My 10000 PS2 doesn't play DVDs anymore. WHY?!

KOC2000 · #1 21-09-2002, 00:22

I've a 10000 PS2 with Origa 1.25, time ago it couldn't read DVDs, I thought it's the lens.. so I got a new one 2 days ago.. but I still have the same problem.. It can't boot up DVDs.. (both games and movies/Originals and backups)..

I tried the new lens on a new 3000x PS2 and it worked..

Thank you..

charlie_ps2 · #2 21-09-2002, 00:58

Please go into the relevant FACTOID for what I would otherwise repeat here in the reply.

KOC2000 · #3 22-09-2002, 05:36

Hi "charlie_ps2" I read ur FACTOIDS post.. but It's all related to the magic chip...

I've Origa 1.25, this one you advised me and everyone else have the JAP PS2..

So, can you pls tell me why doesn't my PS2 read DVDs ?

BG · #4 22-09-2002, 05:52

I think this is the post Charlie wanted you to read.

Quote:

UNDERSTANDING DVD/DVD-R ISSUES
Success with DVD/DVD-R on the PS2 is, first and foremost, a question of reflectivity and the causes of poor reflectivity.

The exception is (my thanks to Phreaker47 on ISONews for this) a game like GTA3 that is coded to stream data on the fly. Phreaker47 wrote " ...especially when you are driving through the cities... parts of the landscape that are just beyond the horizon are loading without interrupting the action. So, the effects of quality difference in DVD-R medias are exposed here. If there's a "hiccup" in GTA3, you're screwed because you need that data loaded right away or it will interrupt your game.. hence, the screen freezing with the message 'Error Reading GTA3 DVD', and the other effect being messed up textures that failed to load properly in this short time window". The v5s are faster PS2s and the effect is far less marked on those models.

Sony calibrate their CD and DVD laser diodes at around 1200 ohms, Dealing just with the DVD laser diode, this means if it can deliver 2mW (I think that's the value) power to the red laser beam, then a DVD (or DVD-R) with reflectivity in the range 45% to 85% will be read and processed by the firmware. Indeed a new PS2 laser can resolve Princo DVD-Rs (see below) which have reflectivity below 45%.

An important point to note: Laser Azimuth adjustment (the screw that angles the lens on the sled assembly) can be sloppily set by Sony as there is tolerance when reading pressed CD/DVD. If the angle isn't right for DVD-R then reflectivity will be poor. So look at that question (separately posted).

If the laser can't deliver the correct power, like it's near fried, worn out or whatever, then it will only read a DVD (or DVD-R) if there is sufficient power to read a disk with reflectivity higher up the band range. At worst, it will appear to emit light, but at a power lower than can generate a properly reflected return beam.

DVD-Rs have reflectivity in the range (my estimate) 15% to 65% and this is price related. I haven't been able to measure nor discover the reflectivity of Princos, but I estimate below 40%. But I know that Mitsui are 50% and Verbatims around 60%.

So now that you can see what makes a DVD drive sensitive, let's look further under the PS2 hood.

The Laser - does it wear out?
The" Laser" means the Laser Diode, the semiconductor that lases to produce coherent light. This diode is a sandgrain in size reaching 70 deg Centigrade. A very small increase in current (like pushed through by 5v or by over-reducing the resistance using the recalibration pots) will take the temperature through the breakdown barrier so that it lases dark light or weakly lases at the right wavelength. So yes, like a light bulb, the Laser will eventually wear out according to use.

Does a DVD-R wear the laser out?
A cheapish DVD-R has about/less than half the reflectivity of a pressed DVD and the laser power required to avoid re-reads is higher on poor media, achieved by re-calibration. A more expensive DVD-R (e.g. Verbatim) has about 60% ideal reflectivity which, with a clean lens, is sufficient to work with the standard laser power, esp. on a v5. So the laser will wear out sooner if you re-calibrate it and even sooner if you over-calibrate (by more than, say, 10%).

Red Screen of Death
When the disk is inserted, you can hear something akin to a mouse squeaking very rapidly. That's the lens moving up and down to focus and side-to-side to locate the groove that it follows to obtain the data. This lens movement is activated by magneto through tiny wires, current and magnets. Then the sled traverses the disk to measure its diameter (there are mini sized audio CDs).

When focusing, it tries first in red light; if there is reflectivity, the disk is a DVD/DVD-R and it can boot; if it is not a PS2 disk, the red screen appears.

If there is no reflectivity, it tries infra-red light and if there is then reflectivity, the disk is a CD/CD-R; if it is not a PS2 disk, the red screen appears.

If there is still no reflectivity, it goes to the browser. Either the lens is dirty or the laser cannot muster enough power and needs recalibration and eventual replacement.

There is an outside chance that the laser needs adjusting for the lens being parallel to the disk (azimuth) or the sled being parallel (the white cog).

