This PS5 switched on, the light came on, and that was it: no picture, no sound, nothing on the TV. It had already been to another shop for the same fault. When it reached our Cambridge workshop the outer covers were gone, screws were missing, the metal shield was bent, and inside we found the driest liquid metal we have ever seen on a PS5, a console packed with dust, and an HDMI port area where the previous repair had torn the copper pads off the board.
Here is what a proper PS5 HDMI port repair involves when someone has had a go at it first: a new port microsoldered pin by pin, the damaged board traces rebuilt under the microscope, a deep clean, fresh liquid metal, and a full test. Dropped off at 6 pm, picture back the next day.
What came in
The owner was not sure what was wrong: the console powered up but did nothing else, so the HDMI port was the obvious suspect. One thing had not been mentioned at drop-off, and it matters more than anything: the console had been opened and “repaired” before. We always ask, because a previous attempt changes the job completely. On a clean board, the port, the deep clean and the liquid metal together are about 4 hours of work. A board that has been overheated, scraped or had its pads lifted can take three times as long, and sometimes cannot be saved at all.
This one looked rough from the outside: no white covers, a bent shield plate and screws missing. Inside it looked worse.
Dust everywhere
A PS5 pulls air through the whole console. After a few years the fan, the heatsink fins and the air ducts are lined with dust, and this one was at the far end of the scale. The fins were blocked solid, the ducts were caked, and the heatsink block had a grey felt coat. A console in this state runs hot, gets loud, slows down and eventually shuts itself off mid-game. It also cooks the liquid metal on the processor, which brings us to the next photo.
The driest liquid metal we have seen
Sony cools the PS5 processor with liquid metal, not ordinary thermal paste. It works brilliantly while it is fresh. Over the years, and faster in a console that runs hot, it dries out and creeps away from the chip. On this board the processor was sitting under a crust: our engineer called it the worst he has seen. Whoever had the console open before put it straight back together like that.
Liquid metal is also conductive. One stray drop on the motherboard kills the console, which is why we strip the PS5 down to the bare board, clean the old metal off completely and apply the new liquid metal with precision tools, then re-fit the barrier that keeps it where it belongs.
The HDMI port, and what the first repair left behind
A PS5 HDMI port is not a plug-in part. It is soldered straight to the motherboard with 19 pins a fraction of a millimetre apart, and the copper pads under those pins are thin. Take the old port off with too much heat or a pull, and the pads and the through-holes that anchor the port come away with it. That is what we found here: the previous attempt had torn pads off the board around the port.
At that point many shops say “new motherboard”. We put the board under the microscope instead: the damaged traces were rebuilt with fine wire and rebuilt pads, the area was cleaned, and a new port was soldered on pin by pin with infrared preheating and a precision station. It was a long night. The whole job, port, traces, deep clean and liquid metal, took around 12 hours instead of the usual 4, which is why we always ask whether a console has been opened before.
Back to the welcome screen
After the repair the console went through the full test: picture and sound over the new port, temperatures under load with the new liquid metal, fan noise, and a proper run on the welcome screen. It went home the following day, and the morning after that the owner confirmed everything was fine.
Why we send photos of the inside
As far as we know, we are the only local repair shop that works this way on every PS5: photos of your console on the bench as proof of work, a plain explanation of what we found, a full test of picture, sound and temperatures before you collect, and a 12-month warranty on the repair. It takes longer, and it is why a job like this one costs more than a quick port swap.
The alternative is what this console had been through. We see PS5s that had an HDMI repair elsewhere: the port replaced, the holes and pads around it damaged, nothing said to the owner, the dried-out liquid metal left in place with the dust, and the console closed up. Half a year later it arrives with us needing the port done again, the board repaired, and the deep clean and liquid metal that should have been done the first time. Paying once, properly, is cheaper.
If your PS5 has already been to another shop
- Tell us before you drop it off. It is not a problem, but it changes what we look for and how long it takes, and it means we can tell you honestly if a board is beyond saving.
- Ask any repairer for photos of the inside. A PS5 HDMI repair means the console is stripped to the bare board. If nobody shows you the fan, the heatsink and the processor, nobody cleaned them.
- Liquid metal is part of the job. On a PS5 that is more than two years old, the port alone is half a repair. Dried-out liquid metal is what makes the console hot, loud and slow, and it is sitting right there once the board is out.
- Keep the covers and screws. It sounds obvious. This one came back from its first repair without either.
Frequently asked questions
My PS5 turns on but there is no picture. Is it the HDMI port?
Usually, yes: a worn or bent port, or the HDMI chip behind it. Bring the console and the controller, we test it, open it and send you photos before any repair starts.
Can a PS5 be repaired after another shop has worked on it?
Often, but not always. Torn pads and burnt traces can be rebuilt under the microscope, as on this console. If the HDMI chip or the board underneath is damaged, we tell you before you spend anything beyond the diagnostics.
Why do you replace the liquid metal with an HDMI repair?
Because the console is already stripped to the bare motherboard, and on any PS5 over two years old the liquid metal has dried out. Doing it at the same time is cheaper than a second visit, and the console runs cooler and quieter afterwards.
How long does a PS5 HDMI repair take?
About 4 hours of work in total for the port, the deep clean and the new liquid metal, so most consoles go home the next day. A board damaged by an earlier repair can take two or three times longer, like this one.
PS5 HDMI port repair and deep clean in Cambridge and Dagenham, by appointment
No picture, loud fan, switching itself off, or a repair elsewhere that did not work: see our PS5 cleaning and HDMI port repair page, book an appointment, or message us on WhatsApp 0749 792 5760. Every PS5 repair comes with photos of the inside, a full test and a 12-month warranty. Xbox owner? The same microscope work is in our Xbox Series X HDMI port repair story.