Xecuter 3 Ce Questions! Options

[killerdestructo]

I'm new to chip modding and I've done some research, but it's all pretty muddled because it's getting to be so outdated. I was hoping I could get some advice and tips for how to get this thing to work once I get it all together.

I ordered:

Xecuter 3 CE from modchip.ca, here

and this:

WD 250GB HDD IDE Model WD2500BB

I'm hoping to be able to crack the Xbox open, do any wiring and/or soldering to get the chip in, install whatever software necessary, backup the HDD and then swap it for the bigger one.

I'm having trouble finding a good solid tutorial for this particular model and the steps it takes to get it done. I can't tell if the Xecuter 2 tutorials would translate or not. Also, most of the tutorials are really old so I'm not sure what to rely on.

First off, are there any problems right off the bat? I think the chip should work fine on my Xbox and I checked the HDD online to see if it locked/unlocked and worked in the Xbox and people said it did.

If anybody has a good tutorial for this particular model and the best way to get it in there, I would really appreciate it. Same goes for upgrading the hard drive.

Thanks a lot everybody.

[pattythefatty]

First, I am sure you have been there, but if not, here is the Team Executer website:
http://team-xecuter.com/

here is an accurate install guide for the X3CE on all versions of xbox including 1.6:
http://teamxecuter.entryhost.com/x3ce.pdf

Once the chip is installed , you need to flash the bios per this procedure:
http://team-xecuter.com/flashbios/
I recommend the http flashing because it is so easy, and you don't have to muck about with creating disks. The tip here is that once you start the flash nothing happens for like 10 minutes and then all of a sudden you see the progress bars and then the flash completes. At least that was the way it worked for me, I stopped the flash after a couple of minutes like 5 times over thinking something was wrong, then one time I got distracted by a phone call, and then when i came back the flash was done. I have subsequently flashed another and I got the same thing where it took like 10 minutes to complete the flash although it looks like nothing is happening, it is. (I am using Vista, fyi)
Once you get your new bios you boot into that, and assuming your new HDD is all ready attached you can go right into the configuration of your new HDD.

Once you got all the hardware installed, do yourself a HUGE FAVOR, and go to here for a review of what the bios can do, this is really helpful:
http://x3.bustedchain.com/

Also, don't forget the X3CE Bios has a built in FTP client, so you can simply FTP your dash and files to the HDD once it is set up, and that way you don't need to muck around with discs or worrying about what type disc your drive reads, or as in my case I didnt have a working Dvd anyway.

here is a link to the team-executer forums and a FAQ for the chip. Look under Martin C's post for the links in his sig, lots of good stuff there.
http://team-xecuter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23365

Hope this helps.
-PTF

[XstefanoX]

@PTF, excellent reply, I pretty much do the same and learned from the same resources, no hassling around with discs or installers bladibla....

Just as a side note, Vista is very slow when flashing over http, when you have XP the flash is done within a minute ;-) So to the TS, if your flash is fast using XP, don't worry ;-) all went fine; just enjoy the greatness of the Xbox Classic!

Cheers!

[killerdestructo]

Hey, thanks for all the info!

In all the time since I last posted, I got all my parts and materials and today I finished all the chip installation stuff. I already have a problem, though. When I turn on the xbox (regardless of how long i hold the power button) it will do one of two things, and that's;

-Be disabled right away, the external dipswitch thing is red
-or nothing happens on the external thing, and with the box taken apart, i just put my finger on the chip for a second and then it flicks on and is red on the external thing. I can't seem to get it to boot. I made my dipswitch settings ON ON OFF OFF to try and boot it to the bios.

oh, and after i put it all back together just now, now the power seems to be failing, because it turns on for a second, shuts off, turns back on by itself and then flickers green and red.

Any ideas?

[killerdestructo]

I looked into it, and it's the Christmas Lights problem from the mod. I don't know if the soldering is bad, it looks fine to me, but I've tested it a bunch of times and still the same issue. Is it fixable? I don't think it's been burned and the chip seems to be sitting fine. like I said, I'm pretty much a noob but I can't see an obvious problem with the soldering. What can I do?? Would pictures of the soldering help?

[Heimdall]

Pictures of the soldering might help.

