PlayStation 1 slow access times

[gbpxl]

Anyone run into this issue?

[Gameguy]

It's the laser.

[gbpxl]

Looks like its about $16 to replace. Thats almost the price of a PS1 itself.

[fluid_matrix]

Looks like its about $16 to replace. Thats almost the price of a PS1 itself.

Replace the whole PS1 with another used PS1 that you don't know how long the laser will last, or simply replace the laser with a new one that's sure to last much longer.... tough decision.

[gbpxl]

Replace the whole PS1 with another used PS1 that you don't know how long the laser will last, or simply replace the laser with a new one that's sure to last much longer.... tough decision.

Well its not tough if you blindly assume the laser is actually new and of good quality. I am always skeptical of these "new" parts for 25+ year old systems. Were they taken off other used PS1s? Were they mass produced by a third party (so less reliable, more than likely)

[Aussie2B]

Well its not tough if you blindly assume the laser is actually new and of good quality. I am always skeptical of these "new" parts for 25+ year old systems. Were they taken off other used PS1s? Were they mass produced by a third party (so less reliable, more than likely)

It's the latter. They may be less reliable than the original ones were when new, I don't know, but they're no more unreliable than the average original used laser unit these days. $16 is pretty cheap, in my opinion, so I personally wouldn't be opposed to having to swap in a new one once in a great while. I've had a lot of PS1 systems pass through my hands, presumably with all original hardware, and pretty much all of them have had a less than perfect laser unit. Even my own PS1 that I bought brand new in 1999 and treated like gold ever since eventually developed issues with reading some games.

[gbpxl]

For sure

[Gameguy]

I tend to find cheap systems bundled with games or accessories and the system often works out free, that's how I got spare PS1 systems. I'm not sure if I'd pay so much for a new laser when I can find a replacement console still in good condition. It's been years since I needed to buy a replacement though, and the PS2(plus PS3) can play PS1 games so there's less reason for me to buy a new laser. But the PS1 is easy to work on so if you'd like to keep it running it's easy enough to do yourself.

[gbpxl]

Has anyone bought a replacement laser? It appears there are multiple brands and they all have shit reviews on Amazon

Edit: And I suspect that considering they all look identical and there is no company name anywhere on them, there is essentially just one factory in China making these things and no one wants to put their name on them or sell them through a reputable console repair website because they are junk.

[Niku-Sama]

you might be able to get a little more life out of it if you adjust the pots for the laser pickup and gain.

depending on the model is dependent on where the pots are to adjust.
another thing is the sled for the laser could be out of alignment. thats still fixable but a royal pain. Unless its a SCPH-100x model i wouldnt bother trying to fix that and just replace the laser module.

or start stocking up on spare bare systems

[gbpxl]

SCPH-7501. I notice too that the disc doesn't spin uniformly around. It wobbles. I tried playing the system upside down and the disc fell off the spindle. the spindle had come loose. not sure if that is what is supposed to happen. someone said the bushings can become worn or something causing the disc to wobble

[Gameguy]

You should be able to replace the spindle motor separately from the laser assembly, or it may be possible to repair the existing motor.

Do you mean one or more of the metal balls or bearings is missing from the clip on the spindle? The part that holds the disc in place? I'm a bit confused how the disc could just fall off the spindle when turned upside down.

[Niku-Sama]

the spindle is replaceable:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Ceramic...gAAOSw4ylcc5mx

might be worth a shot, be careful putting it on as its ceramic

[gbpxl]

you might be able to get a little more life out of it if you adjust the pots for the laser pickup and gain.

depending on the model is dependent on where the pots are to adjust.
another thing is the sled for the laser could be out of alignment. thats still fixable but a royal pain. Unless its a SCPH-100x model i wouldnt bother trying to fix that and just replace the laser module.

or start stocking up on spare bare systems

I ordered a laser (said in Dr. Evil's voice) but in the meantime adjusted the pot. I tried maybe 6 or 7 different settings before I gave up.

[gbpxl]

I figured out what was going on in my PS1. The center part of the spindle was detached from the outer part for some reason. I replaced it with a spindle I took off a broken CD player. It won't spin though. I think the motor needs to be lubed up because the spindle on my other PlayStation moves very freely by hand, this one doesn't. There seems to be a lot of controversy over what to use for lubricating the motor. Half of people swear by sewing machine oil, the other half say it'll wreck your motor over time and to use white lithium grease instead. It seems that the white grease is best for the rails and the gears but the jury is still out on what to use on the motor. If I can find a replacement motor, it looks very easy to solder into place.

laser seems really weak because I figured with all the warnings about looking at it, it'd would've been way brighter. So yeah, that's going out but I can get some more life out of it by adjusting it

ok so if a spindle is broken, youre best off just getting a new laser assembly. My broken spindle was on there so tight that when I went to seperate it from the motor, I shifted the center pin out a bit, essentially making the motor unable to spin. I'm gonna look for my clamp to see if I can re-seat the motor pin but I have a feeling I will need a new motor.

I also see that worm gear is worn down. it's not catching the other gear in order to set the whole thing in motion

[gbpxl]

Niku-Sama, when you adjusted the gain and bias, laser strength, did you just fiddle with them til you found a setting that worked or go off actual numbers you found online? I've read a couple write-ups and one guy says to use specific voltages whereas another guy says the number will vary from console to console due to age and how much wear and tear was put onto the system. the latter seems more likely but the guides I was reading were describing repairs for the PAL systems so I'm not sure if I should go by their numbers and instructions

[gbpxl]

I'm seeing a guide for settings for an SCPH-1002 but not the 1001

Well my disc spins for a bit and then stops. It may be a bad motor. Tempted to swap it with a known good one.

[gbpxl]

well I was able to fix a 9001. I dont remember what it was doing before I opened it up whether the FMV skipped or wouldnt even play games but now it plays games and doesnt skip at all. Open button seems to get stuck even though I cleaned it so Im thinking I may have reassembled the spring the wrong way.

the 1001 is fucked and from what I read, the ACM laser is junk and thats whats in it. the 1001 is cool from the perspective of it being the original model but it seems to be the most problematic. it has 4 seperate pots you can adjust whereas the newer versions got rid of them. the 900X only had the ribbon pot you can adjust.

I have found that if you get a lot of "as is" consoles, a good 25% of them will start right up with no problem. I enjoy cleaning them though. And I feel like if it's not a simple fix with adjusting the laser strength or cleaning the lens, it's essentially beyond my ability to fix it. According to what I read, you should be able to read a music CD just by adjusting the Bias pot on the 1000 but I couldnt even get that far.

[Niku-Sama]

i just fiddled.
small adjustments go a long way

sorry i was down for the count for a little while there.

[jadewuerfel]

This is a problem that often happens on ps1

Most of the time it's easy to fix