In this video I repair two PS2 Slims, which are part of a set of four that I purchased during a recent faulty console lot. This is a pair of SCPH-75001 PS2 Slims, both of which do not read disks. In fact, when a disk is inserted in the drive, there is no indication that the disk is spinning or that the laser is moving. The drives appear dead on both units.
One of the units is a virgin PS2 Slim with an intact warranty seal. The other has been opened and worked on previously, made obvious by the missing screw covers, mismatched screws, and electrical tape instead of rubber feet on the bottom of the unit. Never a promising sign when working on an "untested" system, but figured I'd give it my best shot.
I started with the worst of the two systems, given it's my first time working on a PS2 and I'd rather learn on the worst of the two units. I do a full tear-down and test all the fuses, none of which are blown. Upon closely inspecting the lid sensor (there are two lid sensors on a PS2 Slim) I discovered that the front door sensor was intermittent. A shower with some contact cleaner seemed to bring it back to proper operation.
To my surprise (and delight) the second PS2 Slim had the exact same issue, with the exact same lid sensor. What are the odds! It goes to show that this is a function of poor design, and electronics tend to have common points of failure most of the time, rather than unique and fringe complex failures (happens but less often). Further testing showed that the previous owner of one of the units had improperly adjusted the drive potentiometers, which when correctly set, resolved all the playback issues the unit was having.
This was a fun (but lengthy) repair. I underestimated the effort it took to fix two systems at the same time (even though they ended up having the same issue) while recording decent footage to take you folks along for the side. No double repairs in the near future!
🎵 Music
Bensound - Dreams
www.bensound.com
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