(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Most of us have heard of the dreaded ‘Yellow Light of Death’ that some PS3’s suffer from, one of the reasons this happens is due to over-heating and/or improper use. But of course, you could be the most careful PS3 owner in the world and still experience YLOD due to manufacturing errors/faults, but follow these guidelines to prevent it from happening.

What happens when YLOD occurs?
Your PS3 will turn on and the power LED will blink 3 times, and then display a yellow light briefly before switching back off.

Here are some of the reasons why your PS3 may fail early:

Dust – Dust is a silent killer, make sure you keep your console completely free of dust at all times, especially near the vents on the side, front and rear. It is extremely important that you do this. Always wipe with a dry, soft cloth.

Smoke – Smoke is very bad for the laser so avoid smoking near your console or else you could find your games and movies not working. It clearly states this in your PS3's manual.

Lack of Space – Never keep your PS3 in a cabinet with no ventilation (hole in the back), it’s a recipe for disaster. The PS3’s manual suggests that the console should be at least 10cm away from the wall or other surfaces. Never cover your PS3 with a cloth, and never lie your PS3 on carpet or a rug. Also, do not place the console on top of any other equipment such as a DVD recorder etc.

Heat – This is mostly due to lack of space and/or dust build up. The Playstation 3's ‘Safety and Support’ manual states that the Playstation 3 unit is to operate within temperatures of 5 ° - 35 ° (41F - 95F). A good precaution is to place a thermometer on the wall just behind your PS3 to prevent it from reaching high temperatures.

USB Burnouts – Usually when USB ports "burn out" it's usually from using a USB hub that's sucking more power than 1 port can handle. Equip your USB hub with it's external power if it's handling more than 3 ports at the time. This is the reason most PS3 intercoolers do more harm than good as they draw more power from your PS3, therefore making them run hotter, so make sure you get one with it’s own power supply. I recommend buying a USB 2.0 hub with it's own external power source so not too much power will be used from one of the USB ports on your PS3. Remember, some USB hubs do not have external power so buy carefully.

Shock – Avoid moving your PS3 while it is running, not only could you scratch the disc, you could damage the console at the same time. Never drop, shunt, jolt, bump or nudge the console while it is running.[/b]

Moisture/Liquids – Never ever allow drinks near your PS3, if someone even spills a drop in or around your PS3 it could damage it. Never leave your PS3 in the garage overnight as condensation could get into the console and damage the electronics.

Powering Off – One thing you MUST do is turn your PS3 off properly. NEVER turn your PS3 off by flicking the switch at the back of the console, this could completely kill your Blu-ray disc reader. There are a few ways to shut the PS3 down: Hold the PS button on the controller for 2 seconds and select Turn Off System, go to Turn Off System on the XMB under ‘Users’, or you can hold the power button on the console for 5 seconds. Also, always make sure you quit your game before turning the console off. If you are planning on going away on holiday or planning not to use your console for a few days, turn the switch off at the back. This will prevent your PS3 suffering damage from electrical surges etc. If your PS3 ever freezes, hold the power button on the console or quit the game via the controller.

Electrical Surges – As I mentioned above, if you don’t plan on using your PS3 for a few days, turn the switch off at the back to prevent any power surges/fluctuations. Another good way to prevent this from happening is to buy a quality surge protector. They’re relatively cheap to buy and are available everywhere, you can also plug your TV, computer, stereo etc into the same board and have them all protected at once.


How to clean your console:

I recommend cleaning your PS3 every couple of days, or at the very least, once a week.

• Use a low powered vacuum to suck out the dust out of the PS3's vents, make sure you keep the vacuum at least 2-3cm away from the PS3 vents when doing this. A good thing to use is a small battery powered keyboard cleaner, makes it easier to get in between the vents and you don’t have to worry about keeping it at a distance as the power is minimal.

• If you're cleaning the outer casing of your PS3, use a microfiber cloth. The Playstation 3 is prone to scratch easily, typically a microfiber cloth will prevent this. NEVER use paper towels or any other paper based materials, including regular hand towels and tissues.

If you look after your PS3 properly, it’ll last you for years and years. If you be rough with it, then don’t expect it to last. Follow everything in this tutorial and your PS3 will live happily ever after.

Can you please clean up this post a little? I think you have some helpful information here however I can't read any of it because your text colors and such. Thanks

nice post and all but there are a few [/B] things in your post
i should probably clean out my ps3
you should also include leaving it on for lengthy times
thats a major killer of my ps3s

its the solder just going shit you need to melt it with a hair dryer lol

Looks good man. Good job.

wow great thread man now im gonna kill my brother for flicking it of at the back :p

I play my PS3 on a carpet, it's a short carpet though.

great info for people nice thread lets hope the slim corrected this problem i had my 1st ps3 for a year and it got YLOD and i took care of it cleaning it i just played alot that killed mine

this Is a really helpfully threa. Thanks

All I know is ive had my PS3 for over 5 years, same system, never switched out, and had 0 problems. Only one is where it cant connect to cod4, and I have to reset my modemn. Done.

<3 my grandparents for buying