[killerdestructo]

Here are a few photos of the soldering job. I know they aren't the clearest pictures, but it should give the gist. A friend of mine did the soldering, and he doesn't know much about xbox but he followed the instructions and knows how to solder in general. It isn't perfect, but I just want to know if I can fix it somehow and make the chip work. I don't want to have to spend more money to get it working. What can I do?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/kill...to/IMG_5222.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/kill...to/IMG_5225.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/kill...to/IMG_5226.jpg

[Heimdall]

The soldering on the pinheader isn't the best, and some of the pins hardly look soldered at all. You need to sort them all out so they look more like this. From the look of it you probably need to add some flux to get the solder to flow better, and heat up the pins a little bit more before introducing the solder. Also, while it may seem a bit picky, the exposed wire on the end of the D0 lead runs across one of the other tracks and may be shorting out, so it would be better to have it run along the D0 track for a short distance, then only cross the other tracks with the insulated part of the lead.

[killerdestructo]

Thanks for the quick response. So what can I do to fix it?

[Heimdall]

So what can I do to fix it?

Read my previous post

This post has been edited by Heimdall: Aug 27 2009, 07:49 PM

[killerdestructo]

Well the link won't work for me, but you basically mean I should add more solder where it's necessary? and what, redo the D0 entirely or just move it so it's all just on the D0 track? Sorry, it's all pretty complicated to me.

[turfster]

You could also try a wire install instead of the pinheader. Sometime's the pinheader has a bad connection with the chip with these X3's(according to the supplier I used). But your soldering does look like it needs to be redone as well. However, I had the same problem and did the wire install afterwards and it worked fine. Its kinda of a bitch to remove the pinheader though, so be careful.


Turfster

[Heimdall]

You need more solder on some, less solder on others, and it needs to flow so that it joins the header pins to the rings on the PCB. I've put the photo here temporarily so you can see what it should look like. The D0 connection just needs to be moved slightly so that the exposed metal in the lead doesn't cross any of the other tracks on the PCB, but you'll probably need to resolder it to do that.

Before you start I'd suggest that you should Google for some soldering tutorials and videos, so you know what you are doing, and what it should look like when it's finished.

This post has been edited by Heimdall: Aug 27 2009, 08:59 PM

[pattythefatty]

Wow,
Yah, the other guys are definitely correct, the solder job leaves something to be desired. It looks like the issue is that your guy doing the soldering for you doesn't seem to be getting his solder tip down to where it is touching the motherboard. It looks like he is heating only the pin and not the motherboard ring. I hope he is using a pencil type solder iron, and not one of those giant solder guns, those won't allow the detail you need. You need to get the tip of the solder iron down on the motherboard touching the ring on the board, and the metal pin from the header at the same time. Then touch the solder to the the joint between the pin and the ring, do not touch the iron with the solder. The joint should be heated for 2 or 3 seconds, then touch the solder and it will flow right into both parts sealing them together. remember, to use less solder at first, you can always easily add more solder if needed, it is much harder to remove the solder once it is there.

Here is a great video that should also help:
Do not try the "mirror" link, it is broken, use the .rar link below it, that one works.
http://team-xecuter.com/forums/showthread.php?p=179565

Finally, the Flux that Heimdall refers to is a compound either in paste or liquid pen form, that facilitates soldering. It is not required, but it is very helpful and makes things much easier.

Also, if i am seeing correctly, it looks like your man soldered the mod chip to the pin header as well! Am I seeing that correctly? If so, I guess it isn't necessarily going to hurt anything, but it isn't needed. That is kind of the whole point of using the pin header. Once the pin header is installed, you just slip all the other parts together without soldering, and that way if you need to remove the chip it just slips right off.

-PTF

This post has been edited by pattythefatty: Aug 27 2009, 10:22 PM

[killerdestructo]

Well, I just tried touching up some of the solder points that lacked solder, but it still didn't work. I'm pretty upset, because it seems like it's a lost cause at this point. I'm worried about burning/killing the motherboard, although it might already have been burned/killed. I guess the idea of soldering it seemed easier before I had it done. Now the whole 'modded xbox' thing may have been put to waste. The solder points (to me) don't look like they flat out wouldn't be connected (i added solder to ones that didnt seem to be touching the ring) but I guess I'm just a noob to the end. There's gotta be something I can do. The chip seems to be having serious trouble being powered, and testing it again, it's struggling to even stay on (the blue and red LEDs on it flicker and then turn off). Fried?