Fixing the PS2 Slim's MOST common fault

👕 Support the channel by buying one of my T-shirts, designed by me and made by American Apparel right here in the USA (ships worldwide)
www.BorderlineOCD.com
In this video I revive a faulty PlayStation 2 Slim that I picked up on Facebook Marketplace that suffers from just about the most common issue that plagues a used PS2 Slim today - a worn and tired laser.
You'll find useful information on the types of optical pickups used in the PS2 Slim, which ones can be interchanged for other makes/models, and which ones can only be replaced with the exact same pickup. Finally, we'll discuss the MOST important step when installing a replacement laser and how to do it well to guarantee success.
🛒 Specialty products specific to this project
Mitsumi PVR-802W laser: amzn.to/3SMGcif
Sony KHM-430 laser: hard to find and more expensive, just get the Mitsumi (it's compatible)
Philips SPU-3170 laser: amzn.to/3y6LWMa
White Lithium Grease: amzn.to/2UApx5M
My (pretty old but good) video where I successfully repair a PS2 Slim by adjusting potentiometers: • A Tale of Two PS2 Slim...
Random website I found useful which talks about the PS2 Slim laser makes/models: bit.ly/3E1H2nr
My philosophy on buying tools is to start small and to "outgrow" your gear over time. Expensive gear won't improve your repair and fault finding skills, only practice will do that. With that in mind below is what's in my current toolkit.
🔧 Toolkit
Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/2X7s0Gj
Automatic Wire Stripper: amzn.to/30F5TJm
Pocket Multimeter: amzn.to/3IdvzQz
Component Tester: amzn.to/3l5rHG8
🖌 Soldering Essentials
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
Tip Tinner: amzn.to/31w2EF4
Contact Cleaner: amzn.to/3dI93ly
🔍 Soldering Add-ons
Fume Extractor with Hose: amzn.to/3hspLZi
Desoldering Vacuum Pump: amzn.to/3Qe9ipl
Hot Air Rework Station: amzn.to/3w023bF
Circuit Board Holder: amzn.to/3k35Pzm
Helping Hands Soldering Aid: amzn.to/3ihgksP
🔥 Thermal Compounds & Tape
Kapton Tape amzn.to/3DEu0dd
Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste: amzn.to/2Ak2y8w
1.5MM Arctic Thermal Pads: amzn.to/2Vv1RQU
🧴 Lubes and Epoxies
White Lithium Grease: amzn.to/2UApx5M
Plastic Epoxy: amzn.to/3up0LIm
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro/What's wrong?
2:37 Always check the door sensors
4:22 Which laser do you have?
6:06 Let's look underneath
7:53 Preparing the optical pickup
8:58 The MOST important step
10:27 Lube me up
11:51 How well does it work?
12:53 Outro

[@InktronicsBlog]

That solder blob was the only thing keeping me from fixing mine. I watched other videos and they gloss over that part. Thanks for making it clear what needs to be done. I’ve had the part for a year now just dreading that. Now I feel silly. 😂

[@jackburton8352]

I can see why so many miss it.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad it helped!

[@theexile4694]

@@BorderlineOCD Did you see the news? PS2 slims can now play games via their ethernet port and a raspberry pi. Pretty cool, don't cha think?

[@MrBioniclefan1]

@@BorderlineOCDmine is a 90000 and it has issues with one of the games that used to play really well and then one it decided not to go to the menu. I don’t know if it’s the disc or the console.

[@Helladamnleet]

@@theexile4694 It's slow as balls though. If you're going to the Free MCBoot option you're better off playing off the actual hard drive on a PS2 phat

[@Crankeh]

Little late to the party on this vid, but I wanted to say thank you!! I've never touched a soldering iron or even attempted to repair my own console before. Decided to give this a go on my PS2 slim that wouldn't read disks anymore. Well, it worked! Thank you for the inspiration to attempt this on my own!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Great to hear!

