Question about ram chips .

[L2000]

Hi all , just wanted to find out by those in the know if these ram modules are compatible for the 128 mb upgrade . I’ve installed all four , failed on all four . Touched up all joints with soldering iron , got the three reboots and Xbox wouldn’t power on , reflowed with hot air station and Xbox goes back to booting as if there’s no extra ram attached . I then replaced one of the ram modules to see if blast would detect it and still nothing . I have no issues accessing Xbox dash or Cerbios flashed Aladdin booting XBMC4Gamers . 

 

Edited May 15, 2024 by L2000
One blurry image

[Bowlsnapper]

Those are the proper model number. Where were they sourced from? @L2000

[L2000]

40 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

Those are the proper model number. Where were they sourced from? @L2000

I got them off AliExpress mid last year in a pack of 10 , installed it in December and just been using it as 64mb as it’s not affecting anything . If the soldering isn’t correct shouldn’t the console frag on boot as it did previously before the reflow ? 

[Bowlsnapper]

2 hours ago, L2000 said:

I got them off AliExpress mid last year in a pack of 10 , installed it in December and just been using it as 64mb as it’s not affecting anything . If the soldering isn’t correct shouldn’t the console frag on boot as it did previously before the reflow ? 

Yes... it would frag. I have like, 75 chips from Ali, and they are working great, actually... maybe yours are just DOA, or fake?

[L2000]

2 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

Yes... it would frag. I have like, 75 chips from Ali, and they are working great, actually... maybe yours are just DOA, or fake?

Thanks , I’ll reflow one more time and if it still isn’t detected I’ll remove and order some other replacement chips , will reach out to you for seller’s details should I need it . Reason I asked is I was also thinking maybe these were just a bad batch or DOA as you said . 

[big F]

Sadly Aliexpress is full of fake stuff now.  Unfortunately Aliexpress don't seem to care and if you ask for a refund, they'll likely  say you cant have a refund because you received the goods. Tell you that you are obviously mistaken.  Ask you to send them back as delivered, and give you an address in china and 48 hrs to do so, meaning you’d need to spend a small fortune on a specialist courier to get the order back in time. 
 

Seems with them the best options are buy somewhere else, if an item arrives broken etc. just claim for it not arriving.  If it arrives broken or otherwise they often will just say no as you received it.

Recently the service has got bad, I used to have no issues with them and rarely had a lost package.  Now its almost 50/50  if it will arrive or arrive damaged.

There are plenty of up and coming suppliers who want a piece of their pie.

[MadMartigan]

Have you manually checked each leg for possible loose connections or raised legs? 

[L2000]

35 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

Have you manually checked each leg for possible loose connections or raised legs? 

Yes I have I did this after each pass with both iron and hot air station , didn’t see or detect any bridges or floating pin legs , I lifted one trace but it’s securely joined and properly wetted to its pin and there’s also continuity to its via .

[Bowlsnapper]

1 hour ago, L2000 said:

Yes I have I did this after each pass with both iron and hot air station , didn’t see or detect any bridges or floating pin legs , I lifted one trace but it’s securely joined and properly wetted to its pin and there’s also continuity to its via .

To be clear, you are failing a 4 positions with separate chips installed, but all from the same source, correct?

[L2000]

1 hour ago, Bowlsnapper said:

To be clear, you are failing a 4 positions with separate chips installed, but all from the same source, correct?

Yes that’s correct all 4 four spots are populated and all chips are from same source , one has already been swapped out to see if it changes anything but none of the extra ram is detected . I still have 5 left from the same batch but I’m hesitant to install those . I’ll rather get from another supplier with reviews stating it worked . Please note I haven’t opened the console again since December so the pics provided are from then , I’ve also attached what the ram test shows .

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2024 by L2000

[Bowlsnapper]

43 minutes ago, L2000 said:

Yes that’s correct all 4 four spots are populated and all chips are from same source , one has already been swapped out to see if it changes anything but none of the extra ram is detected . I still have 5 left from the same batch but I’m hesitant to install those . I’ll rather get from another supplier with reviews stating it worked . Please note I haven’t opened the console again since December so the pics provided are from then , I’ve also attached what the ram test shows .

 

 

 

Okay This is the supplier I used. 75 RAM chips and every one has been functional. Thus far. I think I've gone through at least 20.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256801935456368.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.53.230f1802wCRH77

Only other thing I can add, diagnostically, is that I would make sure to check the pins by torquing on the upper sections of the legs, not at the feet. Your tweezers can snag on the solder humps on the pads and you can think you're secured on a pin when really pressure is not being applied to it. Attack from the upper sections of the legs near where they leave the chip, as opposed to near the mobo.

[L2000]

@Bowlsnapperwhich of these would you recommend? I have the 8F-QC50 (non working ) , your link takes me to 8F-UC50 , the original ram on my mobo is 8D-QC50 , should I just go for the 8D-QC50 , can you check yours please ? 

[Bowlsnapper]

12 minutes ago, L2000 said:

@Bowlsnapperwhich of these would you recommend? I have the 8F-QC50 (non working ) , your link takes me to 8F-UC50 , the original ram on my mobo is 8D-QC50 , should I just go for the 8D-QC50 , can you check yours please ? 

