My launch 360 finally RROD'd on me

[alexis524]

Not too bummed out, since it has lasted me quite a while. I'm waiting for a repair kit to come in the mail I bought on eBay that has the washers, cleaner, and thermal paste.

I have looked up some tutorials on how to perform the x-clamp fix, and feel pretty confident. I've taken my 360 apart (mostly) last night in preparation. I've disconnected the DVD drive and need to take off the RF modulator, full the fan and MOBO.

The only part I'm not sure about doing is after i've cleaned and reapplied the thermal paste, the tutorial I have says to intentionally overheat the console by plugging back in the DVD drive and fan and all. Not sure I want to in order to prevent any further damage internally. Has anyone that did the X-Clamp fix themselves done this? Or feel free to contribute any other tips you found helpful. I'll report back over the weekend or Monday to let you know how it went. Thanks in advance,

[darkcat]

this fix will only work for so long as the solder has cold links, thus from overheating they have lost connection to the pins. To fix this (never permanent) you need to heat the chips up its better to isolate the heat to the ana chip so you don't cause further damage to the other chips (the ana chip is the problem 70% of the time) once this is done, then you clamp it and apply the thermal paste to do this use a credit card and put a very thin layer on it too much will cause it to over heat again.

[Hobie-wan]

'Overheating' it will not get things hot enough to remelt the solder no matter how many people post videos or make forum post saying it will. If swapping the clamp manages to pinch down whichever joint has cracked, it might work. Otherwise at best you might get it to work a little while when heating it up without cooling or using a heat gun or whatever makes things expand and contract a little and sort of work until the heating and cooling of using the system makes stuff shift around again.

If you want to have a chance at a decent fix, paying someone with a proper rework station is the best option.

[alexis524]

Hobie,

you raise a good point, about the reliability. it seems like it the DIY method addresses the symtom, but not the probelm. I was about to throw another $30 at an Xecuter Kit with all the bells and whistles. It seems like the going rate for the fix is about $30 (locally and on eBay) and from what i'm being told is that my GPU needs to be reflowed. Hobie & Dark Cat, thanks for talking some sense into me and helping me see that professional help is best in this case. Many thanks again,

[fastbilly1]

and from what i'm being told is that my GPU needs to be reflowed.

As someone who has attempted to reflow several PS3s and a couple 360s, go to the professional. I have only gotten it to work once, and burned the crap out of my hand in the process

[Hobie-wan]

and from what i'm being told is that my GPU needs to be reflowed.

As someone who has attempted to reflow several PS3s and a couple 360s, go to the professional. I have only gotten it to work once, and burned the crap out of my hand in the process

I have 2 dead 360s on hand. One friend 'fixed' one and it only lasted for a month. I tried fixing both machines about 6 times between them with flux and a heat gun. Both have the clamp replaced as well. No attempts ever lasted more than a month before crapping out again.

[lwcook]

I have 2 dead 360s on hand. One friend 'fixed' one and it only lasted for a month. I tried fixing both machines about 6 times between them with flux and a heat gun. Both have the clamp replaced as well. No attempts ever lasted more than a month before crapping out again.

I'm in the exact same boat with a RROD'd 360 I got free off Craigslist (even had the controller, cables, and hard drive.) I call it The Zombie because of how many times I've brought it back from the dead. At this point it's pretty much a game...I've done x-clamp mod, penny trick, heatgun and flux, baking it in the oven.

Sometimes the fix lasts longer than others, but it always dies again. Then the cycle repeats...can't get mad because it was free! (Also, definitely not my main 360...got a Slim for that.)

[alexis524]

wow. This is another learning lesson for me to not believe everything I read on the internet. the promises of all the X-Clamp fixes performed and thier box is still going strong...BTW, i'm headed to New Mexico to find some Atari Cartridges buried in a landfill, pretty stoked!

For what it would cost in parts to do a have-assed fix, i'm taking it to a professional shop 10 mins from my house to get it done right. No burnt hands for me, or baked 360's in the oven!

[Ziggy]

The problem is, IIRC, is that the 360 uses the damn BGA package for the CPU and GPU. BGA is just bad by design. Even with the expensive equipment required to successfully resolder a BGA, you're still only just guessing because you can't visually confirm solder joints.

Clamping them and using a heat gun is probably the best home fix, but you're still just guessing. I say use a heat gun because you'll just be targeting the heat on the one IC. Intentionally letting the entire console heat up is ridiculous. I've even seen people wrap it in lots of blankets LOL. Putting the console in an oven is just...

[lwcook]

*snip* Putting the console in an oven is just...

I know, I know...crazy talk. But I try the oven method because it was the next step in trying to find a fix for the zombie 360.

What can I say? It works fine. Not a precise fix by any means, but sometimes a caveman approach works better than that. Just keep the temp low and cover everything that's not the GPU and CPU.

I say all that as someone who fixes things for a living and as a hobby. Don't knock it til you try it.