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PS3 disc drive not reading or not accepting discs

Contributed by CircuitScope research team · Added 09 Oct 2026 · 2 views

A PS3 that won't read discs, or reads DVDs but not Blu-rays (or the other way round), usually has a worn laser. A drive that won't take discs in usually has a jammed mechanism or a sensor/control-board fault. Lasers and mechanisms can be replaced, but the drive's control board is paired to the motherboard, so always keep the original board.

Written by the CircuitScope research team in our own words, from the sources listed at the end, and checked by our moderators.

A PS3 that won't read discs, or reads DVDs but not Blu-rays (or the other way round), usually has a worn laser. A drive that won't take discs in usually has a jammed mechanism or a sensor/control-board fault. Lasers and mechanisms can be replaced, but the drive's control board is paired to the motherboard, so always keep the original board.

Difficulty: Hard · Time: about 1.5 hours

Symptoms

  • 'Cannot read disc' or no disc icon on the XMB
  • Reads Blu-ray but not DVD/CD, or vice versa
  • Disc only accepted when pushed about three-quarters of the way in (fat KEM-400 drives)
  • Disc not accepted at all, or no loading animation
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