With Virgil away and me having a small gap of free time before exam preparations begin, my 'undead' brain which hasn't slept in the past 10 hours has decided to do the unimaginable:

Play God

I shall now document as much as possible my attempt in reviving my 3ROL console.



Warning! Warning!

It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to send your console for the x-clamp repair to a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL (Namely Virgil, Djinn, tot31, or jaylike7)

Do NOT attempt to go Gung-ho, Rambo, or hero on your own console.

My actions here are due to my lack of logic at the moment and has thus led to this.

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Added on June 1, 2007, 6:58 pmStep 1 - Ripping the sides out

Start by removing the FRONT PANEL and HARD DISK. (I did not include pictures as this is pretty much very simple. Unlatch the HDD. Yank the front panel. Very simple)

As you can see from the pictures, I've already removed the casing. I'm going to recount my steps and show what I did.


The goal is to remove the latch (circled in red) and the only way to do this is to push the latch out from the ventilation holes in the casing.



It'll help if you use a torchlight or shine a light directly into the holes, you can see the latches clearer.


So, what are we going to use to poke the latches out?

It's really up to you. Djinn recommends the satay stick. If you have one, go ahead and use it.

For me, I didn't have any satay sticks lying around...So my resourcefulness has led me to:


Pimple extractors!!! Not really the most stylish way to do it, but it got the job done. (Yes I cleaned them thoroughly and rinsed it in soap first).

I blunted the tip of the silver one so that I wouldn't leave that much scratches on the latch later.

The gold one is the 'lucky' piece to the removal process later. We'll come back to it soon.

Start by removing the BOTTOM PLATE first. Reason for this is that the TOP PLATE is slightly more difficult to remove and is best you practice with the bottom one first.

Start from the front of the console (Note that the pictures don't show it, but you have to push the latches from BOTH SIDES).

While pushing the latch, lift the panel up so that the latch is removed from the main casing.

Continue this for all 3 latches on each side and you should be easily done.
(Always be patient and use gentle controlled force. You don't want to break anything)


TO BE CONTINUED....(Going to Ace Hardware buy some Torx screwdrivers)

Morning Gents! Sorry for the wait.

Now that you had adequate practice with poking holes, it's time to move on to the TOP PLATE.

Unlike the BOTTOM PLATE, with the top, start from the BACK of the console. Referring to the picture, Do 1, then 2 and lastly 3.


The reason for this is that No. 3 is slightly more complicated. We'll get back to it soon.

Remove the rubber pad to reveal the SECRET HOLE.
Again, push the latch and lift up on the plate just like how you did for the bottom.
Repeat until you have removed the 2nd set of latches.


Now comes the tricky part: The last set of latches.

By now you should've realized there aren't any holes to poke (No, there aren't any secret holes under the rubber pad this time).

Instead, you have to go through the BIGGER HOLE which your HDD latches to the console with.

As shown in the pictures, you have to remove the latch 'sideways' now.
This can be difficult at first, but a little patience will get you there.


You're done with Step 1! Congratulations, give yourself a pat on the back.

Note: Even though it's advisable to poke ALL the latches as you go along, you can actually just wobble and twist the plates so that the latches on the OTHER side come off on their own. Not really recommended, but in case you're the impatient type.

This post has been edited by Gurdian: Jun 10 2007, 08:19 AM

Well, the sooner the better.

Without the nylon washers or screws, I can't do anything yet.
I think you'll have to order the AS5 and cleaner for me too.

No chance of getting all this today right?

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Added on June 3, 2007, 2:11 amSTEP 2 - RIPPING THE MAIN CASING

WARNING! Point of NO RETURN!

Continuing with Step 2 requires you to remove the 'Microsoft' sticker on the front of your console. Doing so will void any remaining warranty you might have.

Again I stress, if you rather send back your console to Singapore or whichever country you got it from for warranty claim, don't proceed any further.


We start from the back of the console.
As marked, you need to remove the latches numbered.
The way to do this is to once again, poke into the slit and release the lock.


Remember my 'lucky' gold stick I mentioned in Step 1?
As illustrated, the 'ring' has a width of 0.3cm, which is perfect for 'poking the slit'.


