Remove Dvd Drive

[Xbox4rl 10]

I would like to remove the DVD drive on my 1.0 tsop . Occasionally the Xbox will fail to boot because of the drive, and I have no need for it. I looked around on the internet and my xbox, although I know it can be done; I am not seeing clear way of performing this mod. Assistance would be appreciated. 

[KaosEngineer 531]

I've never done this mod; however, I understand the basics.

You need to have a BIOS flashed to the TSOP/modchip that disables the DVD check on power on.  And, I think you also need to make a properly configured connector to plug into the DVD power connector on the motherboard.  

This is the image of the connector pinout I've seen but it only has 12 pins not the 14 present on the motherboard. The next two 13 and 14 have no connections to the DVD drive though so I guess the original author just left them off.

TRAY_IN and CD_RDY need to be tied to Updated: hmm, either Ground (GND) or  +5V to signal to the System Management Controller (PIC processor v1.0-1.5 consoles) that the tray is closed and the drive is ready. 

I don't know if TRAY_IN and CD_RDY are active low or active high signals.  I'll have to see what I can find again. I've seen a slim build log on the Internet of someone that removed their DVD drive and showed the jumper plug they had made.

Update: Looks like they are active HIGH so they need to be tied to +5Vdc. Although I'd probably use a pull-up resistor of 10KOhm for each from 5Vdc to the signal pin. (2 resistors one for each signal to +5Vdc).

+5Vdc(pin 2) -\/\/\- CD_RDY(pin 6) and

+5Vdc(pin 10) -\/\/\- TRAY_IN(pin 7)

-\/\/\- is my ASCII representation for a resistor.  Use a 10KOhm 1/4watt. Probably could be a much wattage rated resistor (1/8 watt).

[Xbox4rl 10]

So to get rid of the DVD player I need a tsop and the power modification?

Why is the power modification needed if the tsop is applied? Doesn't the tsop make the xbox skip the dvd check? If I left the power cable in the dvd player but no ide; would it boot?

Is there a schematic of what I need to solder on the dvd tray cable? I'll just cut it and solder what I need or I'll try using single pin connectors with wire attached so I can save the cable.

Edited April 4 by Xbox4rl

[ShinGoutetsu 10]

You could flash a bios that removes the dvd drive check. X2 4891 and i think 4983 bios's can be modified in xbtool to do this, it's just a tickbox

[big F 32]

I had the pin out details with what to do to properly eliminate the DVD and not get the boot stutter.

 

cant find the details

[nikeymikey 75]

I have been looking into this and it seems from some old posts elsewhere that our very own @Rocky5 has done this before. 

He mentions about creating a dvd simulator... maybe he will comment here and fill us in on how he did it

[Xbox4rl 10]

I believe I am using evox m8 because I read on a forum somewhere it has the best xbox game compatibility. Don't know if that is true, if I re-flash another bios will I have to reload all the content onto the hdd? I am also curious if I enable the skip DVD check would I still be able to optionally use a dvd player? I was considering wiring a switch on the power cable which would optionally enable it.

Edited April 4 by Xbox4rl

[KaosEngineer 531]

I think the BIOS's DVD check looks at the IDE bus for a SLAVE Xbox DVD drive attached.  It doesn't skip the assertion check of CD_RDY and TRAY_IN signals done by the System Management Controller (SMC, a PIC processor in v1.0-1.5 or custom Xyclops chip in v1.6 Xboxes).

[Xbox4rl 10]

So sounds like I could add the power switch then... I'd probably do that on pins 2, 10, 1, and 9...

Take that back I'd probably just put the switch on the ground...

Thoughts

 

Edited April 4 by Xbox4rl

[KaosEngineer 531]

1 hour ago, Xbox4rl said:

So sounds like I could add the power switch then... I'd probably do that on pins 2, 10, 1, and 9...

Take that back I'd probably just put the switch on the ground...

Thoughts

 

What's about pins 2, 10, 1 and 9?

Those pins supply power to the DVD drive.

Update: Oh, I see. I missed your post on powering on/off the DVD drive with a switch.

You need to make this so called DVD Simulator jumper to plug into the motherboar's DVD power connector to pull HIGH the CD_RDY and TRAY_IN signals routed to the SMC so it knows the drive is ready.

Here's one such plug I found at xbmc4xbox.org.uk - Please login or register to see this link.

However, instead of a wire to directly connect from 5V to B and 5V to D, I would use a 10KOhm resistor.

 

[KaosEngineer 531]

There's a Youtube video series by Surly Sot Gamer Club showing a daily series of updates to their/his Xbox.  On Please login or register to see this link.  he's working on no DVD operations but didn't get much accomplished other than causing more problems.  On Please login or register to see this link. , he continues with HDD partitioning and no DVD operation testing.

Using iND-BiOS 5003.67 or is it really 5004.67.  The NMS TSOP flasher he used shows both values the first as the Kernel version with a BIOS name of the second.  A misconfiguration of the MD5 hashes used to ID the BIOS?

