PS3 (Research/Experimental) - NEC/TOKIN Capacitors Replacement - YLOD

HEN enables piracy but I have doubts it gets you access to level of reading syscon?
Anyway. As it is mentioned in the article I linked you, DO NOT attempt to jail break it. Just do the direct method.
Good luck.
Already got it on CFW. I don't care about PS3HEN and piracy, I need my BC PS3 to play imported PS2 and PS1 games since I have lots of those, PS3HEN doesn't work well with BC PS3 when playing PS2 games. I also like OtherOS, it gives me lots of nostalgia.

Either way, the new capcitors are working fine, now I just to delid the console to reduce heat, fan is going like crazy right now and the 40ºC room temperature we're having here isn't helping.
 
But some people say it's not good for fat PS3s. what's your opinion?
My mistake, I was confusing it with the IR8500. That's the one @Shawn Shakir has (well an AHCI PRO, which is similar).

The IR6500 is underpowered and requires modifications to work. @NewRetroRepair has one he modified to work, but I don't think he'd reccomend going that path! It'd cost more than the IR8500 would have and certainly be more of a headache.
 
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i have a chechl04 model and i dont get any display. the hdmi was already dead i knew that much i used AV cable but now even that doesnt give display. ps3 turns on and the green light stays on and if i do that "keep pressing the power button until 3 beeps", it doesnt work the console just powers off if i do that. so this is a clear sign of rsx failure right?? the green light of death???
 
i have a chechl04 model and i dont get any display. the hdmi was already dead i knew that much i used AV cable but now even that doesnt give display. ps3 turns on and the green light stays on and if i do that "keep pressing the power button until 3 beeps", it doesnt work the console just powers off if i do that. so this is a clear sign of rsx failure right?? the green light of death???
start with it off. press and hold for TWO beeps and then let go.
 
start with it off. press and hold for TWO beeps and then let go.
Doesn't give two beeps. I press and hold. One beep turns it on(red light goes green fan starts up). I keep holding nothing else happens and after some seconds it beeps and turns off(green light goes red).
 
Doesn't give two beeps. I press and hold. One beep turns it on(red light goes green fan starts up). I keep holding nothing else happens and after some seconds it beeps and turns off(green light goes red).
After it shuts off the first time, do the same again. Hold until it beeps twice and let go. That'll put it in safe mode. It should be displaying an image. If not it may be GLOD.
 
After it shuts off the first time, do the same again. Hold until it beeps twice and let go. That'll put it in safe mode. It should be displaying an image. If not it may be GLOD.
Thanks for the reply. And yes I've tried it but nothing comes up. So it must be GLOD? What causes it though?? The RSX reballing or replacement is needed here?
 
Thanks for the reply. And yes I've tried it but nothing comes up. So it must be GLOD? What causes it though?? The RSX reballing or replacement is needed here?
Most likely, yes. But it could also be corrupt NAND/NOR, dead HDD, or HDMI transmitter. The last 2 are easy to rule out. Just remove HDD and it'll tell you to insert one. Switching th AV cables should display via analog if HDMI were out. I assume you've tried both of those tho.

So that should leave just the FW or RSX.

You could try a pressure test. Pressing down on the leaf springs over the the RSX to see if that helps (not likely). Could still be the BGA/Bumps if that doesn't work, but confirms it if it does.

You could also measure resistance of the following voltage lines. GLOD can be caused by dead VRAM (FBVDDQ).
mb_ohm_test_points-jpg.36295
 
Hello to you all!. First of all, thank you all for this amazing thread, lots of information that guided me through in this amazing diagnosis stuff. Also, thanks to @sandungas for his advice in adquiring the UART board in order to get the diag info.

Let's recap my story. I have a JTP-001 board (from my first CECH-2501B, CFW capable) that got broken when I attempted to remove the cooler from the motherboard (it got pretty stuck because of the thermal paste and the adhesive forces). So, being the animal that I am, I've put some tension on the board and got something broken. I found out that it was the BGA of the RSX because I applied lots of pressure over the IHS and the console tried to boot, but it quickly shutdown itself because the CELL didn't had any cooling at all.

Now, to the point of this post. I've used the SYSCON in order to get a more technical cause of the issue, and got confirmation that the RSX is the main cause of the console not booting up.

Here is the result of running the errlog command:

Code:
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801802 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404102 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF

As you can see, there are some A0801200 errors which refer to 1200 (Thermal CELL) according to the wiki. Those are aligned with my tries of booting up the console while pushing on the RSX IHS, and without the heatsink on the CELL.

