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[darthjuky]

Hello Everyone,

I had the three lights of death visit me after it worked for a almost 5 days.

I would like to update my status. I got the 360 working again by doing the towel trick for 20 minutes.  I had done the towel trick before this and it did not last but for a few hours.  I never could get it to go to 2 Lights trying to over heat it so this mod must help it cool better.  I did not disconnect the fan using the towel trick.  I let it go for 20 minutes and Immediately powered it down.  I then powered it up while it was hot and it booted.

One thing I did when I rechecked the the screws where the xclamp was, is that I tightened them as tight as I could get them.  Almost to the point I was worried about cracking the mother board.

In short, It works again. We played for 6 hours saturday night.

We are up an running.  Thanks again everyone and lawdawg.  Booker, glad to hear you got it going.  

Again, Thanks Lawdawg.

[booker]

QUOTE(darthjuky @ Apr 30 2007, 02:03 AM)

Hello Everyone,

I had the three lights of death visit me after it worked for a almost 5 days.

I would like to update my status. I got the 360 working again by doing the towel trick for 20 minutes.  I had done the towel trick before this and it did not last but for a few hours.  I never could get it to go to 2 Lights trying to over heat it so this mod must help it cool better.  I did not disconnect the fan using the towel trick.  I let it go for 20 minutes and Immediately powered it down.  I then powered it up while it was hot and it booted.

One thing I did when I rechecked the the screws where the xclamp was, is that I tightened them as tight as I could get them.  Almost to the point I was worried about cracking the mother board.

In short, It works again. We played for 6 hours saturday night.

We are up an running.  Thanks again everyone and lawdawg.  Booker, glad to hear you got it going.  

Again, Thanks Lawdawg.

 

for some reason i feel i´ll see the 3 rl in my 360 soon..

Could someone read this and tell me what i did wrong?..

My system was freezing every now and then... sometimes it freeze at the intro.. others it took 10 min... and after freezing when i restart the system i got the 0102 3rl.

I did this "mod fix".. i replace the X clamp as the tutorial explains.. i used 2 Washers and the first try i didn´t tight the bolts at all... i actually tighten by hand (i was afraid of breaking the cpu/gpu or mobo).
i did the overheating.. wait unitl i got the 2rl.. and then i left it until the psu turned orange (3 min).

My first boot, the system froze at the 360 intro logo.
restarted.. and i got the 3rl.. so what i did was...

i tight the bolts.. this time with the screwdriver..but this time i got the bolts really tight...but still i left some room...

next boot, it booted perfectly... i left it on the Dash for 2hs.. without a problem.

the next day i played a game and after 10 min.. it froze...
same thing.. after 10 min froze... and got the 3rl again.. 0102 code.

this is when i did 2 things..

the towel trick.. and this time i tighten the bolts as hard as i could. really really tight... i didn´t even care if my system break (kidding) but it was really tight...

boot.. and played for 2hs... the next day 4hs.. the next 5hs... until today ...i played 2 more hs... and so far the system is up and running.

so my question is.. what i did wrong... if doing the towel trick was a bad move, how i´m suppose to "melt" or get those solderings solder again?

let keep my finger crossed  

[mndmelter]

(2)  I eagerly followed the instructions given and the xbox fired up promptly. But Know the screen freezes on start-up, during a game, with or with-out my hard drive in it. or even a game for that much. My screens turns a shade darker and there are lines running vertically on my screen. The xbox is warm but not hot. I am glad that I repaired the 3 lights but know its this. Thanks for the tutorial. If anyone has had this experience (lines on the screen please reply back. thanks. I love the smell off burnt electronics in the mornin.

[booker]

QUOTE(mndmelter @ Apr 30 2007, 03:11 AM)

(2)  I eagerly followed the instructions given and the xbox fired up promptly. But Know the screen freezes on start-up, during a game, with or with-out my hard drive in it. or even a game for that much. My screens turns a shade darker and there are lines running vertically on my screen. The xbox is warm but not hot. I am glad that I repaired the 3 lights but know its this. Thanks for the tutorial. If anyone has had this experience (lines on the screen please reply back. thanks. I love the smell off burnt electronics in the mornin.

check those bolts/nuts the HS may not be that "tight".

[langnao]

QUOTE(booker @ Apr 30 2007, 09:11 AM)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/uhh.gif)

for some reason i feel i´ll see the 3 rl in my 360 soon..

Could someone read this and tell me what i did wrong?..

My system was freezing every now and then... sometimes it freeze at the intro.. others it took 10 min... and after freezing when i restart the system i got the 0102 3rl.

I did this "mod fix".. i replace the X clamp as the tutorial explains.. i used 2 Washers and the first try i didn´t tight the bolts at all... i actually tighten by hand (i was afraid of breaking the cpu/gpu or mobo).
i did the overheating.. wait unitl i got the 2rl.. and then i left it until the psu turned orange (3 min).

