Print

[darrenven]

Hi

My xbox 360 recently stopped playing games it will only work with cds i.e. music and dvds partially work but flicker/freeze/jump/etc alot.

After researching this it seems the most common cause is a faulty/worn laser and needs to be replaced.

I know there is the pot tweak but it is only a short term fix

My question is this

If i purchase a replacement identical hitachi GDR-3120L drive with the same ROM code, could i swap the laser and all will be well obviously assuming the laser is the fault, or do i need to include the main/circuit board in the swap? or is there more to it?


Many thanks
Daz

This post has been edited by darrenven: Feb 17 2008, 09:01 PM

[RDC]

The laser is the same in all of the Hitachi as well as Samsung version 360 drives, and there are 2 versions also, the SF-HD63 and SF-HD67 and either one can be used as a replacement.

If ya want to buy a whole new drive, for whatever reason, then yes you can just swap out lasers and that it, but buying just the laser would be cheaper.

The Hitachi drive also has an issue with the spindle motor, and that could be the cause as well. It gets full of gunk and doesn't spin properly, just cleaning and relubing it fixes that problem though. If ya still are set to get a whole new drive you can get any version Hitachi and then just swap over the Logic board from yours into the new one, thus turning the new one into your drive without having to mess with FW flashing and such.

[darrenven]

thanks for your help

just to expand on your points, i have already purchased a laser but it doesnt seem to work im pretty sure i desoldered correctly and fitted it properly but still no avail. it makes very weird noises and doesnt seem to slide up and down correctly but if i put my old one back this works fine is there something im missing?


Just to clarify the logic board is all i need to swap over, its the main board which has all the ribbon cables connected to it and sits on the underside of the drive?

Many thanks

[RDC]

Yes the Logic board is the large one inside the drive.

If the new laser wasn't desoldered correctly it wouldn't work at all, same would be true if it were bad which can happen from time to time.

Unless the new laser came with the Tensioner (most likely didn't) it needs to be taken off the old laser and put on the new one, I assume you did this step as not doing it would seem really off when ya went to install the new one. Laser replacement tutorials are in my Sig if ya need to see what I'm referring to.

[darrenven]

If i didnt unsolder properly is there any way to save the laser as in, ive put it in and its doesnt work properly, does the fact that i put it in and swithed it on automatically fry the laser or is it savable?

and yes i did use my old tensioner so that cant be the problem its more with the fact that the drive seems to spin and sort of increase its rpm then drops then increases and drops again not allowing the laser to read it ive checked the ribbons and they are all fine just a faulty laser im guessing

Regards

[RDC]

If ya didn't desolder the Anti Static point completely then the thing just wouldn't work until ya do is all, it doesn't fry anything installing it and forgetting that step, ya just get a laser that doesn't seem to work is all.