"Nick Fielding" wrote in message
...
On Oct 14, 11:32 am, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
"Nick Fielding" wrote in message
...
On Oct 14, 8:48 am, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
"Nick Fielding" wrote in message
...
Hello,
I'm trying to figure out how to replace a laser diode inside a ps3
blu-
ray drive. I think I now know the best way to extract the diode.
My problem is installing the new diode; I have read in several
places
that it's not simply a case of whacking the new one in, it has to be
aligned? Is this true, and if so, what would be the best way to go
about aligning it? How much is it likely to have to be rotated, i.e.
fractions of a degree or larger? I don't see that it can be rotated
that much as its degree of rotation would be limited by the flex
cable
it's soldered to.
Many thanks for any help!
Nick
I've got a colleague who replaces many PS3 laser assemblies (I take it
you
are referring to the optical head which runs on the deck within the
drive,
not the *actual* laser diode ?) I will ask him what is necessary. Note
also
that I think I recall him saying that there are two if not three
different
variants, so make sure you get the right one. I have dismantled a
number
of
these drives to remove discs from PS3s suffering the YLOD condition.
Be
careful when you replace the drive's top plate, as several bits of
disc
handling mech, have to engage correctly with other bits on the main
body
of
the drive. Note also that once the top cover is removed, exposing the
top
mech plate of the drive, the disc clamp just lifts away. It is not
retained
by anything other than being 'sandwiched' between the mech plate and
the
cover. When reassembling, it just sits on top of the (should be at
that
point closed) lifter 'scissors'.
Arfa
Hi Arfa,
Thankyou for taking the time to reply but it's the laser diode itself
I'm working on replacing. I can replace the laser assembly no problem,
however, it's not at all economical given the price of a laser
assembly so am trying to see if I can refurbish broken assemblies by
replacing the laser diode. 
Thanks,
Nick
In that case, I think you will really struggle to ever get it working
again.
The laser diode is an *extremely* precision fit in the optics, aligned at
the factory in a precision jig. I once experimented with this on CD
lasers,
with just about zero success. Even if I got it to read again, the
playability was poor. Ask anyone who has ever replaced a Pioneer laser
just
how difficult it is to align the diffraction grating. Gnat's bollock
precision doesn't begin to describe how difficult it is to get it right,
and
that's Grand Canyon versus an alleyway in terms of relative data pit
size.
Given that CD optics are 'broken leg' technology, then DVD optics are in
'heart transplant' territory. Blu Ray, as PS3 lasers are, then fall into
'brain surgery' by comparison ... If the laser diode is even a
vanishingly
tiny amount off-axis, the beams will not pass through the centre of the
lens, so the chances of them being reflected back from the disc correctly
to
hit the pickup diodes are, IMHO, poor at best. Bear in mind also, that it
is
not necessarily the laser diode that is at fault. Problems with laser
assemblies can also be down to contaminated optics - i.e. nicotine on the
critical angle mirror - a faulty pickup diode assembly, or faulty
tracking /
focus coils.
I am surprised that you think that the cost of a replacement optical
assembly warrants attempting to do it by this method. According to my
oppo,
the price of replacement optical heads is quite reasonable, and allows a
good margin on the job ...
You might like to look at Sam's stuff on these heads at
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/Blu-ray/site1/optics.html
and also the material at
http://www.optoiq.com/index/photonic...ications/lfw-d...
which will give you a bit more of an insight into how much precision is
involved in these assemblies.
Arfa- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
That does indeed look like it requires a lot of precision.
A lens assembly costs upwards of £25 whereas a replacement laser diode
for the 410aca blu-ray drive I can get for £7. Obviously replacing the
laser diode is a fiddly and by the looks of it impossible job;
although there are people out there who are managing to do it, maybe
they have their own jig or something.
I'll probably give it a go and fail.
Many Thanks,
Nick
As for people claiming to be able to do this job, treat the claims with
caution. There are many people offering 'guaranteed solutions' to for
instance the YLOD problem, and indeed they do appear to work - at least
initially. The trick is that they only seem to last long enough to dispose
of the unit claiming it to be a 'worker' ...
The minimum independant commercial repair cost for a PS3 is around 80 quid.
My friend charges £120 to replace a laser, and he has no shortage of takers.
Sony charge 180 quid for a service exchange PS3, and the cost of a new (pre
latest slimline version) PS3 is around £300. Non-workers go on eBay for
anything up to £90, and working examples for a lot more than that, so I
think that there is potentially enough margin in laser replacement to
warrant not having to mess around trying to repair the laser assembly -
given that the bulk of the cost is the labour you will have already put in
to strip the PS3 and its drive. and then remove the laser anyway to attempt
the diode replacement ....
Don't forget to be careful not to lose the little bent piece of metal that
the Torx screw that holds the top cover goes into. Only valid for Mk1's of
course, the screw going into a moulding on Mk2's and 3's.
Good luck. If you do attempt it, do let us know (honestly !!) how it goes,
as I am an interested party on PS3 repairs.
Arfa