I just bought an oXbox for the first time (sorta)

[Jagosaurus]

I've been meaning to post in this thread... I was getting a high pitched whine from my Xbox and had to unplug it. So the Xbox doesn't shut off fully, I don't think. I guess it stays in some kind of standby mode? So now I have to leave it unplugged when not in use. I did buy a cap kit, but haven't got around to doing that yet. I'm hoping the whine goes away after the recap.

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Just remembering your power supply noise. One of my favorite things about the OGX is how modular & PC-like it is. I've been considering buying a spare power supply and DVD drive to keep the system alive for years to come. The DVD drive is plug and play across all models. While the PSU is modular, it is mobo revision specific. Seems to vary from $20 - $40 depending on version.

Thanks for all the links! Will save. Going to enjoy the current mod and games for a bit, but will come in handy.

May try some Insignia and Xbox live "reboot" this coming week.

[Reprise]

You can still brick your Xbox.

Yeah, a year and a bit later, I bricked it, because I am an idiot

I went around in circles trying to work out what the previous or original owner had done to the console and got fed up trying to sort it, so I (incredibly stupidly, whilst realising the risks) attempted to reinstall the original Microsoft dash and it failed and it's now bricked.

Never mind.

[Reprise]

Well, I didn't need to mourn the loss of my Xbox for long (and maybe someday I can install a mod chip and try to save it), as I already have a replacement console.

And this time I finally have one that has been modded properly and is ready to go! It still has the MS Dashboard, it has everything pre-installed I need. So I have ordered the Electron Shepherd ElectronXout and hopefully should have it outputting 480p, 720p and 1080i soon, with zero lag (assuming my caps are in still working fine, otherwise I might be recapping it soon).

It has basically been my mission the last couple of months to try to figure proof all my retro consoles as much as possible (i.e. ensuring they can be hooked up via HDMI), whilst getting the best picture quality and minimum lag I can.

I have considered HDMI mods for some consoles, but I think ultimately I am not sure I want to commit to those and with my methods I still retain the freedom to use a CRT if I wish and if/when I get one. I have used some half-way approaches. For example I have my N64 RGB modified now with the Tim Worthington mod and have hooked it up via HDMI with the RAD2X and it looks good considering it's a N64.

I looked into the XboxHD+ mod, but it didn't seem worth the money and I read mixed things on certain games or PAL games working with it.

I think right now the only HDMI mod I will go for eventually is the Dreamcast DCDigital mod and have it coupled with GDemu (or suitable alternative). It looks incredible and much better than the standard VGA output or various HDMI solutions (especially those cheap adapters that all use the same tech).

[Reprise]

ElectronXout - https://electron-shepherd.com/products/electronxout

The ElectronXout is more limited than the Xedusa in that it only outputs HDMI. Although they fixed the problem with 1.0 consoles, so the HDMI works better than the Xedusa. So for that reason, as well as the cost difference, if you're only interested in HDMI then I would recommend getting the ElectronXout. And if you think you're only going to be using an HDTV, then I would say just stick with HDMI because everything is easier. Also, this product is probably cheaper than what you'd pay for an old used set of Monster cables or Microsoft's HD Pack. I ordered the ElectronXout for myself but do not have it yet, they are out of stock but are suppose to be back in stock soon.

No matter what you do... Component cables, Xedusa or ElectronXout... Once you hook up those better cables, go into the system settings and turn on widescreen, 480p and 720p output. A lot of people recommend keeping 1080i set to off, which I concur. I don't think many games even support that resolution anyway, but it's worse avoiding an interlaced video output for the reasons stated above. And if you have a cable that can output digital audio (Microsoft's HD Pack, Xedus, ElectronXout) then also be sure to turn on the digital audio output options in the system menu if you have a surround sound system to take advantage of it (I guess this doesn't matter if you're just using your TV speakers).

So I picked up this adapter actually. I had forgotten you had recommended it Ziggy, but I have since come across your post. Great recommendation, I think it will look great once I have sorted my new Xbox. Which brings me to my next issue...

So I picked up a new Xbox. It seems to be in excellent condition (I believe it's a 1.3) and as I think I mentioned, all the soft mod stuff is perfect this time. The only issue is I got a really overblown image with a very heavy pink/purple hue with the ElectronXout, which is a shame because I have some 720p games I tested that look incredible (well in terms of sharpness, not so much the pink hue). Anyways, I opened up my console and took inside. The clock cap has been removed and there is no evidence of any acid leak or anything, which is great. Everything looks great inside, except the three VRM capacitors under the CPU heatsink appear to be bulging and leaking. So I think I need to replace those and hopefully it will fix the image issue (btw the image is fine with 480i/576i over scart. The issue is only the ElectronXout).