Then, there are the A0403034 errors which refer to 3034 (CELL / RSX Communication Error), and some A0404002 errors which refer to 4002 (RSX). There are also some A0404102 errors which are related to RSX, and one A0801802 error which refers to
1802 (RSX init).

So, I can simply conclude that my console has the GLOD and needs to have its RSX reflowed/reballed.
 
Hello to you all!. First of all, thank you all for this amazing thread, lots of information that guided me through in this amazing diagnosis stuff. Also, thanks to @sandungas for his advice in adquiring the UART board in order to get the diag info.

Let's recap my story. I have a JTP-001 board (from my first CECH-2501B, CFW capable) that got broken when I attempted to remove the cooler from the motherboard (it got pretty stuck because of the thermal paste and the adhesive forces). So, being the animal that I am, I've put some tension on the board and got something broken. I found out that it was the BGA of the RSX because I applied lots of pressure over the IHS and the console tried to boot, but it quickly shutdown itself because the CELL didn't had any cooling at all.

Now, to the point of this post. I've used the SYSCON in order to get a more technical cause of the issue, and got confirmation that the RSX is the main cause of the console not booting up.

Here is the result of running the errlog command:

Code:
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801802 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404102 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF

As you can see, there are some A0801200 errors which refer to 1200 (Thermal CELL) according to the wiki. Those are aligned with my tries of booting up the console while pushing on the RSX IHS, and without the heatsink on the CELL.

Then, there are the A0403034 errors which refer to 3034 (CELL / RSX Communication Error), and some A0404002 errors which refer to 4002 (RSX). There are also some A0404102 errors which are related to RSX, and one A0801802 error which refers to
1802 (RSX init).

So, I can simply conclude that my console has the GLOD and needs to have its RSX reflowed/reballed.
I would agree with that assessment. In your case I think a reflow would be sufficient, since it's a 40nm RSX and the break was fresh. It hasn't had time to get supper caked with grime.

On the other hand there is a possibility that you tore BGA pads under the RSX and they will require repair. In that case a reflow will fail and the the only way to fix them is a reball with BGA pad repair. The cost of which would be much more than another 25xx model for sure. In other words, buy a new console. The only reasons not to are if you need to retrieve important information or want to learn to repair.
 
I would agree with that assessment. In your case I think a reflow would be sufficient, since it's a 40nm RSX and the break was fresh. It hasn't had time to get supper caked with grime.

On the other hand there is a possibility that you tore BGA pads under the RSX and they will require repair. In that case a reflow will fail and the the only way to fix them is a reball with BGA pad repair. The cost of which would be much more than another 25xx model for sure. In other words, buy a new console. The only reasons not to are if you need to retrieve important information or want to learn to repair.

Sure, I did buy another PS3 (also a Slim 2501 CFW capable) before the CFW capables were outsold. I've seen lots of Slims 3000 and Super Slims, sold as CFW capable, preloaded with games (which I didn't want) and with "brand new" PS3 controllers (of course, those are the fake ones without SIXAXIS and loosing BT connection randomly). It's quiet difficult to get decent electronics here in Argentina.

I'll try to do a reflow, hopping to get it back up and running, retrieve my savegames and maybe sell it as "refurbished". I have Arctic MX-5 thermal paste and the console is in great shape (not event scratches on the surface). Now, I need to get a heat gun :P.
 
Hello to you all!. First of all, thank you all for this amazing thread, lots of information that guided me through in this amazing diagnosis stuff. Also, thanks to @sandungas for his advice in adquiring the UART board in order to get the diag info.

Let's recap my story. I have a JTP-001 board (from my first CECH-2501B, CFW capable) that got broken when I attempted to remove the cooler from the motherboard (it got pretty stuck because of the thermal paste and the adhesive forces). So, being the animal that I am, I've put some tension on the board and got something broken. I found out that it was the BGA of the RSX because I applied lots of pressure over the IHS and the console tried to boot, but it quickly shutdown itself because the CELL didn't had any cooling at all.

Now, to the point of this post. I've used the SYSCON in order to get a more technical cause of the issue, and got confirmation that the RSX is the main cause of the console not booting up.

Here is the result of running the errlog command:

Code:
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801802 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF
# A0404102 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0801200 FFFFFFFF
# A0403034 FFFFFFFF

As you can see, there are some A0801200 errors which refer to 1200 (Thermal CELL) according to the wiki. Those are aligned with my tries of booting up the console while pushing on the RSX IHS, and without the heatsink on the CELL.

