Liteon Key For Free!, how to dump your liteon using salvaged parts Options

[yaywoop]

This tutorial is outdated and hard to follow. please use this tutorial instead:
http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=671025

And the Pictorial construction guide:
http://xbox-experts.com/e/tutorial.php?n=assemblingaliteo

However, the >1000 posts in this thread contain a lot of help so by all means read on.
All that is required for dumping a liteon key is a transistor and two resistors. which can both be found in old hardware. Computer monitors, VCR's, TV's and radio's are treasure troves of resistors capacitors and signal transistors.
So if you are handy with a soldering iron, why buy an xecuter kit or max232 board that you are only going to use once or twice?
for me at lest it was easier to make one than order online and wait.

The circuit is pretty simple, its a common emitter amplifier which inverts the signal and amplifies it to 5V.
its not strictly rs232 levels, but most serial ports probably won't mind. mine doesn't


Only the transmitting part is needed, the computer only receives the key over rs232, it doesn't transmit anything

So start off by finding an NPN transistor. practically any signal NPN will do.
hopefully the base collector and emitter will be marked on the pcb where you find the transistor (with B C E or something).
To desolder it heat two pins at a time with your soldering iron and wiggle it free, have some fresh solder on the iron to help melt the solder. try not to heat the transistor for too long, they are easily damaged by heat.
To test if the transistor is an npn, get a ohm meter (or battery resistor and led) put the positive lead on the base, if its an NPN you should get a reading when you put the negative lead on the collector and emitter.
if you don't know which pin is the base. just try each pin until the other two pins have a reading.

The 10K resistor will be marked brown black orange (gold)
The 1k resistor will be marked brown black red (gold)
You can always test with a multimeter after you desolder it if you are unsure.

Some desoldered components:


Now put it together! I just did it freeform (without a PCB)
a serial plug could be salvaged from an old modem. or cut up a serial cable
You should have 3 wires (gnd, 5V and Tx) going to the dvd drive and two wires (gnd pin 5 and Rx pin 2) going to the serial port
it should look something like this (sorry about the blurry pic)


Now you also need power to the drive. I made an adapter which plugs into a spare sata power plug, and has a switch to open/close the drive. but you can also just use the Xbox 360 to power it. but you can also just use the Xbox 360 to power it. you might need to disconnect pin 3 (eject) to get the tray to stay partially open (Pinout link the ? pin on that page is 3.3V)

overall my setup looks like this:

I got the dvd power plug from a printer (cut down to fit) and made the SATA power adapter from a piece of PCB filed down to fit and with tracks cut for 12v, 5v, gnd and 3.3v. careful if you don't do it right it could damage your computer power supply or dvd drive.

To get it working I used the dos version of dvdkey, but anything else would probably work.
1 eject the drive and push the tray in half way. leave pin 9 open so the tray doesn't close
2 plug in power and sata
3 turn pc on and boot into dos
4 run dosflash to get the sata address of the dvd drive (say no to any prompts and ctrl+c when you have the address)
5 plug in the serial to the drive and pc. then run: dvdkey address

Hopefully that will work. If it doesn't, check your connections, reboot and try again. you can also try unplugging sata until dos has booted.
You can try probing your circuit with a multimeter, disconnect from pc and dvd power the circuit with 5v, the output should be 5V when the input Tx is pulled low, and 0V when the input Tx is 3V.

Now all you have to do is get another drive and spoof it to replace the liteon.

Of course you can also buy all the parts mentioned, but that would ruin the fun of being able to hack the latest and greatest versions of the 360 absolutely free.
Enjoy.

This post has been edited by Chancer: Aug 3 2009, 11:05 PM

[Antman1]

hats off to you. nice job!

[furrygold1]

You should have 3 wires (gnd, 5V and Tx) going to the dvd drive and two wires (gnd pin 5 and Rx pin 2)

Hello,
Sorry but it's Tx and no Rx?and from the picture you are write :
Pin 2 : RxD
Pin 3 : TxD
or in the schema TTL TxD go in Pin 2 and TTL RxD go in Pin 3

sorry for my bad english.

This post has been edited by furrygold1: Nov 29 2008, 10:14 PM

[prelude]

you are very talented my friend

[O_oTheGameo_O]

I rather not...

did few liteon's today with maximus tool and it's brilliant!!!

[yaywoop]

Hello,
Sorry but it's Tx and no Rx?and from the picture you are write :
Pin 2 : RxD
Pin 3 : TxD
or in the schema TTL TxD go in Pin 2 and TTL RxD go in Pin 3

sorry for my bad english.

yeah that is a bit confusing. tx on the dvd drive is where the dvd drive transmits the signal. you connect that to the Rx pin on the serial port so that the computer can receive the signal.

so the dvd drive transmits and the computer receives.

hats off to you. nice job!

you are very talented my friend

Thanks

This post has been edited by yaywoop: Nov 30 2008, 03:36 AM

[calloused labia]

I rather not...

did few liteon's today with maximus tool and it's over priced and would have been bricking 360s had the Liteons been writable!!!

fixed

[yaywoop]

NEW 'solderless' adapter. ok not really new but anyway...
so you don't have to solder those tiny points on the dvd drive. a pin and a crocodile clip work
the crocodile ground clip isn't needed if you are powering the dvd drive from the PC.
I used a HDD power plug in the PC to supply 5V. a usb lead could also be used for 5V

yes you still need to solder the thing together

[yaywoop]

The whole thing can be enclosed inside a pen with the probe at the tip. take that maximus!
now I just need to add an LED and it will pretty much cover all the features

[LazyTank]

This looks like fun, I might do this using parts from my broken xbox1 for added irony.

[yaywoop]

This looks like fun, I might do this using parts from my broken xbox1 for added irony.

heh yeah but you might have trouble.. it will be all SMD. you could try it though.

[vinz]

Awesome. I was thinking about making a reader and thought I'd have to go hit up RadioShack. I know for certain I have these few simple parts.

Thanks for this guide!

[emawind84]

NEW 'solderless' adapter. ok not really new but anyway...
so you don't have to solder those tiny points on the dvd drive. a pin and a crocodile clip work
the crocodile ground clip isn't needed if you are powering the dvd drive from the PC.
I used a HDD power plug in the PC to supply 5V. a usb lead could also be used for 5V

yes you still need to solder the thing together

hey yaywoop great job but i don't understand why i have to use a crocodile clip, isn't it enough if i connect gnd on molex too? together to 5v? thanks

[yaywoop]

well your computer is already grounded. the issue is if the dvd drive is sharing the same ground as the case. if you are powering the drive from the pc you don't have to worry about the grounding clip.
if you are powering the dvd drive from the xbox, which is not grounded, you need to use the grounding clip.

an ungrounded xbox case can have very large voltages with reference to ground which could fry your serial port.

[emawind84]

well your computer is already grounded. the issue is if the dvd drive is sharing the same ground as the case. if you are powering the drive from the pc you don't have to worry about the grounding clip.
if you are powering the dvd drive from the xbox, which is not grounded, you need to use the grounding clip.

an ungrounded xbox case can have very large voltages with reference to ground which could fry your serial port.

what means "ground on dvd"? i would power up the dvd drive from the xbox and i'm not sure where i must put the ground of rs232 :S
And than i don't understand because i can't connect gnd of rs232 directly in molex