While the scale of the so-called YLOD issue is difficult to judge in context of the all-pervasiveness of RROD, the fact is that what I learned on my visit was pretty shocking: whether you own a Microsoft or Sony console, it seems that the act of simply using our consoles for the job they were designed can cause cumulative damage, with the very real danger that our games machines may go "pop" after the manufacturer's warranty expires.
he core problem remains however: too much power crammed into too small an area.
"I just think that with all of these machines, the power and the heat they produce have long-term effects on the units," says Thickbroom, referring to both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. "It's also down to the solder being used on the units: it's a lead-free based solder. The consistency and quality of the joints with lead-free isn't as good as a proper lead-based solder. It's the law now, huge companies manufacturing these machines need to use lead-free, so the long-term reliability of the connections isn't so good."
n terms of the scale of the problem, and failure ratios versus the Xbox 360, it is very difficult to put a number on just how many PS3s are malfunctioning. In the case of a relatively small-scale operation like Colchester Computers, working on average, they'll get 20 dead consoles to fix each day - 12 of them will be Xbox 360s, eight of them will be PlayStation 3s. But that's an average. As Thickbroom says, "sometimes, in a hectic week, we can have entire palettes of consoles coming in."
"It's also down to the solder being used on the units: it's a lead-free based solder. The consistency and quality of the joints with lead-free isn't as good as a proper lead-based solder. It's the law now, huge companies manufacturing these machines need to use lead-free, so the long-term reliability of the connections isn't so good."
My system just did this weird freezing and artifact thing. I sure hope it doesn't die, but I guess I'll send off for a coffin then.
The 360 was clearly built quickly to beat Sony to the punch and they've paid dearly ($1 billion, to be exact.)
I just got an 80gb ps3 and now I hear about this YLOD shit, great! I still haven't had a console croak yet, knock on wood. My launch 360 had some occasional artifacting, but I sold it off rather quickly because the prices were insane and there weren't any games around.
What danger does lead-based solder pose when it's inside a video game console?
I just bought a brand new Elite, and it had better not red ring on me.
My system just did this weird freezing and artifact thing. I sure hope it doesn't die, but I guess I'll send off for a coffin then.
Dead,GPU is loosing connection to the board.
Connection is broken already probably,but stays in contact somehow,heat cycle will kill it totally.
My system just did this weird freezing and artifact thing. I sure hope it doesn't die, but I guess I'll send off for a coffin then.
Dead,GPU is loosing connection to the board.
Connection is broken already probably,but stays in contact somehow,heat cycle will kill it totally.
Is this heat cycle problem less likely to occur in hot areas?
I've had two 360s and neither of them ever had any problems.
I have AC and the 360 warms my room up if it's on for a couple of hours. No joke, it's better than a heater. :lol
I just bought a brand new Elite, and it had better not red ring on me.
Apparently the newer models are pretty good. I have one of the first Elites manufactured, and it's not so good. :'(
What danger does lead-based solder pose when it's inside a video game console?
I blame the ambitious tech in a market that doesn't want to pay prices that the ambitious tech costs.