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How To Install an Aladdin XT Plus 2 Modchip in a 1.6 Xbox


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I took a 1.6 board I have laying around and decided to do a speed-mod. I paid no attention to quality of solder joints, length of wires, or anything else that a more experienced technician might look at. I did it as quickly and as shoddy as I could, so I could show results similar to what the average Joe may expect. I'm not trying to talk it down. THIS WORKS, and that is what matters and that's what this guide is for. 

1. Insert the pinheader. Hold it with one finger against the board and flip it over. Solder 1 pin on the bottom side in place. Make sure your finger is not touching this pin on the other side. Let it cool, and then look to solder the opposite corner (diagonally). Don't let your finger touch that pin this time, and solder it in place. Now you can stop pressing on the opposite side with your finger, and just solder all of the rest of the pins in place. (A MUCH better way than using your finger, is to add a drop of super glue between the plastic holding the pins, and the board. Don't let it touch the metal or it will cook away in a very eye-irritating vapor.)

LPC Pinheader

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Now we're going to attach the wires to rebuild the lpc. On the top is the guide you should use. On the bottom is the demo job I did, and yours should look similar or better. You'll notice on the bottom picture, the LFrame/D0 wire is soldered to a pad you don't see anywhere else. The guide tells you to solder it to the chip, and the chip has a pad for it. That's not necessary. Just solder it to the pad I show you. That pad is ground, and grounding LFrame/D0 causes the Xbox to boot from LPC instead of the onboard rom. Doing this allows you to take the chip off at will for hotswapping/flashing other chips. (The dark colorations in the bottom pic are not burns. I use rosin-core solder. I usually clean it off to look nicer, but in this case I was trying to demonstrate a real-world normal job someone might do.)

LPC Rebuild Guide 


 

 

 

 

 

2_2.thumb.jpg.1f28c20e671926241d345fcd6b6c48fd.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Now it's time to get the Aladdin ready to go in. It has features built in for xbox live, which no longer exists for the original Xbox... so we need to defeat those features. Solder the BT pad on the Aladdin to the pad shown. This will enable the chip as soon as power is pressed.

Aladdin BT Ground

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Now you're ready to fit your chip and test it out. It mounts on the pinheader like this:

Chip Fitted

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On 2017-04-28 at 9:11 PM, glitchd said:

I have an aladdin chip that the pad for BT ripped off. Theoretically, couldnt I just bridge the pins together with a small blob of solder since they are right next to each other on the Lattice chip itself?

you could scrape some of the masking off the trace and tag that instead

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I always remove 6th pin of the pinheader for 1.6 Xboxes. They have 5V active in standby. If you leave this pin, Aladdin's LED will light all the time when console is plugged in. I think it's annoying. 

I also never ground D0, it's better to solder it to modchip's D0 point. When modchip fails, with grounded D0 console will FRAG, whereas with D0 soldered to modchip, console will boot from motherboard's bios.

 

pinheader_1.6.jpg

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hiya..

as much as I appreciate a post for "average joe" with no prior soldering skills, I would like to add a few things:

If you are new to soldering and attempt this get yourself a few things:

- A cheap multimeter that beeps when the setting is set to continuity (these cost no more then 3$)
it is dead easy to use (and will come in handy in a milion little repairs around the house)
This function of a multimeter is used to measure if point A and B are connected on a board.
(A)------------(B) = beep
(A)----    -----(B) = no beep (and a break in your line)

You will notice lines on a board running from where you solder to somewhere else.. these lines are called traces... for rookie soldering guys it isn't uncommon to solder too deep in a board and somehow breaking (or ripping) a trace line... so the beep check is good to check if you eyeball your work and think.. hmm.. lets check

Another thing the beep check is extremely (!) handy for it to see if your solder job didn't accidentally solder onto something else... especially if it's small.. just hold the two leads on both the points and no beep.. great, you didn't connect your solder... get a beep? then use some braid to remover the solder and go for it again.

- Secondly I highly highly recommend you get a cheap 15w soldering (pen style) iron with a pointed tip.. please don't use your dad's old soldering iron with a thick tip (guess how i started back then).. it usually will run far too hot (as it's meant for soldering larger objects) making you burn through a board and potentially wreck it.. a cheap pen style can be picked up for 5-10$.. if you're thinking of doing a lot more, have a looksee for temperature controller soldering irons.. the china models are absolutely low in price, since soldering irons aren't rocket science, so might be worth it depending on how often you'll use.

