PS3 Syscon — Web UART Diagnostic Tool

⚡ PS3 Syscon UART Wiring Guide

Required Equipment

USB to TTL 3.3V Serial Converter (FTDI, CH340, CP2102, etc.) — MUST be 3.3V! 5V will damage the syscon.
4x AWG 30 single core wires (keep short)
Soldering iron + solder
Multimeter (recommended)

Wiring: USB-TTL ↔ PS3 Motherboard

USB-TTL Pin	PS3 Board Point	Notes
TX	Syscon RX	If auth fails, try swapping TX↔RX
RX	Syscon TX
GND	GND	Common ground — essential
3.3V	—	Do NOT connect 3.3V to board (powered by PSU)

⚠️ Important: The PS3 must be plugged in (standby red LED) but NOT powered on. Just plug in the AC cord / flip the rear switch. Do NOT press the power button.

Solder Points by Board Model

Solder point locations vary by motherboard revision. Select your board type:

Mullion (FAT) Sherwood (Slim/SS)

Board	Models	Syscon Type
COK-001 / COK-002	CECHA – CECHC	CXR (Mullion)
SEM-001	CECHE	CXR (Mullion)
DIA-001 / DIA-002	CECHG – CECHK	CXR (Mullion)

Mullion Internal Mode (CXRF): Requires the DIAG pin grounded to GND, and setting EEPROM offset 3961 to 00 (from FF). Baud rate changes to 115200.

Refer to db260179's connection point images for exact pad locations on each board.

Board	Models	Syscon Type
VER-001	CECHL	SW (Sherwood)
DYN-001	CECH-20xx	SW (Sherwood)
SUR-001	CECH-21xx	SW (Sherwood)
JTP-001 / JSD-001	CECH-25xx/30xx	SW (Sherwood)
KTE-001	CECH-40xx	SW (Sherwood)
MSX/MPX/NPX/PPX/PQX/RTX	Super Slims	SW3 (Sherwood)

📺 Accessing Syscon Errors Without UART

Method 1: From XMB (If Console Boots)

If your PS3 still boots to the XMB and can run applications, you can read the syscon error log using homebrew software:

ps3toolset.com — Web-based tool. Visit on your PS3's browser or install the companion homebrew app.

Syscon Error Log Reader homebrew — Installable .pkg. Listed on the Platform ID page of PSDevWiki.

Method 2: LED Diagnostic Mode (No Software Needed)

PS3 models from CECH-25xx onward report the last error code via the front LED. The LED blinks in a pattern that encodes the error code in binary/hex:

How to read: The PS3 blinks the error code digits sequentially using the power LED. Each digit is given in binary:

Green blink = 0
Red blink = 1

Example: Red Red Green Red = 1101 binary = D hex. Four groups of 4 blinks gives a 4-digit hex code (e.g., 2024). Prefix with A080 to get the full code (A0802024).

Method 3: UART (This Tool)

Connect via UART and run errlog to get up to 32 stored error codes with timestamps. This is the most reliable and detailed method — works even when the console doesn't boot.

Error Log Format

Syscon stores up to 32 error codes in a 0x100-byte table. Each entry is 4 bytes error code + 4 bytes timestamp. When full, the oldest error is overwritten.

Two formats exist: Mullion (CXR) and Sherwood (SW). Both are retrieved with the errlog command after authentication.

Use clearerrlog to clear old errors after a repair — avoids confusion with historical codes.

Error Code Anatomy

Byte	Meaning	Values
`A`	Fixed prefix	Always `A`
`0XX`	Step number	00–7F = Power-on step, 80 = Power-on state, 90 = Power-off, A0 = After syscon reset
`X`	Category	1 = System, 2 = Fatal, 3 = Fatal Boot, 4 = Data
`XXX`	Component + Detail	Specific error identifier

ℹ️ Syscon Command Reference

Authentication

Command	Description
`auth`	Authenticate with syscon (AES-128-CBC challenge/response). Required before most commands.

Diagnostic Commands

Command	Description
`errlog`	Read error log — up to 32 stored error codes with timestamps
`clearerrlog`	Clear the error log table (use after repairs)
`bringup`	Boot the console and watch the power-on sequence in real time
`diag`	Run diagnostics
`version`	Show syscon firmware version
`eepcsum`	Check EEPROM checksums — useful to detect corruption
`help`	List all available commands for current mode

Power / Fan

Command	Description
`poweron`	Power on the console
`poweroff`	Power off the console
`fancon`	Fan control / speed settings

EEPROM (Advanced — Be Careful!)

Command	Description
`r ADDR LEN`	Read EEPROM. e.g., `r 3900 100`
`EEPGET addr len`	Read EEPROM block (CXR external mode)
`EEPSET addr len val`	Write EEPROM block — DANGEROUS!

⚠️ EEPROM writes can brick your syscon. Only use EEPSET if you know exactly what you're doing. Always read the ConsoleMods guide first.

📷 PS3 Syscon UART Wiring Diagrams

Click any board to see solder point photos. Images from db260179/ps3syscon. Click images to open full size.

Syscon UART test pads — COK-001 (same layout for COK-002)

Syscon UART test pads — SEM-001

Syscon UART test pads — DIA-001

Syscon UART test pads — DIA-002

Syscon UART test pads — VER-001

Syscon UART test pads — DYN-001

Syscon & SB UART test pads — SUR-001 (JTP/JSD/KTE share same layout)

Syscon UART test pads — Super Slim (all models share same layout)

📥 Full guide PDF: PS3-Uart-Guide-V2.pdf · 🎬 Video: iFixit YLOD Guide

△○✕□ PS3 Syscon Web UART

Serial Connection

Monitor Controls

Manual Lookup

UART Console

Code Details

Decoded Errors

Session Statistics