Interesting theory, are you still talking about the short that he measured between 2 contacts which otherwise show resistance? Can warping actually cause a short ?
To your first question, not exactly. I have noticed that the resistance at the +/GND of VDDC (tokins) will increase after a reflow. It'll increase after just cleaning off flux residue (which is mildly conductive). Electromigration inside of the DIE itself will eventually lead to a short. It's possible that heat can realign/warp the molecular structure enough to remove the short. But that's not going to hold. That could very well be the mechanism that explains
@botakompong's observation.
For you second question, no I don't see how BGA deformation could lead to a short. However, bumps are much close together and have undefill. If they were not fully dry when reflowed or reballed, it's possible some of the solder could squeeze and bridge, forming a short. It's even possible on reflow that the short could disappear. But it wouldn't be a repeatable thing. Also, I wouldn't expect to see that type of short on an untouched console, but at this point, who really knows what torturous history any given PS3 has been through. From ovens to hair driers, even butter knifes up the fan hole. Every quack solution has been tried!
So I still think electromigration makes the most sense for
@botakompong's short/heat test observation.
Basically, there are other factors that could explain why an "apparent" short would disappear after a "heat test." That's why the "heat test" is meaningless. People can interpret it any way they like. Some see it as proof the tokins are bad, others as proof the BGA is bad, others as proof the RSX is dying...and so on. It doesn't prove any one of those things! In fact, in the case of tokins I have already debunked the healing theory. So that's not even possible.
Because it doesn't isolate the problem, the heat test has no utility for diagnostic purposes. In fact it throws a monkey wrench into my DATA. I created a column in my spreadsheet just to keep track of consoles people had applied heat to as part of their "diagnosis." I use it, along with whatever else I can glean from their post, to mark their subsequent positive result with an asterisk...
Eg.______________________________________
@Dirty_HeatGun_Hairy reported success with the tantalim mod.* First reported working 7/9/2021. Last reported working 7/9/2021.
*Performed heat test thinking it diagnosed bad tokins. Replaced tokins and it worked. Has not been confirmed working at least 2 weeks after initial reported success. Did not specify model or YLOD length. No SYSCON codes to confirm the absence of a 3034, which could rule out a BGA defect. Long term result inconclusive due to the possibility of a false positive from thermomechanical reconnection of a BGA defect. It may have been a genuine fix, but there's no way to know without more information
______________________________________
PS:
I apologize in advance to whomever chooses the username @Dirty_HeatGun_Hairy. Also, please don't make this post a self fulfilling prophecy!
I would never advertise somebody who has no equipment nor experience to attempt such complex procedures. Perhaps, I am not taking into account that a random passerby here is reading this and thinking "Oh so THAT's what I gotta do."
Either way, if you don't want to mess with a working BC board, that is fine. Nobody is claiming you should. The preventive maintenance idea was something that I would do for myself. None of the things I am sharing here are meant to be absolutes or written in stone. I thought it's more about sharing and exchanging ideas. The original topic was NecTokins, it's hard to tell what we are supposed to be discussing here at this point.
That's not who I'm worried about. It's the mass service shops looking for a quick score. To capitalize on the retro gaming surge by buying working systems to ensure a working RSX swap. The ones that'll install a 40nm on a console with a 65nm. The ones selling fear that a 65nm console is in imminent danger of death. The same fear you seem to have to the 90nm. Warranted or not, that fear could lead to people to sending their consoles in for "preventative maintenance" to increase their chance of it working. And a shady shop might only guaranteeing the fix (or price) if the console was working in the first place. That they won't guarantee a RSX swap on a YLOD console, because they won't bother to diagnose and fix that issue first. Say $100 for an RSX swap if the console is 100% working. If the console is YLOD it's an additional $100. That type of BS.
I guarantee that is something people would love to exist. A $200 guarantee to fix their BC PS3 in a way that'll prevent (ostensibly) another YLOD. Yeah, I might even buy that. Problem is I wouldn't trust anyone claing they'd do it.
And thanks for that added info, I have your results down in my spreadsheet now. Please update us if one of the consoles dies again. And from now on be sure to post the SYSCON codes with these results as it would be really useful in confirming your diagnosis. Possably in discovering new paths forward for repair.
