After much reading and investigations i have decided to join and post my own problem.
Please help. Whilst playing Fifa 11 and straight after the 3.56 firmware update when the game froze and the only way to turn off the console was with holding down the on/off switch on the front off the panel. When i restarted the console it wouldn't recognise the game disc, i then tried blu-ray discs, dvds, cd's and a ps2 game, none of which are recognised. All the correct lights come on and the loading clock in the top right corner of the screen spins but that is as far as it gets. When the disc is ejected the loading disc in the corner of the keeps spinning, i have to hold down the eject button until it ejcts again with no disc in for it to stop.
I have been given a 60GB and a 40GB that have the YLOD which i have been unable to succesfully reflow. I have swapped in the drive from these and these give the same symptoms. This maybe due to the pairing between the mother and control board, i don't know. I am unable to swap over the control boards as they are of a different configuration.
I have also taken apart the drive and given everything a good clean, the laser is free to move and the motor isn't ceased and all the springs and magnets seem to be in the correct place.
I have put the original 60 gb hard drive back in (i had upgraded to a 640GB WD drive) and restored the system and all of those options on the restore menu.
None of these actions has got it working again and i am now out of idea's and will not send it back to Sony and am loath to buy a slim PS3 so could you please give me some advice on my next move.
the laser is bad, depending on where you live, i ordered 4 yesterday for 59 dollars each from ebay. you must keep the board on the original drive with the motherboard, it will not load without it. check inside the drives and see if the lasers are the same, if they have only 1 lens the you should be able to swap out the laser, if they have 2 lens then you cannot change them out.
Thankyou for you reply, i have taken apart the YLOD 60GB and that has a single laser and identified as a KEM 400 AAA, i remember when i first took apart my 60GB PS3 to clean it there were 2 lasers. They are also in different chasis, the YLOD PS3 has the control board on the outside, whereas mine is on the inside and to access it you have to take apart the whole drive assembly casing. i think the reason why mine is different is that while my PS3 was still under warranty back in 2007 the drive stopped working and sony replaced mine with a refurbed 60GB. I suppose the refurbed has lasted 4 years which sounds quite good from what i have been reading.
I will take apart mine this evening to see what model number it is.
i'm not sure where you live but i would be willing to trade you the laser you need for one of the lasers you dont need, if that sounds like a good deal?
Thanks very much for the offer and it sounds like a good deal but i live in England for one and i don't think my friend who owns the YLOD PS3 would take too kindly to me giving his Blu Ray Drive away.
I have had a busy weekend so haven't yet got around to opening mine up yet to get the model number, should be able to get this done today.
