tripplies Posted September 18, 2021 Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 Hey everyone, I'm new here. I have two OG Xboxes. The first I bought pre-softmodded and which cannot be turned off by the power button, I gather because a trace was eroded; I did take out the clock cap and cleaned it up, however. And the second I softmodded myself as a project because a guy was giving it away for $5. This one doesn't have power/tray eject button problems, however, it did start to make a buzz (the HDD?) or loud fan noise before this happened, but I'm not sure if that's normal for this model. Yesterday it died on me as I was playing a game, for the first time. I took it off power and gave it a rest and then tried again, and it died after a few seconds. Now it doesn't turn on at all. I did some research and given that this one never seemed to have leaked capacitor fluid, and given the caps all over are fine, no swelling, I think it must be the power supply. I thought I would check with you guys first, as I am not very computer savvy and if all I have to do is solder these, I'm not sure I could do it myself tbh, or if it would be cheaper to just hire someone who already has the tools and know how. But I need to know if these are indeed the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaosEngineer Posted September 18, 2021 Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 The AC power connector pins soldered to the printed circuit board do look cracked - no longer able to make a good electrical connection. Reflowing them is the first step to attempt repairing the power supply unit (PSU). Do you have a multimeter to measure the voltages present on the motherboard power connector? It is a FoxLink PSU which has the problem of poor strain relief on that connector which lead to MS releasing the power cord replacement. Their solution was only a band-aid to prevent the Xbox from catching on fire, not a real fix for the problem but less costly than a recall and replacing millions of poorly designed power supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted September 18, 2021 Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 You ne to resolder the AC in connector. It also looks like you have wired a 1.2-1.4 supply on version 1.0 and the PowOk and PowOn are backwards. The colours are correct. 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...
tripplies Posted September 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 5 hours ago, KaosEngineer said: The AC power connector pins soldered to the printed circuit board do look cracked - no longer able to make a good electrical connection. Reflowing them is the first step to attempt repairing the power supply unit (PSU). Do you have a multimeter to measure the voltages present on the motherboard power connector? Thanks for getting back guys. Don't have a multimeter. And I've never soldered in my life. I might make a few calls to see if anyone will accept a small soldering job. A PC repair place? Not sure who'd do it cheap. Perhaps they could fix the power button tracer problem with the other Xbox too? 2 hours ago, SS_Dave said: You ne to resolder the AC in connector. Cheers. Not the third one, on the right? 2 hours ago, SS_Dave said: It also looks like you have wired a 1.2-1.4 supply on version 1.0 and the PowOk and PowOn are backwards. What the....wait, is this why I can't for the life of me remove that connector from the motherboard? It seems to be stuck on. And why would these two be mixed up? I'm in Australia if that means anything. Anyway, the machine works fine when the power is getting through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lina_Inverse_ Posted September 19, 2021 Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 59 minutes ago, tripplies said: What the....wait, is this why I can't for the life of me remove that connector from the motherboard? It seems to be stuck on. To me that image looks like a 1.0-1.1. Those power connectors are incredibly hard to get off. At times I feel like I was going to damage the motherboard. I try to hold the board very close to the power socket and pull (hard) the power connector on one end. From there it gets easier. On both of the supplies it looks like there's dry/cracked joints all around. Where you see a line, especially a ring forming somewhere around the joint (see second pic). Reflow whatever looks bad and we can go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted September 19, 2021 Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 1 hour ago, tripplies said: Thanks for getting back guys. Don't have a multimeter. And I've never soldered in my life. I might make a few calls to see if anyone will accept a small soldering job. A PC repair place? Not sure who'd do it cheap. Perhaps they could fix the power button tracer problem with the other Xbox too? Cheers. Not the third one, on the right? What the....wait, is this why I can't for the life of me remove that connector from the motherboard? It seems to be stuck on. And why would these two be mixed up? I'm in Australia if that means anything. Anyway, the machine works fine when the power is getting through. Resolder the 2 points I circled and try it again. 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...
