ps2 lasers are all different but have similarities.the fat playstation 2's were made in japan and the laser are a bit better than the slim ones in some cases.the slim ps2's were made in china so the country already says it all, but thats not always true.
ps2 lasers do not like psone games,dvd movies,audio cds,and even ps2 games that are cd based.the ps2 will work best if you only use ps2 dvd games.
modchip vs swap magic?swap magic won't ruin your laser.many people have been using theirs for years without any problems.
dvd media is extremely important.BUT every media runs the laser out even orginal ps2 games.thats just the way it is with everything that has a cd/dvd drive.so nothing is harmless.
hope that helped.
1/ Cheap CD-R/DVD media is bad? Quality/expensive CD-R/DVD media is harmless/good?
All media will eventually run down the laser's life expectancy like BIGNewb said. It's just using good quality media like Taiyo Yuden can ease the stress on the laser way more than you would find, see or hear for that matter when using bad media like Memorex or TDKs (unless you're lucky to not get any CMC MAGs).
2/ Some swap discs harm/stress lasers, while others don't? Does it depand on the brand?
The only instances I know of Swap Magic harming the laser is when it wasn't big enough to fit properly when you insert the SM disc into my slim PS2. Imagine yourself dropping a ball into a bucket of water and wait until the water and ball become steady (yeah...). For those that had trouble getting their Swap Magic to boot, most cases I've heard of was when someone was using those custom PS2 flip-tops for the fatties, had it installed improperly causing the PS2 to scratch anything it was trying to read. Another one was the laser's height. Some people had to adjust it lower because the laser was literally pressing against the disc while trying to read it. And the last case I usually heard of was when the SM disc wouldn't boot anymore or didn't boot when they got it. In these situations, the PS2 they tried to have tested it on had a laser that was dying, and they simply need a replacement.
3/ Modchips don't stress the laser full stop, while swap discs can/mostly do?
Hmm? Mod-chips are very convenient while Swap Magic is a bit of a hassle of some/many simply because they can't stand doing it every and the need to rebuilding certain games properly in order for it to work. When you mean "Modchips don't stress the laser full stop", are you trying to ask what boot method wears out the laser more? Between a modchip and swap magic? It doesn't matter if that's the question because it mainly depends on what media you are using to back up your games that determines how much stress is being place on your PS2's laser. Make sure the DVD media you are using are of optimal quality.
compressed air cans = bad.
get a camera lens polish brush/cloth to clean your laser.
I saw a laser eye crack in the middle of summer because of excess coolant from rigorous cleaning with a can of dust-off.
and it goes without saying, dont shower with your playstation...
i know we all love our pyestoos like that... but its REALLY REALLY bad for it... so is beer... ;\= and cake...
aside from the jokes, ive actually blown a ps2 up with the compressed air can, i was spraying into the open CD tray and i guess some retarded dust monster decided to chew a big chunk of the power supply off and blow it out of the top of it... yea well i guess doing that while it was plugged in wasn't such a great idea iether... so i'd suggest unplugging your ps2 before doing ANYTHING... and probably waiting 5-20 minutes just in case before doing anything too... capacitors are funny things...
I had no idea what did the wearing out, which is why I compared mod chip with swap disc.
Now I know it's 'mostly' the blank media to blame. Cheers.
One last unrelated thing. If you drip solder on the motherboard where it shouldn't be, can you just leave it? I'm talking about specs or 4mm blobs for example.
honestly, with the solder, it really depends on what its dripped on. if its on naked pcb then you may be able to get your fingernail under it and just pop it off, as the pcb's are usually coated with a thin film of corrosion resistant flux compound. also, if its on pins or terminals or wherever, chances are its a cold solder joint and you could just pop it off still. this is especially true for tiny dots. you should see they look like tiny ball bearings and theres a dark ring underneath them. if thats the case you can just pop them off.
just BE careful. if you are dropping a 4mm blob of solder onto the board then you have WAY too much on your iron, thats about 4-5 inches of solder wire... way way way too much. i'd suggest getting a 15-25W with a finer tip for PS2 work.