- When rebuilding the LPC.. you might absolutely want to stick down the wires so that can not move around.. solder points can detach over time.. hot glue is one option, but I've never been a fan of that myself.. if you do glue I highly recommend you don't glue on the solder point, but a bit off from that.. should you ever need to resolder then you don't have to worry about the glue. when I started I used heatresistant foam tape, but these days there is a whole range of heatresistant tape available and even compleet sheets in sizes.. I wouldn't recommend generic electric tape because their 'stickyness' wears out very fast when stuck to a mainboard.

- And lost, but MOST important.. keep in mind you're messing with electricity.. I've modded thousands of devices and know what I'm doing.. and even so, I have told every single customer I ever had to use an extension cord with a on/off switch.. and turn it off on the extension switch when you are done playing. If you've ever seen a housefire.. the 2 seconds to flip it off/on is worth it :)

 

happy modding!

Tim

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37 minutes ago, Tim said:

hiya..

as much as I appreciate a post for "average joe" with no prior soldering skills, I would like to add a few things:

If you are new to soldering and attempt this get yourself a few things:

- A cheap multimeter that beeps when the setting is set to continuity (these cost no more then 3$)
it is dead easy to use (and will come in handy in a milion little repairs around the house)
This function of a multimeter is used to measure if point A and B are connected on a board.
(A)------------(B) = beep
(A)----    -----(B) = no beep (and a break in your line)

You will notice lines on a board running from where you solder to somewhere else.. these lines are called traces... for rookie soldering guys it isn't uncommon to solder too deep in a board and somehow breaking (or ripping) a trace line... so the beep check is good to check if you eyeball your work and think.. hmm.. lets check

Another thing the beep check is extremely (!) handy for it to see if your solder job didn't accidentally solder onto something else... especially if it's small.. just hold the two leads on both the points and no beep.. great, you didn't connect your solder... get a beep? then use some braid to remover the solder and go for it again.

- Secondly I highly highly recommend you get a cheap 15w soldering (pen style) iron with a pointed tip.. please don't use your dad's old soldering iron with a thick tip (guess how i started back then).. it usually will run far too hot (as it's meant for soldering larger objects) making you burn through a board and potentially wreck it.. a cheap pen style can be picked up for 5-10$.. if you're thinking of doing a lot more, have a looksee for temperature controller soldering irons.. the china models are absolutely low in price, since soldering irons aren't rocket science, so might be worth it depending on how often you'll use.

- When rebuilding the LPC.. you might absolutely want to stick down the wires so that can not move around.. solder points can detach over time.. hot glue is one option, but I've never been a fan of that myself.. if you do glue I highly recommend you don't glue on the solder point, but a bit off from that.. should you ever need to resolder then you don't have to worry about the glue. when I started I used heatresistant foam tape, but these days there is a whole range of heatresistant tape available and even compleet sheets in sizes.. I wouldn't recommend generic electric tape because their 'stickyness' wears out very fast when stuck to a mainboard.

- And lost, but MOST important.. keep in mind you're messing with electricity.. I've modded thousands of devices and know what I'm doing.. and even so, I have told every single customer I ever had to use an extension cord with a on/off switch.. and turn it off on the extension switch when you are done playing. If you've ever seen a housefire.. the 2 seconds to flip it off/on is worth it :)

 

happy modding!

Tim

Thank you Tim. Good advice.

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oh few more tips :)

- try NOT to cross your wires on a lpc rebuild.. i've seen it cause glitches

- when bending wires, it's Always better to use a slight curve instead of a 90degree hook (just sometimes a cable breaks inside of its shielding under a hook.. not very common, but still, i tend to use curves)

- not 1.6 related but still a good tip... i love using flux.. if you first start using it, it's almost magic guiding your solder to only stick on places it should... however when you want to TSOP flash (connecting two points close to eachother).. the flux will often cause the two points not to touch.. so for tsopping I highly recommend not to use flux :) just thought I'd throw in that tip too

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 17/05/2017 at 10:59 AM, T2Steve said:

worked this all goddamned night and i still haven't got the LPC quite right.. tomorrow will remove D0 and see if it stops FRAG

I have the same problem.  Addressing the soldering as soon as better equipment arrives. I hope it solves it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Check this out... LPC Rebuild.

No automatic alt text available.

 

Aladdin Multibank!

