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[moonphrogg]

Okay -

So about a week ago, I rattled out an extended rant about how suddenly I couldn't get my 360 dvd drive to read anything anymore.

Iterations attempted: 74850c w/stock firmware, 74850c w/lt+ 1.1, benq spoofed as 74850c w/lt+ 1.1 (yeah, stupid, I know - but this system is already flagged - I know it's only a matter of time before I'm busted anyways - incidentally, this worked for me for quite some time).

On a possibly related note, I used to have a blaster ck3 installed on my system - it is no longer installed. Are there known issues with having one of these installed then uninstalling it?

Anyways - let's cut to the present:

Bought a "new" 74850c DG-16D2S from foundmy.com. Also purchased a ck3 pro to flash this with.

My flashing setup:

• ck3 pro (for power)
• x360USB pro (for flashing)
• standard atx computer power supply
• xbox 360 (zephyr)
• liteon DG-16D2S (newly purchased from foundmy.com)

So, to make sure everything went right, I updated the firmware on the x360usb pro to the latest (1.8, I believe) and am using the latest version of JF (0.1.83 beta [241]). I flashed the drive 3 times using the dummy.bin (generated from my original dump of key and related files) an the latest lt+ 1.1 grabbed from ixtreme.net.

Each flash went perfectly and returned all the correct info in the log according to JF (and the PDF guide), yet upon dropping my newly flashed newly acquired drive into the xbox and testing a few games on it (original and backups), I get a split second of "reading disc" and then it's stuck at "open tray". I haven't tried any other media (movie DVDs, audio CDs), but it seems that my drive is currently incapable of reading anything right now.

I googled my issue, and almost every source points to the problem being the laser, in spite of having this exact problem with 3 separate drives, and never reading anywhere before that I'm supposed to disconnect the laser ribbon cable when flashing.

So, I pose my question to the masses of modders out there who are most likely smarter and more experienced than myself - is this really a laser issue, or is it possible I'm looking at a different problem?

For what it's worth, I checked out the laser on the newest drive. The laser appears to be functioning properly (moving up/down back/forth with what appears to be a strong light coming from it). I tried using a POT tweak on the newest drive, and I tweaked it from 3.7kOhm all the way down to 3.2kOhm (.1 or .2 at a time, testing in between) with no change in results.

Let me know guys- thanks!

[ichigoxxx]

does it have the right Keys, and why did u flashed it 3 times

[moonphrogg]

I flashed it with the same key that I used for the previous working drive (Benq spoofed as LiteOn).

I flashed it three times in an effort to get it working. . .the first flash was before updating the firmware on the x360usb and getting the latest release of JF. The third flash, I disconnected the laser ribbon in a last ditch effort to get this thing working. . .

[360360]

if you never disconnected the laser then you more than likely have a dodgy laser, i never use to disconnect them until i started getting read errors, ever since then i disconect the laser everytime before flashing any liteon or benq drives and i have never had a problem since. try swapping out your laser see how it goes.

[moonphrogg]

QUOTE(360360 @ Jun 6 2011, 03:45 PM)

try swapping out your laser see how it goes.

That's the plan - already ordered a replacement. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[Mjollnir]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LGbUi1lT0c

Tried this? I find this to be a very COMMON culprit.

[moonphrogg]

QUOTE(Mjollnir @ Jun 7 2011, 01:09 PM)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LGbUi1lT0c

Tried this? I find this to be a very COMMON culprit.

Thanks for the recommendation - this didn't do the trick, unfortunately. Regardless, I'm not sure if this was even the problem since my laser wasn't sliding out to the edge of the disc to begin with (on startup, at least).

That said, if my laser wasn't burnt out before, it's definitely burnt out now. I figured that while I was in my dvd drive, I might try a few different troubleshooting solutions found around the web (dangerous, I know), including cleaning the lens (on a "brand new" drive), dusting out the general interior of my 360 with an air duster, and doing a little more POT tweaking. Unfortunately, I think that gratuitous POT tweaking lead my laser to an early demise. Where once upon a time I was able to clearly see the laser through the disc during start-up (and getting the "open tray" error), now it shines moderately bright for about 5 seconds before fading out entirely.

Now, while I was in there, it raised a couple more questions for me, like: What should a properly calibrated laser look like while a disc is in play and reading properly? I understand it should shine through the disc, but with what intensity?

Also, what is the proper "startup" action for the laser? On my drive it was simply staying in the innermost ring and moving up and down (perpendicular to the disc) in what appeared to be a "focusing" action. . .is the laser supposed to run out to the edge of the disc and back?

[mat1c]

this is a long shot but happens every now and again when i flash an xbox.
check to make sure the sata cable is connected to the 360's motherboard firmly and that the other end is also plugged into the dvd drive firmly.
i've had instances where i somehow disconnected the sata from the mobo and upon putting it all back together, i get that instantaneous open tray error. just something to check out.
also, i've had the laser somehow move too far in and unable to read the innermost part of the disk. again, this causes an instantenous open tray error. i had initially thought i had fried the laser on an xbox that did this, but by simply moving the laser out ever so slightly fixed the problem.

again, not saying these will fix ur issues. just be sure to check everything.

[moonphrogg]

QUOTE(mat1c @ Jun 9 2011, 11:45 PM)

this is a long shot but happens every now and again when i flash an xbox.
check to make sure the sata cable is connected to the 360's motherboard firmly and that the other end is also plugged into the dvd drive firmly.

Thanks for the additional info - it turns out the SATA cable was the problem (figured it out on my own, though - here to report back on my findings)

Anyways - I installed the new laser, had the same issue. Did a minor POT tweak to the new laser, same issue. At this point, I've eliminated the drive from the equation - either my xbox is F'd, or one of my cables has gone bad. I tried swapping out the power cable, no change. Tried swapping out the SATA cable and voila! My xbox once again reads everything!!

Unfortunately, no amount of tweaking will get my old SATA cable to work - something is wrong with it, and I don't feel like figuring it out.

Sooooo. . .I've ordered a replacement SATA and power cable on ebay - just gotta wait for it to arrive, now.

For everyone else having this problem, let me explain the symptoms in detail:

- Laser barely moves on startup - back and forth less than a centimeter, focuses up and down very slightly.
- On inserting a disc, my system says "reading" for a split second - literally less than half a second. Then it goes immediately to "open tray"

Solution (in my case): new SATA cable for dvd drive.