[@AnotherDud3]

The ribbon cables leading from the motherboard to the laser are the most common I've found, because of the design of the slim ps2, the ribbon cable is partially adhered to the chassis which over time of back and fourth movement of the laser creates a crease in the laser ribbon, which then eventually causes a break in the ribbon.

[@Oceanandskylinevidss]

Yea I bought a new disc assembly and I thought connecting the 3 ribbons back would make it work again, but the disc won't spin and it makes a clicking noise. I followed everything to a tea and no luck. its a bummer for me cuz I wanted to play metal gear 2 on my pvm:(

[@SerdceDanko]

Its more common when ribbon will go up too high and will scratch the disk. No surprise this thing had so many revisions.

[@laminlatrel6402]

​@@Oceanandskylinevidssvise Versa, I Wanted To Play Metal Gear Solid 3(snake eater).. and once I get to a certain point.. it freezes and same for metal Gear Solid 2..

[@EpicGamer-ny1fu]

Absolutely this.. it's a shame this creator is telling people to replace the laser. Everytime I've seen a slim reading one disc type and not the other there was physical damage to 2-4 of the traces in the ribbon cable.

[@Retrotopia903]

Its the laser most of the time if dvd games dont work and cd plays​@@EpicGamer-ny1fu

[@kiki6713]

I used/repaired a bunch of PS2 Slims in my life, and by far the most common issue was either the 1) door sensors, 2) the door "security switch" itself, and 3) broken solder joints on the power jacks. 1 and 3 are easy to fix, but when the security switch gets damaged it sometimes is a pain to get working again. I found your channel literally yesterday and have been binging it after work. One of the best on KZbin. Keep it up!

[@kurt22783]

Perfect time for you to upload this! I'm working on a pile of 7 PS2 slims, all have issues with disc read errors. Spending my day replacing all of the lasers. Easy enough of a job!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Nice, bring all those puppies back to life.

[@jwhite8294]

Could I send my PS2 slim to you to fix, disc error issue to inform. I will gladly submit payment.

[@vinegreen3242]

@@jwhite8294 ill do it

[@jwhite8294]

@@vinegreen3242 Thank you, but corrected the issue.

[@fetchslaybffr]

​@@jwhite8294 how?

[@ventrue6516]

Thank you very much for covering PS2 slim repair. Most of the videos on KZbin don't bother to do this kind of repair video.

[@HellScream107]

Great repair video! I have a few old PS2 slims from my former roommate with bad optical drives. I can't wait to try to replicate this.

[@christopherdozier7003]

I love your content man it is so inspiring to know people still want the old stuff I'm thinking about this myself

[@bootmonster]

I just wanted to comment to say you are my new favourite channel, I really enjoy the newer format videos like this where you talk to the camera, and take us through the whole process. Not to mention all the links in the description, really appreciate the effort that goes into these videos. Great job and keep up the good work. :)

[@CraigyGInDaHut1993]

Thanks for showing the solder blob. That was putting me off fixing my fat ps2 as didn't know what needed soldering. I've had it for nearly 21 years so would love to get it fully working again

[@tbonejenkins8807]

I replaced the laser in my big ps2 and never had to mess with solder. Worked perfectly, too.

[@CraigyGInDaHut1993]

@@tbonejenkins8807 the lasers I have looked at have said something about solder

[@MrRagemanPL]

What a timing. I'm having exact same issues with my PS2 right now. Thank you for the tips.

[@jasonverhagen5253]

I just fixed my PS2 after watching your video. Now my PS2 slim( original owner, I bought it when it first came out)is good for another 20 years. I can't believe the improvement. And I can't thank you enough for your time and help. A million thanks 🙏.

[@Enjoymentboy]

Very nice repair. I had a friend who found a simpler solution: spike the console into the concrete floor and buy a replacement from the flea market. I tried to convince him this wasn't the best option but he seemed to prefer his method. Glad to know there are other options out there. lol

[@BigBlueBruiser84]

Had the same issue with my slim PS2 after 15 years. Replaced the laser without an issue thanks to your video. Appreciate it very much.