Image may contain: table

I would NOT tie D0 to ground on a 1.6, get a mod chip that properly releases the D0 point from ground after boot to avoid damage, here I am using L1 on an Xblast chip. D0 is held to ground only until the bios is loaded to memory over LPC from the mod chip, then it is released. Not doing this can damage the MCPX over time due to high load on a data line not designed for the high current.

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2017-07-16 at 9:08 PM, barnito said:

Check this out... LPC Rebuild.

No automatic alt text available.

 

Aladdin Multibank!

Image may contain: table

I would NOT tie D0 to ground on a 1.6, get a mod chip that properly releases the D0 point from ground after boot to avoid damage, here I am using L1 on an Xblast chip. D0 is held to ground only until the bios is loaded to memory over LPC from the mod chip, then it is released. Not doing this can damage the MCPX over time due to high load on a data line not designed for the high current.

 

 

 

Hi, in a tutorial I found online it says to cut the L-frame trace near mcpx chip. This will also protect the chip I believe. My source again is only this tutorial.

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There are many that say to cut trace because grounding lframe draws more current than the mcpx should be able to tolerate. That is true. There is no debating it. The problem is... many have been done this way for over 10 years with no issues. If they were actually going to be a huge issue, they already would have been. So there is no cause for concern. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

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1 hour ago, OGXbox Admin said:

There are many that say to cut trace because grounding lframe draws more current than the mcpx should be able to tolerate. That is true. There is no debating it. The problem is... many have been done this way for over 10 years with no issues. If they were actually going to be a huge issue, they already would have been. So there is no cause for concern. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

So cutting the trace to the L-frame is a must would you think?

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no, you don't need to cut LFRAME if you have a mod chip that has a proper LFRAME point that releases ground after the Xbox boots. Usually labeled L1 or LF on the mod chip. On my xblast's you just tie the D0 point on the motherboard to the L1 point on the modchip. No cutting and no damage to the motherboard or components. 

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2 minutes ago, barnito said:

no, you don't need to cut LFRAME if you have a mod chip that has a proper LFRAME point that releases ground after the Xbox boots. Usually labeled L1 or LF on the mod chip. On my xblast's you just tie the D0 point on the motherboard to the L1 point on the modchip. No cutting and no damage to the motherboard or components. 

The tutorial that started the thread is for a regular Aladdin XT plus 2, an xblasts modded one would be considered different from a stock one just to clear that up for anyone completely new to installing an Aladdin chip. With a standard Aladdin chip you should cut the L-frame as far as I am aware. I am right in saying this? I don't have an xblast chip myself. Are there anyone selling xblast chips or is everyone programming their own? Never had one.

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11 minutes ago, Cian Cunningham said:

The tutorial that started the thread is for a regular Aladdin XT plus 2, an xblasts modded one would be considered different from a stock one just to clear that up for anyone completely new to installing an Aladdin chip. With a standard Aladdin chip you should cut the L-frame as far as I am aware. I am right in saying this? I don't have an xblast chip myself. Are there anyone selling xblast chips or is everyone programming their own? Never had one.

I sell them for 20 shipped in the USA, programmed and flashed with 1.6 M8+ and X2 5035

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  • 3 months later...

I just followed this to a t. Everything looks great, however getting FRAG.  Now, I'm just connecting all the components and trying to start up without being in the case. Should this still work? Or is it possible that not being in the case means it's not grounded properly?

IMG_20180110_195253.jpg

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On 6/11/2017 at 3:38 PM, MrMajst3r said:

I always remove 6th pin of the pinheader for 1.6 Xboxes. They have 5V active in standby. If you leave this pin, Aladdin's LED will light all the time when console is plugged in. I think it's annoying. 

I also never ground D0, it's better to solder it to modchip's D0 point. When modchip fails, with grounded D0 console will FRAG, whereas with D0 soldered to modchip, console will boot from motherboard's bios.

 

pinheader_1.6.jpg

This is exactly why im here.
Man, these little tidbits go a mile. I wasnt comfortable with that being lit either, i mean its fine... its a tiny LED. but WHY does it need to glow red at night. Thanks for that. Very cool.

I cut my L-trace and did not ground D0

works great

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  • 1 year later...

Hi...i 've never noticed this on the Aladdin xt installs I've done, but I keep my systems in a switched PSU so there's not constant power.Just some obvious 1.6 install checks, you've performed the lpc rebuild right?You've bridged the points on the chip with BT?Did you cut the trace in the diagram for 1.6 compatibility?

 
 
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