Revive Repair Your PlayStation 3

Some old PS3 might just stop working without any warning, but it doesn’t mean it’s the end. It‘s possible to recover your console with a bit of effort and luck. 

1. Prepare for repair The best thing is to keep all your tools ready so that you have everything on hand for the repairs. You will need a small Philips screw driver, a T5- Torx screw driver, a camera, a kitchen roll, some cleaning alcohol, a hot air gun and a tube of thermal paste.
2. Remove parts First remove the hard disk. Then push the upper plastic cover (the one with the PS3 logo) down and loosen all visible screws. Carefully lift the casing along the backside. Start at the corner, which is diagonally opposite to the power button. 
3.  Release the circuit board Again, unscrew all visible screws and take a photo again, so that it is easier for you during re-assembly. Carefully remove all the plugged cables, dismantle the fans, power adapter and drive. Finally remove the clips that are extended over the CPUs. 
4.  Clean the components Once you have completely removed the circuit board, place it on a soft plane support and remove the adhesive pads and thermal paste from the processors. Use the rubbing/cleaning alcohol and a clean cloth for this. 
5.  Resolder contacts Set the temperature of the hot air gun to 400 degrees Celsius. Now, make circles with it for 15 to 30 seconds long at a distance of about five centimetres over the silver-coloured heat spreaders. After that, let the circuit board cool down for about 15 minutes and make sure not to touch it while it’s cooling off. 
6.  Resolder the contacts on the backside Turn the circuit board over and repeat the soldering process for the back of the circuit board. Specifically, aim where the memory chips are arranged in four pairs, as well as the back of the console’s processors. While using the hot air gun, ensure that the circuit board does not get too hot and the solder does not become too fluid. After a maximum of 30 seconds of heating, let the circuit board of your PlayStation 3 cool down again for about 15 minutes. Do not touch it while it’s cooling off. 
7.  Re-assemble and test the PS3 Finally, attach the adhesive pads back to their intended positions and spread some new thermal paste on the heat spreaders of the processors. Next, re-assemble the PlayStation 3 in the reverse sequence and finish up by installing the hard disk. 

Once everything is done, try switching the console on to check whether the repair was successful.