PS3 RSX — Reballing procedure

RSX (PS3) • 10/1/2025

This article collects practical notes on how I usually approach an RSX reballing job on a PS3. I do not consider this a definitive profile, because every board can behave slightly differently, but it is a baseline built from tests, mistakes, and adjustments made over time.

Prebaking

Before removal, I perform a long prebake: about 15 hours at 150 °C on the whole board, in order to reduce the moisture present before taking it to the higher temperatures required for rework.

Without this step, the risk of RAM bleed and delamination is high, also because PS3 boards are now relatively old. During prebaking, to let the moisture evaporate, it is useful to avoid covering the board from above, leaving good air circulation.

After prebaking, it is better to work on the board immediately to avoid moisture being absorbed again. If needed, the board can be vacuum sealed in a bag with silica if the work has to be done later.

Removal

For removal, I use a slow and controlled profile, with a gradual climb up to about 220 °C. This temperature should provide enough margin, although in some cases it may make sense to go up to 230 °C.

If the thermocouple is positioned correctly, I expect the solder to start melting around 215-218 °C.

It is important to remove the RSX as soon as it starts moving, turn off the top heater, and leave the bottom heater on while cleaning the area, so the temperature can drop gradually.

With the bottom heater still on, it is possible to reball the RSX and reinstall it immediately, reducing moisture reabsorption and stressing the board less.

If I want to reball the RSX more calmly, or if I need to wait, it is better to let the board cool down by gradually lowering the bottom heater, about 10 degrees at a time with short pauses, so the board does not bend too much.

The profile moves through 190 °C, 200 °C, 210 °C, and 220 °C with progressive dwell times. The most critical area is around 205-215 °C, because this is where RAM bleed or delamination can appear.

In this range I found it useful to slightly raise the bottom heater by a few degrees. This helps the top heater by distributing heat more evenly from below, reducing the amount of direct heat needed on top of the processor and lowering the risk of RAM bleed.

Sometimes, even with a lot of care, RAM bleed can still happen. For this reason I found it useful to apply adhesive aluminum foil over the four black RAM chips above the RSX, so they are shielded from the direct radiation of the top heater.

Reinstallation

For reinstallation, the same profile can be used as a starting point, but it is normal for the RSX to start settling at a lower temperature than during removal. For this reason, it is better to create a dedicated profile that ends about 10 °C earlier.

In the video, the RSX can be seen settling at about 200 °C.