[@anythingandeverything_cuisine]

This is just what I needed. My slim is burning grooves in my discs, so it needs to be replaced. I would have never known about the solder ball, so thanks.

[@Retro_Rok]

Thank you for showing me this video on how it’s dome right, replacing your DVD/CD drive on the PS2 Slim. I for myself have a 79004 model, that has a broken disc drive. Will order one soon and change it. Now I know what to be careful off. Thank you very much!

[@scooter4196]

I didn’t realize that about the solder blob. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@Anna-abc]

There's another thing that can prevent the system from reading discs too. My friend's PS2 slim had this. The grease on the rails that hold the laser assembly can get dry so that the rails don't move as smoothly as they should, making it so that loading takes forever or refuses to load at all. I opened my friend's PS2 and put new grease in and it worked perfectly for a long time after that. Also a sidenote: Lithium grease can actually damage plastics on the long run and is meant to be used mainly on metal parts. I use silicone grease with these kinds of projects since it's totally safe and long lasting for plastics and metals. Otherwise great videos man, I'm glad I found a new guy to follow since I really enjoy these kinds of videos. Good job on the project otherwise!

[@wallyf7020]

Always great videos. Enjoyed the video and i am glad you were able to fix the PS2 slim.

[@rich2583]

This works everyone. My man is a gentleman and scholar for this little gem. Mine made this buzzing sound when attempting to load games, but still read DVDs. Followed the instructions, and it works like new!

[@randomretroplays3123]

As always I loved watching the video. Great fix delivered with very clear understanding of how to do this repair ourselves. Huge like 👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@LemmeSquish]

3:46 There's also a secret 4th reason that could happen. The IC control chip (RS2006EFV) could be shot. Highly unlikely but I've personally ran into a lot of ps2 slims with shotty IC chips.

[@elshrapnel]

Totally agree

[@niino4329]

On early SCPH-70000 consoles, this is not unlikely at all. They often experience DSP + Mechacon crashes due to buggy DSP-firmware when reading scratched or burned discs. And when Mechacon crashes, it will permanently pull the input to the RS2006EFV to the maximum, which kills the IC (and sometimes also the laser) in a matter of seconds. Same thing happens on 50000 series fats, where it kills the LA6508 IC.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Good to know. Is there a good way to diagnose a fried IC chip to confirm it has failed?

[@niino4329]

@@BorderlineOCD Yeah, checking the outputs and the supply voltage for short to ground (one of them being shorted means the IC is fried). They don't always fail with short to ground, but usually they do. There's also a way to prevent this from happening. Search for Matrix PIC-fix. It's basically just a PIC microcontroller that monitors Mechacon for crashes and instantly shuts off the PS2 when this happens.

[@LemmeSquish]

@@niino4329 This^^^ Sometimes I come across those chips with visual defects. I've come across a handful of those IC chips that look like they exploded!

[@sethbessinger2025]

I’m looking for a PS2 to replace my old one, as it’s long gone. Good job on the repair!

[@rafaelc7757]

Another CLEAN job! Very satisfying!

[@NightimeDemon]

I'm happy to see that the arm that makes contact with the worm gear used in the slim consoles is metal. In my fat SCPH-30001R, that arm is all plastic. The lasers still work, shockingly enough, after a good cleaning of both lasers. The teeth on the plastic arm is nearly gone, but I propped the worm gear up with a bit of paper to help aid contact as a stop-gap until the arm can eventually be replaced (hopefully with a metal one). Nice repair! If I ever need to replace the lasers in my fat or slim SCPH-90001, I'll refer to this video. I would definitely not have been aware of getting rid of that solder blob on the new laser.

[@Luna-ou7hs]

You are straight to the point, very professional and sharp. Congrats. U deserve my subscribe

[@ileox4170]

Very nice documented as everytime 😎👍🏻 so i know that these replacements have such solder blobs on. I knew that they have to be removed, but i didn’t knew the reason why ☝🏻🤓

[@WrestlingFace]

Awesome video sir

[@cum_as_you_are]

Very helpful. Keep up the good work!

