PS2 Replacement Lasers Not Working :/

[segasonicfan]

Hey folks,
I have a PS2 I modded some time ago with removed Macrovision, which is the only reason I keep it around. I just love watching movies in pure RGB, and as far as I know there is no other cost effective solution for this with US players.

So when the lens was dying I did a laser swap a few wees ago. It worked fine for a while but wouldn't read my copied DVDs, so I adjusted the pots on that laser. After that nothing will read, even with 2 new lasers I have tried. I'm wondering if the motherboard/controller got damaged or something. Or is it really that common that the lasers off Ebay don't work? I tried a KHS-400B and KHS-400C from different sellers.

Any ideas much appreciated. Video outputs and everything fine, so I'm uber confused. The laser swap is really straight forward, it just isn't taking it. Almost considering buying a whole new system and doing the mod again...but that's no fun.

-Segasonicfan

 

[ggallegos1]

Do the discs spin? Does the laser move or emit light? Does the laser move up and down to try to read the disc? Is everything just stationary and dead?

 

[segasonicfan]

Do the discs spin? Does the laser move or emit light? Does the laser move up and down to try to read the disc? Is everything just stationary and dead?

Thanks for the reply and Qs. The discs spin, laser moves and emits light. The activity all seems normal. Oddly, both lasers make different sounds though, which I would not expect if the system mobo were dead. They both repeatedly try to spin the disc and make that awful clicking sound :/

Tried a bunch of different discs too.

-Segasonicfan

 

[NewNeoOwner]

I'm going to say that clicking is the laser trying to focus on the disc. I had to clean my PS2 twice to fix a DRE and replace a PS3 laser. I wish I wasn't familiar with that damn noise. Gonna say this anyway whether it's obvious or not, make sure the lens is clean. Also make sure it's completely level with the disc (if you had to undo any adjustments). The laser needs to come straight back down into the assembly. I bought a cheaper laser replacement and learned ya don't wanna do that. Ha. Meaning you might need to try another part. Can you 'reset' the pots?

They can be temperamental. When my PS3 started acting up it would freeze in the same spot on DMC. However it seemed to play BF4 and another disc game well enough. Once replaced I noticed how slowly those working games were loading and it blew past that spot in DMC just fine.

 

[segasonicfan]

I'm going to say that clicking is the laser trying to focus on the disc.

Yep, thats what its doing. I tried adjusting the height via one white gear at the top, but when the system resets it moves it back to the starting point (good thing, I think). The 2 lasers I've tried are brand new, I really don't think cleaning the laser would be the issue there.

The pots can be adjusted back, I should spend some time on this taking measurements from the new ones. But it would be easier to spend $10 on another laser... I'm just concerned it is another issue altogether. Hopefully someone who has done this replacements a lot can help me out.

-Segasonicfan

 

[NewNeoOwner]

I understand they're new but make sure you didn't accidentally leave a fingerprint. I'd reset the pots for the new laser and start from 'defaults' ya know? Yeah you can physically move the assembly and yes the console will move it to starting position so those are good ways to know the problem doesn't go past the laser itself.

I've done it once or twice, and as I said the first one I tried on the PS3 was only half working. It came from Ebay in a box that screamed cheap and Chinese. The second one was the whole laser sled from a US seller on Amazon, worked perfectly first try, been great since. I hope for your sake it's not a different issue but you can only buy so many parts before you suspect something else.

 

[segasonicfan]

Unfortunately I don't know what the defaults are for the laser adjustments. I also get different readings from them,

Do you remember the Amazon seller you bought it from? I would love to try with someone I know that sells reliable stuff.

 

[GadgetUK]

See my comment on the neo geo top loader thread. If laser is good and set properly, it could be the driver chip. Typically these drives have a chip that provides drive for focus, gain, and disc/head motors. Could be gain or focus problem.

 

[RAZO]

Unfortunately I don't know what the defaults are for the laser adjustments. I also get different readings from them,

Do you remember the Amazon seller you bought it from? I would love to try with someone I know that sells reliable stuff.

Does it read regular cd's, not dvd's?

The reason why I ask is because I recently had someone install a new laser in my JP slim ps2. When It arrived, I tried it and it would not read dvd games, only cd games. Turns out the guy who installed the laser for me ordered from someone on ebay who had a bad batch of lasers. The ebay seller sent him a new replacement and it works fine now.

 

[segasonicfan]

Does it read regular cd's, not dvd's?

The reason why I ask is because I recently had someone install a new laser in my JP slim ps2. When It arrived, I tried it and it would not read dvd games, only cd games. Turns out the guy who installed the laser for me ordered from someone on ebay who had a bad batch of lasers. The ebay seller sent him a new replacement and it works fine now.

Ah, OK I'll try some CDs. If the driver chip is bad there's not much I can do, just gotta get a new system really. But I doubt the laser would emit and all the proper movements if it was bad. I guess anythings possible.