SS_Dave Posted September 19, 2021 Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 2 hours ago, tripplies said: And why would these two be mixed up? I'm in Australia if that means anything. Anyway, the machine works fine when the power is getting through. I just looked at a version 1.0 here that has the same PSU and the colour's are correct. Where in Aus are you? 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...
tripplies Posted September 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 3 hours ago, SS_Dave said: Where in Aus are you? Melbourne. I'm going to call about soldering tomorrow. I opened up the other (2003) Xbox with the broken power button, to check its PSU. The plastic bit the power cord goes into is much sturdier than the wobbly 2002 model Xbox's, which is merely held there by those clips coming through the board. It's a Delta PSU. I think this one looks pretty good, no? Also, what about these at the other end of the PSU? Both Xbox boards have these sorta bubbled ones (top right): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted September 19, 2021 Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 26 minutes ago, tripplies said: Also, what about these at the other end of the PSU? Both Xbox boards have these sorta bubbled ones (top right): If you mean here that's normal. 28 minutes ago, tripplies said: I'm going to call about soldering tomorrow. You should be able to find someone but if you get stuck pay return post to ACT and I will resolder and test it for you. You will need to unplug it from the main board ant the 12 pin plug is real tight I find if you warm up the plug/socket it's easier. If you hold/push down here with 2 fingers. Then grab the cables like this. Then rock the plug back like this. Then rock it forward. It comes of easy. 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...
tripplies Posted September 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 I tried for 40 minutes yesterday and I just can't get it off. I tried carefully prying it and everything. I would never usually pull from the cords but I had to do that too and the pin with the yellow cord has come a little loose and it's poking out. I may have broken it full now and should cut my losses. If it needs to come off in order to do the soldering, then I definitely give up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted September 19, 2021 Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 The yellow wire will push done and be ok try heating the other side of the connector ( the white part) with a hair dryer until it's warm to touch and make sure you hold all of the wires tightly. 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 September 19, 2021 Report Share Posted September 19, 2021 14 hours ago, SS_Dave said: The yellow wire will push done and be ok try heating the other side of the connector ( the white part) with a hair dryer until it's warm to touch and make sure you hold all of the wires tightly. Follow this 15 hours ago, tripplies said: If it needs to come off in order to do the soldering, then I definitely give up. As a last resort, you can remove the power supply at the same time as the motherboard so you don't need to unplug the connector. I too don't like the 1.0-1.1 Xbox revision power supplies due to the difficulty in removing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripplies Posted September 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2021 Update: I called a local repairs guy who quoted $75 per Xbox which for two reflows and jumping a trace is ridiculous. So I ordered a soldering kit from ebay. Do I have to take off the power plug that's connected to the motherboard? Or is that more to stop the PSU awkwardly flipping over or what have you, while soldering? Also, given their size, should I be de-soldering with a pump those two joints, before soldering them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted September 21, 2021 Report Share Posted September 21, 2021 18 minutes ago, tripplies said: Update: I called a local repairs guy who quoted $75 per Xbox which for two reflows and jumping a trace is ridiculous. So I ordered a soldering kit from ebay. Do I have to take off the power plug that's connected to the motherboard? Or is that more to stop the PSU awkwardly flipping over or what have you, while soldering? Also, given their size, should I be de-soldering with a pump those two joints, before soldering them? The local repair guy will have rent and wages to pay plus with Covid19 lock downs his business has probably taken a 50% + drop. The main reason for disconnecting the PSU from the main board is so it's easier to work on. You don't need to un-solder the old connections 1st just heat the joint and add a small amount of fresh 60/40 leaded solder with some flux paste. 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 September 21, 2021 Report Share Posted September 21, 2021 I tend to flow a small amount of new solder with my iron into the solder joint but keep the old solder there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripplies Posted October 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2021 On 9/21/2021 at 2:34 PM, tripplies said: So I ordered a soldering kit from ebay. The kit finally arrived (lockdown) and I did it. It did not go well at all, either because there wasn't enough heat or for the lack of flux (dumb, I know, I just didn't want to put any more money into this), so the iron was on the board for much too long in my opinion, but the joints are no longer cracked at any rate. They might have oxidation or whatever now I frankly wouldn't be able to tell. But the power outlet no longer wobbles on the board and I put it all back together and it powers on now. It is, however, still loud and still displays an orange LED light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_Dave Posted October 6, 2021 Report Share Posted October 6, 2021 4 hours ago, tripplies said: But the power outlet no longer wobbles on the board and I put it all back together and it powers on now. It is, however, still loud and still displays an orange LED light. Is that flashing orange or solid orange? Is there any thing on the screen and what happens if you power on with both drives (DVD, HDD) connected and 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...
tripplies Posted October 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2021 37 minutes ago, SS_Dave said: Is that flashing orange or solid orange? Is there any thing on the screen and what happens if you power on with both drives (DVD, HDD) connected Solid orange. XBMC has an option to change the colour, and it was on Leave As Is so I figured it was keeping the error checking from before I softmodded it. Anyway, after I cycled through that setting just now, it has gone back to green on Leave As Is. Weird! I've only ever had it powered on with both drives connected. Anyway, I'm going to use it and keep an eye on any power problems. Thanks so much for your help fellas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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