Rep: 13
1
Usually is the connector connection that weakens over time and stops sending energy to the console, on my ps2 the connector is well solded (and tested with voltimeter) what can it be?
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Step 1: Really understand what "no power" actually means (the simple picture)
Imagine the PS2 is like a little city:
The wall plug → big highway bringing electricity in
The power cord & connector (the part you say is well soldered) → the main gate into the city
The internal power supply board (the big metal box or board inside) → the power station that turns the wild 220–240 V (or 110 V) electricity into nice, safe, small voltages the PS2 chips like (mainly +12 V, +5 V, +3.3 V and some others)
A few tiny security guards called fuses and diodes stand at different doors
The power/reset board (small board with the buttons + LED) → the mayor's office that gives the final "okay, wake up!" signal
The big motherboard → the actual city where the CPU, GPU, Emotion Engine etc. live
When you press power and absolutely nothing happens (no red standby light, no fan twitch, no click, no LED flash at all), the city is completely dark. Electricity isn't even reaching the mayor's office.
Since you already checked that the connector is nicely soldered → the gate is not broken. So the problem is either:
No trucks bringing power to the gate (wall → cord → outlet issue — unlikely if you tested)
The power station itself is dead
One of the first security guards got shot (fuse blown) and locked everything down
The little ribbon cable that carries the "press power" message is bad
Step 2: The most common killers (in order — check these first)
Here are the top 4 things that kill 80–90% of "stone dead" fat PS2s:
Blown fuse(s) on the power supply board
There is almost always a glass fuse (or SMD fuse) right after the AC inlet / power connector area.
It's usually marked PS1 or F1 or similar.
→ This is the #1 cause when the connector looks perfect.
Bad internal power supply unit (PSU)
The PSU itself dies from age, bad capacitors, shorted components, lightning hit, etc.
Many fat PS2 PSUs have bulging/leaking capacitors after 20 years.
Bad ribbon cable between power board and main board (or wrong orientation after someone opened it)
If someone ever opened the console, the flat cable can be flipped 180° or not seated properly → no "power on" signal reaches the motherboard.
Protection diode(s) or small fuse on the main motherboard (less common but happens)
Usually near the power connector area — tiny glass or SMD parts that blow when someone used wrong voltage / polarity.
Step 3: Simple detective work you can do right now (no fancy tools needed at first)
Do these steps in this order — it's like playing detective:
A. Confirm it's truly dead
Plug in → look very closely at the power LED — is there even a tiny micro-flash for 0.1 second?
Press power many times while watching/listening for any relay click or fan twitch.
Try holding power button 10–15 seconds.
→ If literally zero reaction → continue.
B. Rule out the stupid-easy stuff
Try a different wall socket + different (known good) power cord.
Make sure you're pressing the power button (not reset) and holding it correctly.
C. Open the console (4–6 screws on bottom usually)
Look at the power supply board (the one the power cord plugs into).
See any bulging, leaking or exploded capacitors? → PSU is probably bad.
See a glass fuse (small transparent tube)? Test it with multimeter in continuity mode — should beep. No beep = blown → replace with exact same rating (usually 3.15 A / 250 V or similar — check markings).
D. Check the flat ribbon cable
The thin flat cable that goes from the small power/eject board to the main motherboard.
Unplug it, clean the contacts gently, plug it back exactly the same way it was (pin 1 to pin 1 — usually there's a blue stripe or marking).
Many "dead" PS2s wake up just from reseating or flipping this cable correctly.
E. Still dead? → Measure the easy voltages (if you have a multimeter)
On the power connector pins on the motherboard (the big white plug):
→ Pin for +12 V should have ~12 V
→ Pin for +5 V should have ~5 V
→ If you have 0 V on everything → PSU is dead or fuse before it is blown.
→ If you have voltages but still no power → problem is on main board side (fuse/diode/ribbon/mosfet).
Quick decision tree (what most people end up doing)
Fuse on PSU blown → replace fuse → 30% chance it wakes up
PSU capacitors bad → recap PSU or just buy replacement PSU (~$15–30 online)
Ribbon cable issue → reseat / replace ribbon → fixed
Main board fuse blown (very small one near power input) → replace tiny fuse
Still nothing → main board probably has shorted IC / protection circuit dead (harder fix — often not worth it)
Start with the fuse and the ribbon cable — those are the two easiest wins.
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