Of course, not everyone has a pimple extractor with that kind of ring measurement.
So referring to all the guides out there, the 'safest' and cost-effective way is to use a CD-barrel cover:


As shown above, just cut it into the shape shown and you're good to go.
(Note, I had a tough time using this method, either my case cover was too soft or what, I don't know. I had a much easier time with my 'golden stick')

Flip the console UPSIDE DOWN.
The trick here, is to push into the hole until you here a 'clicky/cracky' sound. Indicating that you have unhooked the latch.

Push apart both halves of the case gently, and it should stay apart without locking back into place.
Do this for all 7 latches.


Finally, moving back to the front of the console, just unlatch the 4 latches as shown.
Now gently and slowly remove the casing...


Ta-daa! More casing! Don't worry, we're almost reaching the innards already.


These aren't regular screws, they're torx screws and therefore, require torx screwdrivers.
Djinn recommended that I get them from Ace Hardware. And so I did.

You'll need two sizes, a T9 and a T10. Both will total up to RM21. I'm pretty sure you can get them for a fraction of that price elsewhere but I'm just too lazy to go 'elsewhere'.

The T9 is used to unscrew the screws I've circled in red. The T10 is for the rest. Oh yea, unscrew ALL the screws. Have fun.


(NOTE: Some of you might find the T9 abit big to fit into the screws. Further research has brought me to discover that the T8 size is also usable. I initially had trouble with the T9 as well but after some applied pressure onto the screw, the T9 head blunted just abit and now fits perfectly.)

Flip the console back to the right side.
Following the pictures below, pull out the eject button SLIGHTLY. If you pulled enough, it will end up jutting out in front of the disc tray.

You need to do this because the eject button is in the way of removing the top half of the casing.

After that, pull both sides of the casing up and away from the metal casing as shown.


Congratulations, you've stripped your Xbox360 off it's casing. Enjoy the view of your naked console.




TO BE CONTINUED...(som1 please post something, I need to use a new post cuz we're only allowed 10 images per post, thank you.)

This post has been edited by Gurdian: Jun 3 2007, 04:09 AM

After I finished my exam just now, I paid Djinn a visit and got the remaining tools and parts needed.

Alotta progress already....stay tuned. Most probably will be up by tonight...assuming I don't fall asleep...(2 nights didn't sleep edi...god damn uni exams)

edit: I'd also like to take this chance to apologize for the sudden MIA. Let me assure you things are moving as we speak.

2nd edit: Thanks to all those who patiently wait. I assure you, it'll be worth it.

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Added on June 10, 2007, 3:46 amStep 3: Ripping the innards

Start by removing the DVD drive.

To do this, first remove the silver sticker that's at the bottom of the DVD drive tray (as shown in the previous picture).
Then, all you need to do is lift the 'eject' switch (circled in red) from the casing and lift up the DVD drive. Simple as that.

Remove the power cable and SATA cable from the back and you're done.



Next we remove the white air vent.

You need to jam a flat head screwdriver straight down into the latch as shown.
Reason for this is so that the lock is pushed away from the fan inside.

Once the screwdriver is in, gently pull down on the screwdriver and it should unlatch itself.
Lift up the air vent and you're done.



Next we remove the fans.

First, detach the power cable.

Now as shown below, use my special fan-removing hand technique and remove the fan.
Basically, the metal plate on top locks the fan down. Being unable to remove it, all you can do is push the metal plate away until the fan is unlatched from the plate long enough for you to pull out it out.



The last piece to remove before we can take out the motherboard is the 'Ring of Light' panel.

There are three torx screws that you need to unscrew with your T8 or T9 screwdriver.
One is hidden below the ROL faceplate.
Remove this by lifting it up from the bottom as shown in the picture and it'll come off easily.

Once all three screws are removed, just pull the ROL panel out to disconnect it from the motherboard.



Now we can finally remove the motherboard.

To do this, the front end of the motherboard needs to be lifted up first. Once this is done, you can lift the whole thing out.

What I did was hold one of the memory card slots with one hand, and the USB ports with the other. (As shown in the picture)

Using them as 'handles' pull the front of the motherboard up until it loosens itself from the metal casing.

