cleaning ps2 lens

[shinkidousenki]

i hope this isn't posted X amount of times.

My ps2 is taking longer than usual to read my ps2 games (original and export). I'm certain that it has to do with the lens. I've did some research regarding how to do it. But I gotta get feedback from others who've been through this situation. I know that using regular lens cleaners can bust up your ps2 lens.

SO if you can help a guy, what's the best way to clean the lens...if it's to clean them manually, please include details...thanks

[sithian476]

hey, i just happened to be in your same situation a couple days ago. my ps2 would load my games unusually slow (example: if a PS2 game was already in my console when I booted it up, it would go to the menu and wait a lil bit, unlike going right to the game like it first did when I bought it a couple years ago) and also in-game performance took a hit. What I did was open my PS2 (you should know the basics, unscew the bottom of the case, open it up, unscrew the top above the disc tray to access the lens)
now what i did here was take a q-tip and household alcohol and wipe the lens with it for about 10 seconds, then take the other tip to absorb excess liquid. I was hesitant to do this at first, as would almost anybody. But don't be afraid to do it. My PS2 works like it is new.
But before you close it up after cleaning, insert a disc to test it. Remember to put the cover that went on top of the tray before you load one. Either hold it down semi-firmly, enough to let it spin freely but keeping it on... or screw it back on. You should have success. Also clear out as much as the dust as you can when you get to the lens and away from the rest of the PS2. DUST IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!

[dx]

Originally Posted by sithian476

...now what i did here was take a q-tip and household alcohol and wipe the lens with it for about 10 seconds, then take the other tip to absorb excess liquid...

Oh no, not the Alcohol on a plastic lens discussion again. I repeat my comments from here (link) for the benefit of all.

Originally Posted by dx

Using Alcohol no matter how pure (99% isopropyl is the best you can buy, BTW... there is always a little water), is NOT good for the AR (Anti-Reflective) coatings on photographic lenses.

Look at your manuals... Carl Zeiss, Leica, Hasselblad, Nikon, Canon warn you to NOT use alcohol to clean their lenses. Alcohol can and will remove the precious AR coatings on your lenses. And these are glass lenses your CD lens is made of plastic. Think of CD lenses as mini photographic lenses... in fact they are. The optical purity of these lenses is extremely high.

Etch / fog the lens with alcohol or remove the AR coating and you might as well buy a new CD drive. They will read and/or write at an unreliable rate and create lots of beer coasters. But if that is what you want... by all means, go for it.

What to use...
Start with blowing some compressed air ACROSS the lens surface. It's the best cure for a misreading CD-Rom, CDR, CDRW drive. This solution will cure MOST CD read problems. NOTE: you always want to blow compressed air ACROSS but never directly into the lens as you could force some grit into the lens mechanism itself.

A CLEAN photographic lens brush can also be used to carefully brush away any offending material. The best type are the ones with a small air bellows so you can blow some air across the lens and then brush.

If that is not enough de-ionized water is, believe it or not, an excellent lens cleaner. So is Kodak lens cleaner (de-ionized water with stabilizers and optical brighteners added). Use a lens tissue (Kodak is good) or a PHOTOGRAPHIC quality lens swab to clean. Q-tips that are normally bought in stores are also bad. They are not of sufficient quality to clean lenses. Photographic swab tip's material is of much higher quality. BIG warning... this MUST be done VERY carefully... else you will move the lens or lens carrier when cleaning and will misalign your CD-Rom lens and mess up the drive. Beer coasters anyone?!

Lastly, be careful about opening the CD-Rom case during the warranty period. Most manufactures will void your warranty if you open it up. If the drive gives you CD read problems during the warranty period, have it cleaned by an authorized dealer. Besides, it's usually free!

[ps2king]

good reading. Heres a test to check how good your laser is doing.

go to the browser then insert an orignal or good backup game. Preferebly orignal. After skipping the first flash, count how many times the "Reading Disc" flashes.

5 or less---> you have a new V9 or V10
8-10------> Normal v1-v7
10-20---->Laser needs cleaning, or the backup/orignal is scratched like hell
***even after cleaning if you get 20+ then you need a new laser.
Disc Read Error---->Need a new laser, ****or your backup sucks!