I cannot believe how badly I failed, and how hard this really is. How could any normal person modify an xbox in such raw, risky fashions? How is there any technological sense in trying to apply molten metal to microscopic points of the console's internal circuitry? I cannot conceive it. I tried it, croaked, and I still cannot conceive it.

What did I do wrong? I heated my soldering iron, and touched the spring-shaped solder to the tip of the hot, metal rod. The solder melted, and actually started dripping down the rod itself, so I tried to even out the molten solder around the tip by smearing it with the unmelted solder itself. A dumb move, because even more solder melted onto the iron's tip. Now I had a massive glob of liquifying metal running town the iron's rod, when the tip used for the soldering barely had any on it at all. I tried to decide if I should go for it, and realized the miniscule LPC hole did not match the size of the huge, clumsy glob of solder I now had. It started smoking too much, more so than I figured was safe, and the entire iron was turning brown for some reason. I had no clue if it was a fire hazard or not but I couldn't take chances. I was risking my Xbox, as well as my entire f*cking dormatory. I backed out like a coward and couldn't stop shaking for 10 minutes. How sad am I? Really? I don't deserve to have a modded box.

My hands are still shivering. I'm looking at my swollen, browned, deformed iron that's finally cooled. I think I ruined it. My motherboard is completely disconnected, and it took too long to take it out to put it back without having modded it. I'll have to beg my freind to do this for me once I go back into town. Man, I really want this but... sigh... I need to go to sleep.

Next time use a solderless adapter.

You could softmod it instead.

Lol, clumsy!

You should softmod...

Wow. Someone needs more coffee.

Dude. Search around here for soldering tips. I wrote a long one some time ago.

Some points:

1. Keep the solder tip clean. Have a (slightly) damp cloth nearby and wipe the tip on it to remove excess and oxideised solder off.
2. Contrary to noob belief you do not apply solder to the iron.
3. You are not doing this is the right order. Briefly...
- Clean iron tip
- Touch tip to thing being soldered to heat (should not take more than a couple of seconds
- Add small amount of solder to join of object and iron.
- Hold briefly until solder wicks out to cover join.
- Remove iron.
4. LPC holes are EXTREMELY easy to solder.
5. D0 is a bitch to solder. Best to forget the wire and just make a *very* small solder dome on the exposed D0 pad, then reheat and poke the wire through. Better still, use one of the alternative D0 points.
6. The iron changed colour probably because it was the first time you used it.
7. What do you mean "swollen and deformed". What kind of iron was it?

Update:
Oh, and sorry to the softmod fanboys, but softmods are for people that can't solder. Oh wait...

Lol, a crappy one!

Not necessarily. If so, then you're saying I can't solder. In my case, softmods are for when your chip dies, so you do a TSOP on a 1.3 but then decide you want Live so you softmod it because waiting for a chip that may fail again isn't worth the money or my time. Plus, I had to complete the "try every mod on your Xbox." Just to let you know, I can solder, I love it. I've fixed up torn traces and worse after my friend (who can't solder) has been through some times. But I have a softmod.

But seriously, cut the guy some slack. For most people, an extremely hot iron and the thought of their own shaking hands touching their Xbox with it isn't an easy transition. Shit, if you backup your EEPROM, a softmod will always be recoverable. Tear a trace and it's recoverable, but not by that same guy who did it in the first place. I'm not bashing chips. I have installed many of them, used many of them, and have a Magic 3.1+ in my PS2 right now.

I'm just saying that soldering can be very intimidating and if you don't feel comfortable doing it, you probably shouldn't. If you still want to go through with it, search around, read up, and the most important key is PRACTICE. Find an old electronic (radio, TV, etc.). Grab some thin wire and solder to the smallest points possible. Try connecting two little tiny, tiny points on the motherboard. The smallest point on the board is the one you should work on. Always rest your elbow on the desk so your hand doesn't shake around like crazy. With practice, anybody can learn how to solder.

Hey, just be lucky you're not trying to mod your PS2. I'm a good solderer and that was a bitch even for me.

That needs to be in someones sig becuase that was the millineum answer ROFL!

