[Aerosol]

I know a couple of guys here know bits and bobs about xbox 360 repair, so I thought I'd ask here. My 360 randomly started spitting up 06-2E-00 error codes whenever it tried to a read a good disk. The only thing I'd done since I played it last was look for a wifi connection, so I don't think I dicked around with something I shouldn't have.

I don't want to send it off to Microsoft if I can help it, because I'm sure to be moving by the time they send it back to me, and I don't really want to deal with the hassle. My warranty runs out in 6 days, too, so I don't care all too much about busting open the xbox and replacing something if I have to. What I don't want, however, is to get banned from Live. That'd suck. So, does anyone know anything?

[Lanzer]

I'd just say send it in anyways and call them later to tell them the change of address. 6 days until the warranty goes out why the hell not.

If thats not an option, then try finding a PC repair shop thats also taking console repairs. allot of local PC repair shops have been doing that lately, I got my 360 repaired for $85 and that was cheaper then what MS quoted me for my out-of-warranty 360.

[FuzzballFox]

Tell them you have a change of adress and job done~
Though knowing Microsoft they'll just send you back a "patched up" "NEW" one (yeah right) like they did with mine...which lasted only 4/5 months before the disk drive failed. :P

[Donnyku]

haha that's exactally what happened with mine! as soon as warrenty expired on my 3rd 360 disc drive died and bam. 2 years later I finally caved and bought a new one.

[gummyworm]

I know boatloads about the 360's hardware. First off, I'm assuming you're on a fat 360 - I'd first determine it's remaining life-span (no point in buying parts for a 360 that's on it's last leg). The easiest way to determine this is to look at the power cord:



Machines made post- December 2008 are the Jasper revision, which are less prone to the red ring of death. Unfortunately, every console preceding that date WILL eventually die from the Ring.

If you DO have a jasper revision, I'd recommend replacing the DVD drive's mechanical parts. The disc-tray, and laser can be replaced without getting you banned. It IS important however, to keep the dvd drive's logic board - it's programmed to work SPECIFICALLY with your 360, and will be useless on any other machine. The dvd drive itself comes from several different manufacturers - be sure to order parts for the correct drive! If you need further help, let me know - I've taken apart a good 10-15 360's.

[Lanzer]

How come my Falcon hasn't died from the RROD yet and I bought that sucker back in late 2007 (November I believe)? Lucky I guess?...

[gummyworm]

Falcons handled heat much more efficiently than Xenons did (zephyr heatsinks) - and edram modifications on the GPU may have resulted in lower heat output. Honestly, it depends on how much you use your 360 - the more thermal "cycles" your GPU lives through, the more likely it is to have a cold connection. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to be the solder between the GPU and the Motherboard - In my research, I believe I learned that the connections at fault are between the GPU die, and the substrate...

It's not uncommon for something else to go wrong - the DRAM heats up, the HANA chip heats up - I've seen these cause the Ring as well...

This post has been edited by gummyworm: 23 March 2012 - 11:01 PM

[Aerosol]

Actually, I have slim 360. I'm going to tweak the POTS laser when I have a chance and, if that doesn't work, I'll just replace the entire dvd drive. Can I use any 360 drive on a slim, or can I only use certain ones?

[Crasher]

Sorry to de-rail the topic here, but since a topic is already open, I might as well post this here:

A few weeks ago, my Xbox stopped reading discs. Or, it would read them on rare-occasions, to be more precise. It's placed underneath the TV where alot of dust is, and I've heard that the new Xbox Dashboard update has somehow screwed with the old fat Xbox's (I have the elite version). But, I've also heard that the laser reader CAN become dirty, and that may stop it from reading discs. I don't want to void my warranty or get banned from Live, so how do I fix it?

Also, I've heard that Microsoft charges a bit of money to fix Xbox's (like $100 or something) and I really want to fix this as now I can't: 1. Play Sonic Gens (as my computer is absolute shit, so don't suggest I get it for PC) and 2. I can't play ANY disc games because of this.

I would be grateful if someone could help me with this. And sorry again for somewhat de-railing the topic, but I find it a bit stupid to make a whole new topic when there's one already made.

This post has been edited by Crasher: 24 March 2012 - 01:21 AM

[gummyworm]

Crasher, on 24 March 2012 - 01:21 AM, said:

Sorry to de-rail the topic here, but since a topic is already open, I might as well post this here:

A few weeks ago, my Xbox stopped reading discs. Or, it would read them on rare-occasions, to be more precise. It's placed underneath the TV where alot of dust is, and I've heard that the new Xbox Dashboard update has somehow screwed with the old fat Xbox's (I have the elite version). But, I've also heard that the laser reader CAN become dirty, and that may stop it from reading discs. I don't want to void my warranty or get banned from Live, so how do I fix it?