To summarise (adapted from a piece by Fogbank)
The laser unit generally works harder to read any kind of recordable media (CD-R or DVD-R). This can be further complicated by playing "DVD Rips" which are DVD based games that have been downsized to fit onto CD-R. These may not have optimal file layout or addressing, and may cause your laser unit to work even harder to read the data required to run the game.

Many users experience greater noise from the laser unit when playing less than ideally produced PS2 backups. Logically, if the laser unit is working harder, it may wear out, or lose its calibration, earlier than if it were only reading pressed media. The best approach to these issues is to use the best media you can (fewer "re-reads" means the laser unit doesn't work as hard), avoid non-optimised DVD-Rips if you can, burn backups at slower speeds, keep your laser clean, and keep your media clean. Many users have been playng backups on their PS2's for several years now, and are still gaming away. Laser unit wear and tear is, however, the price you potentially pay for playing backups

It still sounds like you have a laser problem......
When you installed the new laser, did you adjust it to the correct specs....

KOC2000 · #5 22-09-2002, 08:33

You mean it has something to do with LASER ADJUSTING?

I tried the new lens on 2 other consoles and it worked just perfect..
!!??!!?!?!?!

BG · #6 22-09-2002, 08:45

I'm unsure about the adjusting.... Since mine works fine, I don't want to screw it up.... Charlie_PS2 has posted EXACTLY how to adjust one.... I'll see if I can find it and re-post it here.... When you installed it into the other 2 PS2's you may have just gotten lucky.... It could also be the wrong laser for your JAP machine.... I know they make different lasers for different machines but i'm not sure about the JAP console.... I'm just throwing out ideas too see if we can get your problem solved.... Maybe Charlie_PS2 will post more in depth for your problem.....

BG · #7 22-09-2002, 08:54

Here is another Post on this subject from Charlie_PS2...

Quote:

Laser (azimuth) Adjustment
Laser adjustment is one of the issues of the day as v3s and NEO2.2 v4s begin to expire when DVD-Rs are booted. So I asked my famous "mate round the corner" to brief me on the detail and here's what we've put together for you.

The laser assembly is mounted on a sled which runs on two round steel runners. The azimuth adjuster screw will tilt the assembly slighty by lifting one side off its rail. Experiment shows that the range of adjustment is very large; normal CD's and DVDs will read reliably over several turns of this screw.

However, DVD-Rs and CD-Rs exhibit a very different range of adjustment. DVD-R is most critical. When Sony set the machine up originally, the setting was probably made with a 'standard' DVD because this (and CD) was all the machine was ever going to play .

Now that we are using CD-R and DVD-R, this adjustment is much more critical. Proceed as follows, with the PS2 already open - at your own risk of course:

1/
Carefully remove the top of the CR-ROM drive, four small screws.

2/
Power up and eject the drawer. Don't look into the laser lens, infra red is invisible and can cause retinal damage (it's probably safer to switch off when the cover is off the drive).

3/
Put a tiny drop of white correction fluid (or similar) on the screw to keep track of its position. You can feel how 'loose' the screw setting is by holding that side of the sled and seeing how much play there is. (This 'play' is deliberate, the screw must NOT be
tightened up so that the sled cannot move.)

4/
Put an 'iffy' disk (DVD-R) in the drive. Put the drive's cover back on, no need to fit the screws, a small coffee mug stood on top will suffice. See how good the 'boot' is.

5/
Eject the disc, remove the cover and move the screw clockwise a little. KEEP A NOTE OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE. Try again. Be
patient. Once you have found the position where boot will not happen, go the other way and find the other 'no go' end of the range.

6/
Keep going until you have a range of positions (probably less than half a turn) where the boot is best. Set the screw in the middle of that range.

7/
Verify that normal DVDs and CD still work OK. They should work, probably even better than before (if ypu'd notice).

CAUTION: If you tighten the screw up tight then the sled will not be able to move and you may damage the sled motor or mechanism.

BG · #8 22-09-2002, 09:02

Currently, the site that has the other part "laser Parallax adjustment" is down..... I will post that info when the site comes back up....

KOC2000 · #9 22-09-2002, 12:56

Thank you so much BG for trying to help me out.

Yes, I think Charlie can help also since he has a JAP console and a good knowledge also..

BTW.. I'll try adjusting the laser.
But it can be from something gone wrong with my Origa, can't it?

Thanks

charlie_ps2 · #10 22-09-2002, 15:08

Koc,

I've got awkward news for you.

These 1000s/15000s just DIE. We swapped the laser in my 15000 because it did the same thing and it just about boots one PS2 CD game!

So I've written the 15000 off!

KOC2000 · #11 23-09-2002, 03:21

Umm.. So, I shall throw my 10000 PS2, then?
.. !! ??
Can't I contact $ony for this problem?

charlie_ps2 · #12 23-09-2002, 04:23

Yes, of course contact Sony. They'll replace it for $100 I believe!