[@ArreglandoCosas]

Excellent video. Very well explained. I will save it. I have a couple of ps2 waiting for some love.

[@noelani1723]

Thank you for this! I ended up not even needing to replace the laser - just needed a good cleaning and voila!

[@larkan511]

Interesting, I usually just put my PS2 slim vertical if it doesn't read a disc and it fixes it every time. I guess if that stops working I'll be coming back to this video!

[@austinfrank7752]

I was lucky enough that a little isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip seemed to fix the problem. But I'm sure I'll have to come back and reference this video someday soon. Great video!

[@Cynbel_Terreus]

Thank you for this video, had to replace mine as I couldn't play PS1 games/CDs and pot adjustments weren't working. I did actually find a KHM-430 for about $20, works great now.

[@thegrayghost3043]

Great video. Thank you for the in-depth information.

[@usdms13]

Superb once again

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you for the donation my man. It’s very much appreciated!

[@usdms13]

@@BorderlineOCD you're very welcome.

[@K.P.Alexander]

Best part of the video at 12:36

[@joekickarze]

Legend, thank you. My new laser wouldn't read any discs until I watched your video and saw I needed to desolder that point. PS2 is reading discs and working again ( =

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad I could help

[@fetchslaybffr]

My ps2 would run ps2 games only but I just bought a dvd-r to do the free mcboot thing but the problem is the dvd won't run correctly it start spinning for seconds then stops I tried several DVDs and ps2 games and it was working but not the dvd-r how can I fix it? I only want this dvd to run so I can install free mcboot

[@adeeshabandara9140]

I'm a Sri Lankan and "Adooo" means hey bro and Adoo you've been doing an awesome job all this time my good friend and I've been there since the beginning bro.Love your channel my friend

[@Luigi64]

Those 3 hidden traces dang no wonder ppl have trouble when they don't know

[@oscarcolon1264]

5 stars..... Very knowledgeable love your setup in the background..🤟🤟. Will buy & attempt

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks! Good luck with your repair.

[@yuribacon]

Huge thanks for making this guide! I had bought a PS2 slim on ebay a few months ago, and it'd been reading discs slowly but I hadn't thought that much about it (things were just slower back then right? I'm just too used to emulators having perfect load times), but a few weeks back it just stopped being able to read and boot PS1 discs 90% of the time. I eventually decided to look into it, and many people suggested cleaning the laser, and oh, PS1 games sure work now! But now PS2 can't boot 90% of the time lol. This guide helped me so much in replacing my laser. Normally I'm not awful with taking things apart and fixing them, but I've been through like 5 PS2s because of laser problems and not being able to fix them and my confidence on it was super low, but I managed to do it and now my PS2 is reading discs better and faster than ever! I didn't know it was possible for the PS2 to cut off its Sony screen sound early to get to the PS logo screen of PS1 games faster! Its such a huge difference compared to before where it could never boot any game in time to not hit the OSD "Browser Options" menu. Thanks! EDIT: Almost forgot the biggest part: the recommendation on low temp, a bit of flux, in out? I'm so glad you said that, I think I would have burned it on a higher temp first time without that advice! It worked like a charm.

[@fairrodthecapacitor]

Another common fault the slims have is the ribbon cable that scratches the disc Nice video!

[@infinity2z3r07]

Yep I went through mine a few years ago for a complete cleaning and didn't get that ribbon cable in the exact orientation as before. It put a ring on disc 1 of FF7 before I could stop it. Still mad lol

[@0fUnkn0wn0rigin]

You can easily fix the scratching issue by sticking a piece of adhesive foam on the back of the metal housing of the laser unit. About a couple of millimeters thick, it's light and it wil push the ribbon cable slightly down. The ribbon will not be able to bulge that much and won't scratch the disc anymore.

