Xbox just died...

[TheCarpetCleaner]

To be honest, I only ever used it as a uPnP streamer from my freenas box, so I have it in bits at the moment with a view to repair when I can be arse, and have the correct tools.

Symptoms are - 3 red lights and the power supply is fine / green.

According to the web, could be anything from dead board to processor has crept off the board.

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off, and secondly, can anyone recommend a cheap uPnP streaming unit?

[dudleybloke]

the blanket treatment works for a while.
just wrap the console up in a blanket and leave it switched on for about an hour.
switch off and wait 5 mins.
remove blanket and it should work again!

[RB26DETT]

Whens the funeral ?















Sorry nothing useful to add

[Frederick]

TheCarpetCleaner said:

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off

Yes, it's not that difficult... screws, washers and heat sink paste usually work - pull the xclamps off, pull the little stanchions out of the heat sinks, build up your washers etc on the board and screw the heatsinks back down, this way you can vary the pressure on the chip, helping it make contact again. Your mileage may vary.

I've got my old one in bits as it currently has an exploitable dashboard version, so I'm half way through doing the LPT wire and JTAG hack to flash some custom firmware to it, for sts and giggles - google "XeLLous JTAG" for more info, it lets you extend the functionality of the xbox. If you can fix the RROD - might be worth giving it a go?

Edited by Frederick on Sunday 7th March 19:06

[TheCarpetCleaner]

Frederick said:

TheCarpetCleaner said:

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off

Yes, it's not that difficult... screws, washers and heat sink paste usually work - pull the xclamps off, pull the little stanchions out of the heat sinks, build up your washers etc on the board and screw the heatsinks back down, this way you can vary the pressure on the chip, helping it make contact again. Your mileage may vary.

I've got my old one in bits as it currently has an exploitable dashboard version, so I'm half way through doing the LPT wire and JTAG hack to flash some custom firmware to it, for sts and giggles - google "XeLLous JTAG" for more info, it lets you extend the functionality of the xbox. If you can fix the RROD - might be worth giving it a go?

Edited by Frederick on Sunday 7th March 19:06

I might well do that... was thinking about a custom firmware project at some point. one quick q if you don't mind, I have the thing apart and just need to get the right sized torx driver, under the heatsinks are the processor chips soldered on to the board, or are they in a socket?

[Frederick]

TheCarpetCleaner said:

Frederick said:

TheCarpetCleaner said:

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off

Yes, it's not that difficult... screws, washers and heat sink paste usually work - pull the xclamps off, pull the little stanchions out of the heat sinks, build up your washers etc on the board and screw the heatsinks back down, this way you can vary the pressure on the chip, helping it make contact again. Your mileage may vary.

I've got my old one in bits as it currently has an exploitable dashboard version, so I'm half way through doing the LPT wire and JTAG hack to flash some custom firmware to it, for sts and giggles - google "XeLLous JTAG" for more info, it lets you extend the functionality of the xbox. If you can fix the RROD - might be worth giving it a go?

Edited by Frederick on Sunday 7th March 19:06

I might well do that... was thinking about a custom firmware project at some point. one quick q if you don't mind, I have the thing apart and just need to get the right sized torx driver, under the heatsinks are the processor chips soldered on to the board, or are they in a socket?

They're soldered on using something called a Ball Grid Array (BGA). Basically like your usual CPU chip, but instead of pins, loads of little balls of solder. The heat of the xbox combined with the crappy lead-free solder and the cheaply constructed PCB's leads to the PCB flexing, the solder breaking and the chip lifting off the board. This equals RROD.

You might find (if it's a relatively recent board, ie not an original launch xenon one) that it has some epoxy holding the chip to the board too.

[y2blade]

TheCarpetCleaner said:

To be honest, I only ever used it as a uPnP streamer from my freenas box, so I have it in bits at the moment with a view to repair when I can be arse, and have the correct tools.

Symptoms are - 3 red lights and the power supply is fine / green.

According to the web, could be anything from dead board to processor has crept off the board.

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off, and secondly, can anyone recommend a cheap uPnP streaming unit?

is yours under warranty?

[TheCarpetCleaner]

y2blade said:

TheCarpetCleaner said:

To be honest, I only ever used it as a uPnP streamer from my freenas box, so I have it in bits at the moment with a view to repair when I can be arse, and have the correct tools.

Symptoms are - 3 red lights and the power supply is fine / green.

According to the web, could be anything from dead board to processor has crept off the board.

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off, and secondly, can anyone recommend a cheap uPnP streaming unit?

is yours under warranty?

Nah, way outside.

[y2blade]

TheCarpetCleaner said:

y2blade said:

TheCarpetCleaner said:

To be honest, I only ever used it as a uPnP streamer from my freenas box, so I have it in bits at the moment with a view to repair when I can be arse, and have the correct tools.

Symptoms are - 3 red lights and the power supply is fine / green.

According to the web, could be anything from dead board to processor has crept off the board.

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off, and secondly, can anyone recommend a cheap uPnP streaming unit?

is yours under warranty?

Nah, way outside.

fair enough.... sorry can't help with the fix

mine has been away for RROD three times now each time within the previously covered repair period

[TheCarpetCleaner]

y2blade said:

TheCarpetCleaner said:

y2blade said:

TheCarpetCleaner said:

To be honest, I only ever used it as a uPnP streamer from my freenas box, so I have it in bits at the moment with a view to repair when I can be arse, and have the correct tools.

Symptoms are - 3 red lights and the power supply is fine / green.

According to the web, could be anything from dead board to processor has crept off the board.

So firstly, has anyone actually mangaged to repair an xbox without sending it off, and secondly, can anyone recommend a cheap uPnP streaming unit?

is yours under warranty?

Nah, way outside.

fair enough.... sorry can't help with the fix

mine has been away for RROD three times now each time within the previously covered repair period

Yep, I am hearing this from a lot of people, it would seem mine has been lucky to last as long as it did

Media PC it is then!

Looks like I may be able to sell off the contorllers and other parts for a few quid, so not all lost.

[stevieb]

Put your seril number of the box intot he MS Xbox website to see if it is still covered.. They are covering them for upto 3 years now for the RROD error.

[dudleybloke]

try the blanket trick.

i'v fixed quite a few like this and they've all lasted at least another 6 months.

[TheCarpetCleaner]

For reference in case anyone searches for the same problem

Took the xbox apart, took out the motherboard.

Undid the screws at the bottom of the two X 's on the motherboard, pressed the heatsinks and moved them around a bit, then put everything back and retightened the X screws as tight as possible.

Put back together, been running for 10 minutes so far watching a film via uPnP....

Maybe its fixed it... now looking at firmware hacks to play with as I had mentally written it off anyway

[GingerRob]

Good luck