Then, there are the A0403034 errors which refer to 3034 (CELL / RSX Communication Error), and some A0404002 errors which refer to 4002 (RSX). There are also some A0404102 errors which are related to RSX, and one A0801802 error which refers to
1802 (RSX init).

So, I can simply conclude that my console has the GLOD and needs to have its RSX reflowed/reballed.
Oh, i remember this PS3, and i agree, the error codes seems to confirm RSX problems, in the pressure tests you can deduce (just a bit) where is the broken BGA ball/s using this image as reference
https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/File:RSX_SKEMA.jpg

The weird thing of that image is it represents the bottom of the RSX... so if you want to figure how is soldered in the motherboard you need to "mirror" it
And additionally, you need to rotate it properly... the connection with the CELL are the lines located at the RSX border of the row "1"
Try to press in that RSX border to see if you achieve a normal PS3 boot (even if is a partialy boot with video artifacts is a good signal). In that case you could try to reflow only that border of the RSX

Im telling all this because mechanically... if you try to bend the motherboard or pull from the RSX the pads of the peripheral are going to break before the pads at the center
In other words, there is a huge probability that the broken pads are at the peripheral, and the probability to have broken pads at the center is small
 
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Oh, i remember this PS3, and i agree, the error codes seems to confirm RSX problems, in the pressure tests you can deduce (just a bit) where is the broken BGA ball/s using this image as reference
https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/File:RSX_SKEMA.jpg

The weird thing of that image is it represents the bottom of the RSX... so if you want to figure how is soldered in the motherboard you need to "mirror" it
And additionally, you need to rotate it properly... the connection with the CELL are the lines located at the RSX border of the row "1"
Try to press in that RSX border to see if you achieve a normal PS3 boot (even if is a partialy boot with video artifacts is a good signal). In that case you could try to reflow only that border of the RSX

Im telling all this because mechanically... if you try to bend the motherboard or pull from the RSX the pads of the peripheral are going to break before the pads at the center
In other words, there is a huge probability that the broken pads are at the peripheral, and the probability to have broken pads at the center is small

Thank you for the advice!. I've only applied pressure over the whole IHS of the RSX, which allowed me to boot the console beyond the 3 beeps, but then it would shutdown iteself because of the CELL temperatures getting too high (which is true, as the CELL didn't had the heatsink on and it would be very hot to the touch). If I could get the CELL cool long enough for the console to boot, then I might get a chance.

I'll try to get a heatgun for a reflow, and if I fail then I'll try to sell the parts.
 
Hello there! First of all, let me congratulate all of you for the excellent work at documenting all these PS3 issues, it makes the lives of us low-level electrical engineers much easier!
I've been following all this thread and other related TOKIN and SYSCON threads since I received 2 PS3 with similar symptoms (YLOD I presume, leading to the stand-by red led blinking). Now I've had the chance to connect to the SYSCON of one of them and share with you the errlogs. First of all, the specs:
  • PS3 model: CECH-2004B
  • Using a RPi 2b to connect via serial, using its integrated UART serial pins
  • I was only able to authenticate as AUTH, when trying auth it returns an Auth1 response invalid (I haven't tried yet to swap the Rx and Tx connections because the AUTH did work)
    • EDIT: I've been able to authenticate as auth, if anybody needs me to launch any internal command
  • Here are the errlog results:
Code:
PS3 Syscon errlogs:
===================
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 0B49D80A
00000000 A0801002 0B49D801
00000000 A0801002 0B49D88B
00000000 A0801002 0B49D880
00000000 A0801002 0B49D869
00000000 A0801002 0B49D82D
00000000 A0801002 0B49D822
00000000 A0801002 0B49D817
00000000 A0801002 0B49D800
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 0B49D800
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 0B49D800
00000000 A0801002 FFFFFFFF
00000000 A0801002 0B49D800
00000000 A0801002 29A2F5E6
00000000 A0801002 29A2F5D8
00000000 A0801002 29A2F5CB

According to the psdevwiki, the A0801002 error is related to RSX power and a probably bad power filtering due to the NEC/TOKIN capacitors. I already bought some 440uF 6V tantalum capacitors beforehand, but prior to start with the replacement I'd like to know your opinion and if I should run any other test, such as other SYSCON commands.

Your feedback is much appreciated and once again congratulations on your discoveries!

