What is the main advantage of reballing VS using something like this?

http://www.modjunkiez.com/Team-Xecuter-RRO...it-V2_p_84.html

rrod kit is like 30$ and reball is going to cost like 50-60$

i wouldn't trust a $50 reball, one that i did trust would cost more than it's worth, and xclamp is pure junk. invest your money where it will count, get a jasper ~$100 or a slim $200. i prefer jaspers, easier to mod, solid built and now dirt cheap.

I understand having a jasper would be the preferred way to go. That said i have an opportunity to get a rrod 0102 xenon..... so I'd like to know what the best method is and what kind of results to expect(if there are any type of consistent results)

I agree... a Jasper is much more reliable, and the extra money is worth it. With a Xenon, there are several RROD fixes available, most of which are temporary at best. Sure, a good reball (or even reflow) could last a while, but the bottom line is that these models are prone to failure. Forget the xclamp kits! They may buy you a day, a week, a month, but the RROD WILL come back and they will end up damaging your system in the long term! Guaranteed.

When I was shopping for a Jtag last year, I got a great deal on a Jasper bundle. It was the best investment ever, and has not failed me once after a year of rigorous use.

If you're dead set on buying that Xenon, go for it. Just know that you may rescuing it from RROD on a regular basis I'd start out with a proper reflow. They're not too expensive, and if done right, will last a while. Hopefully, that one you're looking at is a "virgin" box, meaning nobody has messed around with it yet. The more fix attempts that are done previously, the lower the chances that you'll be able to bring it back to life.

if u don't already own it, don't start owning it. if u feel like pissing money away, go ahead, but i personally advise waiting for a cold night, and burning your money for warmth as it would be a better use of it. make sure to break all bills down to $1 first so it last longer.

If it's a jtag (or jtag-able) then it's worth getting it reballed...
After the reball, put a cpu cooler on the gpu and your Xenon now runs (almost) as cool as a Jasper

If the dash is too new, then it's much better to put the money towards a jtag...

I have a Xenon samsung unit that I use as a Live console, got it for free so I just re-flowed it and put a cpu cooler on the gpu and an extra 120mm fan, and it's been running flawlessly over 2 years now...

Already jtagged. What CPU cooler did you use? I know diff models =diff fitting brackets, etc.

I just took a Falcon cpu cooler, the alu one.
But if it's already jtag'd, then it worth a reball, imho...

interesting advice, i personally charge $50 for reflow and $70 for reball some people charge more or less

x clamp is junk, get it out of your brain

however when people praise jaspers as if jesus blessed them is very wrong

they are the latest released model aside from valhalla so give them 3 yrs and they will fail

slims are already failing

want to know why its the lead free solder

when a skilled professional puts a new GPU and uses lead solder that is better than anything microsoft will put out

this is an article i published which explains

skim through it, cause its long lol

Don't X-Clamp fix.

Get a reflow or a reball. I got my Xenon reballed with a new GPU for £35 with leaded solder (I think that's somewhere around the $60-70 mark). It's been running fine for a couple of months now at the very least, which is good considering summer has been VERY warm over here!

If it's JTAGGED, then get it reballed. X-Clamp fix is pointless. As for the person who said they would not trust a $50 reball, price does not matter, it's the quality of work. More expensive does not mean better work.

Hey,

I know there is no love for the x-clamp fix, but the nylon washer and bolts cost about $2 total. I have had alot of success fixing xbox's I pick up for free. I bought a flux pen, heat gun and a laser temperature reader and have never had 1 red ring on me again.

I think the most important thing I do is install a 70mm fan in the side of the case, I'd guess it cuts heat in the case by about 50% and blows fresh air directly on the GPU and CPU heat sinks.

I've fixed maybe 10 or 12 xbox's and with the supplies I've purchased I would estimate it has cost about $7 per xbox and it's been about a year and a half since I did my first one and it's still going strong.

I just don't see the purpose of paying $70 for re-balling when you can buy a replacement xbox for about the same price.

Thanks

its not a fix, it is a trick to separate fools from their money. if you are doing this professionally, do yourself and your clients a favor and get real equipment. it was one thing to sell that fix years ago when no one really knew better, but now the data is out and anyone selling this fix is honestly ripping people off.

anybody that thinks some bolts and washers is gonna fix something electronic is retarded

Indeed, the parts you need for a proper x-clamp fix wouldn't cost mroe than $5-$10. The technique on implementation is very important thu. If you are not sure what you do, just leave the MS clamps on and do a PROPER Professional reflow or reballing. Replacing the old crappy thermal paste with high perfomance one like Arctic Silver 5, is a MUST at any solution you might choose.

Dont believe all you read here. I have a Xenon, and when I jtagged it I saw the temp it was running at 80degrees+!

So I did some work on it myself, removed the x-clamp crap and replaced the heatsinks and fans, installed an external fan on the side of the case. Even put mini heat sinks on all chips around.

It now is running around 58 degrees on CPU, GPU is 40degrees and has been for 2 years solid.

I think you miss the very important issue with the x-clamp its design to distribute the pressure on the heatsink unevenly! It actually helps promote the cracking of the solder and reduces cooling by making the heatsink not sit properly.

I think the best combination is to reball and remove the shit x-clamp. I do hope people who reball do not keep the x-clamp...

When I did the work myself of removing the x-clamp and fixing all the heatsinks with new artic silver, new fans etc the heat dropped dramtically from 80+ degrees down to 58 on the CPU alone, the GPU went even further.

Bottomline is the x-clamp is crap and so was the original soldering.

One of the most interesting things I found when I did this fix, I took someones advice and sanded down my heatsinks to make them as shiney as possible to add heat absorbtion, and you know what I found, the sodding heatsinks were not FLAT! so they never sat perfectly on the CPU and GPU originally anyway!

All in all the xbox360 is a terrible mess of cheap quickly put in components. But if you take the time to fix it up it will last Xenon or not.

Why CPU/GPU manufacturers steered away from the PIN style chip design to BGA design is beyond me. Its a bit retarded relying on little solder balls to provide continuity of the circuit. Would never happen with the old PIN style chips

Um water cooling anyone???

Water cooling that's what I'm planning on doing to my Jtag once I get it reballed, even looking as far as a custom made cooler as I think I can do better than the few that are commercially available. I am also gonna move the DVD from in the case to outside probably in an old broken Xbox HD drive I have, that will give more room to breathe etc.

Go spend 30 bucks on a heatgun and reflow it that way. Then do a 12V fan mod. Cheapest, effective, fix.



The xclamps prevent board warping. The only reason you should take out the Xclamps is if they don't grab the pegs anymore. Having bolts in warps the board because it pulls the heatsink down on the chip and bends the board around it. Instead, the Xclamps push the chip up toward the heatsinks meaning that that the board doesn't flex and bend. This is one of the most common mistakes I see when fixing RROD.

well yea... all this bullshit in here

i have a perfectly jtag'ed x-clamp-fixed zephyr... and my baby is running perfectly fine for 2 years

first understand what the xclamp fix does... it avoids the flex by heating/cooling. secondly, also do the 12v fan mod. its extremely noisy but temp stays at 40° C