@Textbook:

Yes, yes, I know - it was a joke. Good point about the soldering practise too.
Actually it was a softmod that allowed me to flash my TSOP. I had a 1st Generation mod chip, you see...

Oh, I do see... So that's why you put the

"Oh wait...."

at the end of that sentence. I knew it was a joke, but there's always people that flame softmodders and say that they can't solder or are too afraid or too cheap to. In your particular case, it was the only thing you could have used to flash your TSOP.

BTW, a google search for "how to solder" shows 4,560,000 results. I'm sure you can find a lot of information there that can be helpful

NEVER learn to solder on anything of value to you.

Practice on an old PC card, anything, before taking a heated tool to a device that can be damaged without being sure what you're doing.

I practiced for a week on old parts until I finally chipped my Saturn. Even then, I pracitced again before chipping my Playstation.

(Hint: Use the bottom d0 as it's much easier. The LPC area holes are a big as dinnerplates compared to difficult soldering, and the bottom d0 is about the same size.)


Practice makes perfect. Haste makes waste. Post like this make me grin.

the object is to heat the object and apply solder not apply solder to the tip and then to the object it takes practice ... make sure you have a fine point ... all

I reapaired a top D0 point with some metalized paint and a tiny needle to get a ver 1.0 box working, and then contemplated getting a chip. But I realized my chances of successfully soldering were about nil (I don't know how some of you guys do it, i really don't and i hear that a PS2 is even harder )

So I softmodded instead, took @2 minutes and it has a nice shadow c: to protect it from anyone.

I agree that some people (like me) should never be let loose anywhere near circuitry with a hot iron.

Hey, at least you had the sense to realise that you were going to make a mess and backed off.

Lots of people don't. The result?

"MY X-BOX FRAGS! I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT! HELP ME!!!1!11!!" posts...

Props for knowing your limits.

I have more respect for someone who can see a bad situation and stop before the damage is done. It takes guts to come on here and admit you could not do it and would get someone else to do it. You deserve to get the box sorted.
If you lived near me I would mod it for nothing for you.

Sound blaster 16 Isa card = Best damn solder practice board you can really mess with. I solder decent. I am not saying I would really enjoy chipping a pees2, but I can solder all right. I bust it out before I solder on anything, I jsut fuck around on it for a few minutes until I feel comfortable. As for wire to try working with for learning I suggest cutting up and IDE cable or 2 and also try some cat 3/5/6 if you have it lying around. All of it is a little bit differnt but If you mess around with it for a few hours one day and waste some solder and cheap wire, it's alot bettter than wasting a good xbox becasue you didn't wantto take the time to learn how to NOT fuck up your xbox.

---Tip for frinding shit to solder on--

I have used this method for years. On trash night I roll up a fat blunt and drive around all over my neighboorhood and near by areas, I look for old pcs, electronics and whatever.. So far I have about 12 sounds blaster 16 cards... and I solder them all togather, I also suggest pulling the bios out of an old mobo and soldering from those legs to points on the card it will give you some good practice too.

^^ That would make a great signature

Try practising on other things, or get a solderless adapter. I installed an X3 with solderless adapter in like 20 secs, so much easier.

Everyone saying the D0's are a bitch to solder, do you use the topside do?

The Alt-d0 will be your best bet if you continue to attempt this, it will be on the underside, you can find them at team xecuters website





I installed my X3 with solder... in 15mins total.. could have been less if I didn't make a little (and stupid) mistake..
Now... when your solderless adapter gets lose, and you have to take the xbox apart.. it's more of a pain then just practicing soldering once in a while, untill you're brave enough to solder it

sort of off topic but where can i get this metallic paint from to repair a few traces which i sadly tore with my poor soldering but im in uk

And could i use it to make a blob on the top do and set a wire into it to use or do i need to brush up on soldering

I've never used that stuff. I've always used a fine tip soldering iron and some really thin 30AWG kynar wire from Radioshack. Then again, I'm probably a better solderer than you are, so unless you have the skills to solder, someone else may have the answer for your conductive ink. I was always told not to use it.