EDIT: Same errlog codes with internal command:
Code:
python ps3_syscon_uart_script.py /dev/ttyAMA0 SW
>$ auth
Auth successful
>$ errlog
00000000
# [SSM] Cond/Fatal received, msg=2663.
# [SSM] Fataldown Start.
# [SSM] Fataldown ok.
# (PowerOff State) (Fatal)
# CODE     CLOCK
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 0B49D80A
# A0801002 0B49D801
# A0801002 0B49D88B
# A0801002 0B49D880
# A0801002 0B49D869
# A0801002 0B49D82D
# A0801002 0B49D822
# A0801002 0B49D817
# A0801002 0B49D800
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 0B49D800
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 0B49D800
# A0801002 FFFFFFFF
# A0801002 0B49D800
 
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According to the psdevwiki, the A0801002 error is related to RSX power and a probably bad power filtering due to the NEC/TOKIN capacitors. I already bought some 440uF 6V tantalum capacitors beforehand, but prior to start with the replacement I'd like to know your opinion and if I should run any other test, such as other SYSCON commands.

Your feedback is much appreciated and once again congratulations on your discoveries!
Yes, your RSX tokins are going out. Could you describe the behavior? I can see the console is powered on (Step# 80), but you didn't say what triggers the YLOD. Is it only in intense games, does it happen randomly in XMB, or is it happening before XMB loads? This doesn't really matter with your errorlog, this is a slam dunk case of bad tokins IMO, but it's nice to add context to the story.

Suggestion:
Don't use those caps. Use these instead... They are super cheap right now, being 90% off, and have a 2v rating instead of 6v. In this case the voltage rating matters because if there's a voltage spike they'll act as a fuse and burn out, protecting the Processor from damage. Tokins were 2v. 3x 330uF is approxamatly equivalent to 1 tokin (OE 108). 990uF to replace 1000uF. The ESR is sufficiently low at 9mOhms, but I wouldn't go any higher. Ideally it would be 3mOhms (3mOhms / 3caps = 1mOhm combined) to match each tokin replaced (1 mOhms). But there aren't caps with an ESR that low. Apparently it doesn't matter tho. In practice we've been fine with caps around 9mOhms ESR or lower. But don't use caps with ESR higher than 9mOhms. They'll cause problem eventually. The purpose is to fix the console long term, not burn out the RSX 6 months from now!
 
This signal and the Checkstop Out are mostly used if the firmware detects any type of (security) error condition (e.g. if you downgrade below the minimum version).
Haha, yeah, @vyktormvmpay25 just ran into that with @mathieulh console. I edited my Frankenstein Mod Tutorial to make a disclaimer that there's a minimum FW revision required to replace with 65nm and 40nm RSX. @mathieulh says the 65nm should work with FW2.30+ and 40nm with 3.40+. If you have FW lower than that and attempt to Frankie them it results in a GLOD requiring a HW flasher to recover from. Or FSM jig, but that's dangerous if you're not sure the FW is 3.55 or lower.
 
Yes, your RSX tokins are going out. Could you describe the behavior? I can see the console is powered on (Step# 80), but you didn't say what triggers the YLOD. Is it only in intense games, does it happen randomly in XMB, or is it happening before XMB loads? This doesn't really matter with your errorlog, this is a slam dunk case of bad tokins IMO, but it's nice to add context to the story.

Suggestion:
Don't use those caps. Use these instead... They are super cheap right now, being 90% off, and have a 2v rating instead of 6v. In this case the voltage rating matters because if there's a voltage spike they'll act as a fuse and burn out, protecting the Processor from damage. Tokins were 2v. 3x 330uF is approxamatly equivalent to 1 tokin (OE 108). 990uF to replace 1000uF. The ESR is sufficiently low at 9mOhms, but I wouldn't go any higher. Ideally it would be 3mOhms (3mOhms / 3caps = 1mOhm combined) to match each tokin replaced (1 mOhms). But there aren't caps with an ESR that low. Apparently it doesn't matter tho. In practice we've been fine with caps around 9mOhms ESR or lower. But don't use caps with ESR higher than 9mOhms. They'll cause problem eventually. The purpose is to fix the console long term, not burn out the RSX 6 months from now!

Hi! Thanks for the reply, I'll take a look a these other capacitors for sure!
The behaviour of this PS3 is as follows:
  • On first boot, led turns green, fans spin for some seconds and then turn off, and after that there goes the triple beep and the blinking red stand-by led
  • No image during the process whatsoever nor XMB menu loading; I've never been able to boot once in menu nor test any game.
 
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