Slim PS2 v12 proving challenging

[garryk]

My nephew's V12 Slim PS2 (SCPH 70002) doesn't light up with a boot screen, or play any sound, anymore. But the Power button works, the LED turns green/red when switched on/off, the disk even spins and the disk reader head moves and emits a burst of red light when it is trying to seek a new disk straight after power up. You just see a slight flicker on the screen after power on before it just stays totally dark.

I've been over the whole board and checked the power supply rails, made sure all the fuses are intact, but can find nothing apparently wrong.

Anyone else have this experience? Can anyone suggest where I should look next, or is it simply a case of the motherboard is toast, get over it and get a new one? (which is an annoying thought!)

Have seen it suggested in some places that perhaps the machine has been put into Component video mode, instead of composite. But I would have thought I would still a least hear some audio if the processor was working properly? By comparing with a working version of the same model, I think I should also still see some video on the composite, so I think it has to be something else.

eg is it possible the processor (or soem other chip) has been fried (eg due to a power glitch/spike? The unit was apparently being used off a car 12V outlet when it stopped working). If it is a toasted component on the motherboard, can spares be sourced from somewhere (I can get access to a surface mount repair work station to remove and re-mount them)

What components would be the most likely suspects to replace? Are there any other test points that would tell me more about what is/isn't going?

TIA

[polarbear]

Does it have a modchip in it? If so may pay to remove the chip and see what happens, If its not chipped it sounds like the bios may have been damaged or screwed up possibly by a voltage spike or similar? Either way used boards for this model are relatively easy to come by now. In all honesty you could spend many hours trying to hunt down the problem to a single component and you would be far better using the time on installing another know good board rather than attempting to replace a processor or another board chip even if you did manage to track the problem down.

[Ljay]

Have had 1 like that but its almost impossible to diagnoze...& like Polarbear said you can get them cheap these days

[rebnic]

Our V12 did the same. Put a new laser in it (out of a later model, V13/14 maybe?? friend fried theirs chipping it) and not a problem since.
I don't know whether it makes a difference or not, but make sure they turn the console off before opening the lid, and not just pushing the eject button. V12s were renowned for having dodgy lasers and/or circuitry.

[garryk]

Thanks for the responses, guys. Came to the same conclusion as Ljay and Polarbear. Have eliminated the easy fixes, so now it's too hard. Will buy a new/2nd hand mobo and move on!