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Issues with X-clamp fix
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myiagros
Newbie
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5. January 2009 @ 15:00 |
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On New Years my 360 died for the first time with the RRoD. I was looking around for someone to fix it but it was going to take up to a week to get it done so I decided to do it myself as I have experience with computers.
Following the Llama guide as well as the one at xbox360fitit.com which are pretty much the same thing I got it going pretty easily. I ended up playing for a few hours but the next morning it was ringed again. I had to remove the heatsinks and re-apply the thermal paste and it's now working again.
Does anyone know why it would keep happening so soon after fixing it? I'm using Artic Silver 5 for my thermal paste, would that make a difference as opposed to something else? Any suggestions on what I could do to improve it?
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raysuave
Member
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5. January 2009 @ 19:51 |
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How about re-applying the warranty sticker and sending it in for a re-furbished one? If your sticker is damaged, you can buy one off ebay or somewhere else online.
I had the same experience with the x-clamp fix about a year ago and went the route of buying a new sticker and sent the 360 in for a replacement.
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Senior Member
1 product review
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5. January 2009 @ 20:37 |
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followed the RROD guide. Not llama guide- they just want your money. Did you overheat it after you did the fix. This is important step.
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Senior Member
3 product reviews
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5. January 2009 @ 21:04 |
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raysuave he used the drilling guide... i don't think any ms employee (as dumb as they are) will let an xbox pass an expection with 5mm holes drilled in the bottom.
And burningas is exactly right, the overheating part is the most important step in any xclamp replacement tutorial.
I always have xbox's that won't work unless you overheat them for a good 15 minutes.
here's the llammas tutorial
Quote:
Now for the most important part and most likely the point where the majority of people who were unsuccessful completing this fix failed.
This step requires you to overheat your GPU. Many tutorials tell you to unplug your fan and turn it on until it overheats. There is one major flaw with this approach. The thermosistor for the overheating protection of the 360 is contained within the CPU. The problem is that the CPU overheats without any airflow before the GPU is able to get sufficiently hot to "reflow" the BGA solder connection that has failed.
In order to cool the CPU but not the GPU it is again important to have your fan shroud removed. Now take your fan that IS plugged in and lay it on top of your DVD drive with one of the fan's over the top of the CPU. This will keep the CPU plenty cool to prevent it from overheating while the GPU will get smokin' hot; like burn your finger hot!
Now power on your 360. Some boxes may just work at this point because just pressure alone was enough to make the GPU's connection good. I still like to overheat even those just to make sure I don't have to deal with it again. So now you should be getting the three red lights like your were expecting. You want to overheat the unit for at least 10 to 15 minutes. The key is in the lights; as long as it is flashing the 3 red lights (1,3,4) then your are in good shape and the overheating process is working. What you DO NOT WANT is for the unit to actually overheat giving your TWO flashing red lights (1,3) at which point the 360 cuts off power to both the CPU and GPU preventing them from actually getting hot. Again is probably the difference between someone who succeeds and someone who fails.
Now that you have sufficiently heated the GPU, power down your Xbox 360 and let it cool down completely (ten to fifteen minutes should be more than enough). Replace your fan shroud; you should now be fully assembled except for the case itself. At this point you should cross your fingers and power your box back on. If all went well your should now have a working 360! Congrats!
If it did not work for you its not completely a bust yet. I suggest tightening the screws down even more and overheating yet again... some units are stubborn!
I don't know how you could miss it, i guess if you were rushing through it. Anyway just reheat the xbox using the directions listed above and it should work. If it doesn't you can always try the penny fix.
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myiagros
Newbie
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5. January 2009 @ 22:09 |
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I did the whole overheating part the 3 times that I've done it. I haven't done the drilling at all but the reason I don't want to send in my system is that my internet connection is very slow so in order to play anything downloaded I'd be forced to have ym xbox connected to live in order for it to verify any downloads.
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mustachio
Newbie
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5. January 2009 @ 22:25 |
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i repair 360's on a daily basis....
what i use is a heatgun and tin foil.
keep moving the gun so not to torch the mobo....resolders the balls under the chip dies.
overheating is a temp fix
burning the shit out of everything is the way to go.
look for heat guns in the paint department @ home depot/ lowes etc.
Mustachion nut-atious
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mustachio
Newbie
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5. January 2009 @ 23:05 |
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i repair 360's on a daily basis....
what i use is a heatgun and tin foil.
keep moving the gun so not to torch the mobo....resolders the balls under the chip dies.
overheating is a temp fix
burning the shit out of everything is the way to go.
look for heat guns in the paint department @ home depot/ lowes etc.
basically overheating starts the fix but the reason it comes back is the mobo is warped,overheating resolders the balls some of the time but does not fix the warp....heat gun will
Mustachion nut-atious
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Senior Member
3 product reviews
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6. January 2009 @ 00:51 |
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Really? the way i fix the xbox's with the xclamp is a 100% fix. I take down the two middle lumps from the longer t10 screws that go all the way through the box and into the plasic top cover. Then i enlarge the xclamp screw holes so i can put the new 5mm screws through the case. Then i add 3 metal washers, and a nylon, then the board, then a nylon then a metal and tighten. It works every time and i've never had a return yet. this way i have 4mm between the board and the metal case and 2 mm between the board and the heatsinks.