The console DOES boot without the DVD drive attached and NO DVD Simulator plug is connected.  He's completely disconnected both the IDE cable and DVD power cable from the DVD drive. There does seem to be a long pause - 10-14 seconds of a blank screen - after the flubber animation ends and the dashboard shows up when the DVD drive is disconnected though.

Updated correct Days for Surly Sot Gamer Club's YouTube videos and added links to them.

[KaosEngineer 531]

1 hour ago, Xbox4rl said:

So sounds like I could add the power switch then... I'd probably do that on pins 2, 10, 1, and 9...

Take that back I'd probably just put the switch on the ground...

Thoughts

 

Yes, break ALL the ground connections - there are 3. Use a 3PST (3-pole single throw) switch?

[Xbox4rl 10]

Alright I managed to install a different bios from evox m8, using hexen 2019. I think this is the 256 x2 bios; it will just let me remove the drive without modifying the power cable at all. I still do want to keep the dvd drive attached though so I will probably wire in a switch.

Are we sure that we can run all three grounds on the same pole and that will not mess anything up? Or should I use a separate switch for each ground?

Also what is the advantage or evox m8 over x2, does x2 have less game support?

Edited April 5 by Xbox4rl

[big F 32]

7 hours ago, KaosEngineer said:

You need to make this so called DVD Simulator jumper to plug into the motherboar's DVD power connector to pull HIGH the CD_RDY and TRAY_IN signals routed to the SMC so it knows the drive is ready.

Here's one such plug I found at xbmc4xbox.org.uk - Please login or register to see this link.

Please login or register to see this link.

However, instead of a wire to directly connect from 5V to B and 5V to D, I would use a 10KOhm resistor.

 

Thats the ticket, agreed giving it a load rather than a direct short was the one bit I remembered.

[KaosEngineer 531]

3 hours ago, Xbox4rl said:

Alright I managed to install a different bios from evox m8, using hexen 2019. I think this is the 256 x2 bios; it will just let me remove the drive without modifying the power cable at all. I still do want to keep the dvd drive attached though so I will probably wire in a switch.

Are we sure that we can run all three grounds on the same pole and that will not mess anything up? Or should I use a separate switch for each ground?

Also what is the advantage or evox m8 over x2, does x2 have less game support?

You need to break all three grounds; thus, the 3-pole switch.  Not a single-pole switch.

Single throw means each pole will either be open or closed.  The state of all three poles the same - either all open or all closed.

But, ground is ground, isn't it?  Not sure why there are three separate wires unless for the current rating of the wire gauge used.

Shouldn't a SPST switch work too?

I'd not heard anything about one BIOS having more or less game support than another.

[irlandez 16]

I where that saw that it is possible to leave the motherboard of the DVD drive connected, it is necessary for loading of the console. and the drive mechanism can be thrown out. is that so? sorry for my bad English.

[KaosEngineer 531]

Softmodded systems require leaving the main controller board of the DVD drive connected to the IDE bus and the Xbox's DVD power/control signal cable.  They are still booting the stock BIOS that checks for the DVD drive during the bootup procedure. The softmod is enabled after the normal boot procedure completes and the MS dashboard starts.  Somewhere in there.  But, its after all the hardware checks have been completed.  If no DVD drive is connected on a softmodded system, you will see an error screen  - one indicating a DVD error - 10, 11 or 12 not exactly which.

Hardmodded consoles, either TSOP mod/reflash or a modchip installed, when booting a BIOS with the DVD check disabled do not require the DVD drive's PCB to be connected to the console. The entire drive can be removed.

[Xbox4rl 10]

4 minutes ago, KaosEngineer said:

Softmodded systems require leaving the main controller board of the DVD drive connected to the IDE bus and the Xbox's DVD power/control signal cable.  They are still booting the stock BIOS that checks for the DVD drive during the bootup procedure. The softmod is enabled after the normal boot procedure completes.

Hardmodded consoles, either TSOP mod/reflash or a modchip installed, when booting a BIOS with the DVD check disabled do not require the DVD drive's PCB to be connected to the console. The entire drive can be removed.

Yep, but I am also intending on leaving it connected, and throwing a switch on the ground. I have a TSOP that I did.

Though there seems to be problems with removing the dvd drive for evox m8+ on hexen 2019, so I would not recommend that one.

[KaosEngineer 531]

3 minutes ago, Xbox4rl said:

Though there seems to be problems with removing the dvd drive for evox m8+ on hexen 2019, so I would not recommend that one.

I'm not sure that the TruHeXEn 2019 (Is that the one?)  release's M8plus dot bin file has the DVD check disabled.  Forlorn Pengiun's HeXEn 2018 release does.  It also has the LBA48 v3 patch applied that the official Evox release does not.

[Xbox4rl 10]

Just now, KaosEngineer said:

I'm not sure that the TruHeXEn 2019 (Is that the one?)  release's M8plus dot bin file has the DVD check disabled.  Forlorn Pengiun's HeXEn 2018 release does.

Yeah its TruHeXEn, it must not... that is what I was using prior to my switch to x2.