I've repaired many consoles before, but the PS1 is the first time I've seen these strange components.
In the PlayStation, there are things referred to as IC links. The part numbers are as follows:
(PS601-603): 1-576-123-21
(PS604): 1-533-282-21
(PS605): 1-576-259-21
By the looks of it, they are basically fuses to prevent the signal outputs of the processor from overloading and damaging the processor or other components linked to it.
The vibration for the remotes didn't work on my console, so I did some poking around and found the IC link to be of fault (there was a time I was working late at night on it, was really tired, accidentally bridged two pins on the controller port with solder during a repair I was working on, and when I tested the console, I didn't notice that I screwed up until I heard a hiss and 2 SMD inductors started bulging and puffing up and spitting smoke. I assume that it blew the IC link as well, causing the problem I speak of now). These components are marked as critical components, and I do not currently have any replacement IC links. By the looks of it, these are not cheap either. The cheap fix I could do until I get a replacement, would be to remove the faulty link and bridge the contacts with solder. However, I think that this could put my console at risk, because if something WERE to happen... Well, you get the point.
Because the PS1's power supply has a supervisory IC to monitor the power going out to the processor, it is very unlikely that it would be overloaded. But I'm afraid that, because nothing is absolutely perfect, there is a chance that something could very well happen. And if it just so happens that it goes wrong when I don't have the replacement link, the processor could be toast.
Is there any good temporary solution that doesn't involve putting the console at risk? Or should I just wait until I get a replacement? What would YOU do in this situation?
(Please note that I'm taking these risks with my own consoles. I do not take risks like this when repairing other people's consoles or peripherals. If this was not my console, I would not even consider an alternative. Again, this is my own console and therefore I can experiment and tinker with it to my heart's content.)