Prepairing The D0 Point Options

[Cyber Akuma]

I have a v 1.0 xbox (Im surprised since I got it last year), anyway, I have been reading many faqs and guides about isntalling the Xecutor 2.3bLitePlus modchip, I am very nervious about ruining my xbox and want to do as little soldering as possible.

I dont understand what they mean that I have to prepare the D0 point, what do I have to do exactly to prepare it?

Are there any videos for installing the chip and/or prepairing the point?

Edit:

Also, if the modchip I want to get (Xecutor 2.3bLitePlus) starts slipping too much and I decide to sodler it after all, woudl it be possible? Or is this chip non-solder only? I heard some peoepl claim that the chip always moves and soem claim that it never moves.

I am nervious because I broke my PSX when I attempted the Wire#4 solder point, I doubt the xbox's modchips would be easier to solder.

This post has been edited by Cyber Akuma: Feb 3 2004, 09:56 PM

[Neg.Nance]

from what i hear the d0 point is the hardest part, i can't solder very good so i would never attempt, if you are confident you shouldn't have too much to worry about, when they talk about preparing the d0 point they just mean lightly scraping the d0 point with a knife or razor just to be sure you are going to get good contact

[xbonz00889]

also when u do solder the dO point make sure to use a lot of flux. This will mak it a better connecton also. Just use a very little amount of solder on this point. Mine has hardly any solder about the size of a pin thread loop and it works great. Good luck and there are some GREAT tutorials to install the chips just search and actually there is a video somewhere.

[soliant]

Not to scare you, but I screwed my xbox soldering it wrong. The problem, is that everything is so small (i.e. points). I would try to find someone to do it for you, better safe than $200 out . I regret trying to solder my box.

[Metallica88]

Maybe one of you can help me. When i tried to put my first modchip in(aladdin advance) and tried to solder the d0, no doler would stick. I tried scraping it a bit, but it wuldnt stick. I'm going to be putting my new cnip in(xecuter 2.3b lite) and i wanna know what to do about my d0 before i attempt it again.

[Fartstick]

Metallica,

When I soldered my dO point, I tinned the wire first. What that means is that I applied a little bit of solder to the exposed end of the wire (just enough to coat the wire and make it look silver- don't leave a blob on the end). Make sure you apply flux to the wire before attempting to do this, as it will help the solder coat the wire and stick to it. Then I put some electrical tape down on the MB covering other points close to the d0, as not to accidentally get solder on those points (I have soldered a few times in my life, but am certainly not proficient at it). All I had to do was touch the wire to the d0 point and hold tip of the soldering iron to the exposed wire long enough to melt the solder that was on it. DO NOT touch the soldering iron directly to the d0 point, just the wire you previously tinned. The solder will melt quickly and should cause the wire to stick to the d0 point. I used needle nosed pliers (gripping the wire just above the tinned part) to hold the wire in place as I touched it with the tip of the iron. Much easier than using nervous fingers. I got it to work on my first try, then used a tiny piece of electrical tape a few inches down the wire (toward the mod chip) to hold it in place and keep anything from accidentally yanking on the wire.

Good luck. If I can do it, I know you can, because like I said, I'd never tried any delicate soldering and I did it on my first try. Just take your time.

[sfhuang]

Get some solder flux and apply it before soldering. It's make your job much easier.

[Soup]

I did it just like he did, except I didn't use flux or flux remover, I just scraped the inside edges of the d0 point with a needle before I started and then used some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel to clean it off. I tinned the wire, then after a lot of tries got a tiny glob of solder to stick to the end of the wire (about the size of the head of a pin, or a little smaller), then I bent the wire into a '7' shape, where the top horizontal part of the 7 is the tinned bare wire, and the 'leg' of the 7 is the insulated part of the wire. With the wire bent like this I could hold the insulated part between my thumb and middle finger, and then press down fairly firmly on the top part of the exposed wire (at the end of the insulation) with my index finger. Since the wire was tinned, it wouldn't bend under this pressure and I could sort of feel it rest in the d0 point. Then I took the side of my iron near the tip and touched it to the middle of the tinned wire. I could only hold it there for about a second before my index finger would get too hot, but that was long enough to melt the solder and fix the wire to the d0 point. Just remember to keep pressing down and holding it in place for about 2 seconds after you remove the iron, so that the solder can solidify.

This way worked really well for me on 2 of the 3 boxes I've modded; on the first one I spent at least 30 minutes and dozens of tries attempting to do it with the wire straight, with a friend holding it in place so he could use two hands to try to keep the wire still, and I could use two hands to keep the iron still (eventually we got it by luck). By preparing the wire as I described, the second and third boxes I modded took only 3-5 minutes and one attempt each.

Wow that was pretty long. Hope it helps. If I did a poor job of explaining the wire preparation just ask me to explain it better, since it's the most valuable info IMO.

[sfhuang]

There are some really good soldering advice in this thread. Wondering if the thread could be made sticky or incorporated into the FAQ or something.

Great tips, guys.

[Soup]

Ah nevermind you have the 2.3lite Plus? That's the no-solder one I believe...

P.S. If you haven't bought it yet I'd recommend getting a solder one, since I've heard a lot of bad things about people finding it impossible to align the d0 on solderless mods (or if they do get it, it comes unaligned like a day later).

[Cyber Akuma]

What about the other wires? How hard are they?

[SupeRdUPErBlakE]

[wade23454]

Definately good advice....Tin the wire, tape it in place with the end exposed, heat the wire and hold in place with pliers or a very small screwdriver. Then when everything is finished, put electrical tape over it. I am no electrical technician, but I've managed to do 3 xboxes this way with no problems.

[andrusk]

[Cyber Akuma]

Thanks for the advice

I am getting ready for the X3 mosly, I hope the install/solder methods wont be drastically different compared to the X2.3