My question is, do you think the caps are the issue and replacing them will fix it? And secondly, as a complete soldering noob (I have soldered 20+ years ago though), how hard do you think it is to replace those three caps? I have a soldering iron, although I don't know if it's one that gets hot enough. I'll have to check. Or should I just pay a professional to do it? I could do without breaking another Xbox, especially as this one is otherwise in great working order.

Edit: Damn, just realised Ziggy hasn't been seen most of this year.

[Reprise]

Well Ziggy is gone and not sure if he will return and no one else seems to care about the Original Xbox right now, or the forum is just a bit quiet, but just incase any of that changes, I did manage to resolve it all.

The image issue was due to the previous owner setting up the soft mod incorrectly for HD (well progressive scan) resolutions. I soon figured that out both by researching others who have had a similar issue and also because I found a work around. Putting in the OG Xbox Installer disc seemed to circumvent it and then I could launch applications or games through that and they would work fine.

A lot of your earlier info helped, Ziggy. So with my new console, I have got the FTP stuff sorted and have got to grips with that. I transferred over the Upgrade folder from Rocky5 so I could upgrade my softmod, which fixed the screen issue. I then used the extras disc and reinstalled the MS dash (might have it on my drive twice now, not so sure about that ) and all my previous apps all seem to be there still so I am back to normal and up and running.

Edit: Probably should still get those three caps replaced at some point though...

[Reprise]

So I am pretty much talking to myself here, but I found something else interesting out. Some Xbox's have an issue with interlaced video that results in interference and noise appearing, which is more apparent when using an HDMI adapter. I have a 1.2 version Xbox, which is thought to have a chip that results in this issue. There is a common misconception online and a lot of people will suggest you need to replace your capacitors if you have this issue, but actually it's just usually an issue with that particular Xbox and changing capacitors won't have any (or much impact).

Anyways, it isn't a huge issue, as most games support progressive scan (only about 19 odd don't, plus maybe a few additional PAL games), but it is still a bit irritating for the few 480i/576i only games and the fact that it only outputs interlaced when watching DVDs.

But that's where NKPatcher comes in, because I found out it is possible to patch the Xbox to force progressive scan, meaning regardless if you are watching a DVD or trying to play a game that did not support progressive scan, that it forces it to output at 480p and from what I have seen it works on everything I have tried. I tried it on Broken Sword, Darkwatch and Metal Slug 3 and all worked flawlessly (apart from Darkwatch's PAL issues, which is a fault with me forcing it into 60hz).

So now the only issue is the few PAL games that were optimised to run at 50hz and didn't support 60hz (Halo 1, Doom 3, the GTA games, some EA games, Psychonauts, Timesplitters 2, and Darkwatch are the main ones off the top of my head). Most will run, but be stuttery and have timing issues. I can switch back into PAL mode for those ones, but I might just pick up NTSC North American versions at some point.

[o.pwuaioc]

I tried to post a reply, but then I got banned.

[Reprise]

I tried to post a reply, but then I got banned.

Damn, yeah I saw a few other people mentioned they have had that happen recently. Thanks for trying!

I am really enjoying my Xbox now. Whilst it dumb of me to brick the system I got last year, at least I got a new one and it gave me the motivation to really get the most out of this system. It looks amazing in 480p and 720p (not to mention with widescreen! - For some reason I couldn't even get my old messed up console to do widescreen)

Eventually I think I'll look at getting a larger HDD installed.

[o.pwuaioc]

I tried to post a reply, but then I got banned.

Damn, yeah I saw a few other people mentioned they have had that happen recently. Thanks for trying!

I am really enjoying my Xbox now. Whilst it dumb of me to brick the system I got last year, at least I got a new one and it gave me the motivation to really get the most out of this system. It looks amazing in 480p and 720p (not to mention with widescreen! - For some reason I couldn't even get my old messed up console to do widescreen)

Eventually I think I'll look at getting a larger HDD installed.

Essentially, I was going to reply that I didn't have much to contribute, as I don't have an Xbox or Ziggy's expertise, but it's cool to read about your trials and tribulations.

[Jagosaurus]

Hey bud, I'm reading too! sorry I've been MIA

Ziggy and nightrnr helped me a lot in my early PS2 & OGX mod days.

Can't recall if I replied earlier, but I did get my current OGX upgraded to a 250GB HDD and softmodded. I bought a 40 buck Kiaco HDMI adapter off Amazon. I was planning on this being a relatively temporary solution or quick workbench type backup, but overall, I'm very impressed.

2 tips:

- Keep composite cables handy. I've had some things go wonky while tinkering and mod tools reverted to 480i output. My monitor could only shake hands in Progressive over HDMI apparently . I thought my past system was bricked, but was really just locked to Interlaced momentarily.

- Back up EEPROM key or zero it out using one of the newer tools. Caveat - I don't think the new Insignia online Xbox Live replacement works with key zeroed-out.