This order was for the installation of a dummy load on a Dreamcast and for the a TLC refurbishment of a PS2 slim. I also agreed to provide a “soft” clean service to the Dreamcast.
Dreamcast dummy load installation
The console came in a custom black shell with a Noctua fan installed, apart from the GDEMU. The installation was straight forward, using heat resistant silicone glue to adhere the dummy load PCB to the bottom of the PSU
After the installation, the console tested fine. The insternals were very clean, and for the externals, I used a microfiber cloth as well as some UV 303 protectant liquid.
PS2 Slim
The console came with an SD-card IDE “resurrection” installation instead of the optical drive. The customer complained of high fan noise, so the goal was mostly to clean the fan and replace the thermal pads (apart from the usual steps of washing the shell and replacing the battery)
The console was quite dusty in places as per the pictures below. The label was hanging for dear life so I decided to remove it completely (label included in plastic zip bag with the console)
On disassembly, it became clear that the IDE SD mod had been put together with hot glue and it wouldn’t be possible to completely take the console apart.
On discussion with the customer, they asked for me to take a look, so I decided to carefully separate one part of the shield sufficiently replace the thermal pads
The fan was also cleaned. This fan is not one that can be fully disassembled as it is held with metal tabs. I replaced the tape to hold the fan’s cable
I removed the battery connector wires and fitted them into a new battery, and covered it with new shrink tube
The shell was completely disassembled and wash with water and soap.
I also found a few interesting issues with this console:
- There is bodge on the power connector. Presumably the trace connecting the positive tab and one side of the fuse got broken and the bodge replaces that trace. Fuse seems to be fine. I did not investigate further
- The top of the shell does not correspond with the bottom of the shell, and as a consequence, the top shell doesn’t fit properly. I did not understand why the shell wasn’t clicking in place properly, so I disassembled my own console and compared plastic tabs (see photos below). This is probably was has led with a broken plastic part under the second memory card port (is not visible with the memory card inserted)
Console was finally treated with some plastic enhancer (forgot to take final picture sorry!)