i was told that a 15 watt would be perfect for this mod. the 15watt couldnt even soak up the solder on the side of the ports. anyone done this mod? if so, what wattage did you use?

I have a 15 watt from Radio Shack that works perfectly. I've used this iron for chip installs, controller port LEDs, controller dongle LEDs, controller LEDs, and many other things.

Also, sometimes the solder itself has a lot to do with things. My friend was using some of his solder to try and solder copper together. He couldn't get it to work with his, but once he tried the stuff I have it worked first time.

i use a dual wattage 15-30 watt from radioshack i use it for everything

can you show me a tut of how you did the controller port leds? i tired the one when you need to desolder the globs on the side of the ports...the solder would melt, but once i tryed to put a braid on it and apply the iron, no result

I'll try to find the guide that I used, if not I guess I can write a little mini-condensed version (without pics as my camera sucks major A).

EDIT: I couldn't find the exact Tut for the controller port but I did find this...
http://xbox-scene.com/articles/controller-glow2.php

The dongle (on the inside) is the exact same setup as the controller port. If you need any help I'll be glad to lend assistance.
AIM: warlordking64
MSN: hirchi_kiss@hotmail.com

yeah a 15 watt soldering iron should work perfect for doing the controller port LED mod. Just takes a little bit f patience as with a lot of things in the world haha. But seriously you should have no problem sucking up some sloder in the the copper braid. just make sure you give it some

15 watt is what i got and it works great, you could also try that solder sucker upper thing, looks like a syringe thing. The boss at work uses one and its awesome for sucking up solder.

Just pick up the dual wattage one. The 15W is nice for most work, the 30W is nice for de-soldering. I think the price difference is only about $3.

solder sucker....or....30 watt? that is the questions =P. i dont think the 15watt was meant for desoldering with the braid. idk, i will try again tonight

Try getting some solder resin. When i use easy braid i always put a little bit of resin on there to get things heated evenlyonce the iron is applied. Also when you use the braid you dont melt the solder first, you heat up the solder with the braid between the solder and the iron.

i always use a 30 w
i use it for chip installs and all sorts of mods

cooked a few mobos but nothing too serious i can always seem to fix em

this one would be easier for a noob

How much are those solder suckers? I've been wanting to get one for awhile now.

lol, i tryed that tut, i cant get all of the solder off.

i know i need to apply the braid between the solder and the iron,

but i still cant get the metal parts off. do i need to take the solder off the sides? or in the cracks as well?

how long does it take for a 15watt to heat up completely?

I did this mod to my new xbox, god damn it was a bitch to do it, but plenty worth it. I use I think a 15-30 watt btw, somewhere in there is the best for mods. But man the controller ports were horrible to install, but I use electrical tape and when and if your red a black wires come apart like mine did, don't worry just solder them back to the right spot.

im going to order off of llama.com tonight. i was wondering if the manual desolder pump works good. if it doesn't, does llama sell braid? i wanna do the controller port mod and the sooner i order this stuff the better

I never took off the solder from the controller ports, I just used a flathead screwdriver and poped it right off because I didn't care.

of all tuts, you should make one.lol, i did exactly as you did. ports came off with ease

I used a 25W for my controller port leds, side vent led mod , and jewel led ring with no probs

This is what I do, kind of like the flathead screwdriver proposal, just not so destructive. I use the 30w and no deslodering braid/sucker. Just wedge the small screwdrive in the crease where it's solder together on top, gently pry and at the same time put the iron to the solder. When it melt, the housing will seperate, and you just do the same to the otherside.

You can't melt the solder on the controller port case with a 15? Not trying to bag on you too hard, but if you can't do that, you probably shouldn't be soldering.

Just give it some time, and if it helps you any, grab some desolder braid or a desolder pump. It really isn't as hard as you might think.

i worded that wrong, i meant that the i couldnt soak up the solder in the braid.

Alright, well if you've got a Radio Shack nearby, pick up a desolder pump. Braid is a little tough to work with in my opinion, and using a pump just seems to work better. Best part is, you won't have to wait for the solder to soak into something; you melt it and suck it up.

If you're going to resume using the braid, make sure the braid is on top of the solder, and the tip is pressed to the braid. You have to apply a little bit of pressure, but don't press too hard.