What is the Yellow Light of Death (YLOD)?

Click here for a video, Yellow Light of Death. It shows exactly what a Yellow Light of Death is.

The Short Story:  A “Yellow Light of Death” or “YLOD” is an error code given off by the Playstation 3. It means that during the heath checks your PS3 goes through during its boot sequence, something has failed. Thus the system immediately shuts down.  For most people this relates to their graphics chip; although it can be a capacitor, power supply, HDD and other things. Our PS3 diagnostics can identify exactly what your PS3 needs to be repaired.

The Long Story
When computer systems like the Playstation 3 turn on they go through a boot sequence. This runs things like the BIOS or POST operations depending on the systems configuration, firmware and programming. These start up operations occur very quickly. During boot sequence the PS3 does a quick health check to insure that the componentry inside the system is working correctly. If it isn’t, it will immediately shut down and display the error knowns as the Yellow Light of Death.

For a vast majority of people this means the same thing. The graphics processing unit (GPU) has become disconnected from the mother board. The GPU is called the RSX chip inside of the Playstation 3. It is what is called a Ball Grid Array chip or BGA. These chips are named after their connection with the mother board. The RSX chip has hundreds of tiny solder balls (arranged in a grid, hence the name of the chip) that connect it with circuit board.

In the PS3, the solder that is used is lead-free due to environmental restrictions of Europe and other regulations. Over time after hundreds of hours of usage and thermal cycles (heating up and cooling down) This solder becomes brittle and little fractures from (see picture below). When this happens your unit will display the Yellow Light of Death.

The Bad News: It is a difficult problem to fix at home. To properly repair a Yellow Light of Death you need professional equipment that cost thousands of dollars. Some recommend taking a heat gun to fix this problem. This is not a recommended repair method and can do permanent damage to your system.

The Good News: Professionals can repair these fractures in the solder. We recommend that you get your PS3 repaired by a shop with experience. Make sure they have professional equipment to do the job right and that they offer the warranties to back it up. Check out our PS3 Repair Services.

The Reball vs. The Reflow

There are two common repairs for the Yellow Light of Death. The first is called a “Reflow” This is where the solder already on the board is is repaired. The second is called a “Reball” this is where the solder is replaced completely with new solder. Both are legitimate repairs but the reball tends to be more reliable. For more information check out our other posts.

Questions, Need Support or Repair? [email protected]

Thanks,
∞Endless Electronics