I've been trying to get Free McBoot installed onto this for the past few days with a game swap trick as trying to find the right games are hard to come by, so I've been opening the case to keep reapplying the back sensor with electrical tape that keeps coming up. I just put the top case back on after reapplying the tape to the sensor but this time, it started making a grinding noise and the motor wasn't spinning. I didn't touch anything else but the sensor while the console was off. I took the CD out and the tape off and it changed nothing. I put the case back on and took all of the sensor blockers out and nothing happened. The laser is trying to move to the center towards the motor continuously, no matter what the position is. If I slide it up, it comes back inwards and creates the grinding effect again. What's the issue here?
I'd really like to find out what can fix this as soon as possible, I can't afford to replace parts and it seems like this problem is easily fixable seeing as I didn't really do anything to it. But if not...
Maybe it's the worm motor for that moves the laser unit to and from center of the drive? I damaged mine on my SCPH-77001 and had to buy another one. If I recall well, I bought mine for less than $5USD shipped. You could also try to remove, disassemble and clean that part. It's rather easy but you've got to be careful not to lose the spring in it. But it makes me think that the symptoms you are describing could maybe more relate to the switch in the railing system that gets pushed when the laser unit reach the center. Maybe you damaged that part. It's a small momentary switch that will indicate the system the laser can't go any further to the center and thus will stop the worm motor from spinning in vain and grinding the plastic guides on the laser unit.
The worm gear/motor/thing works fine, it keeps moving the laser towards the motor and the plastic catch thing for the laser just keeps skipping over it because it can't go any further. The only thing I did to the PS2 is press on the back lid sensor a bit where there was electrical tape. Then I put it all back together and I turned it on a minute later and it started doing it.
Disassemble the console and check with a multimeter if the switches work. You'll know for sure. I still think it could be related to the switch that gets pressed by the laser unit once it's reach it's closest position to the center.
I don't recall there being a switch that's hit by the laser. I'll add more info if it helps, though. I pressed sort of hard on the switch to make sure the tape was down and stayed down as it kept coming back up, so I wanted it to really stay. Also, I only briefly press down the front and back sensors and let go of them and the laser still does its thing for about 6 seconds or so. It doesn't really matter how long the sensors are down for, the duration is the same. I also don't know if the case not fully being on has anything to do with it.
will it boot a normal disk? just curious becuase i had a ps2 a long time ago that would boot but the drive wouldnt do anything, perhaps you could buy a premodded mem card and use it with usbloader or hddloader
You pushed the mechanism somewhere and now it's bent. The laser cannot slide through it's rail and get stuck. That makes the grinding noise. You have to straighten the DVD drive mechanism chassis. And it's normal the laser slide in and out depending of the tray being open or closed. The DVD drive is programmed to pull the laser out to the outermost position when the lid is opened or when the machine is powered off by the power button, to prevent accidental touching on the lens and to keep the flat connection cable in a position which makes it less likely to touch the disc surface when the laser is moved to the center of the rail. Fail to turn off the PS2 correctly and the flat cable will be left at a position which may cause it to fold. Then it starts to touch the disc surface, making round scratches.
Sorry, I really hate to necro this thread but I didn't even think anyone would reply. No discs work at all because of the fact that the laser only goes one direction, not back and forth regardless of whether or not the lid is open. Nothing dealing with the connector ribbons, nothing dealing with the rail it's on, it just never goes back and forth. So yeah, music CDs, PS1 discs, movie DVDs, nothing will be read because the laser's not moving properly. Nothing dealing with scratches. I pressed the switch for the lid that's on the left side, so that's the problem sensor.
I said that, because for the laser to go back and forth, the mechanism has to be ABSOLUTELY flat. Because it's quite fragile, if you put a slightly mild push with a thumb while fastening or loosening the corner screws you can easily bend the mechanism frame and then it will have trouble traversing the mechanism. THE DRIVE WILL NOT OPERATE without the laser pickup being able to move to the center and touch the limit switch (which curiously happen to be part of the optical pickup).
Oh, so what you mean is like the entire frame of the console's warped causing it to not move properly? Yeah, I'd believe that. A damn shame too, I don't want to have to buy a 3rd PS2 Slim.
Nope, the mechanism with the laser rails. It's secured with 4 screws on early models, 3 on some 7500xs and no screws at all on 7700x and newer. If it's bent even slightly the laser pickup will get stuck, stop moving and the worm screw will make a grinding noise against the moving tab that pushes the laser back/forward.
Disconnect it from the board, lay it flat on a table you know is flat and smooth then adjust it by bending until all sides are identically flat on the table. Remember, you have to disassembly the optical pickup from the mechanism before doing that.
