IT'S ALIVE!!!

Mi Problema

I was playing Madden 11 for about 3 hours when all of a sudden my screen went black and the PS3 (Original release PS3 fat model 80GB/upgraded to 500GB) started to beep repeatedly. I never heard it do that before and turned it back on. It came back on instantly so I assumed it was just an error of some sorts that resolved itself. A few days later, I turned on the PS3 to watch a movie and the PS3 beeped at me and didn't turn on. I looked up the symptoms online and found it to be the dreaded YLOD!!! I was distressed and almost desperate; I almost took a blow dryer to it like so many of the YouTube videos I saw saying that this was a common and the easiest fix. I'm glad I decided against it and to do it properly with the ifixit's YLOD repair kit.

Mi Solución

The repair was fairly simple because you get everything you need with the repair kit. I didn't have to use a butter knife or screw drivers that were too big or too small for the job. I printed out a PDF version of the repair guide and followed it very closely and took my time. Everything was very well described and the pictures matched my PS3 exactly. I would never have cracked my PS3 open without ifixit's step by step guide. Overall, it took me about an hour and 45 minutes to follow steps 1-50 and then steps 50-1 to reassemble. I am not the most technically inclined, so I felt a great bit of accomplishment to have done this repair, have my PS3 back and kicking and reassemble and not have ANY left over parts!!! I am in your debt ifixit.

Mi Consejo

Like many have suggested before: keep your screws/parts separated as you go along. Have plenty of room to work with (you'll need it) Clean the components as you go along, clearing all the dust as you disassemble the PS3. I kept a mini-vac close to me and just sucked up all the dust bunnies as I opened the PS3 in layers. Be careful with the ribbon cables and just take your time to do it right the first time. I used regular rubbing alcohol to clean off the chips and clean off any excess thermal paste. Once done with the reflow (which is probably the hardest part in my opinion) just follow the steps in reverse to reassemble. Also, I tested the PS3 before completely reassembling the final covers. Just follow the directions found on ifixit's website and you really can't mess up. I will also be laying my PS3 flat instead of vertically from now on seeing as how when you reflow the solder on the motherboard, you are required to lay it flat and allow it to reflow in that orientation. It just makes too much sense now. Happy Holidays and Good luck.