[@kevinjohnson9929]

Would love to see a laser replacement on a ps2 fat. And battery replacement

[@GTObrad1]

Thank you so much for this video and your linked video! I searched all over the web for this exact problem. Both of these videos are the best hands down. Very informative and explained clearly. I was able to fix the problem. Some my pots were just a touch off. Or at least to your values in the videos, so I adjusted them to those values amd works flawlessly! This was my system that ive owned since new and maybe the pots just got off whack from vibration over the years? This is the first time ive opened this. I learned something cool today! Thanks 😀. BTW is there somewhere that I can goto to search for tech specs such as the values of the pots or any other info?

[@Gaming-Enthusiast]

Great repair 👍👍

[@econtreras]

I don’t have a PS2, but was curious on how to fix it if ever it doesn’t work. Just want to say thank you for such a detailed video! You make gamers happy! I hope you know that. Thank you!

[@econtreras]

Just subscribed too!

[@slejer_]

thank you so much for nice and clean tutorial and explanation!!!

[@Nico-qh9ew]

Cheers from Belgium! Thanks a lot for helping me saving my Ps2 !

[@hotderp]

bro when you started to vibe to petey pablo at the NFS Underground menu....meeeemmoorrrrriiieeeessssss

[@MrCumstein]

Quick question. Do you have any formal training in electronics repair or are you self-taught? I love how thorough and meticulous you are!

[@BorderlineOCD]

KZbin-taught. It's just a hobby and I do it for fun.

[@MrCumstein]

@@BorderlineOCD Well it's obvious that you enjoy it and that you are quite skilled at it. You're a pleasure to watch, sir!

[@Dance4lifeBR]

great video. such good info

[@bmwm6661]

Very helpful, thanks dude 👍

[@henrykarhunen4380]

Thank you for your videos. This saved me!

[@oldschooldude8370]

Had a slim for a short time and sold it at game stop because I was mainly PC. Wish I held onto it now. Been on a nostalgia trip for months now.

[@zachmontminy]

Wow that cleaning actually worked. Thanks.

[@fernandofernandes8142]

Amazing tips

[@jcchaconjr]

I’ve got 3 PS2’s that I am the original owner of. A 30001-R that still works pretty well, even though it was a MagicSwap workhorse for a few years, a 70012 model (yes odd, but it is an NTSC-U model) that reads discs so fast, it barely gets through the intro screen, and an NTSC-J 77000 model that is only reading some (not all) DVD games and PS1 discs only after entering the browser. I recently also picked up another 30001-R (also with the decal intact) that doesn’t read any discs to use primarily with OPL for now, but would love to get that one repaired as well one of these days. It’s kind of odd that the JP model has seen the least use over the years (it’s always been in its box when not in use otherwise), but it is what it is. I recently picked up a fully working replacement from Japan for now, but would love to get mine working again. This video sure came at the right time. I just hope I can successfully remove the warranty decal intact. Like you, I think it’s pretty cool to see that label still on after so many years. Only my 30001-R model is missing it. Thanks, and many happy repairs!

[@slimebuck]

back in the day the fix I used was putting the ps 2 upside down at a 45 degree angle. I have no idea why it worked, but most systems that would not read disks this silly fix actually worked. It amazed everyone I showed it too lol

[@Sillysoft]

I am a reseller, so Im always going to yard sales, garage sales, estate and thrift stores looking for old video game stuff. For the longest time if I bought the item, took it home and it ended up not working, I would just toss it or donate it. But one day I bought 3 SNES systems and all 3 ended up not working and I was really upset. So I took the time to learn how to open them and understand what is what and common issues to look for. I ordered a soldering station and a multimeter and off I went. After successfully repairing all 3 SNES systems I felt so stupid on how easy it was. Two SNES just needed a new pico fuse and the last one was even easier, it just needed a new power switch. I then started learning other systems like NES, which is even easier than SNES, PS3, PS2, Gamecube etc. Not saying Im an expert on these, but I can now take it further to find out whats wrong and potentially fix it instead of just tossing it. So fun to learn. Recently did a PS3 console and thought it would be hard because of so many screws and pieces you had to go through. Felt like I wouldnt remember. I didnt have the new laser yet, but I just took it apart and put it back together to learn and it was so easy. Love working with my hands.

