SONY PLAYSTATION 2 Repair Guide

Playstation 2 Repair Guide

Copyright 2002-2003 by Mark Eastman . All rights reserved.

Published by Powerful Guides

1387 Westbrook Dr.

Marysville,OH 43040

www.powerfulguides.com

WARNING

The Playstation 2 is a high-tech piece of equipment. Fixing the console yourself should
not be done unless completely necessary. You may risk electrical shock so please make
sure your unit is unplugged and take additional steps to ensure your safety.
These repairs require you to open your PS2 case which will void your warranty. If your
console is still under warranty please think about taking these steps carefully before
beginning.

DISCLAIMER

This information is being sold for educational purposes only! I cannot be held
responsible for any adverse effects to your PS2 if you decide to use this information. The
responsibility is ALL YOURS. I am NOT a Sony Certified PS2 technician. These
procedures are a result of my interpretation of what others have reported as well as my
own experience with the repairing of PS2 consoles. It is my belief that all of these
procedures have been used with positive results for other PS2 owners. Therefore, they
should work for you.

COPYRIGHT

This information is protected by copyright. It is for use by the original purchaser only.
Anyone attempting to resell or distribute this information without prior written
authorization of the owner will be prosecuted. If you know of someone who is illegally
selling or distributing this information please contact me at [e-mail]

LICENSE AGREEMENT-MUST READ

When you purchased this guide you were issued a license. This license is monitored
electronically for abuse. DO NOT distribute this document to friends or family members.
This license is good for use on one or two computers ONLY. Any license that is being
abused will be terminated and you will not be able to open your book again. Please refer
friends and family who would like a copy to www.powerfulguides.com/ps2

.

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INTRODUCTION

Hi,
My name is Mark. I have been an electronic technician for almost 25 years now. My goal here is to help you fix
your PS2. Sony would say only a certified technician can do this, but I have broken down the steps into simple
terms and hopefully made it a task that almost anyone could do. I hope it works for you.
Sincerely,
Mark Eastman

This manual covers 2 main areas for the do-it-yourselfer. Power and disc reading problems. Look at the table of
contents and follow it to fix your problem.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

When working on your PS2 you need to always make sure you are working in a clean, well-organized
environment. Always make sure your PS2 is UNPLUGGED. NEVER work on your PS2 on carpet. The carpet
static can actually cause damage to the PS2. Move to an area that is not carpeted, like a kitchen table.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. VOLTMETER TRAINING (Page 5)

2. POWER SUPPLY PROBLEMS (Page 6-10)

3. DISC READ ERRORS (Page 11-17)

4. LASER VOLTAGE ADJUSTMENT (18-22)

5. MY PLAYSTATION 2 IS STILL BROKE- NOW WHAT? (23)

6. INTRODUCTION TO BUYING AND SELLING ON EBAY (23-24)

7. HOW TO BUY AND SELL ON EBAY (24)

8. SELLING ON EBAY (24-27)

9. BUYING ON EBAY (27-28)

10. WHERE TO BUY CHEAP PS2 GAMES (29)

11. EARN MONEY PROMOTING THE PS2 REPAIR GUIDE (30)

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VOLTMETER TRAINING

IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE A VOLTMETER TO READ VOLTAGES AND MEASURE

RESISTANCE THEN YOU CAN SKIP THIS SECTION

Before doing some of the techniques in this manual you are going to need to know how to use a voltmeter. They
are very easy to use and it won't take long to get you up to speed even if you have never used one before. If you
don't own a voltmeter then you may need to buy one or borrow one. WAIT TO SEE IF ONE IS REALLY

NEEDED BEFORE BUYING ONE! Each section tells you what tools are needed to complete the testing and

troubleshooting in that section.

Here is what my voltmeter looks like. They come in
various shapes and sizes and can be picked up at most
hardware stores or at Radio Shack. They can be very
expensive or you can get them pretty cheap. A cheap
one is all that is needed for this project. Notice that
there are two wires coming out of it. One is red and the
other black. Red is the (+) positive lead and Black is
the (-) Negative lead. None of the measurements we
will be doing are dependent on having the positive and
negative leads connected in a particular order. All of
the measurements can be taken with either lead in
either position indicated. That will make it easy for
you.

Next, we need to go over the setting on the voltmeter
that we will be using. This will vary from meter to
meter. Most of them use the same symbols and
wording so you should be able to figure it out on yours
by looking at the description and picture here. The first
setting is Ohms (See picture). This is the setting you
use to check fuses and to adjust the laser voltages. All
measurements you will be taking are less than 2000
Ohms so you will need to pick the scale that most
closely matches this setting. Many meters, like the one
shown use an auto-scaling feature. This makes it so you
don't have to worry about what scale to pick. So if you
have to buy a meter you may want to pick one up that
has this feature built in.

That's it for the voltmeter training. In each section that we use the voltmeter there will be more detailed
instructions on exactly what to do. So don't panic if you don't feel like you quite understand it yet. You will get
more details when needed.

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POWER SUPPLY PROBLEMS

TOOLS NEEDED:

• Normal Philips head screwdriver (Hardware Store)

• Needle-Nosed pliers (optional)

• Voltmeter (Hardware store or Radio Shack)

If you are experiencing power supply problems then more than likely your Playstation 2 will not come on at all.
It is plugged in and the switch is on, but you have no lights. There are a couple of things you can check that may

be a simple fix to your problem.

