Playstation 3 Pram Battery Replacement Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

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Sections

Smart Plate
4 steps
Top Cover
2 steps
Blu-ray Disc Drive
3 steps
Motherboard Assembly
6 steps
PRAM Battery
2 steps

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Smart Plate

Use the tip of a spudger to remove the black rubber screw cover from the side of the PS3.
The screw cover may be underneath a warranty sticker. This sticker will change appearance, and show “VOID” after it has been removed.

Use the tip of a spudger to remove the black rubber screw cover from the side of the PS3.

The screw cover may be underneath a warranty sticker. This sticker will change appearance, and show “VOID” after it has been removed.

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Step 2

Remove the single 8.5 mm T10 Security Torx screw from the smart plate.

Remove the single 8.5 mm T10 Security Torx screw from the smart plate.

Step 3

Pull the smart plate toward the hard drive bay, then lift it off the body of the PS3.

Pull the smart plate toward the hard drive bay, then lift it off the body of the PS3.

Step 4

Be sure to keep track of the small metal bracket loosely held in the top cover, if equipped.

Be sure to keep track of the small metal bracket loosely held in the top cover, if equipped.

Step 5

              Top Cover

Remove the following seven screws:
Six 52 mm Phillips screws
One 30 mm Phillips screw

Remove the following seven screws:

Six 52 mm Phillips screws

One 30 mm Phillips screw

Step 6

Lift the top cover from its rear edge and rotate it toward the front of the PS3.
Remove the top cover.
There is a plastic hook located in a hole on the top back right hand side corner. Carefully push the plastic hook a bit from the rear of the machine with a spudger to release the rear right of the casing.

Lift the top cover from its rear edge and rotate it toward the front of the PS3.

Remove the top cover.

There is a plastic hook located in a hole on the top back right hand side corner. Carefully push the plastic hook a bit from the rear of the machine with a spudger to release the rear right of the casing.

Step 7

              Blu-ray Disc Drive

Disconnect the Blu-ray power cable from the motherboard.
Pull the connector straight up and out of its socket.

Disconnect the Blu-ray power cable from the motherboard.

Pull the connector straight up and out of its socket.

Step 8

Lift the Blu-ray drive from the edge nearest the power supply and rotate it away from the chassis enough to access its ribbon cable.

Lift the Blu-ray drive from the edge nearest the power supply and rotate it away from the chassis enough to access its ribbon cable.

Step 9

Use your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the Blu-ray ribbon cable socket.
Be sure you are prying up on the retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Pull the ribbon cable out of its socket.
Remove the Blu-ray drive from the PS3.
If replacing the Blu-ray drive, transfer the power cable to your new drive.

Use your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the Blu-ray ribbon cable socket.

Be sure you are prying up on the retaining flap, not the socket itself.

Pull the ribbon cable out of its socket.

Remove the Blu-ray drive from the PS3.

If replacing the Blu-ray drive, transfer the power cable to your new drive.

Step 10

              Motherboard Assembly

Pull the control board ribbon cable straight up and out of its socket on the motherboard.

Pull the control board ribbon cable straight up and out of its socket on the motherboard.

Step 11

Remove the two 12 mm Phillips screws securing the control board to the lower case.
Remove the control board and its attached cable from the PS3.

Remove the two 12 mm Phillips screws securing the control board to the lower case.

Remove the control board and its attached cable from the PS3.

Step 12

Remove the following eight screws securing the motherboard assembly to the lower case:
Seven 12 mm Phillips screws (ph2)
One 30 mm Phillips screw

Remove the following eight screws securing the motherboard assembly to the lower case:

Seven 12 mm Phillips screws (ph2)

Step 13

Remove the control board bracket.

Remove the control board bracket.

Step 14

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive bay cover away from the lower case.
Remove the hard drive bay cover.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive bay cover away from the lower case.

Remove the hard drive bay cover.

Step 15

Lift the motherboard assembly out of the lower case.

Lift the motherboard assembly out of the lower case.

Step 16

              PRAM Battery

Disconnect the PRAM battery from the motherboard.
Be careful when separating the connector from its socket, as the socket easily breaks of the motherboard. If possible, hold down the socket as you lift the connector.

Disconnect the PRAM battery from the motherboard.

Be careful when separating the connector from its socket, as the socket easily breaks of the motherboard. If possible, hold down the socket as you lift the connector.

Step 17

Rotate the PRAM battery counter-clockwise and remove it from the chassis.

Rotate the PRAM battery counter-clockwise and remove it from the chassis.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    Walter Galan

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Tad heath - Jan 13, 2018

Ok…tell me why the !&&* the PRAM battery doesnt last in these %#@ ps3’s…they should have to replace this $@$ for free. My ps3 is lucky if it has 60 hours on it…I made sure it didn’t go more than 2 months without playing it. Now I have to pay Sony to fix this $@$. I’m !#^&@@ cause I paid $500 for this %#@ thing when it came out. If anyone knows anything I don’t…please email me at tadheath95@gmail.com put in the subject…..”about ur broken ps3’. Thank you in advance!!!

Steven Van - Mar 1, 2019

Hey Tad the ps3 was made 9 years ago a cmos battery lasts 8-10.

alexatkin - Apr 13, 2018

The PS3 is over ten years old, way past the average life span of a lithium battery (up to 10 years). Maybe a tad shortsighted of them to embed it so deeply into the console but at least they put it somewhere that decreases the chances of damage if it leaks. That’s worlds apart from the original Xbox where they used capacitors that failed and trashed the motherboard. Xbox 360 I believe doesn’t even have the facility to retain the date/time and had far more serious issues.

Steve Fox - Jul 24, 2022

its insane that its buried so deep on the ps3, the Wii and Wii U both had a draw on the side with one screw to remove to replace the battery!

Johan Janssens - Aug 31, 2018

This guide didn’t work for my PS3 (fat). I dismantled the PS3 up to the motherboard, and found the PRAM battery there, directly on the motherboard itself, no connector attached. The video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn1OqCw-… was a huge help in combination with this guide.

Introduction#

What you need#

Introduction

What you need