PS1/2 Best Place to Buy Replacement Optical Drive

[666nyan666]

Picked up a very affordable fat model yesterday. My intention was to set it up with OPL and back up my games to a hard drive to decrease load times and wear and tear on expensive games. (Sup Xenosaga Episode 3!)

However this unit's laser is failing, taking over 30 seconds to acknowledge DVDs and PS2 games and it cannot read CDs or PS1 games at all. I could take it apart and try cleaning the lens/adjusting pots but I went through all that with my first Slim PS2 and would rather just replace the optical drive entirely.

What would be the best place to purchase replacement parts? And what part number will I need? I've seen several different ones listed on different sites. My PS2 is a 35001 model.

 

[Alexander1970]

Picked up a very affordable fat model yesterday. My intention was to set it up with OPL and back up my games to a hard drive to decrease load times and wear and tear on expensive games. (Sup Xenosaga Episode 3!)

However this unit's laser is failing, taking over 30 seconds to acknowledge DVDs and PS2 games and it cannot read CDs or PS1 games at all. I could take it apart and try cleaning the lens/adjusting pots but I went through all that with my first Slim PS2 and would rather just replace the optical drive entirely.

What would be the best place to purchase replacement parts? And what part number will I need? I've seen several different ones listed on different sites. My PS2 is a 35001 model.

Hello.

It is very hard to get "original" Parts today.

Either they where refurbished or simply "China" Products.
Nothins is wrong with both.

You can get them on Amazon or Aliexpress.Please be sure you order the EXACT Type (there are many different Types of the Laser).

Thank you.

 

[duwen]

Good advice from @alexander1970 - I've bought replacement PS1 laser units from AliExpress and have had no problems with them (aside from the unfounded worry that they'd send the incorrect revision of drive, which has never happened - always got exactly what I needed).

 

[Ryccardo]

Yeah, be sure to get a compatible model (some consoles support a couple of them), and remember that ideally you would need to recalibrate your console afterwards using ideally a serial cable and 3 high quality discs one of each type (the LensChanger homebrew provides 2/3 presets per model of laser, and many people don't do anything at all, but if you want the best performance out of your replacement...)

...and don't forget to desolder what the picture above calls "KB"

 

[666nyan666]

Hello.

It is very hard to get "original" Parts today.

Either they where refurbished or simply "China" Products.
Nothins is wrong with both.

You can get them on Amazon or Aliexpress.Please be sure you order the EXACT Type (there are many different Types of the Laser).

View attachment 185278

Thank you.

Yea i figured original parts were out of the question. Just wanted to see if the parts listed on Amazon/Aliexpress were worth my time or if there were safer alternatives.

Is there a site that lists the specific part numbers of each PS2 model? Looks like I have a Version 4 console, which requires a KHS-400B lens, but it would be nice if there was a point I could reference without having to dismantle my console more than once.

 

[Ryccardo]

Looks like I have a Version 4 console,

Those "version" numbers are 100% unofficial and misleading, avoid them
What you should be looking at are the model number (scph-?????), chassis letter (bottom right of the sticker ends in 1+4 letters as in "24-54234-2 K FOXC"), and motherboard model (GH-??)

The GH-013 officially takes a KHS-400B (find out the motherboard model and check the service manual at https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=schematics:console_related_schematics)

 

[666nyan666]

Those "version" numbers are 100% unofficial and misleading, avoid them
What you should be looking at are the model number (scph-?????), chassis letter (bottom right of the sticker ends in 1+4 letters as in "24-54234-2 K FOXC"), and motherboard model (GH-??)

The GH-013 officially takes a KHS-400B (find out the motherboard model and check the service manual at https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=schematics:console_related_schematics)

Looks like it's still a KHS-400B that i'll need but this site is going to be handy in the future should I ever need any other pary numbers. Thanks for sharing it!

You mentioned recalibrating the console after. What's the best step by step method for this?

 

[Ryccardo]

You mentioned recalibrating the console after. What's the best step by step method for this?

You would need to connect (by soldering) a 3,3V serial interface between the mechacon and a PC, as well as to connect a pin to ground to enable test mode (right now, remove the HDD -always with the mechanical power switch off- if any and look at the top of its slot - see those curiously placed holes?)

Then, after obtaining high quality test discs (a CD, a regular DVD, a dual layer DVD; there are dedicated items [for a price] but nearly-full commercial music and movie discs will do), you would need to use the official leaked tools, or their legal clone "PMAP", to do the procedure (the mechanical part consists of adjusting the skew control, the electronic part which is the one that matters here is pretty much "insert the disc it asks for, computer does the rest")

If you have some knowledge of how it's done on pretty much any optical drive including the PS1 (using an oscilloscope, a test disc, and adjusting for the best "eye pattern") - it's the same thing, just different because

 

[666nyan666]

You would need to connect (by soldering) a 3,3V serial interface between the mechacon and a PC, as well as to connect a pin to ground to enable test mode (right now, remove the HDD -always with the mechanical power switch off- if any and look at the top of its slot - see those curiously placed holes?)

Then, after obtaining high quality test discs (a CD, a regular DVD, a dual layer DVD; there are dedicated items [for a price] but nearly-full commercial music and movie discs will do), you would need to use the official leaked tools, or their legal clone "PMAP", to do the procedure (the mechanical part consists of adjusting the skew control, the electronic part which is the one that matters here is pretty much "insert the disc it asks for, computer does the rest")

If you have some knowledge of how it's done on pretty much any optical drive including the PS1 (using an oscilloscope, a test disc, and adjusting for the best "eye pattern") - it's the same thing, just different because
View attachment 185283

Welp. I just went cross eyed reading all that. Let's say I just replace the lens, test out all the media that the PS2 can read, and if i get positive results, call it a day and get on with my gaming.

 

[666nyan666]

Yeah, be sure to get a compatible model (some consoles support a couple of them), and remember that ideally you would need to recalibrate your console afterwards using ideally a serial cable and 3 high quality discs one of each type (the LensChanger homebrew provides 2/3 presets per model of laser, and many people don't do anything at all, but if you want the best performance out of your replacement...)

...and don't forget to desolder what the picture above calls "KB"

Alright so i've successfully replaced the laser. Except now my PS2 can read CDs but now I get "Disc Read Errors" with DVDs.... any advice?