[underscore]

^ I think I saw your old 240 in Kelowna!

Well, once he strips it down to the main board (google it for a tutorial) you need a couple things:

-a large, flat surface (table or somn)
-a heat gun (Canadian Tire should sell these)
-no-clean flux (computer stores should have it)
-some good thermal paste (computer stores as well)

Now the flux MUST be no-clean, and you've got to be careful as far as static discharge (don't lay the board on fabric/carpet, and discharge yourself by touching a large, grounded metal object).

With the board in front of you, put a thin bead of the no-clean flux (mine came in a syringe) around the edge of both the main processor and GPU (should be obvious what these are). With that applied, use the heat gun on a low setting first, holding it a few inches above one of the chips. Once the flux has liquified and begun to flow under the chip, gently tilt the board in all directions to be sure that the flux flowed under the chip really well. Repeat with the second chip.

Turn the heat on the gun up to high (mine only has two settings) and heat up one chip, by holding the gun a few inches away and making small, slow circles to distribute the heat. After about 2-3 minutes (use your judgment here, in my case the flux began to bubble a little) remove the heat, and switch to the second chip. Repeat the process, and allow about 20 mins to cool.

BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BUMP THE BOARD while the solder and such is still hot, this can cause the solder to short two pins together, fucking everything right up.

Re-assemble the PS3, being sure to add new thermal compound (a very thin layer is best, I usually make an X over the chip). Be sure not to have too much or too little computer, I like to install the heatsink back on the chips, tighten it down, then remove it again and see how the compound looks. If there's a good, thin, even layer covering the whole chip, button everything back up and turn on the PS3, with a little luck it should fire up right away!

When/if you get it fixed, be sure you put it back in a place that has very good ventilation, as poor ventilation leading to overheating is the main cause of YLOD (in my case, my brother nuked his after moving it into a small, enclosed cabinet and playing for 6 hours for a few days >.<)


For anyone who has read this and doesn't want to attempt it themselves, I will be down in Vancouver in a few weeks and I should be able to fix a few when I'm there if there's enough interest. I guarantee all my work, and do a much better job than nearly every other console "repair" person I've come across.