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The Yellow Light of Death is a way for your PS3 to tell you that it's crapped out on you, and you're going to have to send it back to Sony. As far as I know, it can mean any kind of hardware failure. As far as frequency goes, it appears that the launch 60GB models are much more prone to have this happen due to a fault with the thermal paste that was used. But it can also happen on any model for any other reason as well (including 60GB models).
We really can't figure out more, because Sony pretty much just gave us this one universal error indicator (whereas Microsoft has a bunch of different ring of light combinations for different errors so you can get more details about what's wrong).
This is meant to be a complete guide on how to do a good reflow, and how to avoid YLOD coming back.
PS3HaX member Nichibotsu has put together an awesome guide on how to “Reflow”, here is a quote from his guide:
The Complete Guide To Reflowing Your PS3
We really can't figure out more, because Sony pretty much just gave us this one universal error indicator (whereas Microsoft has a bunch of different ring of light combinations for different errors so you can get more details about what's wrong).
This is meant to be a complete guide on how to do a good reflow, and how to avoid YLOD coming back.
PS3HaX member Nichibotsu has put together an awesome guide on how to “Reflow”, here is a quote from his guide:
YLOD is the most common heat-related failure, and it’s caused by the solder cracking after repeated
heating to high temperatures. It should be noted that YLOD is a somewhat misleading term, depending on model and specific solder points that break, the YLOD does not always present the same symptoms. It sometimes shows up as what is called GLOD, where the failure is localized on the GPU chip. Please be aware that this is a DIY method, it does not give 100% chances to get your ps3 back to work, and it may even damage it worse if not done properly, so if you don’t want to take risks, take it to some shop and have them make a Reballing on your system, that will fix your problem and is done professionally, but it will cost you some money.
heating to high temperatures. It should be noted that YLOD is a somewhat misleading term, depending on model and specific solder points that break, the YLOD does not always present the same symptoms. It sometimes shows up as what is called GLOD, where the failure is localized on the GPU chip. Please be aware that this is a DIY method, it does not give 100% chances to get your ps3 back to work, and it may even damage it worse if not done properly, so if you don’t want to take risks, take it to some shop and have them make a Reballing on your system, that will fix your problem and is done professionally, but it will cost you some money.