Post by: xbox_earth on November 07, 2007, 09:54:00 AM
I'm thinking of opening a lan room, but the only thing holding me back is the idea of the 360's getting rrod. I've looked through the forums and found a few things to fix rrod but none to prevent it.
So my question is, what is the best solution to prevent this from happening?
Thankyou very much for your time and help
Post by: SlickWilly440 on November 07, 2007, 10:37:00 AM
Well according to SMTRework. the problem seems to be: not enough cooling, the use of lead-free solder balls to attach the gpu/cpu to the mobo (instead of solder that contains lead), and the warpring of the motherboard.
Putting those three aspects together one could say, the combination of heat and pressure to the mobo causes the lead-free solder balls on the gpu/cpu to detach from the warped mobo; causing the 3rlod. He saids the cpu gets hotter than the gpu, thus causing more solder balls to detach from the cpu than the gpu
He said the best fix for this was to get a BGA (ball gride array) re-work, which would replace all the lead-free solder balls with lead ones. However this isn't a DIY job, so it requires paying a professional around 200 dollars to use professional/expensive eqipment to get the job done.
He also stated that since lead-free solder has a higher melting point then lead solder, when people overheat their consoles, they are NOT reflowing the solder balls, but actually re-warping the board in hopes that the cpu/gpu re-connects with the mobo. So the overheating temperature does not reach high enough to melt the solder balls, but to warp the mobo.
I also read on that thread there there is some law that doesn't allow companies to use lead solder in children's toys and that's why MS used lead-free solder.
I also read on wikipedia that lead-free solder does not work well with electronics that experience tremendous heat.
So lets say you don't want to spend the money to get the BGA rework. Then I guess the only options are to rig up an adequate cooling setup and take pressure off of the board by doing the x-clamp fix (Lawdogs or RBJTech) and adding extra support under the mobo , which would reduce the heat and pressure that causes the mobo to warp and detach from the cpu/gpu.
I'm guess you already know, but there is a stick link in the hardware modification section of this site that links to a good amount of cooling and pressure releasing mods.
I hope this helps.
This post has been edited by SlickWilly440: Nov 7 2007, 06:39 PM
Post by: Tortuga2112 on November 07, 2007, 11:24:00 AM
QUOTE(xbox_earth @ Nov 7 2007, 05:54 PM) 
Hello all,
I'm thinking of opening a lan room, but the only thing holding me back is the idea of the 360's getting rrod. I've looked through the forums and found a few things to fix rrod but none to prevent it.
So my question is, what is the best solution to prevent this from happening?
Thankyou very much for your time and help (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
only way to prevent it %100 is don't buy one. otherwise , roll the dice.
Post by: SlickWilly440 on November 07, 2007, 05:05:00 PM
I for one hand purposely bought my first and only 360 off of eBay with the 3rlod after reading about the X-Clamp fix. I had a great time searching, reading, and doing fixes on the 360. Also I learned that the 3rlod, wasn't the only problem, but I was getting a "unplayable disc" message for every time of media, which gave me the chance to open up the dvd-rom drive the first time. Turned out the magnet on the spinning device had come off and was stuck to the white cog wheel. I've also have to open up the dvd drive many times to make pot adjustments and do the rubber pad mod for "open tray" errors.
And off course my 360 gave the 3rlod last week, but it gave me another chance to open up the unit again and had a fun time fixing it.
And now for some reason all the games that a play freeze after playing the console for about 10 minutes, which I believe is a cooling error that needs fixing.
But all in all, if you like opening electronics up and doing fixes that any noob can, with the right knowledge and tools, then the 360 is the right console for you.
Oh and playing games on the 360 is fun too....I guess. I'm kind of the person who enjoys the excitement of seeing if the fix will allow me to play games on the 360, rather playing the actual games themselves.
Post by: xbox_earth on November 07, 2007, 07:37:00 PM
Keep the suggestions coming if possible
thx
Post by: Smoogie on November 07, 2007, 07:55:00 PM
would it be better to replace the xclamps right away as soon as i get it or wait till it 3 red lights on me?
Post by: brandogg on November 07, 2007, 09:09:00 PM
Post by: Smoogie on November 07, 2007, 10:13:00 PM
QUOTE(brandogg @ Nov 8 2007, 05:09 AM)
Only if you want to void your warranty.
well. my warranty will already be voided. sorry i should said that. i'll be modding the 360 anyway, so that will void it.
so do you think i should xclamp replace it or wait till it 3 red lights?
Post by: rameysblackbelt on November 17, 2007, 09:43:00 PM
QUOTE(Smoogie @ Nov 8 2007, 06:13 AM)
well. my warranty will already be voided. sorry i should said that. i'll be modding the 360 anyway, so that will void it.
so do you think i should xclamp replace it or wait till it 3 red lights?
well i bought used 360 shell and hooked up 4 pc fans ontop 4 on bottom run off a power supply my 360 never gets hot at all. anyone wanting a picture this let me know
how to do it is cut 4 holes in top and 4 holes in bottom the used case get total 8 pc fans high speed then perfcet airflow in hehe worked for me so far
Post by: SuDDeN on November 18, 2007, 12:27:00 AM
QUOTE(rameysblackbelt @ Nov 17 2007, 11:43 PM)
well i bought used 360 shell and hooked up 4 pc fans ontop 4 on bottom run off a power supply my 360 never gets hot at all. anyone wanting a picture this let me know
how to do it is cut 4 holes in top and 4 holes in bottom the used case get total 8 pc fans high speed then perfcet airflow in hehe worked for me so far
Post Pics... I'm game (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)