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[jbedwell81]

ok, i am just wondering if maybe someone knows what is going on here. my matrix chip acts funny. i got it right when they came out, infact i think i preordered. anyway, i know how the thing is supposed to work. i have fair knowledge, and i can read the manual, but alas, my matrix will not program from evox. it gets to the erasing chip screen and does nothing. and yes, i know that SOUNDS like i don't have the switches flipped correctly, but i am telling you i do. the led's don't even change colors as they are supposed to.

now i have a theory. my chip has rattled loose a few times and some of those times the xbox was on and i had to reprogram the chip. so i am thinking maybe something got shorted on the chip to cause this? i looked at it under my magnifying lamp but i didn't see obvious burned resistors or anything, so i figured i would offer this up to see if anybody has a clue.thanks

[Exzir]

Well it might have to do with the version of evox your useing or the flash in your evox that might be needing to be looked at.  Just try looking at the default evox.ini from a unmodified evox and try copying the roms again.  One small digit wrong could have it starting half way through the chip so when it runs out of memory it will freeze.  I would think it would be more so that it started at the end since your still able to boot.

Another thing is that the d0 pogo pin might not have a 100% good connection and that if dureing the erase or write it might dislodge and casue it to freeze.  

Good way of testing this is to try rebooting the xbox to a point where you know the xbox is booting off the matrix chip.  Then reboot again to that point and then again ect.  This will hopefuly see if the d0 is not just a little faulty and it boots off the onboard bios once.

Or if it frags then we know it could be yet another pogo pin other than the d0 causeing the problem.

Lastly it could also be that then memory chip they used for you matrix could have out lived it's life and will not erase.  Good news is that if it had erased and would not write your chip would become useless at least now you still have a bios on it.


Supplemental.  Anyone of these could be the problem just try each one out when you eliminate one goto the next.  Also I might have missed something I hope not but it is possible.

[jbedwell81]

well i already checked the evox.ini settings and they are right. evox even sees what kind of memory chip is there, and i can select it out of the list, but then it freezes upon erasing.

and i don't think the memory on the chip is bad because i can still reflash with the external programmer no problem.

the d0 point not being entirely snug is a very good possiblity.  and here is my dilema. far too often, i have to tap the side of my bow to get the chip to align so i can start my xbox. the solderless approach was a great idea, but after a while the pins don't stay like they are supposed to. So, naturally i would like to solder it down in some way. only problem is that if i solder this chip down, i want to know that i can reflash the bios using software as opposed to the external programmer, becasue if it is soldered in there some way, i don't want to have to desolder every time i want to flash a bios, you know?

and i realize that yes, i could spend a little money and get a new chip to solve this, but i like the matrix just fine, and i don't want to spend more if i don't have to. i don't really have a use for multiple bios banks, and i don't mind using an external switch for bios on/off, so if i can get this thing to reflash with software on the box, i'll keep it.

anyway, i can't test this right now becasue my xbox is in many pieces becasue i am putting it into a new case, so when i get it back together, i guess i'll just go ahead and solder on a d0 wire, solder that to the chip, and try it that way.

[cravavr3]

Try locktite on the screw that holds matrix down, will stay put a long time afterwards without coming loose.

As for Evox, read a few tutorials on it, i saw one a while back that requires a few chasges to ini for flash chip. I just forget where.