Aleter

I don't think that you can solder this unfortunately. You have to solder it to the micro usb port of the Pico and this could be complex, also because that port is necessary to program the Pico so you can't remove that. If i understand correctly the USB type A port is used to connect the pico to the newer joystick.

Very interesting, i was looking for the ogx360 but it is too complex for my necessity. I have a Pico W somewhere and i will try it.

Last week all components arrived and this weekend i managed to work on the console. Almost all capacitor replaced, I didn't replace the SMD ones because i don't have the right solder to do the job and i'm afraid of ripping away pads, also some of the smaller ones are still original but i have checked the ESR and all seems fine. Next I installed the Xblast modchip, and I make a rapid check of all traces near the leaking caps with the microscope. First boot without issues straight into Xblast. Then i followed the fantastic guide of Modzville USA to flash Cerbios and preparing the new sata hard drive. Here I found the first problem: the green SATA to IDE adapter didn't work, I reflowed all the joints but the adapter still dind't want to work. I managed to find an old 80GB IDE hard drive just to see if the formatting was right and if i was able to load any games. It worked perfectly, i've tested XBMC4Gamers and launched an .xiso game without any issue. The only drawback is that it is painflully slow (especially for games trasnfer) and very noisy (I don't know how many hours have that drive), for these reasons i have already ordered the startech adapter on Amazon and should be here today.

Hi, thank you, I have already removed the modchip and I'm waiting for the recap kit and the new modchip. I have opted for an Xblast which I will be flashing with Cerbios. Hopfully within the next week everything will arrive.

This morning i removed the old modchip, i used a lot of flux and a pair of tweezers to remove carefully each wire. All pads seems ok, but i will also check everything with the microscope. As for the chip itself, luckly was keeped in place with just some double sided tape so, with a tootbrush and a plastic spudger i manage to remove almost all the glue. Here are some photos where is visible the chip and the switch before the work, and after all the cleaning process. The flash memory is marked AMD and i took a photo. At the end i decided to buy a Jafar Xblast Modchip with a recap kit from Wired Opposite. I hope that everything arrive soon so i can finish the job.

Thanks to everyone, so, as far as i understand, the modified bios is injected every time i power on the console, for this reason i can remove the chip without the risk of bricking the system. Regarding the chip itself there are no markings, i think that maybe the model is on the other side of the IC. I will post some photos after removing it. At the moment i'm still thinking about the right modchip to install. I really like the idea of something like the Xblast or the openXenium (project stellar is out of budget) but they are expensive and some shops neither ships to Italy. On the other hand the Aladdin XT is pretty cheap, but i can't change the firmware and there is no guarantee that these clones works properly. EDIT: i don't know where the switch wires are connected i will check and let you know.

Thank you very much, yes i have a temp controlled soldering iron and some experience with soldering, i will carefully remove all the wires. If i understood correctly this is a very early chip with 29 wires. Regarding the backup i'm quite afraid of turning on the Xbox right now because of the bad capacitors (the 3300uF are very bulged and are leaking). In order to change the cap i have to at least remove the glue from the board and move the modchip. I was thinking that maybe the best solution for me is a modchip, it is easy and i don't risk to mess something with the TSOP. I found an Italian stores which sells the Aladdin XT plus 2 with the Evox M8 BIOS flashed on for 20 euros shipped, is it worth it ?

Hi to everyone. I have my original Xbox since when i was a kid and i remember of having it modified after some time. Some years ago i have removed the clock capacitor to preserve it, but recently i decided to change the hard drive and i discovered that i have several other bulged capacitors. For this reason, i want to recap the whole motherboard but then i discovered that the modchip is glued right under some of these leaking cap. From what i understand this is a very old modchip since it is soldered to a lot of points under the motherboard. What modchip could be ? It has also a switch to turn it off and booting strainght into the original dashboard. I was thinking of removing it to install a better modichip or to do a TSOP flashing. Do you think that i can remove it safely ? Before removing it, is it possible to use it to do a softmod or it is necessary to use a savegame exploit ? Otherwise what modichip could be a suitable choice ? I was interested in the OpenXenium project but these boards are pretty expensive here in Europe. The board should be a 1.4 revision since it has the Focus video chip. Thanks for all the Help.

Hi ! I'm from Italy, i have my Xbox since when i was a kid and now that i have some time i want to bring back to life my old Xbox. It's nice to that the Xbox is still alive !