider space.

But on the SCPH-9000x model, they crammed the power supply inside of the unit and they had to resume the former measure/size so the SCPH-9000x has the issue restored.

So in my humble opinion, the best PS2 slim model reliability wise is the SCPH-7900x. :thumbsup:

I totally dislike these PS2 slim. All of them stink...

 

Thats really interesting.

 

Had this happen not to long ago in PS2 slim I had to have a look at. I heard the sh-sh-sh noise and thought, that sounds suss. Bit of a shitty design, I just re-fixed the ribbon cable slightly and it was all good again.

 

I sold my slim white PS2 because of this..

I agree that it's a bit crap though. I'm scared to put games worth a bit of money (IIDX titles) in my slim PS2 so I use my debug to play games.

 

I've found slims damage discs anyway. Especially when running cheat disks like AR Max. hence why me and my brother still have the same ps2 we've had for years with no screws in it and missing the disc drive bezel. (oh the memories with that!)

 

Seriously I never had anything like that happen to me. Well I aways turn the thing off with the power button or take the disc out after finish playing.

Pulling the wall plug is the wrong way of turning it off ...

And I bet you did that a lot when you were a kid ... lol

For real, cheat discs have nothing to do with the problem. It's the fact that you're more likely to store it with a disc inside (It will have the laser move to the center while reading) and pulling the power cable instead of turning it off properly with the reset button.

So if the laser is left positioned to the center for a long time the flat cable will "learn" that position and will remember it, causing the scratches by touching the disc.

 

The PS2 I had in question didn't so much learn the position but it formed a nice 45° angle in the ribbon that had a point pointy enough to perform a nice cutting action.

 

It's sad but the thing is quite unforgiving so if you do the mistake only once but let it sit that way long enough to bend the flat cable, you can bet it will scratch disks ...

 

Amusing as the tray based models could have the same problem develop with the ribbon but the tray would prevent the ribbon from coming into contact with the discs.

 

Never bought a slim, we always had one fat ps2 that has served us well. I've looked at them though and they seem crap in terms of quality. My aunt had 2 that damaged discs. it probably was the pulling of the cable etc but you wouldn't expect it to do that (I don't think any other console does it)

 

The problem comes exactly from the fact of the console being "slim" as "thin", which is the cause of the low space for the flat cable ... :shrug:

 

I hate slim versions of consoles, they try to fix one problem and cause another..

 

The slim was likely an attempt at offering more value (inclusion of Ethernet and a modem connection) while reducing manufacturing costs. By not having to offer a separate network adapter one full manufacturing line could be shut down, one that likely wasn't selling like hotcakes after everyone who wanted one got one. GT4 probably sold a few hundred thousand.

Obviously they removed the modem and any IDE capabilities rather quickly which further reduced costs. Does it surprise anyone that new problems cropped up due to cost reducing measures? Unintended they may have been.