When the motherboard is loosened, you can hold the motherboard from the back as well and just lift it out from the metal casing.



We now come to another challenging part which requires patience, and alotta balls.

We shall now attempt to remove the heatsinks from the the CPU and GPU.

Turn the motherboard around and you will come face to face with the source of all 3ROL evil:

The two x-clamps.

Using a flathead screwdriver, you will exorcise your Xbox 360 motherboard off this wretched evil.

As shown, you have to wedge your screwdriver between the clamp and the screw.
Then, gently with the right amount of strength, push down on the screwdriver so that it will lift the clamp using the screw as leverage.

This will take a few tries before you get comfortable with a grip and strength needed to remove the clamp. As shown in the picture, once the clamp is raised slightly, you may have to change positions of the screwdriver in order to gain leverage again to remove the clamp entirely.

Take your time and slowly do this. This is by far the most dangerous step in the whole process. The slightest slip and your screwdriver may end up chipping off one of the tiny components on the motherboard.

Note: Once you have the first clamp removed, I found it easier if you removed the one diagonally opposite it. I suppose it's because there's now less tension on the opposite side. But if you find it easier to remove the clamp clockwise, by all means go ahead.


Once you have the clamps removed, you can now remove the heatsinks. The thermal paste may be a bit sticky, so don't be alarmed if the heatsinks stick to the motherboard. Just slowly pull it until it comes free.



Voila, you have successfully stripped down your Xbox 360 right down to the bare motherboard.
Congratulations, you are now one step closer in fixing your 3ROL.

Bonus Stage

Here are some shots of the CPU and GPU and my observations...





As you can see, the thermal paste shows that it has slowly dripped downwards.

This is of course due to the fact that I place my Xbox 360 in the vertical position and when the console is heated up during gameplay, the paste just melts and gravity does the rest.

You may not see it clearly in the pictures, but the thermal paste really made a mess of things. It completely dripped and covered the smaller components of the GPU as you can see in the second picture.

Furthermore, the paste was hard and felt like semi-dried glue.
It was impossible to just wipe it off like most thermal paste used in computers.

The only way you're going to clean this off without the assistance of an alcohol-based cleaner is that you heat it until it melts (which of course you're NOT going to do because that's just plain stupid).

Personally, this further disappoints me at the kind of quality control and cheap materials used by Microsoft when building and choosing materials for the Xbox 360.

This post has been edited by Gurdian: Jun 14 2007, 01:02 PM

FINAL STEP - Undo the damage

We now come to the final and most crucial stage of the 3ROL repair process:
Actually attempting some repairing (instead of constantly taking the whole damn thing apart).

Tools and materials you will need:

Arctic Silver 5
ArctiCleaner
8 x 10mm Screw (M5)
16 x Nylon washer (M6)
Cotton wool and cotton buds(the cotton ear digger for you laymen)...lots and lots and lots of them.

I would like to take this space to thank Djinn for acquiring all these things for me.
Further special thanks for the screws and washers (He must've sympathized me when he saw the look on my face after telling me the cost of the AS5 and cleaner. )



We start by cleaning the heatsinks.

Remove the screws from the heatsinks first. You won't be needing them anymore now that you've removed the x-clamps. Pliers will be helpful here.

Once you have the nuts removed from both heatsinks, it's now time to clean them.

Note: You don't necessarily have to use ArctiCleaner. Any industrial alcohol will do.

If you are using ArctiCleaner, start by dropping 2-3 drops of Solution 1 onto the surface. Let it seep in for about 30 seconds as stated in the instructions.

While waiting, put a few drops of Solution 1 onto the cotton wool as well.
Now start wiping, beginning with soft gentle movements and gradually increasing the pressure on the surface.

You're not going to get it all off in the first round of wiping. You'll be repeating this process at least 3-4 times from my own experience.

By the time I was done, I had a mountain of used cotton wool next to me (and my whole room smelled of ArctiCleaner alcohol, rofl).

If you're lucky, all the thermal gunk will come off and leave you with a clean (but rough) heatsink surface.
If you're unlucky (like yours truly), no matter how hard you scrub, some residual paste has already hardened and really bonded itself with the surface.