DONE WITH THE PS2 UNPLUGGED. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR UNIT IS
UNPLUGGED BEFORE TESTING TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL ELECTRICAL
SHOCK.

• First, make sure that the outlet you are plugged in to is good by unplugging you PS2, and plugging it into a

socket in a different room. If it doesn't work there either then proceed to the next step.

• Before we take any measurements we need to make sure the voltmeter is working. Put the meter on the

Ohms setting. Test it by touching your red and black lead together. You should get a reading of 0 or a very
low number when touched and nothing when not touching.

WARNING-ALL TESTING THAT IS DESCRIBED HERE IS

To test the power cord take one lead and attach it to
one prong that plugs into the wall and the other lead
into one of the holes that plug into the PS2. You
should get a low reading just like you did when you
tested above. If not, move to the other hole. Do that for
each hole and prong to check both wires inside the
cable. If both check good then you are ready for the
next step. If not, then you have a bad cord and it will
need to be replaced.

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The remaining checks will require that the PS2 cover be removed. Follow these steps to
safely and easily remove it.

A. Flip your PS2 over so that the bottom is facing up

B. Remove all the screw covers. (

screw covers, 4 made of rubber (outer edges) and 2 made of
plastic (in the middle), that need to be removed. Indicated
in photo by the white lines. You can use a knife or small
jewelers flat blade screwdriver for this. There should be 2-4
more screw covers on the outer side of the base,
underneath the controller ports. Indicated in photo by red
lines. The older model PS2’s have 4 screw covers, while
the newer ones have only 2. Remove them all, and you
should now have a total of 8-10 screws unveiled.
Set the screw covers aside.

There should be 6

C. Use your knife to cut the warranty tape that is covering
the seam between the back and the top cover. (By the
power switch). Just trace the seam through the tape with the
knife so that it will not be holding you back when you go to
remove the top later.

D. Using the normal sized Phillips head screwdriver, Make sure all of the screws are removed, and put them

aside.
NOTE: Some of the screws are longer than others. It is VERY IMPORTANT

that you remember where the
longer screws go. You may want to mark the holes with a piece of tape or some other way so that you will know
which holes the long screws go into. If you do not remember where the long screws go, you could put a hole
through a circuit board by trying to force the long screw in where it is not supposed to be.

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E. The PS2 shell should now be ready to remove.
ONLY the UPPER side (with the PS2 logo) needs to
be removed for this step - Leave the BOTTOM side
on. WARNING-Be very careful when taking the

upper shell off, or you could damage the PS2.

Place the PS2 horizontally, with the PS2 logo facing
up and the front facing you.

Pull up on the cover from the back and work it free and lift about 1/2 inch. Move the shell forward a little,
sideways, so that the Eject/Reset buttons are not blocking the shell and the CD tray comes clear, and it can be
lifted off. Just play around with it a little and you should get it.

Then, lift it at an angle, like opening the cover of a
book. Take the bottom (Vertically speaking) of the
shell, with the PS2 logo on it, and lift it an angle.

WARNING-Lift slowly and be careful not to break
the ribbon cable going to the reset and eject buttons.

You should notice a small wire around the area where
the Reset/Eject buttons are. The wire should be taped
to the top of the Lens cover. Remove the tape, and
then carefully lift the cover so that it is lying flat, and
the PS2 is open like a book, connected at the middle
by the wire.

OPTIONAL: If you have or can get a couple of
clips that hold stacks of paper they make an
excellent clip for holding your PS2 cover firmly to
the PS2 base. This will reduce your risk of
accidentally tearing your ribbon cable. See photo.

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Now we are going to test the power switch. MAKE

SURE THE POWER SWITCH IS IN THE ON
POSITION. Put one voltmeter lead on one of the

pins that the power cable plugs into and the other on
one of the pins of the white plug just inside the case.
You should get a 0 reading or a short. If not trying
moving to the other pin. A good plug will show a short
between each pin on the back and one of the wires on
the inside when the power switch is in the on position.

Last we will check the fuses. There are two located on
the power supply board. (see photo)
Take your voltmeter and put a lead on each side of a
fuse. You should read a short. If you don't, then the
fuse is blown and will need to be replaced. Read the
value of the fuse either written on the circuit board
beneath the fuse or on the silver connection on the end
of the fuse. The fuse by the power plug on mine is

3.25A (amps).

Every version of PS2 has a slightly different set of fuses in it. To convert the numbers on the fuses to an actual
value take the number and multiply by .04. For example, if the number on your fuse is 25 CCP2E25 then you
take 25 * .04 =1.0 or 1amp. You would use a 1 amp fuse to replace this one. If you end up with a weird
amperage like .52 just use a .5 amp fuse. You just need something close as possible to the actual value to keep
things working safely.

You can get your replacement fuses at Radio Shack or any electronics store. Replace them and if they blow
again then you have more serious problems with your power supply board and it is suggested you seek out a
replacement. Just search the internet for PS2 parts and find a replacement board. I found them to be about
$35.00.

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