[@KuchiKopium]

It's amazing how simple some repairs can be. I'm not a reseller, but I don't buy consoles full-price...seems a waste of money to me and I don't need to have the most current systems. I bought an Xbox One S last year with a bad HDMI port, and it just needed the solder reflowed on a botched repair. I've bought Nintendo handhelds with bad fuses and replaced them. It's so empowering to be able to fix your own stuff rather than throwing it away or paying someone else to do it...I'd rather spend that money on games!

[@RetroRme]

nice video, well explained

[@AstralFrost]

Thanks for the tutorial. I just wish I could solder. My PS2 Slim was barely used and was kept safe and away from the elements for many years before I took it out recently to play some games. Gran Turismo 4 typically works, but others might work 1 out of 10 times.

[@rich2583]

The soldering is easy bro. I was scared at first. You can do it.

[@IvanovMarius]

When it's starting, the laser should move up and down to focus on the disc? Because mine doesn't and it's not working. I tried to increase potentiometer power and nothing works. The ps2 slim was never opened...

[@rich2583]

Just replace the Lazer.

[@crashoverride328]

Probably a good idea to replace the 15 yr old CR2032 battery while you have it open.

[@jtdx_]

Awesome walkthrough. I was confident in doing it myself as it’s a pretty simple repair but always good to have a concise and clear example to follow through with.

[@DEKKERcz]

WHERE'S THE RED BULL?! Nice video thou!

[@ScottVordem]

Is there any quality difference between the Sony lasers and Mitsumi lasers? Is one built better than the other and last longer? Does one read discs easier/faster than the other? I suppose we could throw in the Philips laser to the same questions, plus one more for models that use Philips. Can a slim be adjusted to accept either laser regardless of brand? I plan to never try that, but I wonder if it is possible.

[@rwdplz1]

I've replaced about 10 lasers over the years, and only gotten 1 dud, which the seller replaced. All worked perfectly after.

[@ogrokun]

PS2 Slim is one of the most beautiful consoles in my opinion. I hope that we get a good HDMI mod someday, along with an SD card game loader....

[@JamieBainbridge]

Waiting for proper ODE. The solutions with USB and network loading suck.

[@acegonzalez5052]

Great informative video. By chance, does your shop repair old PS2 slim?

[@GenesHand]

Great video! What soldering Iron is that? Also I would love to see a similar video for the Fat Systems.

[@abdelhakbnuhashim7612]

I have exactly the same problem. You are the only one who figured it out. But you are too far for me to reach to fix my PS2.

[@fixeria]

The lack of spinning orbs animation in OSD suggests that the CMOS battery is likely dead. There are rumors that a dead battery may cause the loss of the drive's calibration data in EEPROM. One thing to try before replacing the lens would be doing re-calibration using PMAP (PlayStation 2 MECHACON Adjustment Program). Doing such a calibration after replacing the lens is also a good thing to do.

Love your video! Hey quick question, I have a fat ps2 with which the laser isn't moving beck and forth. The worm bar is greased, it's making perfect contact with the guiding arm, and the laser light up when turned on. I'm wondering if maybe there is also a sensor on the fat that prevents the laser from going back and forth, if it detects that the lit is not on?

[@RyanFGNM]

I haven't heard of to many issues with the slims when it comes to laser replacement. It's the fats that can cause issues. For instance I replaced a 400c laser in my ps2 fat (it would read games but the ps2 games took about 3 to 4 mins to run). So I replaced it with a laser from Total Console and it worked but the same problem accord it would take 3 to 4 mins to run a PS2 game. So I found out about some compatibility issues with these lasers with the orginal ps2 models. I used a memory card with Freemcboot on it and uploaded a program called lens changer and flashed it to recognize the new laser. Problem solved.