As you can see from the picture below, the only way I'm going to get those residual amounts out is either lapping the heatsink or using some superstrength cleaners on it. But that's another thing for another day. For now, this surface will have to do for me.



Next up, the CPU and GPU.

Like the heatsinks, drop a few drops of ArctiCleaner and on the cotton wool and start wiping.
Only difference here is that YOU HAVE TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL.
For goodness sake, you don't need this guide to tell you that those itty-bitty components on the CPU & GPU (as well as those on the motherboard) are bloody brittle.


A little tip here is to use the cotton wool first to clear off the majority of the gunk.
You're going to find that the 'canyons' and 'longkangs' between the chips are difficult to clean. Change to cotton buds here.

Dab with alcohol, and use a single wipe through the 'canyons'. Don't go back and forth as you'll just be making a huge mess.

Imagine you're trying to wipe a scoop of ice-cream of your floor. You'll want to pick up as much as you can with one wipe, yes? Not paint your whole floor with it.

Again, if you're a perfectionist, you're going to be doing this a few times until you get every single speck of that gunk off the CPU & GPU.
Luckily for us, the paste doesn't bond itself to the chips like it does with the heatsinks.

Once you're done, take a break and enjoy the mirror finish surface of the dice and give yourself another pat on the back.


Okay, enough rest, back to work.

Now to apply a new layer of thermal paste onto the dice.
If you are using ArctiCleaner, drop 1-2 drops of Solution 2 onto the die and let it seep in for about 15 seconds before wiping it off.
The core should now look and feel slightly oily. Don't worry, that's what the Solution 2 does.

Now to apply Arctic Silver 5 onto the dice.

Here's another useful tip about applying thermal paste some of you might not know about:
Before applying, PULL BACK the syringe plunger and TURN it (doesn't matter clockwise or anticlockwise).
Reason for doing this is so that the paste inside the tube will be less compacted which then allows the paste to come out easier with the slightest push.
Otherwise you have to push into the plunger very hard and risk having a burst of paste suddenly coming out.

When applying thermal paste, use the most minimal amount possible.
Thermal paste is only suppose to fill the microscopic holes and gaps between the heatsink and core. It only functions well as an interface for heat if there is a THIN layer. Too much and you'll have the opposite effect.
From my experience, the suggested amount you should put should be LESS than the size of a grain of rice.

Spread the paste evenly on the die using a razor or something similar.
If you're lazy like me, just use your finger. You'll get a silver-tipped finger, but IMO I find this method having more control over the spreading and I'm also not comfortable with accidentally scratching the die with something sharp like a razor.

Now to prepare the motherboard for replacing the heatsinks.

I got stuck here abit. Trying to figure out what's the best way to reattach the heatsinks proved problematic because BOTH sides of the board requires you to have the plastic washers to protect from any excessive pressure.

Furthermore, you have to put the screws from underneath the board.
So to summarise things:
1. You need to screw the board from underneath.
2. While positioning the heatsink from the top.
3. While 4 plastic washers need to be underneath the heatsink.

As you can imagine, there are just too many moving parts and not enough supernatural powers.

My first attempt was to put the CPU heatsink (the big fat one), upside down on the table and place the plastic washers on top the screw holes.
Then slowly lower the motherboard on top of it while not moving too much so the washers won't move out of place.
With everything in a delicate balance, I start screwing the screws in which were equipped with the plastic washers.


It worked, but hell that was tough. Furthermore, the GPU heatsink is much smaller and it won't balance well if I try this method on it.

After much pondering, the obvious finally hit me.
As shown in the diagram below, all you need to do is place the motherboard upright, put the the screws and washers in and it'll all balance themselves on the screw hole.


Next, all you need to do is hold the heatsink and place it very near the screw tail-end, but not touching it.

With your other hand, take the screwdriver and push the screws into position and start screwing.
So basically, you're reattaching the heatsinks in 'mid-air'. Refer to the pictures below and you'll get what I mean.



You will find this method MUCH more easier than my first 'upside-down' method. I admit that was a very ineffective way to attach the heatsinks and I don't recommend it.

