My old fix for a blinking red light on a PS3 was to hit it, now I know about the thermal paste

Back in 2010, my launch PS3 got the dreaded yellow light of death. I had no clue about console repair, so my brilliant solution was to wrap it in a towel to 'cook' the solder, which is a terrible idea. It actually worked for a few more weeks, but then it died for good. Fast forward to last year, I found that same console in a box and decided to give it a proper go. I watched a guide, bought some Arctic MX-4 paste and a set of security screwdrivers, and spent a whole Saturday taking it apart. The old paste was dry as dust. After cleaning it all out and putting on new paste, it booted right up and has been running my old games ever since. What's the most ridiculous 'fix' you tried before you learned the right way?

3 comments

3 Comments

wilson.emma2mo ago

Oh man, the towel trick. I did the exact same thing with my 360 for the red ring. I'd wrap it up, turn it on, and pray. It bought me like an extra month of play time before it fully quit. Years later I opened it up and the thermal paste was basically concrete. Replacing that and adding some washers to the heat sinks actually fixed it for good. Felt like a genius, but really I was just lucky I didn't start a fire.

val2232mo ago

Yeah @wilson.emma, my towel trick attempt just made the console smell like hot plastic and regret. I was definitely more of a fire hazard than a fix-it guy.

spencer19925d ago

Blow the dust out every time you crack one of these things open, that's the key. People always forget about the thermal paste until it's too late, like concrete you said. I did the same washer trick on my old PS3 after it yellow lighted, and I couldn't believe it actually worked for another year. Why do we all have to learn this stuff the hard way instead of just doing it right from the start? It's like every console from that era was designed to cook itself to death. The towel trick was just a desperate prayer with a side of fire risk, not a real fix.