The metal screws and the washers hold the board to the metal case and it makes sure that from the gpu's furtherst side to the cpu's furthest side is compeletely level. So you tell me how a board can flex when it's being held down like that?
You can easily fry your board if you use a heatgun on it, i wouldn't be telling noobs to try this. Just like the guy who posted his repair in every post he answered. He wanted you to use a heatgun, i wonder how many people killed their xbox's following his directions.
Anyway try the actual directions from llamma and drill the metal case. You should also post your secondary error code and have us help you.
If you don't know how to get your secondary error code then go here.
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/663061
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raysuave
Member
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6. January 2009 @ 02:07 |
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Originally posted by C4RN1:
raysuave he used the drilling guide... i don't think any ms employee (as dumb as they are) will let an xbox pass an expection with 5mm holes drilled in the bottom.
OH OK, I had bought and applied the official x-clamp fix kit which only provided new screws and nylon washers but didn't require new holes through the case. I used the towel method instead of the heat gun. I had read on some other forums that each time you have to overheat minimizes its effectiveness....so after having to over heat every few days I gave up out of fear of permanent damage and went the new warranty sticker route. All RROD tutorials should reccomend sending the 360 back with a re-applied warranty sticker first before attempting the xclamp fix, especially if the fix requires irreversible damaage to the console.
Windows 7 Ultimate - Intel Quad Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHz
Asus P6T Deluxe V2 - Cosair XMS 6GB
256GB Samsung 830 SSD - Cooler Master HAF 932 Case
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myiagros
Newbie
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6. January 2009 @ 10:38 |
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What I used to replace the x-clamps was 5mm bolts with 4 washers for each one, 2 nylon and 2 metal.
Something like this:
________ - heatsink
__ __ - metal washer
__ __ - nylon washer
________ - board
__ __ - nylon washer
__ __ - metal washer
0030 is my secondary error code - temperature control according to the thread you linked to me.
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myiagros
Newbie
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6. January 2009 @ 10:45 |
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Double checking the error code it's actually 0020. The linked site states that 2 lights = 3, on another site 2 lights = 2.
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Senior Member
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6. January 2009 @ 11:19 |
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Originally posted by myiagros:
What I used to replace the x-clamps was 5mm bolts with 4 washers for each one, 2 nylon and 2 metal.
Something like this:
________ - heatsink
__ __ - metal washer
__ __ - nylon washer
________ - board
__ __ - nylon washer
__ __ - metal washer
0030 is my secondary error code - temperature control according to the thread you linked to me.
I have used that same washer/screw setup to repair 1 rrod unit and one that was only showing graphic problems. i didnt check error codes before i did it so cant help there. but i also applied some eraser pieces to the memory chips on bottom of board. i did 2 systems this way and one already had heat pads on the memory chips while the other didnt. both manufactured in 06. i replaced the pads on one that had them and added to the one that didnt. i dont know if this was needed but i figured it can only help.
also its very important to clean ALL of the old thermal paste off the chips or heat transfer will not happen correctly. u need flush contact with heatsink and chip and any left over paste is like a bump on a flast surface and will cause problems. Bad thing is to clean with only rubbing alchohol took me 1-2 hours to get mirror finish.
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Homesick2
Suspended permanently
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6. January 2009 @ 11:41 |
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i followed same tut as burningas and i have fixed 3 boxes now, all still work for well over a year now.
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Senior Member
3 product reviews
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6. January 2009 @ 17:45 |
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Eh i've fixed like 40 or more but i just started grinding down those two middle bumps and it seems like it all fits better. I've read somewhere (xbox-scene) that the xenon trays are mis-designed causing the board to flex. So if you grind down the two raised screw holes then it will let the board sit flat
I also just sourced parts from fastenal, and i've ordered some nylon washers that i think will work. So i'm all ready for more rrod 360's bring them on.
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Junior Member
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6. January 2009 @ 20:45 |
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I keep my xbox360 unit open, I don't assemble it back, this way heat can radiate away better. Never had problems sense.
Thanks guys!
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Senior Member
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7. January 2009 @ 10:39 |
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Originally posted by hakentt:
I keep my xbox360 unit open, I don't assemble it back, this way heat can radiate away better. Never had problems sense.
hope u dont have a dusty house
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kiethcox
Newbie
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8. January 2009 @ 04:30 |
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Originally posted by stealthdf:
Originally posted by hakentt:
I keep my xbox360 unit open, I don't assemble it back, this way heat can radiate away better. Never had problems sense.
hope u dont have a dusty house
What if you just blow it off before using it?
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