QUOTE(dink @ Oct 29 2003, 06:38 PM)
Blind Samuari wrote:
I'll take a crack at it.
How to install an additional 64 meg into XBOX's.
I recommend using 4
BRAND NEW memory chips. Not from another MB or Video card. You can run into problems by using other memory chips that were removed via some type of heat method. Heat can destroy these chips!
Most of this comes from my 8+ yrs of soldering experience and from this
instructional site, that has a
video clip, showing how to solder SMT chips.
CAUTION: Before adding the memory or doing any other mods, make sure your box is unplug and you are grounded from any Static Electricity!!
PREP WORK: The XBox MB's that I upgraded were 1.0's and 1.1's. When looking at the memory pads, you will notice a little mound of solder on each of them. I removed the extra solder for all of the memory pads first, with solder wick. The video show the pads being tinned, not having a mound solder on them. You can tell by looking at the memory pads and run your finger across them. With the memory pads being tinned and the chips being tinned, is ample enough of solder to do the job.
1. Placed a
small amount flux around the pads. (just like in the video, but use much less)
2. Line up pin 1 of the chip with pin 1 on the MB. Look at the another memory chip on the MB as a comparision.
3. Align the pins
4. Check the alignment of all pins, on each sides.
5. Tack down one pin in a corner with the Solder iron. (DO NOT ADD ANY SOLDER)
6. Check aligment again!
7. Tack down one pin on the opposite corner. (DO NOT ADD ANY SOLDER)
8. Check alignment. (After the next step, there is NO turning back!!)
9. Now slowly move the solder iron along the pins on each side, just like in the video.
10. Double check for any shorts between pins with a magnify glass. I used my wife's embroidery magnify glass. As you can see in the picture below, a digital camera works great!
11. Now repeat this process for the 3 other memory chips. 2 on each side of the board.
If you compare the pins on the chip you just soldered in, with other memory chip, you will see that there is less solder on your chip. This if fine. With the solder still tinned on the pad and the solder tinned on pins of the chip, there is plenty of solder to do the job.
As for difficulty, it was challenging.
Other suggestions:
DON'T RUSH IT!Take you time!
Do 1 chip an hour!
The 1st time I did this, it took over 4 hrs. (I did not remove the mounds of solder first) Afterwards, I found lots of shorts.
The 2nd time it took an hour. (This time I removed the mounds of solder first) Afterwards, I found 3 shorts.
The 3rd time it took 45 mins.
No shorts 
Here is a sample of one of the chips I soldered in.
If you look closely, in the
RED circles you will see a couple of solder bridges.
Once you have soldered them and the pins look good, you should double check each voltage (VDD, VDDQ) pins with an ohm meter to ground. In a German 64 meg installation
PDF file, it shows which pins are the VDD and VDDQ pins.
You can do a quick test, by only powering up the MB. You don't need to connect up the drives yet. Once powered up, you should get the normal GREEN LED and the "X" logo. Assuming you are using the retail BIOS.
If you get FRAO (Flashing Red And Orange) you have a short somewhere or an open!
Once you get the normal
GREEN LED, you can then reassemble the box.
I then loaded up XBMP and went to "System", "Status" and view the memory status. You should see 95/128MB.
Good Luck!
Dink...
Dink! Help me please
I just followed your guide as well as
http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Upgrading_Xbox_RAM_HOWTO to upgrade the RAM in my 1.0 xbox.. but Ive got problems.. and quite a long story for it too
I removed 4 rams from a broken 1.0 xbox mobo (that I ve tried to fix, but for some unknown reason didnt want to work) and tried to install em in a my working 1.0 xbox.. but during the removing of the rams from the broken mobo some legs broke
I use my soldering station at 350degrees Celcius (as I always do, and never had problems with the heat before) and lots of desoldering flux and the screwriver tip from the infamous youtube video to get each pin from the board..
Since my newest discovery with a Dremel and nintendo wii's latest D2B dvd-controllerboard with cut leggs Ive gained some experience in drilling IC chips to gain access to an original point where the leg is broken. so I used my dremel om all the broken ram pins and drilled my way through carefully to the internal point on the edge, then to solder a sincerely thin Kynar wire between the points on each of them.. soldered everything like the guide said, and when I thought I had it done properly I started up the xbox..
My xbox were just showing green led, no video and no sound.. I turned it off and on again and now it just fragged red/green (<= important, RED/GREEN).. so I turned it off, and went over all the points, found some shorts and whatnot, cleaned it up, then tried again.. now it fragged again (RED/GREEN), so I tried to start it up with EJECT button (since Ive got Cromwell 2.4 bios on it, and just thought perhaps it made a difference) and TO my suprise it did.. a black screen appeared with the text "video decoder error".. appearantly this is an error message Cromwell linux has integrated, didnt know it was that advanced
then I turned it off again, pushjed the upper ram chip carefully down and hit eject again.. now it booted.. into Cromwell bios, but it only said RAM:64megs and the video feed was weird.. when I pushed the ram down it reacted to it with static and whatnot..
so I turned it off again, went over everything, double checked EVERYTHING, then turned it on again, and now it worked perfectly with Cromwell Linux, it booted no problem, with not only eject button but power button as well.. BUT still only RAM: 64megs..
It boots up fine, no fraggin, but still even with all 4 ram chipsi nsatlled on the mobo, it wont show RAM:128megs.. how come mates?
I turned it off again, and tried to boot up with a modchip instead, with Evox bios installed, it just fragged, but this time it fragged RED / ORANGE!! (<== important), which I thought was weird.. I removed the chip and it started normal with Cromwell.. then I tried with an DuoX2 modchip, which has two versions of Cromwell, normal flash bios 3.0.3 and Cromwell Linux, in the two different banks.. BOTH worked to boot from.. then I tried flashing with Xecuter 2 bios, but it still fragged Red/Orange..
now my question is,, why do Cromwell Linux bios and FLashbios Cromwell bios boot up fine and not Evox bios nor Xecuter bios?
but since it works with Cromwell, why wont it state RAM: 128megs?
this is REALLY annoying, as Ive been over this mobo 3 days almost.. trying to get it to work..
it looks pretty good, and I consider myself a professional solderer, which is why I went for this upgrade and wanted to do it myself..
Do you know what it could be mates?
could the heat from my soldering iron have messed the rams up? or somecause of short/no leg, which at the same time allows Cromwell to boot but not Evox Bios?
Anyone please pm me or answer to this post.. I badly need an answer..
considering buying 4 sets of 4-pack rams completely new to try and see if that works..
General Hardware FAQ, Error 16, 128 MB RAM, HDD problems, etc.
Jan 26 2007, 01:42 AM
