PS3 - Fails to Load Anything Really

Hey guys,

I could do with a hand with a PS3 I bought from eBay recently. It was sold to me as having a Blu Ray drive problem and once I got it I assumed it was just a case of replacing the laser (as I've done this process before). However once I swapped out the laser it still wouldn't read any discs. The dashboard loads up fine.

Trying a different tactic I decided to download some demos etc, however it doesn't appear to load anything. I.e. if I try and load up the PSN store, or BBC iplayer the screen just goes to black and the console doesn't appear to be doing anything - only way I can get back to normal is to restart the console. The internet browser appears to work ok, and the ITV player video app.

I was a little concerned with the connection between the blu-ray drive via the ribbon cable, thinking that maybe some kind of failsafe is being used, i.e. PS3 thinks drive isn't connected so therefore doesn't load anything. However when I fully disconnected the drive (still power, but no ribbon cable) the dash came up, but I couldn't insert a disc (basically I think the ribbon cable may be ok).

If anyone has any suggestions they'd be much appreciated.

 

Not 100%, but this may help.

 

Check to see if the laser is emitting, Regardless of the type of disc it'll use the 405nm laser first. If that one is bad it'll never attempt to read the disc. The 405nm laser should look purplish white when lit, if it is a deep purple or is visibly dim it is bad. I have read about people getting cheap lasers that break or never work to begin with.

 

May be the problem is in half-bad connection between Blu-ray drive and motherboard? Like ribbon cable got loose or some contacts on it is too oxidized/dirty? When it happened to me, my PS3 refused to load anything until I cleaned ribbon cable contacts several times with eraser & alcohol. I attempted to use only alcohol first time, but it didn't help.My point is that sometimes basic cleaning may not be enough - i actually ordered replacement ribbon cable before realizing that original one got REALLY oxidized.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. I haven't progressed any further currently due to lack of tweaking time. I'll let you know how I get on.

I've checked the connections as thoroughly as I can currently, even going so far as to get a new ribbon cable for the laser to blu ray as I thought it looked a little suspect, but that had no impact.

I'm convinced that the hidden recovery menu is what I need to try now before progressing further, however I don't have a Dualshock 3 so I'm a bit limited at the minute. It's a shame it's just a case of not having any controllers to replicate the 'home' button.

 

Isn't there something where the disc drive board is "keyed" to that console? Maybe someone changed that out but didn't set it up properly.

 

I'm really hoping that it isn't the case, but it could be a possibility. This was why I asked for opinions so I can work out potential fail options. The eBay text seems genuine to me, but could easily distorted. Will see how it goes anyway.

 

If that is the case then it is fixable as long as the PS3 is "hackable." What firmware is on it and what model number is it?

 

either that or the drive's board is broken.

 

Thanks for the advice all.

Currently I'm still trying to use the hidden recovery menu to do some restoration. However I've been having fun with controllers. I ended up buying a dirt cheap faulty Dualshock 3 (random/phantom button presses), which was good enough to get me in by pressing the home button, however unable to select anything afterward (you can't swap out to another controller either!). Therefore I'm trying my best to clean and sort out that at the minute.

It's on the latest firmware, and its a CECHG03. So don't think it'll be hackable.

Is there any way of telling if the drive has been swapped out by model codes?

 

Hi all,

An update. I finally have had time to look at trying to fix my PS3 again.

1. I went through all the hidden boot menu restore options, still the same, not loading any programs/games or discs (of any kind).

2. Opened up the console and checked all connections, ribbon cables etc. Still no impact.

3. Removed top of disc drive case to check laser operation. All variants of the lasers appear to display ok. With a clear disc I was able to see the Blu Ray diode light up brightly, then cycle through the other laser colours as it tries to read the disc. With a retail blu ray in, it spins consistently.

Could my problem be as a result of a broken or incorrectly swapped daughter board?

Not sure on how to take it further. My console is CECHG03 (fat model), and firmware is on official 4.41. From searching around there are some possibilities for downgrading and remarrying but haven't found any definitive guides.

 

Hack it. It IS hackable. You need to dump, modify and re-flash the boot rom with a downgrade image. Then you should be able to easily re-pair the drive.

But honestly I would not bother putting it back on the PSN after hacking. Lest you be banned from PSN for tampering.

 

Presuming I've done my research right that means via a hardware tool? From the looks of it this could be quite expensive.

 

Depending on what firmware it's running, like it hasn't been updated since 2007, you could probably hack the fat one with anything that boots code, like your phone or even a graphing calculator. Even then such a task looks daunting since you have to be quick with your hands.

 

I just read this thread from the top and one thing I find curious. If I get this right: You say that with or without the optical drive, you get to the dashboard, but can't run any apps, including those downloaded from PSN. Correct?

IF this is due to the machine detecting the drive as faulty in both cases, you should be able to repeat it by disconnecting the drive from a working unit and see if you get the same behaviour. If a known working unit can still play PSN games even with the optical drive removed, there's probably something else wrong than the optical drive. Right?

 

Since System Software 2.50 or something around that time, SONY put code to check for the BD-ROM drive before launching anything. If the drive fails to auth (disconnected or broken) the PS3 will get stuck at a black screen.

 

Oh, I see, nevermind then

 

Yes, hardware tool. That's the only way to fix it if the BD-ROM drive is not properly married.

Either that or send it in to Sony for service.

Basically, to replace a BD-ROM on a PS3, you can't replace the whole thing. If you do, you need to downgrade and remarry. If you don't remarry, it doesn't work.

It's an annoying process either way which is why no shops do drive replacement on the cheap.