Yesterday I used this guide on Ars Technica to fix a 1st generation PlayStation 2 my sister gave me. It’s been tested with a PS2 game (Jak 3), several PS1 games and a few DVDs. It’s a nice addition to the GameCube and xBox we’ve had for years (no need to return it to my sister, she bought a replacement over a year ago). Maybe I’ll get Guitar Hero.

The lesson — don’t throw away that old piece of hardware without doing a little research on the web, especially if you like to tinker.