My first boot, the system froze at the 360 intro logo.
restarted.. and i got the 3rl.. so what i did was...

i tight the bolts.. this time with the screwdriver..but this time i got the bolts really tight...but still i left some room...

next boot, it booted perfectly... i left it on the Dash for 2hs.. without a problem.

the next day i played a game and after 10 min.. it froze...
same thing.. after 10 min froze... and got the 3rl again.. 0102 code.

this is when i did 2 things..

the towel trick.. and this time i tighten the bolts as hard as i could. really really tight... i didn´t even care if my system break (kidding) but it was really tight...

boot.. and played for 2hs... the next day 4hs.. the next 5hs... until today ...i played 2 more hs... and so far the system is up and running.

so my question is.. what i did wrong... if doing the towel trick was a bad move, how i´m suppose to "melt" or get those solderings solder again?

let keep my finger crossed  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Somehow I feel it is not a permanent fix ... Anyway, you can try the other X-Clamp removal where the mobo is pressed down to the metal casing to prevent any flexing. My old console was completely dead and i couldn't try the other method (last tried was this method). I tried tightening the bolts, etc. When everything was loosen, I could see my board already bent beyond hope....

[RiPpN-N-TrIppN]

QUOTE(booker @ Apr 30 2007, 02:01 AM)

thanks,
Hmmm i don´t think i can follow.

So how i´m suppouse to get those solders melt ? I did the "overheating" technique from Dawg tutorial but it wasn´t enough... since i was still getting the 3rl and freezing. after x clamp and overheating technique.

Then i did the towel trick and also i tighten the bolts very tight... i guess they weren´t tight enough before. Since then my system have been working without a problem for 4 days.. and running.

What should be the right "step" to melt the solders instead of warms the soldering? (remember the 2 min overheating from the tutorial didn´t work on my case).

 the towel can go alot longer then 4 days
the towel had my box going for a good 3 weeks before she died again
i replaced the thermal paste with some AS5 got a good few weeks error free just starting to mess up a little now
going to give this method a try probally tomorrow see how it turns out
but if this x clamp replacement is the actual solution to the 3ROD then by just having them replaced should hopefully mean that the box should stay error free as long as you can get it to boot up right ?
Rip

[FrostyTheSnowman]

Alright, here's a question...

Has anyone else noticed a weird 'wave'-like interference when running at 1080i? It's barely noticable, but I can tell it is there. I have resoldered and repaired the capacitor I broke on my GPU, but it has had no effect on this 'wave'-like interference at 1080i...

So, i'm wondering if it is something else. Has anyone else noticed this?

NOTE: This 'interference' does not happen at ANY other resolution, ONLY 1080i. All other resolutions (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080p) work fine.

[booker]

QUOTE(RiPpN-N-TrIppN @ Apr 30 2007, 01:30 PM)

the towel can go alot longer then 4 days
the towel had my box going for a good 3 weeks before she died again
i replaced the thermal paste with some AS5 got a good few weeks error free just starting to mess up a little now
going to give this method a try probally tomorrow see how it turns out
but if this x clamp replacement is the actual solution to the 3ROD then by just having them replaced should hopefully mean that the box should stay error free as long as you can get it to boot up right ?
Rip

oh well...i´ll play until the 360 break again..i´m a bit tire of this "crap". If the 360 works, fine if it get the 3rl... bye bye.. this is enough i did all i can do.

[Carkus]

Thanks Lawdawg0931 and RBJtech for both your tutorials.

I read both, and performed the mod over the weekend.

So far its all working well.

I've taken pic's of the whole process, but dont have anywhere to upload my guide/pictures to. Anyone got any webspace I can post it to? PM me.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MPSX8P2H
May have exceeded download limit already, as im not a member...

Thanks again.

[booker]

QUOTE(RiPpN-N-TrIppN @ Apr 30 2007, 01:30 PM)

the towel can go alot longer then 4 days
the towel had my box going for a good 3 weeks before she died again
i replaced the thermal paste with some AS5 got a good few weeks error free just starting to mess up a little now
going to give this method a try probally tomorrow see how it turns out
but if this x clamp replacement is the actual solution to the 3ROD then by just having them replaced should hopefully mean that the box should stay error free as long as you can get it to boot up right ?
Rip

So you did the 3xclamp and still got the 3rl after 3 weeks?

What´s the poing of doing the X clamp? i though the X clamp were the reason why the Solder get loose. If you do the X clamp,m the solders shouldn´t get loose... but they still do ?  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/uhh.gif)
You do the towel trick to overheat the system and fix those loose solders... and then the X clamp replacement should make the Solders don´t get loose.

What i´m missing here?

It would be cool to make a 2nd poll asking of those who did the X clamp and voted as a FIX if they got the 3l again. because i bet those 90 votes, some saw the 3l again...

I´m not being negative, i´m just freaking out... and a bit mad already... with MS... of  course.

