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OG Xbox Forums => Hardware Forums => General Hardware/Technical Chat => Topic started by: munkle on March 17, 2005, 12:05:00 AM

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: munkle on March 17, 2005, 12:05:00 AM

Just wondering what is the logic of MS of putting an lpc on the board that can boot a bios? is it used for diagnostics or something if you send your xbox in for repair? i know the 1.6 that you have to rebuild it to have it boot a bios from it, but why not just remove it all together? or why even have it in there in the first place?

This post has been edited by munkle: Mar 17 2005, 08:06 AM

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: G0t M4xx 21 on March 17, 2005, 12:07:00 AM

it is used during manufacturing of the board (testing, flashing the tsop, etc.)

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: munkle on March 17, 2005, 12:11:00 AM

cool, thanks i always like to learn how stuff works

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: Chancer on March 17, 2005, 11:32:00 AM

MS put it on to make it easier to mod the boxes :D  :D

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: networkBoy on March 17, 2005, 12:22:00 PM

QUOTE(Chancer @ Mar 17 2005, 06:02 PM)

MS put it on to make it easier to mod the boxes :D  :D

:rotfl:


edit: wrong quote.
-nB

This post has been edited by networkBoy: Mar 17 2005, 08:23 PM

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: minnow on March 17, 2005, 01:03:00 PM

Excellent question, and excellent conclusion. My wife asked me that when I was modding. I told her that they must use it for setup and troubleshooting. That's all that makes sense, really. But I liked the "to make it easier to mod" response, myself. :)

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: LepPpeR on March 17, 2005, 01:05:00 PM

my question to MS is why they do not FILL the wholes with something that cannot me moved.  Never understood why they just left it open like that.

Perhaps filling it with a glue like substance.

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: Perplexer on March 17, 2005, 02:20:00 PM

QUOTE(LepPpeR @ Mar 17 2005, 11:35 AM)

my question to MS is why they do not FILL the wholes with something that cannot me moved.  Never understood why they just left it open like that.

Perhaps filling it with a glue like substance.

The Netpliance I-Opener was one of my first, and still my most enjoyable hack projects.  There are many similarities between hacking the I-Opener and hacking the Xbox!

I-Opener was essentially a fully-functioning PC, sold at a loss.  Its BIOS locked the system down to run only its own operating system.  Sound like a certain game console we know?  :P

It was a subscription-based internet appliance, much like WebTV, which would let people with little to no computer experience get online and check their email, etc.  Pentium processor, integrated XVGA LCD screen, speakers, USB, modem, etc.  Looked a bit like the flat-panel iMacs.  For $99!!

Hackers were able to develop an alternate BIOS that would allow you to use the system as a regular PC.  (Sound like a certain game console we know?)  Many ran Linux or Windows on it.

Reflashing the BIOS was a matter of taking the BIOS chip out of its socket and reflashing it with a programmer or a PC motherboard.

Well, Netpliance didn't like this, and their newer versions of the I-Opener had the BIOS chip and socket covered in epoxy, much like your suggestion.  We still found ways around it.  A heat gun would soften the epoxy enough that it could be carefully chipped out.  Later on, there were ways to reflash the chip without even needing to remove it from the socket.  ("Exploits" anyone?  :P )

Even if MS were to epoxy over the LPC connectors, there are alternate points on the board to get those signals.   :D

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: munkle on March 17, 2005, 04:56:00 PM

this is quite the intresting thread  :rotfl:  :ph34r:

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: philoushka on March 17, 2005, 05:05:00 PM

Actually they filled in the LPC holes on the 1.0 xbox mobos. Makes for fun work to melt & suck it all to get a pinheader in there.

Title: Why Is The Lpc On The Board?
Post by: G0t M4xx 21 on March 17, 2005, 05:09:00 PM

i just do wire installs on 1.0. Melt solder, quickly shove in wire. repeat. done.