The Components of
a PlayStation 3
Slim
By: Ryka Jain, Aditi Pangal, Krithi
Tandyala, Arushi Subramanyam, and
Manasa Raghuraman
VEX Robotics Team: 50008C (Pixibots)
The device we picked to take apart was a Sony Playstation 3 Slim, or PS3. It is a video game console.
We picked the PS3 because it is a challenging device to take apart, so it would be a new experience for all of
us. Not to mention, we’ve all played video games and were curious how they worked.
When we opened it up, we researched the different parts and picked 7 out of 13 parts to explain and
showcase here. The parts we picked to showcase were the Fan System, AC Inlet, Hard Drive, Antennas,
Control Panel, Motherboard, and Blu-Ray Disc Drive. The parts we did not pick are the Blu-Ray Laser,
Laser Unit, Laser Lens, Pram Battery, Power Supply, and Heat Sink. None of the parts we found and
researched were TI components.
The motherboard is the powerhouse of all
electronic devices. There are no detachable parts for the
motherboard except the pram battery. Aluminum
electrolytic capacitors is the part of the motherboard that
stores electrical energy. It is needed for devices that require
a lot of energy. A thin part of the capacitor acts as the
dielectric for the capacitor, so it transmits energy without
conducting it.
Figure 1: This is the motherboard of
the PS3.
The fan system is used to cool the parts
down, and is made of two detachable parts: the
fan base and the fan blades. It is essential in
making the electronic components last longer.
Figure 2: This is fan system in the
PS3.
The control panel is an area where
the basic commands are displayed. It can
eject the blu-ray disc and turn the PS3 on
and off.
Figure 3: This is the control board for the PS3.
The AC Inlet is a connector that allows
an AC wire, which is located under the power
supply, to be connected to it. AC Power, which
stands for Alternating Current, is needed in
every device.
Figure 4: This wire is the AC Inlet.
The hard drive, or hard disk drive, is from
TOSHIBA and its main purpose is to store data. In the
case of the PS3, the hard drive stores the games’ save
data.
Figure 5: This is the picture of the
hard drive in its casing in the PS3.
The antennas capture and transmit radio
electromagnetic waves. The antennas are two wires that
are connected to thin metal structures.
Figure 6. The antennas are two thin wires.
Blu-ray drives come in three
main forms to read blu-ray discs;
Blu-ray reader, Blu-ray combo drives,
and Blu-ray burners. Blu-ray burners
read and write CDs, DVDs, and
Blu-ray discs. They are needed to
watch high definition movies with
Figure 7: This is the Blu-Ray Disc Drive.
good picture and sound qualities.
In the end, we learned that there are many parts required to run the
PS3, and that all of these parts are essential for the PS3 to function properly.
In the beginning, we were starting off by researching too specifically, by
only researching parts of the motherboard, when we should have been
focusing on the entire PS3. From this electronic challenge, we learned lots
about the components of the PS3, and plan to do more projects like this in
the future!
Parts List of the PS3
➢ Fan System
➢ AC Inlet
➢ Hard Drive
➢ Antenna
➢ Control Panel
➢ Motherboard
○ Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitor
➢ Blu-Ray Disc Drive
➢ Blu-Ray Laser
➢ Laser Unit
➢ Laser Lens
➢ Pram Battery
➢ Power Supply
➢ Heat Sink
