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PS2 Laser Adjustment and Replacement Guide
Tools Needed: #2 and a #1 Phillips Screwdriver. T5 (Torx) Screwdriver, 1 inch Clean paint brush
Important things to remember: If you are just doing a laser alignment and not replacement it is important that you clean the whole PS2 console when you have the top off. A 1 inch CLEAN paintbrush can be used to loosen dust and dirt in the Fan, Front Grill, Heat-sink and CD/DVD Drive. At this point the laser eye must be cleaned up with 91% Alcohol and Q-Tip before any adjustments are made. If you are installing a NEW head all the above steps should be followed except the cleaning of the laser eye.
Disconnect all power and A/V cords from your PS2. Ensure all devices including memory cards, controllers, compact discs and/or DVD�s are removed from the system.
Turn your PS2 upside down and remove all eight screw caps (4 rubber and 4 plastic). These caps cover the PS2 assembly screws. Pry the caps off gently using a small flat head screw driver. Note: Four of the eight case screws are 2 1/2" in length, and all screws must be re-used in their appropriate holes only
After you have removed all 8 of the case screws, you will need to turn the PS2 right-side-up and remove the top cover. Lift the top cover of the PS2 case up and away from the exposed controller ports and drive tray on the front of the console. Important: The top of the PS2 is attached to the bottom via a thin ribbon cable which connects to the Reset/Eject switch. Ensure not to damage or remove this ribbon cable when removing the PS2 top.
The next step is to remove the Reset/Eject switch assembly from the top cover of the PS2. Gently pull the plastic switch assembly free from the PS2 top cover, ensuring not to damage the thin ribbon cable.
Next step remove the 4 screws that hold the CD/DVD drive cover on. A #1 Phillips should do the trick. Gently remove the white disk retainer from the drive lid. Set it aside this will be useful later when doing the fine turning of the laser head.
The next step is to power up the PS2 and eject the tray. Then hard power off with the tray open.
Now that the inner parts are exposed remove the screw that holds the laser head guide rail in place.
Carefully remove the metal guide rod from the laser head rotate the head so you can have access to the ribbon cable. Slide the brown retaining clip from the ribbon cable AWAY from the head with a small screwdriver. When done properly the cable should almost fall out.
From the OLD head you will need to remove the plastic guide and install it on the NEW head.
It may be necessary to remove the Tangential Skew adjustment screw from the old head and install it in the NEW head. Note how far the screw is installed in the OLD head and when inserting it in the NEW head try to get the screw in the same position minimizing the adjustment process later.
At this point before the head is installed it may be necessary to clean up some of the dust that has built up inside the drive. A clean 1 inch paint brush works well. Also if you have some white grease put a dab on the metal guide rails and the worm gear motor output shaft. It�s NOT necessary but does help. Now the NEW head is ready for installation use the above steps in reverse and when the guide rail is reinstalled make sure the head is close to the spindle before tightening up the rail guide retaining screw.
Ready For Testing
Next step hard power ON the PS2 in the back and hit the eject button. Any buzzing of the head at this point means the ribbon cable is not aligned correctly or not in all the way or the head is dead. Put in a DVD Original PS2 game NOT a DVD MOVIE! Put that white disk retainer you removed from the drive lid on the spindle holding down the disk. Also keep the light kind of dim wouldn�t want any stray light to cause a problem. Tap the reset button and note what happens. A few things can happen at this point. 1) The disk could load right up this happens about 60% of the time and not much more adjustment is needed 2) Ps2 loads to menu and eventually the disk loads. This means the alignment is not far off and minor adjustments of Tangential Skew will probably do the trick. 3) PS2 boots to menu and nothing happens. This means the adjustment is way off. Clicking of the lens right off the bat means the head is dead or the ribbon cable is misaligned or damaged. If the spindle makes one turn and stops its either the head is dead or again the ribbon cable is not in all the way or misaligned on either end or the cable is damaged. Remember DVD media is the hardest for the PS2 to read so using a PS2 original DVD game is BEST for initial alignment of the head. The general rule is if the PS2 can read Original DVD games with no problem it�s most likely with other media the rest is all down hill.
Well now you are saying how do I fine tune or massively realign my laser head. Answer is it can be tedious work we do not have access to PS2 Service Apps and test cables that help the Official Sony service men align the laser. So we have to rely on trial and error in order to align the head. This means making slight mechanical adjustments and making observations on how the ps2 reacts to those adjustments.
Adjustment # 1 Tangential Skew
Adjustments made to the Tangential Skew should be small. 1/8 of a turn at a time should be tried until there is a noticeable difference. If all else fails start with the turning the screw counterclockwise until the head rests on the guide rail completely. From there small turns clockwise until a noticeable difference is made. Of course observing what happens each time an adjustment is made.
Adjustment # 2 Radial Skew
Mark the cog indicated in the picture below with a marker. This gives the original Radial Skew of the head and if changes are made later you will always know the original starting point BEFORE adjustment. Its best to make one click adjustments at a time and observe what happens each time. Of course the tray needs to be open on the v7-9 in order to make an adjustment but on older PS2�s the white Radial Skew adjustment Wheel/Cog is exposed slightly and can be adjusted with the tray closed. Some people may have no idea of the original starting point because of not marking the original setting. This can be solved buy simply using the naked eye. Remove the tray (2 Screws) carefully slide it off and set it aside. Now using you finger (Old PS2�s) or screwdriver (New PS2�s) go through the full range of adjustment of the wheel/cog when doing so note when the head is most parallel to the spindle. This just gives a ruff starting point for adjustment.
In Conclusion: Its best NOT to make both adjustments at the same time. Make minute changes on tangential skew first and it that does not work try radial skew adjustment.
Written for PS2NEWZ by LOD
NEWAGE PSX SERVICE - http://www.newagepsx.com