PS3: Error Code 8002F1F9, eternal update loop, 63% fails

Hello all,

I received a PS3 fat model CECHG01 for free as it had YLOD. I fixed that issue with the re-flow fix and it worked again. Only issue was that the Blu Ray drive was not accepting disks (a common problem post-YLOD from what I read). I tried to fix that issue but I was not successful.

Flash forward about a year to now and I was trying to work on it again. I replaced the hard drive with a 500 GB Samsung and tried to update the firmware to 3.55 through USB (it hadn't been used in years). All went well until the update got to around 63-65%, where it would fail and throw the error code 8002F1F9. It fails to boot into safe mode, and from what I've read, this error code combined with the percent it failed at means a Blu Ray drive issue.

I ordered a refurbished model off Ebay, swapped the old controller board into the new one, installed it, but it still fails. Mechanically, the drive will accept disks and they will spin, but I don't know if it's the main ribbon cable or if the laser lens is dirty. Also checked the Bluetooth card and it seems to be fitted properly, but besides that I've run out of ideas.

Any help or input would be greatly appreciated, thanks.