excaliburn92 Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 Hello. I posted about this a while back on Reddit but eventually I gave up and softmodded instead. However, it's kinda ... what's the word for it... irritating to have a non-working modchip as I want to have a backup plan incase my DVD Drive fails, or the other NTSC Xbox that I unintentionally potentially killed by swapping its 1.6b Board into a translucent 1.4 case and 1.4 power supply (EU 230V)... (yeah not proud of that) comes to life. I have no way of confirming if it still works as I have no step down voltage converter, BUT if it does, it'll have no DVD Drive. The plan is, I want to get this modchip working first, if possible. I've tried resoldering the wires, the modchip itself, and it won't work. No evo logo, nothing. All it does is play original games. Motherboard is a 1.4 according to UnleashX. Here's a picture: https://imgur.com/1MME9Nc Is it dead? I assume it used to work before, as it was installed when I received the console (got it for really cheap, had error 7, swapped dvd drive and it works). Is anything looking out of the ordinary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ging3rguy Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 Did the Aladdin chip come off of the 1.6b motherboard? If so you may need to flash the bios to work on a 1.4. I also find you need to solder the D0 point on the motherboard to ground on the board and not to the Aladdin chip on a 1.4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 The M8 bios that comes in the Aladdin modchip is for a 1.6 but it will work on a 1.0-1.6. The D0 wire can be soldered to the D0 point on the aladdin chip and will work fine but I would link the BT on the chip to ground (pin 2) and not ot the power button. This tells the chip to be always active Maybe post a pic of the fitting Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 7 hours ago, Ging3rguy said: Did the Aladdin chip come off of the 1.6b motherboard? If so you may need to flash the bios to work on a 1.4. I also find you need to solder the D0 point on the motherboard to ground on the board and not to the Aladdin chip on a 1.4. No, it was preinstalled on the 1.4 motherboard I didn't touch it. How should I go on about this? I've read the manual for the Aladdin modchip and it's wired exactly the same. 6 hours ago, SS_Dave said: The M8 bios that comes in the Aladdin modchip is for a 1.6 but it will work on a 1.0-1.6. The D0 wire can be soldered to the D0 point on the aladdin chip and will work fine but I would link the BT on the chip to ground (pin 2) and not ot the power button. This tells the chip to be always active Maybe post a pic of the fitting Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Would that help? Also what fitting? Sorry I've never done this before, but I do have a soldering iron that I used to install a XenoGC modchip on a gamecube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 Update: Removing the D0 wire from the modchip disabled the power button, xbox turns on with it but pressing it again won't shut it off or do anything. Putting it back in and everything's back to normal, without the modchip working ofcourse. Do I have a dead modchip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 I would suspect the clock cap has leaked and damaged the traces under the front of the main board. You need to remove the Clock cap in the red circle and clean the board with isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush then I would resolder the connections in the yellow box. Can you post a pick of the bottom on the board? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 (edited) 7 minutes ago, SS_Dave said: I would suspect the clock cap has leaked and damaged the traces under the front of the main board. You need to remove the Clock cap in the red circle and clean the board with isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush then I would resolder the connections in the yellow box. Can you post a pick of the bottom on the board? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. I actually caught that around a month ago before it leaked and cleaned off the board with ISA both top and underneath, here's an updated picture https://imgur.com/2QmuHND I recall inspecting the underneath of the motherboard and it's more than fine, atleast where the clock capacitor was. The motherboard is working okay. Edited May 18, 2020 by excaliburn92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 You should have a good look along the traces here. Damaged traces can cause random power issues. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 (edited) 4 minutes ago, SS_Dave said: You should have a good look along the traces here. Damaged traces can cause random power issues. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. All looks good to me. I have an idea. If I remove the two wires L1 and BT and connect BT to the modchip as you said, would that help? Also do I need to desolder or can I just cut the wires (L1 and BT) and reconnect BT to the modchip itself. Just for time saving measures and me not comfortable with desoldering on the motherboard itself (LPC is fine tho). Edited May 18, 2020 by excaliburn92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 The L1 wire is not important You can cut the BT and link like in the pic I posted The solder joints on the modchip to the board look bad that what I would fix 1st Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 31 minutes ago, SS_Dave said: The L1 wire is not important You can cut the BT and link like in the pic I posted The solder joints on the modchip to the board look bad that what I would fix 1st Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Resoldering the chip solder joints, swapping linked BT to the modchip, exactly like this guy here https://imgur.com/gallery/n84343r Xbox still boots normally, without evo-x or modchip light. I think this modchip is dead, should I just remove it (or just keep it there) and give up on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 I would now try using the D0 point on the bottom of the main board instead of the top because if it's booting to the stock BIOS then the D0 is not working pluse ther solder joint for the D0 point on the board also looks crap. The Aladdin chip is normally rock solid and the fails are normally caused by poor fitting Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 55 minutes ago, SS_Dave said: The L1 wire is not important You can cut the BT and link like in the pic I posted The solder joints on the modchip to the board look bad that what I would fix 1st Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Yoo, I FTP'd Xbox BIOS checker to my Xbox. Ran it, and got this https://imgur.com/EOMWNYs What does this mean? Is the modchip working? I just don't see evoX on bootup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 That program is as good as flyscreens on a submarine . Have you resoldered the modchip to the main board? Have you tried connecting the D0 to ground using the alternative point on the bottom of the board? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 (edited) On 5/18/2020 at 11:25 AM, SS_Dave said: That program is as good as flyscreens on a submarine . Have you resoldered the modchip to the main board? Have you tried connecting the D0 to ground using the alternative point on the bottom of the board? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Yes to all. Seems like this chip really is dead. I don't mind, though. Tried everything over the last few days, and it seems that it's no dice. Rip. Anyway, I wanted to ask. This other Xbox I have, it's a 1.6B model. I swapped the motherboard into a 1.4 case (I know, bad idea, had no clue unfortunately). However, the powersupply was the 1.4 powersupply, so it didn't power on. Is there a chance it's still alive? It's an NTSC Xbox so I'll need a transformer to use the 1.6 powersupply. My country is in full lockdown atm so I'll need to wait for 7 days to test. Just need a glimpse of hope, haha. Edited May 23, 2020 by excaliburn92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaosEngineer Posted May 23, 2020 Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 If you still have the BT wire connected to the power button signal, try holding the power button for longer than a second to enable the modcihp. For Aladdin series modchips, a short tap of the power button turns on the Xbox; however, the modchip is disabled. If you've disconnected BT from the power button and strapped it to pin 2 of the quick solder area for always-on operation - a long or short press of the power button doesn't matter the modchip is enabled - the modchip may be dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaosEngineer Posted May 23, 2020 Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 10:13 PM, excaliburn92 said: Yoo, I FTP'd Xbox BIOS checker to my Xbox. Ran it, and got this https://imgur.com/EOMWNYs Look for the kernel version number. What replacement dashboard is running? If UnleashX, press the Y button to pop-up the System Info page and look for the Kernel version line: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 23, 2020 Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 2 hours ago, excaliburn92 said: Yes to all. Seems like this chip really is dead. I don't mind, though. Tried everything over the last few days, and it seems that it's no dice. Rip. Anyway, I wanted to ask. This other Xbox I have, it's a 1.6B model. I swapped the motherboard into a 1.4 case (I know, bad idea, had no clue unfortunately). However, the powersupply was the 1.4 powersupply, so it didn't power on. Is there a chance it's still alive? It's an NTSC Xbox so I'll need a transformer to use the 1.6 powersupply. My country is in full lockdown atm so I'll need to wait for 7 days to test. Just need a glimpse of hope, haha. The power supplies are different between the 1.4 and the 1.6 it should be OK Also the 1.4 case has an extra ground point near the video chip that needs to be removed or you will damage the main board. If you where able to FTP the BIOS checker then the mod chip is working or the Xbox is softmodded. Whats the dashboard look like? post a pic? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 2 hours ago, KaosEngineer said: If you still have the BT wire connected to the power button signal, try holding the power button for longer than a second to enable the modcihp. For Aladdin series modchips, a short tap of the power button turns on the Xbox; however, the modchip is disabled. If you've disconnected BT from the power button and strapped it to pin 2 of the quick solder area for always-on operation - a long or short press of the power button doesn't matter the modchip is enabled - the modchip may be dead. I've tried both methods, but the chip doesn't seem to be working. In fact, I experienced some weird glitches, the screen "shakes" occasionally and I've decided to remove it completely. Been working fine since then, played San Andreas for a couple hours and no issue. I guess I'll just give up on the modchip, spent too much time on it haha. 2 hours ago, KaosEngineer said: Look for the kernel version number. What replacement dashboard is running? If UnleashX, press the Y button to pop-up the System Info page and look for the Kernel version line: Apparently BIOS checker was false, as when using a Hexen disc to try and flash the modchip, the BIOS information reported that it's a stock Xbox BIOS and cannot be flashed. I guess BIOS checker reports the modchip status because I edited the EEPROM region from NTSC-J to NTSC, because some games showed japanese text no matter what I did. 54 minutes ago, SS_Dave said: The power supplies are different between the 1.4 and the 1.6 it should be OK Also the 1.4 case has an extra ground point near the video chip that needs to be removed or you will damage the main board. If you where able to FTP the BIOS checker then the mod chip is working or the Xbox is softmodded. Whats the dashboard look like? post a pic? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. It is softmodded. I used hotswap method to install Rocky5's softmod. The reason why I want to get the modchip working, is that the DVD drive on the 1.6 Xbox is dead so If I were to get it working, I'd have to flash a nodvd BIOS (either on TSOP or Modchip, so modchip in my case) to get them both working. I'm really hoping I didn't accidentally killed the 1.6b motherboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 23, 2020 Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 Softmods and Modchips/TSOP flash don't play well together it's one or the other. The mod chip is not showing the Evox logo could mean it has been reflash with a different BIOS. What happens if the D0 wire is disconnected? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 (edited) 9 hours ago, SS_Dave said: Softmods and Modchips/TSOP flash don't play well together it's one or the other. The mod chip is not showing the Evox logo could mean it has been reflash with a different BIOS. What happens if the D0 wire is disconnected? Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Okay so here's what I've done: I repurposed the old 8GB Xbox HDD (had it upgraded to a 160 GB) and removed the softmods and basically made it retail. I cleaned the LPC port, applied new solder to the needed points and soldered the modchip again, connected D0 wire to alternative point, and surprise surprise, doesn't work/show EvoX. Doesn't boot burned games (the discs work, as I can confirm they did when it was softmodded) or my out of region discs. D0 wire disconnected, same thing. It really is dead, huh? Edited May 23, 2020 by excaliburn92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 23, 2020 Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 Remove the chip and flash the TSOP chip. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excaliburn92 Posted May 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2020 8 hours ago, SS_Dave said: Remove the chip and flash the TSOP chip. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. I am looking into it. I have a ST model TSOP, so I guess I need to bridge the two points on the top side of the motherboard (1.4). How should I go on about this? Can I do it without solder (just soldering iron)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted May 24, 2020 Report Share Posted May 24, 2020 32 minutes ago, excaliburn92 said: I am looking into it. I have a ST model TSOP, so I guess I need to bridge the two points on the top side of the motherboard (1.4). How should I go on about this? Can I do it without solder (just soldering iron)? The 2 points are on the top of the main board and you need to solder them or you can use conductive paint to link the points. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDShadow Posted May 24, 2020 Report Share Posted May 24, 2020 Going back to the chip D0 thing whilst I'm waiting for the Kynar wire I was going through the advice here and in my Aladdin chip thread about wiring the 'easier' D0 point on the bottom of the MB and grounding it to a screw surround rather than the D0 pad on the chip. I've read since that if do you that it can "strain" the Xbox and reduce its life so its better to use the D0 point on the chip. What I was wondering is making it neater by using the easier D0 point hidden under the MB but hide the wire to the chip's D0 point by passing it through one of the unused LPC holes. I am thinking it would be sensible to put some slack in the wire so the chip could be disconnected without needing to cut that wire or de-solder it either end. So is there any problem routing it through one of those free holes or using a couple of inches more wire for that reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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