This post has been edited by booker: Apr 30 2007, 05:03 PM

[lawdawg0931]

QUOTE(booker @ Apr 30 2007, 11:01 AM)

What´s the point of doing the X clamp? i though the X clamp were the reason why the Solder get loose. If you do the X clamp,m the solders shouldn´t get loose... but they still do ?  

The X-clamps were probably the reason the BMG-style soldering didn't hold in the first place, but once damage has been done (ie compromised connections) - then removing the X clamps won't fix the damage done. It just keeps the board from flexing. That's why some people have to overheat for 2 minutes, that's why some people have to do the towel trick, that's why still others have to have a professional BMG reflow service. Everyones damage isn't going to be the same. For most, just removing the flexing tends to make good connections again. For others - you just gotta find what works for you....

[JakeDunn]

QUOTE(Carkus @ Apr 30 2007, 08:50 AM)

Thanks Lawdawg0931 and RBJtech for both your tutorials.

I read both, and performed the mod over the weekend.

So far its all working well.

I've taken pic's of the whole process, but dont have anywhere to upload my guide/pictures to. Anyone got any webspace I can post it to? PM me.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MPSX8P2H
May have exceeded download limit already, as im not a member...

Thanks again.

Dude, thanks for those pics. I've been meaning to ask someone if they can provide pictures along the way of the fixing process.

Kudos again man (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[booker]

QUOTE(lawdawg0931 @ Apr 30 2007, 05:47 PM)

The X-clamps were probably the reason the BMG-style soldering didn't hold in the first place, but once damage has been done (ie compromised connections) - then removing the X clamps won't fix the damage done. It just keeps the board from flexing. That's why some people have to overheat for 2 minutes, that's why some people have to do the towel trick, that's why still others have to have a professional BMG reflow service. Everyones damage isn't going to be the same. For most, just removing the flexing tends to make good connections again. For others - you just gotta find what works for you....

That´s my point.. so i did nothing wrong.. it was fine to do the Towel trick, after  then?...
After doing the towel trick and tighten the Bolts, really tight my system have been working for 4days.. before this i couldn´t play for longer than 5 min.

If i did the X clamp replacement correcltly.. i shouldn´t get those soldering loose again?

I´m correct?

QUOTE(JakeDunn @ Apr 30 2007, 06:07 PM)

Dude, thanks for those pics. I've been meaning to ask someone if they can provide pictures along the way of the fixing process.

Kudos again man

Do i have to register?

[mattygabe]

QUOTE(polarz @ Apr 23 2007, 11:36 PM)

I'm getting flakey results. The mod will work for 2-3 days perfectly then boom 3 rings are back. The 3 rings always seem to come back after an extended shut down time, ~18 hours. I play w/ the tightness of the screws/bolts or repeat step 7 and am good for another couple days. I have repeated step 7 ~3 times all w/ eventual temporary success.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm almost to the point of leaving the bottom portion of the case open so I can access the internal parts easier.....

On another note I dinged off one of the items in the pic below when I was tightening a bolt and slipped. It was on the back side of the motherboard, but I couldn't find a decent pic. My xbox behavior has not changed since this happened. I still continue to get the same flakey results, but I was wondering what this part was and if I should repair it. It obviously serves a purpose, but if it's non-critical I'll leave it be. It appears to be non-critical as I've logged ~20 hours with no problems with this part missing.

Thanks,
polarz

(IMG:http://iowa.home.mchsi.com/ding.JPG)

Well, as I stated way back on April 2, 2007 I would keep track of my progress.  So far, the fix is working gloriously for my box.  As for your comment that it doesn't work after sitting... That is not my experience whatsoever.

My 360 actually spent a few days packed up in a bookbag, and did some traveling here and there in that entire month.  It's not to say it hasn't had its fair share of use, however.  Recently my fiancee and I bought Viva Pinata and have been playing it for hours at a time.  Also, Night at the Museum was played in its entirety on the box last night, which is what I understand one of the more strenuous activities you can push the 360's hardware to do.  Not a single burp along the way.  I will keep everyone posted most likely in another month, but so far I am happy with the results.

[lawdawg0931]

QUOTE(booker @ Apr 30 2007, 12:12 PM)

If i did the X clamp replacement correcltly.. i shouldn´t get those soldering loose again?

I´m correct?

All I know is that several people have had working Xbox's for weeks (close to a month now) after removing the X clamps. I fixed two, but I have a box that continued to give me problems after I did the X-clamp mod. Then I did the fan shroud mod, then the 12v mod, then put heatsinks on the southbridge & front ram chips, then cut a hole in the bottom case & put a 12v fan there.... it still gave me problems. Sometimes the flexing apparently caused enough damage to the BMG process that only a professional reflow can help. If you feel that you've done all you can to your 360, & you still are getting red lights or freezing - at least give RBJTech's method a go next, to see if that holds things together better for you. If all else fails, send it to a professional for a proper reflow.

This post has been edited by lawdawg0931: May 1 2007, 03:06 AM