[L2000]

On 5/17/2024 at 4:24 AM, Bowlsnapper said:

Hi   Just a little update , I ordered from your supplier and removed the old chips , cleaned up then installed the new ram chips , tested after each install and all still failed , reflowed with hot air and retouched up all points checked for shorts. Xblast failed all four chips again but the Xbox still boots into normal bios as well as Cerbios without error but only detects 64mb . 

[L2000]

One pic looks bridged but it’s residue from the cotton bud 

[Bowlsnapper]

On 7/5/2024 at 11:17 AM, L2000 said:

Hi   Just a little update , I ordered from your supplier and removed the old chips , cleaned up then installed the new ram chips , tested after each install and all still failed , reflowed with hot air and retouched up all points checked for shorts. Xblast failed all four chips again but the Xbox still boots into normal bios as well as Cerbios without error but only detects 64mb . 

What method are you using to solder them? The pics I see, those legs/pads are VERY dry. I would flux it up and add more solder to them... using a soldering iron. Have you taken a pair of tweezers and done the torque test, applying slight lateral pressure to the pins and ensuring that they are secured and soldered?

[big F]

Was thinking the same.

[L2000]

12 hours ago, Bowlsnapper said:

I tack down four corners with an iron first then drag solder slightly with a bit of solder and loads of flux , after a clean I use no clean flux and reflow the pins with a hot air station ensuring to remove all bridges with fine braid , then a once over again with a dry iron and loads of flux before an ipa scrub . I’m 100% certain it’s a soldering issue , seeing blast fail and freeze on the second chip gives me new hope as weird as it seems 

sorry for edit , just curious would cerbios still boot to dash even if there’s an issue with ram install as mine does it quite fine it’s only now that it’s won’t boot to stock any longer after removing last top and flashing stock bios back I think it was 5808 or something 

Edited July 6, 2024 by L2000

[Bowlsnapper]

4 hours ago, L2000 said:

sorry for edit , just curious would cerbios still boot to dash even if there’s an issue with ram install as mine does it quite fine it’s only now that it’s won’t boot to stock any longer after removing last top and flashing stock bios back I think it was 5808 or something 

The quote you posted is confusing. I think it may need to be edited cuz I didn't say that.

Things booting normally is a sign that NO chips are being picked up at all by the bios/kernel.

Okay so, I think that the process you're using is a bit overcomplicated and I think the reason your legs are so dry is because you're using the desoldering braid. Unless you are using too much solder, flux should really prevent bridges from happening. Tacking 4 corners first is always good. I would suggest that you start with a small dab of solder on the tip of your iron and drag back and forth across the pins until that small bit of solder is spent. With lots of flux, the solder should equally disperse across all the pins you drag across. So if you get a bridge somewhere, just drag it across the pins down the row. I always get rid of "bridgy", excess solder by spreading across pins that need more. I just eyeball the amount of solder necessary since I have done it so many times, but you should be able to tell, more or less, how much solder is enough for the pins. Once that small bit of solder has been used, put a bit more on the iron and drag a bit more until basically, all the pins have been "Filled In". Sometimes, a bridge can be removed by dragging DOWN the pins, down the legs that are joined. This sometimes splits the splash up. I NEVER use desoldering braid. It is easier for me to just add dabs of solder and spread them across the legs than it is to just drop a blind amount and worry about a small grouping of pins. You have to solder ALL the pins, so spread that solder around the chip!

Look at the difference here between this pic, and the way your pins are now. This is one chip I did using the technique I am describing. Ignore the messiness on the top right. The pins were bent and I was being lazy.  
Saturate those pins with solder! Do NOT be afraid of bridging! Remember, you can always start with small bits of solder and keep adding. But never start with an amount so huge that you have to clean up the excess with braid. If you have too much solder on one row, flux up another row of pins and try to move that solder over to THAT row. If you have a row with bridging and a row that is empty, "pick up" the excess with your soldering iron by cleaning off the tip ENTIRELY of solder and making sure that the tip is empty, THEN dragging across the bridged section, and subsequently dropping the solder you just picked up on the empty section. Feel free to either clean off the tip of the solder you just picked up, or spread it across a row with NO solder at all (or simply not fully saturated yet) by dragging it off. Either way, spread it around, don't soak it up with braid. If all your rows are saturated and you still have bridging for some reason:

1. You used too much solder.

2. Start picking up the solder by cleaning off the iron completely and then dragging the bridged section. Clean the tip, drag again. Clean the tip and drag again until you've picked up all the excess you needed to. That way you only remove EXCESS solder instead of soaking up a shitload with braid and leaving your pins dry.

 You want your pins/pads to have as much solder as they can hold without bridging. So get good at walking that line and saturating enough to ensure a good solid bond, but not so much that you are bridging.

[CryogeniumFocus]

Did my first 128MB 1.1 just now!!!!

Patience, drag soldering and chip aligning are your best friends

Now... I'mma go get some sleep, it's 3:33 AM here.

Edited July 7, 2024 by CryogeniumFocus

[L2000]

Thanks you both for the great advice , I’ll have to muster up the courage to get this working soon as I’ve got a 1,6 that’s been teasing me for a 128 upgrade