Quick Guide to Maintain Your PlayStation 3

[SwordOfWar]

This is a quick guide explaining how to easily maintain a PlayStation 3 (PS3) to ensure that it works as good as when you bought it (except for manufacturing defects).

Where to place the PS3?
You want to place the PS3 somewhere with enough space for the PS3's fans and vents to allow proper and clean airflow. Follow these tips to avoid overheating issues.

• Avoid placing the PS3 next to other sources of heat. I've noticed that some Plasma TVs produce a fair amount of heat, so try to avoid placing the PS3 near any fans blowing heat from the Plasma TV or other electronic devices.
• Avoid enclosed environments. Never operate the PS3 if it is enclosed in a tight place, such as the inside of a cabinet. Avoid enclosing the PS3 with other objects (especially other devices that produce heat).
• Use the PS3s Vertical position if possible. When the PS3 is in it's vertical position, heat inside the system can rise out a large vent located at the top (heat naturally rises above colder air).
• Air contaminants: Avoid placing the PS3 in an environment where common impurities like dust and cigarette smoke are in the air. If you can't avoid smoking around the PS3, then use a fan to move the smoke away from the PS3.

Maintaining the PS3's discs:
Follow the following tips to ensure your PS3 is able to read games easily and avoid "disc read errors" before they begin to appear.

• Avoid inserting ANY type of disc (DVD, CD, BluRay) that has severe damage, dirt or other substances on the disc. The lens is very close to the disc when it reads data, so other contaminants on the disc can scratch/hit the PS3's laser lenses. Discs that are warped should never be used (warped discs have a chance of hitting the lens as well as breaking when they are spun at high speeds).
• Fingerprints on discs should be avoided, but they can be easily cleaned using a micro-fiber cloth. When wiping a disc, always wipe directly from the center to the outside/edge in straight line. Never wipe in a circular motion. If these is severe build-up on the disc, you may need to rinse the disc or use some soap. It is not recommended to submerge discs in liquids but in some cases you may not have any other option to clean the disc. Make sure the disc is dry before inserting it back into the PS3. You can find these at large stores such as Mal-Mart, and possibly smaller electronics stores, such as ones that sell CD, DVD and/or BluRay players.

Dirty/scratched laser lens:
If your PS3 is under warranty and already experiencing problems reading clean undamaged discs you should call Sony and have them fix it for you. If your system is out of warranty or paying Sony to fit it is not an option, you can attempt some of the following tips. I do not recommend using ANY of these methods if your system is able to read clean discs without any problem.

• Buy a laser lens cleaning disc. These are about $10-$20 from places like BestBuy, Wal-Mart or other electronic stores. They have brushes on the disc that will wipe any dust or other contaminants from the lens when you play the disc in the PS3. Tip: if the cleaning disc does not work you can also try using a bit of Alcohol on the disc's cleaning brushes.
• Take the PS3 apart carefully to reach the BluRay drive, and manually clean the lens with a micro-fiber cloth and possibly using a lens cleaning solution or Alcohol. I recommend using this method instead of the one above if you are comfortable taking the PS3 apart and don't mind voiding the warranty.

Continual Maintenance:
Follow these tips on a regular basis.

• The PS3's fans should be silent or not very noticeable during normal operation. Signs of overheating include the fans getting louder, possible warning messages displayed on the TV and unexpected automatic shutdowns of the system. If you begin to notice any of these signs, consider finding a better location to place the PS3.
• Clean the PS3's vents using a vaccum cleaner by sucking the dust out the vents and fan areas. Avoid blowing air inside the vents/fans as this will just blow more dust inside the system and possibly on the lens and causing more issues.
• Clean the USB ports and/or memory card slots from dust, just as you would the vents. You may need to use a soft cloth to gently wipe some of the dust away.

And that's it! This should keep your system running great aside from any manufacturing defects or bad firmwares Sony might release I've following most of the tips in this guide on my own PS3 and it has been running just as good as when it was new.

[PS3 News]

Thanks for the guide SwordOfWar, sound advice indeed and +Rep!

[tunguyenlosusa]

Thanks so much for your guide.

[mushy409]

Good guide! The number 1 reason for console failure, or any electronic equipment for a matter of fact, is due to lack of maintenance. At least once every few months I open my consoles for a good dust out & replace the heatsink compound.

Dust combined with silicon grease = glue that will destroy drive mechanisms and accelerates wear on the motor & laser...

[sangimed]

very useful thank you

[1Panic]

Probably opening it up yourself and cleaning it from inside like any PC would help too. As long as you know how to put the top of the ps3 back on. lol And reminds me I need to use a vaccum cleaner I have not done that before, in fact I used a can of air...which now I know could have been bad. ><

Only thing mine does is get uber loud and I got it vertical and it's not closed in with anything else. I don't own a Plasma tv so I guess I'm good there. And I don't really think a vacuum cleaner will help... the system I got is super old. The dust on the fan I don't think can even get undusty I think its caked on. So I may have to open the system and clean it manually.

[elser1]

use junkie swabs and clean every single component with em.. best way!!but wont help anyway..its a fault that cannot be fixed(YLOD) without reball with lead solder to my understanding... keeping it clean will minimize risk of ylod i'm sure but hey its a complicated device made on the dodge so wat you want... LOL

i gotta save my 1111th post for 11:11 am on the 11th of 11 2011 for some silly reason in my head., LOL so i'll not post again till then.. keep an eye out on that time at AEST (aust EAST STANBD time) for as surprise if you win ... hint hint

so bye bye till then unless some big news is out... and seeing as only keen sups of ps3 news will read this theres a nice giveaway i'm gonna offer to the 1st person who answers my question on 11.11 at 1111am 2011 aest my time.. good luck!!

sorry thats AEST but till then i'll be on the battlefield!!!

[Sasquash]

Good tips man