(Part 2) Best products from r/originalxbox

I worked as a gaming console repair tech for a couple years and have modded probably over 100 xboxes at this point. Here's some tips I've learned.

> How can I avoid causing permanent damage to the machine?

Get a decent iron. Something $60 or more. The cheap ones from walmart and such are a waste of time and money. Spend a little bit more and you'll save time and aggravation. Get something with enough power to stay hot while you're using it. Get one that has a usable temperature control (not just a 20-watt or 40-watt switch but something that gives the temp reading in degrees). Get something that lets you change tips and get something that has small/precise tip options. A good cheaper option is the Auoye int 2900. I used that one for years before upgrading to a better one. Try to keep it hot enough to melt the solder, but not much higher. More heat = higher risk of damaging something. Use flux and use it often. I use MG Chemicals 8341 No Clean Flux Paste just about every time I solder something. Keep the tip clean. Clean it often while you're working. A lot of folks will use a wet sponge but that's not ideal (temp change can reduce lifespan of the tip). Use a brass-wire one instead like this one. Try to not over-do it with the solder. Use enough to form a secure connection, but don't use so much that there's a big blob leftover on the wire when you're done. I usually dab a small amount of solder on my iron, then add more once the tip is on/next to the spot I'm working on.

> Can this be done indoors, if a window is open?

Sure. I usually open a window and run a box fan in the window blowing air outside, plus a ceiling fan. I also wear a facemask. It helps to be conscious of your breathing. I'll take a breath in, then get over my work and tap where I need to while exhaling, and I'll to try to turn my head away from my working area when inhaling just to limit fume inhalation. Ideally, you'd have a fume extractor, but those are often expensive.

> What protective equipment do I need?

I usually wear a mask/respirator and eye shields and that's about it. I'll sometimes wear an anti-static wristband but static hasn't been a big issue in my working area.

> What's the best way to setup a hard drive?

This doesn't require soldering but I'll comment anyways. My preferred workflow is to softmod the Xbox, then do a TSOP flash, then drop in a new hard drive and use a disc like HeXen to format the drive. Your 1.6 xbox cannot be tsop-flashed, so you'll you can either install a modchip (more difficult) or just setup your new hard drive with the softmod files on it (easier). You can use the app Chimp to clone a small hard drive to a bigger one and it doesn't require a modchip to be installed. If you don't have a modchip/tsop-flash, then make sure you lock the new hard drive after you're done.

> Where would you suggest looking for a 'soldering mentor' of sorts, if need be?

Soldering isn't all that hard. I never had a mentor. I just screwed around in my room until I got the hang of it. It seems harder than it is before you actually start doing it. You just need to take your time, use tools that are good enough, use the proper temperature (not crazy high), clean your tools as you go, use flux, and try to keep a steady hand. You can look up YouTube tutorials and stuff, but I didn't. I used to teach console repair when I did it professionally a few years back and I used to teach people who had no prior experience. Once you've done it a couple times, you'll see that it's not that hard. Feel free to practice connecting wires to broken electronics you have just to get the muscle memory down.

Thanks for the invite! I love barbecue. 🤤

I don't have any kit recommendations, but you'll need:

• Soldering iron (duh, haha; just find something with good reviews that fits your needs with a medium chisel tip)
  
• Solder (this is a good one: https://www.amazon.com/Kester-24-6337-0027-Solder-Alloy-Diameter/dp/B07KWFLHBD)
  
• Rosin flux paste
  
• Soldering iron tip cleaner (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Soldering-Cleaner-sponge-needed/dp/B005C789EU)
  
  That covers everything that you'd basically need for a job like this.

I have only tried sewing machine oil, and it didn't help. The bearing looks pretty ratchet though, so I wasn't surprised. I pick up a more heavy duty lubricant next time I'm at a hardware store, but only for curiosity's sake.

However, I also noticed that on that Xbox, the GPU Fan header is not throttled at all. It's blasting 100% all the time. I don't know if that's normal or if it's the underlying issue.

I happened to have a 40mm fan left over from some previous project, and that sits in the heat sink just perfectly. Same problem remains though... a fan flush with the sink blasting 100% is pretty loud. So I ordered a 3-pin y splitter and ran both fans off of the CPU fan header. I set XBMC to use the auto-cooling setting, and so far it's working pretty well. The fan's aren't any louder than the HDD, so I'm happy with it.

I don't play games or anything, so the GPU really outpacing the CPU seems unlikely, but of course I'll keep an eye on it for a while.

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Great job, the fan with LED's looks fantastic!

A 80mm fan is a great addition to the Xbox, as it reduced (in my case) the noise drastically, together with an SSD my system now produces absolutely no noise, it's even quieter than an Xbox One.

I used this instruction and installed this fan. Just make sure not to cut too much off the hard drive and DVD tray, as it might result in the opposite, the Xbox getting hotter since the plastic trays act as air shrouds.

Well its region and luck based how and when you find an nice adapter. I live in central Europe and got with luck one.

