xboxn00b Posted August 28, 2021 Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 Good afternoon team, I recently found my OG XBOX which I can't remember the last time I actually powered it on (possibly up to 10 years). I originally bought it to play emulators on back in the day and after watching some youtube clips on how the emulators have kept being updated, thought I would try to get it working again for the lols. I didn't have any cables anymore so orders some cheap 3rd party ones and a controller off of eBay. I held my breath and pressed the power button for the first time in forever... and to my surprise it tried to boot up, but then gave me the reboot x 3 and started to display the FRAG. From what I can tell the chip is an Xecutor Pro 2.x I tried various switch combinations but to no avail. I have also disconnected and reseated all the cables I could see, but to no avail. I have no way of determining if the HDD has failed (it is IDE and I no longer have any IDE tools/plugs), but if I remove the drive and try to power the xbox on without it, it still follows the same process (reboot x3, then FRAG), so I do not think that is the problem. I can only assume there is something wrong with the bios or the board itself. My question is: is this salvagable? Am I able to get it working again? I got a friend to mod the xbox back in the day so my technical skills with it are lacking. From the googling I did, apparently a XeniumICE mod chip might be able to bring it back to life, but I am not sure if that is compatible with the mod chip I already have (could they be swapped out?) and I am a noob at best at soldering (and I recall the Xecuter being difficult to solder). I have attached some photos of the machine and can give more information if needed. The searching on here seems to mention that the bios might need to be reflashed etc but this was one of the chips that needed a printer cable to connect ot it and reflash, so that might be an obsolete option now. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xboxn00b Posted August 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 Not sure if this is relevant, but the capacitors/power unit all looks clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted August 28, 2021 Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 The 2 silver caps in the 1st pic need replacing as do the 3 caps next to the heat sink in the 2nd pic. Replace them and if the board still has the clock cap remove it also. Can you post a pic of the whole board? It should fire up then you can worry about updating the bios if need be. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xboxn00b Posted August 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 How hard would replacing the caps be for a soldering noob though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted August 28, 2021 Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 1 hour ago, xboxn00b said: How hard would replacing the caps be for a soldering noob though? I would highly suggest you watch some YouTube videos on soldering and in particular soldering though hole components. The procedure of changing them is not overly difficult but I would highly recommend you practice on a old circuit board like a old non working PC, Car Radio, Home Receiver and the like, have a look at the local rubbish tip/recycle centre You will also need a reasonable soldering iron that has temperature control, 60/40 lead/tin solder, Flux paste, Solder wick as a minimum, If you don't think you are capable then you should look for someone in you local area that can help even if they just replace the faulty caps. 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...
Lina_Inverse_ Posted August 28, 2021 Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 (edited) I can see there's leakage around the clock cap circuitry on top PCB pic. The solder pads have a greenish tint, compare that to the left. Use cotton swabs and isopropyl for cleaning. Soldering isn't too hard, just be gentle with the board and don't gouge the iron on the board. You need decent (Chemtronics is what I use) desoldering braid that soaks the old stuff up if you want to do it easier. no-name stuff from eBay just doesn't work. Check the traces under the board near the edge. With clock cap leakage, they can get corroded and cause powering issues, should that occur, it is solvable. Edited August 28, 2021 by Lina_Inverse_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xboxn00b Posted August 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 Thanks team. I will do some research and see if I am confident I can do it. I have all the equipment Dave mentioned from my Raspberry Pi tinkering, but my soldering has been limited to connecting game pad PCBs to Pi boards. My soldering wasn't great but it did the job. Should I stick with the Xecutor Pro board or try to swap it out for a Xenium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted August 28, 2021 Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 2 hours ago, xboxn00b said: Should I stick with the Xecutor Pro board or try to swap it out for a Xenium? The mod chip is not the problem with that Xbox so swapping the mod chip for a Open Xenium is not going to help Once you have replaced the caps the Xbox should start working. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted August 28, 2021 Report Share Posted August 28, 2021 I would also try booting the Xbox with the chip unplugged and no hard drive or DVD drive connected and see if you get the animation on the tv screen. Once you get the green flubber on the screen then you can then reconnect the modchip and you may need to try different switch combinations to get some of visual indication on the screen the new bios has loaded. 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...
Benur75 Posted August 29, 2021 Report Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Good evening, I don't know if your are in Europe or somewhere else, but If you need I can help you to repair it. ( I am in France ) Bye Edited August 29, 2021 by Benur75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xboxn00b Posted August 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2021 On 8/29/2021 at 8:10 AM, SS_Dave said: I would also try booting the Xbox with the chip unplugged and no hard drive or DVD drive connected and see if you get the animation on the tv screen. Once you get the green flubber on the screen then you can then reconnect the modchip and you may need to try different switch combinations to get some of visual indication on the screen the new bios has loaded. Hi Dave, I disconnected everything and the same thing occurs - reboots 3 times and then FRAG. I have taken a closer up on the 3 caps that I think that need to be replaced. Is this a reputable source for them? - https://console5.com/store/microsoft-xbox-original-cap-kit.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xboxn00b Posted August 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2021 On 8/28/2021 at 5:06 PM, SS_Dave said: Can you post a pic of the whole board? Hopefully this is a bit clearer. Hesitant to take the board out until I am ready to replace the parts to avoid any further damage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted August 30, 2021 Report Share Posted August 30, 2021 That board needs a few of the caps replacing The caps circled in red need replacing the one in yellow should also be replaced while you are at it and lastly the blue circle is the clock cap and it should be removed Can you carefully unplug the mod chip and post a pic of the other side. Cheers SS Dave Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lina_Inverse_ Posted August 30, 2021 Report Share Posted August 30, 2021 5 hours ago, xboxn00b said: Is this a reputable source for them? - https://console5.com/store/microsoft-xbox-original-cap-kit.html I haven't used them myself but Console5 does seem to have a great reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted August 30, 2021 Report Share Posted August 30, 2021 5 hours ago, xboxn00b said: Is this a reputable source for them? - https://console5.com/store/microsoft-xbox-original-cap-kit.html Yes. I get my caps from either DigiKey, Mouser, Element14. I would avoid eBay as a lot of the capacitors on there are a low grade component. 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...
KaosEngineer Posted August 30, 2021 Report Share Posted August 30, 2021 6 hours ago, xboxn00b said: Hopefully this is a bit clearer. Hesitant to take the board out until I am ready to replace the parts to avoid any further damage. C7F1 and C7E2 need to be replaced too. Not just those by the CPU heatsink. Edit: Oops, I see @SS_Dave already circled all the capacitors that need to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xboxn00b Posted August 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) 22 hours ago, SS_Dave said: Can you carefully unplug the mod chip and post a pic of the other side. I think I am going to move the switch (black cables) inside the case so it doesn't get bumped. I have never needed to change it and I can't foresee me needing to again once it is all working. I have also removed the ribbon cable it had on the back to connect to an external port, which I never used (black port). Edited August 30, 2021 by xboxn00b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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