Also, I've heard that Microsoft charges a bit of money to fix Xbox's (like $100 or something) and I really want to fix this as now I can't: 1. Play Sonic Gens (as my computer is absolute shit, so don't suggest I get it for PC) and 2. I can't play ANY disc games because of this.

I would be grateful if someone could help me with this. And sorry again for somewhat de-railing the topic, but I find it a bit stupid to make a whole new topic when there's one already made.

You'll have to open your xbox, and replace the mechanical parts. The dvd-drive's logic board is removable, and can be "transplanted" to another (of the same type). However, you have an older xbox - yours will be prone to the Ring, so determine if this repair is worth the effort. (does it "over heat" a lot? does it freeze after running a game for a while? does it display artifacts on the screen while running?)

AerosolSP, on 24 March 2012 - 01:08 AM, said:

Actually, I have slim 360. I'm going to tweak the POTS laser when I have a chance and, if that doesn't work, I'll just replace the entire dvd drive. Can I use any 360 drive on a slim, or can I only use certain ones?

Same deal - I haven't actually worked on a Slim yet, but the motherboards all follow the same design principles. You'll need to save your dvd drive's logic board, and look for a slim dvd drive on ebay - then swap the logic boards. It really is a shame that you'll have to open up such a new xbox - Sounds like your DVD drive is a lemon. :P


**oh, and Pot tweaking is generally an exercise in frustration - I've never had it produce the results I wanted, and increasing a POT can further degrade a laser diode. Maybe you'll get lucky though

This post has been edited by gummyworm: 24 March 2012 - 06:20 AM

[SteelBrush]

It's worth noting that in the slim the GPU and CPU are on the same chip.

[Aerosol]

gummyworm, on 24 March 2012 - 06:02 AM, said:

**oh, and Pot tweaking is generally an exercise in frustration - I've never had it produce the results I wanted, and increasing a POT can further degrade a laser diode. Maybe you'll get lucky though

Did you use a multimeter? I found that using one helped me immensely when I started tweaking my Dreamcast's laser.

[Crasher]

gummyworm, on 24 March 2012 - 06:02 AM, said:

Crasher, on 24 March 2012 - 01:21 AM, said:

Sorry to de-rail the topic here, but since a topic is already open, I might as well post this here:

A few weeks ago, my Xbox stopped reading discs. Or, it would read them on rare-occasions, to be more precise. It's placed underneath the TV where alot of dust is, and I've heard that the new Xbox Dashboard update has somehow screwed with the old fat Xbox's (I have the elite version). But, I've also heard that the laser reader CAN become dirty, and that may stop it from reading discs. I don't want to void my warranty or get banned from Live, so how do I fix it?

Also, I've heard that Microsoft charges a bit of money to fix Xbox's (like $100 or something) and I really want to fix this as now I can't: 1. Play Sonic Gens (as my computer is absolute shit, so don't suggest I get it for PC) and 2. I can't play ANY disc games because of this.

I would be grateful if someone could help me with this. And sorry again for somewhat de-railing the topic, but I find it a bit stupid to make a whole new topic when there's one already made.

You'll have to open your xbox, and replace the mechanical parts. The dvd-drive's logic board is removable, and can be "transplanted" to another (of the same type). However, you have an older xbox - yours will be prone to the Ring, so determine if this repair is worth the effort. (does it "over heat" a lot? does it freeze after running a game for a while? does it display artifacts on the screen while running?)

I have an external fan. So no, it doesn't over-heat at all. It doesn't freeze during games except in Dungeon Defenders, which people have anyway (it's a bug the game devs are ironing out). Thanks for telling me, now I have an excuse to look inside the Xbox 360 :D

[gummyworm]

Crasher, on 24 March 2012 - 05:27 PM, said:

I have an external fan. So no, it doesn't over-heat at all. It doesn't freeze during games except in Dungeon Defenders, which people have anyway (it's a bug the game devs are ironing out). Thanks for telling me, now I have an excuse to look inside the Xbox 360 :D

Well, best of luck opening your box! While it's not as complex as Microsoft would have you believe, there IS lots of confusion about xbox repair - Don't buy into anything unless you have solid evidence. DVD repair is one thing, but definitely stay away from rrod fixes (none of them work, unless you ACTUALLY know how to do BGA chip repair).

Should you need any guidance in the process, I recommend looking around the Scynex/Xbox Scene Forums

Also feel free to contact me if you need help with anything!

PS - I love repairing electronics - if anyone else has questions regarding general device repair, I'll do my best to help