This one http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-in-1-Controller-Adapter-Converter-Kit-for-Sony-PS2-PSX-to-Xbox-PC-USB-GameCube/291883571217

What REALLY SUCKS on thos 3 in 1 converter is that the "PSX" thing is Wrong or my unit doesnt work probarly.... i mainly bought it for a PS1 stick to use on XBOX and well ps1 controller and the stick wont work proparly BUT ps2 controller works perfectly ... it got a cool design tho a cute little xbox :D


look the brits got one https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Cables-Batteries-Adapters/Ostent-GameCube-Converter-Compatible-Controller/B00FBM3NRE

Thanks! Its a V1.1 Xbox TSOPed with Ind5003 bios that allows boot without a disk drive. I also have a 2tb Hdd loaded with emulators and almost every xbox game. I upgraded the IDE cable to an 80pin and have a sata to ide adapter. I replaced the stock fan with a 60mm Evercool green led fan. The paint I used was Krylon Stone texture Obsidian.

Krylon K18212 Coarse Stone Texture Finish Spray Paint, Obsidian, 12 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BZX6VO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6NQTCbF31497H

Clear jewel and a few blue led strips and boom. Oh and took the clock capacitor out and replaced the thermal paste on cpu and gpu.
Im running XBMC4GAMERS as my stock dash. It has a clean UI and is easily modified.

What i did was use a molex splitter with fan adapter and placed a 120mm fan on top of the hestsinks of the cpu/gpu so it ran full speed. You can get it to balance nicely so it wont drop and smack off the heatsink since they are different sizes. I unplugged and removed the dvd drive and had the hdd off to one side (as far as the power and ide cable would allow.

I then transferred around 500GBs in one go via ftp. Note that I also reapplied new thermal paste on both heatsinks after getting the stock gunk off. No problems at all and i highly reccomend doing it this way, just leave the room as the noise can be irratating, and it takes an age to transfer. Just make sure the xbox is in the open - i cracked my window and sat the xbox as close as i could to allow fresh cool air to aid cooling.

I bought this, which claims to be for Xbox 360, but they worked fine for my Thompson, Samsung and Hitachi DVD drives. I didn't replace the belt in my Phillips, since it doesn't have the sticking issue for now, but I'm sure it'd work with that one too.

So yeah, the ones in your link should work.

This is the one I use. Works great. I got lucky and got it for about about $10 on eBay though. https://www.amazon.com/Portta-N3CVRHP-Component-Converter-support/dp/B003VJ9RP6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1521116497&sr=1-1&keywords=portta+component+to+hdmi&dpID=41mr9xhIDBL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Sounds like you have a component connection (the five colours) on your TV.

You'll need an original Xbox component cable. Something like this.

2.5" SSD to 3.5" SATA adapter

Up until now, I had been using electrical tape to hold down my 2.5" drives. I wanted to have it look cleaner and /u/Mikeaton suggested I get the cages linked above and he was right for once!

They fit perfectly in the drive caddy and although the screw holes do not line up perfectly initially, they will line themselves up as you screw them in.

Hey! I got it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-Original-GhostCase-Kit-Crystal-Clear/dp/B007QUD5EA/ref=sr_1_2?crid=29E4NUR3ZDB51&keywords=original+xbox+ghost+case&qid=1573597867&sprefix=original+xbox+ghost+case%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-2

Or you can get a used shell for like $17. I actually bought one of them from this seller:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Housing-Body-Shell-Power-button-ports-connect-Screw-Fan-for-Original-XBOX-2004/163606700532?hash=item2617b821f4:g:BGUAAOSwyXVbX59F

Just use the base from your current consoles, as they vary throughout the revisions (v1.6 motherboard won't fit in previous revisions without modifying a mounting pad).

The caps I ordered have the same values printed on the casing, 3300 microFarad and 6.3v. The clock capacitor is indeed 1 Farad at 2.5v. They are only similar in that they share the same Nichicon Fine Gold branding. I also did install them with the proper polarity as denoted by the motherboard.

Here's a link to the product page for the capacitors I ordered: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073YYS164/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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I can't find anything about a ultra-low ESR specification. They look to be rated for 85 Celsius. Perhaps that's the problem?

Yeah, they are torx screws so you will not be able to remove them with a normal screwdriver. You will need at least a T10 and T20 bit to get to the clock cap. Any of the options below would work.

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Screwdriver and Bit Set - $13.90
https://www.amazon.com/Screwdriver-Security-Pentalobe-Extension-Maintenance/dp/B0747PQM7D/

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Bit Set Only (if you already have a screwdriver that accepts 1/4" bits) - $4.99

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-CC90396-Screwdriver-Insert-Bit/dp/B003VNKNW8/

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Standalone Torx Set - $8.99
https://www.amazon.com/Kingsdun-Screwdriver-Security-Controller-Computer/dp/B078RLVMSK/

Gam3Gear High-Definition TV Component Composite AV Audio Video Cable for Classic Original Xbox https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01E6W2XKW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_U-emzbEZ23ZYZ

This????

I bought these ones on Amazon and they worked well for both my 360 and OG Xbox, though I can’t guarantee that of course.

If I understand the question correctly, I would use one of these.
Component to HDMI
or
RCA to HDMI
The first one should give you a better picture.

I recommend https://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Grizzly-Kryonaut-Grease-Paste/dp/B011F7W3LU/

Well, I've just looked through my eBay purchase history and in spite of the fact I could have sworn I had purchased one, It looks like I never got a molex 4 pin y splitter.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/kenable-Power-Splitter-Cable-Molex/dp/B000ITL4KI

This is the right sort, yeah?

https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-Original-GhostCase-Kit-Crystal-Clear/dp/B007QUD5EA