[@nyccrcsx]

Thank you for this contact cleaner worked on door switches 👍

[@rooneyowen8182]

❤Thanks man I just followed your way

[@TheAzureLance]

Would it be possible to make a very similar video about the Sega Dreamcast? Or how can we give maintenance to its GD-ROM ? Considering it's a very delicate piece and very hard to replace, as oposed to any other lense, the GD-Rom lense is not as readily available. Anyways, very nice video and thanks for all the tips!

[@HlotSfan]

Great video!! Thank you! Potentially dumb question time though, so be kind ... at 11:37-ish, you are "greasing" up the rails (worm gear?) on the side of the laser housing -- what are you using to grease the rails? I am looking to fix my PS2 in the next week or two and that's the only part I'm a little dense on. Thanks!

[@onasazi]

Nice fix! I did a similar one by replacing laser on a ps2 fat however the same long loading times still are symptoms. Could it be anything else? Btw the laser i bought didn’t have a solder blob…

[@haimixlt1995]

yessss its finally spins after so many years that solder bolb was there ! haha thank you! 😭

[@retromario6130]

My biggest issue was not powering on. I literally would find them for free and they would never power on. It was frustrating not being able to fix them prior to 2019 because there weren’t any video’s on how to fix them

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Another common issue is that the lid itself gets slightly warped and doesn't apply enough pressure on the lid switches. If you turn the system upside down and it starts reading, then that's most likely the issue. I've never had issues with replacement slim lasers. It's mostly the fat lasers. Not only are they not always reliable, you sometimes have to flash the EPROM using Lens Changer so the system recognizes it. I always test all 6 disc formats before I consider it fully functional. PS1 CD, PS2 CD, PS2 DVD, PS2 Dual Layer DVD, Music CD, and Movie DVD.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I like your 6 disc test methodology, I may just have to adopt it :)

[@fetchslaybffr]

My ps2 would run ps2 games only but I just bought a dvd-r to do the free mcboot thing but the problem is the dvd won't run correctly it start spinning for seconds then stops I tried several DVDs and ps2 games and it was working but not the dvd-r how can I fix it? I only want this dvd to run so I can install free mcboot

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

@@fetchslaybffr I believe you have to burn it a certain way so that the PS2 can read it. I use Free Mcboot off of a memory card.

[@fetchslaybffr]

@@GoodVibeCollecting yes I burnt it using imgburn I did the same as this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZKci3yijNFlqLM is there any mistake?? Pls help I'm so lost

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

@@fetchslaybffr I've never tried the dvd method so I can't really help.

[@holyhelga]

basicly the solder blob is a shipping/transport seal

[@Honir4]

Good job 👌👍

[@TheMegatron673]

i used to have a fat ps2 back in the day and when the fuse blew i couldn't it to do anything else. i figured out how to remove my disc manually but wasn't able to find a replacement fuse at the time.

[@dooli1981]

Thanks so much for a really well explained video! Just wondering whether the slim PS2 has an upper and lower laser, as I watched a video of a laser cleaning guide for the fat PS2 and it 2 lasers that had to be cleaned (an upper and lower one) and I wondered if that were the case for the slim PS2?

[@shadowthehedgehog5832]

I did a ps2 slim laser replacement a couple months back, had no idea about that solder blob and thought i got a dead laser, took a lot of googling and reinstalling etc before I found somewhere mentioning that you needed to do that probably spent atleast an hour wasting time on that lol

[@videogamepolak0]

yeah another guy said u just drop in the laser i didnt know about the blob either but its cemented in my head now

[@PaulsToolReview]

About to attempt a laser and battery replacement since I'm in there this weekend. The amazon link for the rectangular laser assembly now says the anti static blob is no longer on it (but it was). Either way, I have a soldering iron and I'm not afraid to use it! Also, what was that liquid you used to make removing the stick easier? Isopropyl alcohol? or something else? What adhesive do you suggest to reattach it with? My laser sometimes can read one prestine dvd disc, but then it fails after it a few more attempts. Forget about well used discs so I think it's time for a laser replacement along Surprisingly, my 20 year old cmos battery is still holding date and time but might as well replace it if I'm bothering to crack open the case.

