What causes the PS4 Slim laser fault?
The laser diode in all consoles, not just the PS4 Slim, naturally deteriorates to the point that they no longer read discs. The strength and focus of the laser reduces over time. It is normally the Blu-ray laser diode that fails first as it is normally the most used. You may find DVD and audio discs still work as these use a different (red) laser which is on the same assembly.
Sometimes physical damage can happen to the PS4 laser lens. If the console is moved or knocked while a disc is spinning inside, it can cause it to make contact with the laser lens and damage it. You may also notice a circular scratch on the disc when this happens.
There has also been times where updates have caused issues with lasers too.
** We always recommend trying a few discs prior to booking this repair in to rule out a damaged disc. If you're having problems with one disc it may be that which is at fault **
How do we repair the PS4 Slim laser?
The first thing we do before any repair is test the console to confirm the fault. We then proceed to open the PS4 Slim and remove the internal PSU. We then have access to the disc drive.
We inspect the mechanism of the disc drive to rule that out as a fault (it is a cheaper repair if it is the mechanism click here to see). If all is ok with the drive mechanism, we swap the whole laser assembly for a new one.
We reassemble the PS4 Slim at the repair desk and give it an initial test. If all is ok the PS4 Slim is passed down to the main testing bench where all consoles are stress tested and all functions checked.