[@PaulsToolReview]

Just a quick update, becareful around the power on reset button! My little white micro switch fell off the power assembly board after it was reassembled and now won't power on! Looks like I wasn't careful enough putting it back in and the little button broke of the board. Ordered a new start reset board for another $9 shipped. Make sure you tuck in the power button assembly into the outer switch as you put on the top cover. In video, it looks like he just pops it on, but I think it needs to be "hinged on" / angled with the power button assembly carefully tucked in before "popping it" back on. Either that, or my button was ready to let go of the board and nothing would have changed that. Lastly, I did manage to test that it spun up a bunch of disks just before the little micro switch fell off the board and it looks like it was going to play. I only discovered the power button not working at the final test. I did try gluing it back on with cyanoacrylate glue while making contact with both sides but it was very unreliable and eventually I just gave up and order a new power board.

[@ClaytonCLF]

Had to replace the laser's ribbon cable on my PS2. Beforehand, I had a hard time sort of "hacking" the cable to keep it down and not scratch my discs, but I've put too much wear on it and it simply broke. My last attempt of gluing it on place (yes, I'm cheap like that) had me breaking the plastic lock on the laser assembly itself. It was so weird that the ribbon cable would go in, but the lock wouldn't go down. I finally bought a couple of cables, and luckily, the lock is holding fine, and discs are working. I'm surprised that the laser still works well, given my PS2 has a mod chip, and many of my games are backups. Maybe it's one of the models where Sony fixed the lasers burning out problem (mine is the 77001).

[@Janruzalem]

Gluing the ribbon into place isn't as weird as you think. Some ribbons come with adhesives already applied exactly so they don't stick out.

[@ClaytonCLF]

@@Janruzalem Yeah, the new ones I got had a 3M tape to stick it on place XD.

[@shawnnewcomer4879]

What I like the most is we see what the system does before, what is done, then the result. NOwhere else will you find this🙄

[@sansnom]

This flex cable if damaged is super duper cheap to order, I've ordered 10 of these with 2 lasers for under 40$. Also, this model is the ideal model for the MechaPwn mod.

[@FelixtheMaid]

what i use to fix this back in the 2000s to early 2010s was using a tiny heavy statue put on the disc side of the console and it would read discs again

[@AdamLassiter-nf5fw]

Appreciate the video.

[@fathan16]

I had a replacement laser cut the ribbon cable because the new laser was not made very well.

[@phrtza]

Now to add HDD installation kit if you are able to get it anywhere (I'm not)

[@Liam-ch7sv]

Girlfriend bought me a ps2 slim for Christmas as my old one had stop reading discs. A month later it crashed mid game and stopped reading dvd games. Changed the laser a week ago on the newer ps2 following this guide and was working great then tonight again mid game it crashed and is now not reading discs again. Not sure where to go from here

[@arinwald]

What a great video

[@YAORG]

Years ago I bought a cheap PS2 Slim with a faulty laser unit. I never worked on a game console, so I decided to change the whole drive which seemed a fairly good deal for me. I changed it and on first try, all the games worked. After I rescrewed the case, it stopped working, so I disassembled everything again, checked everything twice, cleaned everything with IPA, reseated the ribbons, read a lot, tried a lot, but nothing changed whatsoever. So I gave up, gave the console to a friend, who butchered it for parts and got me a working one for not much more than the other one.

[@cum_as_you_are]

What is your opinion about those chinese laser pickup replacements for ps1s? I heard that they are pretty crappy, but i don't think we have any other choice nowadays

[@Niedajsiepolaku]

Well, I have a few had some problems but made them work 1 was damaged in a transport and dead when I check original laser usually they work the problem is damaged plastic over the years no lubrication not so often dead laser. And no I didn't give more power to laser you have to check to pick correct laser for your console sometimes gears are damaged sometimes spindle but dead laser I had only 2 times I don"t know if I can give you link where I bought them thoo. Can"t tell if they are good im using them 2 months and they work fine I gave them lubrication but last 2 had some lube in them outside the box.