Note: As shown in the picture above, the washers from the GPU side which sits next to the washers from the CPU side may appear to block one another. You don't have to go to the extent of cutting off the washers to make them fit. Just push both washers apart from each other (As shown in pic) and they'll fit snuggly.

Think you're done? Nope. No way.

You're at the final boss now. Every step since the beginning has led to this one final point: Applying the right amount of tightness and pressure to the screws.

The whole source of the 3ROL problem is that (theoretically) the connection between CPU/GPU with the motherboard has broken off due to irregular pressure from the x-clamps and high heat.

Thus, we remove the clamps and put in our own screws. Hoping that we can provide a more balanced pressure as well as a TIGHTER grip in hopes to reattach the connection.

So that means all you need to do is tighten the screws as much as physically possible ?
NO. DO NOT DO THAT.

The reason is that the Xbox 360 motherboard is particularly flimsy (another win for Microsoft for piss poor quality material) and an excessive amount of pressure from the screws will FLEX the board out of shape.

What's the harm to that?
Imagine that you're trying to take out ice cubes from the ice cubes tray. How do you do it? You twist and flex the tray until the ice cubes break off right?

Same thing here. Warp and flex the motherboard too much and you risk breaking off more connectors than you previously may have.

Therefore, tighten the screws but not too tight.
Even though you can feel that the screws can still turn further, resist doing so.
You can tell that you've tightened it too much by just looking at the board as it will looked flexed at the points where the screw is putting pressure.


So, with the main task accomplished, nothing left to do but to test the handiwork.
You don't have to put back everything.
Just make sure you have the these things plugged in:
1. Fans
2. Air ducts
3. Ring of Light/RF panel
4. DVD drive




So far so good, the 3ROL doesn't pop up for a good 5 seconds or so...









































AND SUCCESS!!!


I've had it working since the 8th of June. Means it's been almost a week now since this post and my Xbox 360 is still running strong.

I've been stress testing it with 1080p games like Virtua Tennis and regular games like GOW and Lost Planet. Everything works. Not a single hiccup so far (knock on wood).

This post has been edited by Gurdian: Jun 14 2007, 01:53 PM

Conclusion



And so, we come to the end of this journey.

What begin as record of my attempt to fix my 3ROL has now become a rough tutorial for those of you brave enough to give it a go.

Nonetheless, this can be quite a daunting task if you don't have the experience.

Again, if you are unsure in anyway, I strongly recommend sending it to Djinn, Virgil, tot31 or jaylike7. (or maybe even me )

This thread FTPinned!

Great job guardian. Really helpful.

Whoa! How could i have missed this topic! Gosh!

Good job Gurdian!

Let's make this stickied!

Sweeeeeet ~

Good job! But do be warned that, the thermal paste part is the essential of the whole process. Never put too little and never put too much. Both ways will get you a wreck chip and there is a high chance that it wont be fixable anymore.

Mod, lets pin this up!

Thanks for all the support. Truly appreciate it.

I've always been a DIY guy and it felt good when the console started working again.


Director's Cut

Something I left out of the tutorial was the fact that the console did not successfully boot up the first time.

No matter how tight or loose I adjusted the screws, the 0020 still popped up.

I finally resorted to unplugging the fans and perform the dangerous '2ROL overheat trick'.

For about 5-7 minutes the console ran without the fans and it still didn't show the 2ROL.

I finally chickened out and aborted the mission. The heatsinks were hot, but still touchable.

Waited for about another 5 minutes, turned it on, and the beautiful green lights started twirling.

i know the mod will pin this up and clean the other comments very soon but really thanks to TS for the noob-friendly guide

Gurdian: Mods please pin it = )))

good good... Private John... pin this...!!!

Great job Gurdian

Bravo Gurdian..



You deserve at least 500GS and an achievement unlocked for this!

Muchas gracias for all the compliements.

If any of you brave souls decide to attempt the fix, I'll be glad to help in anyway I can. Cheers.

read it somewhere our finger sweats is acidly enough to create a problem with the thermal.

use razor? who's idea is that? use a plastic card also can.

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Added on June 14, 2007, 9:42 pmbtw, the 2rod trick IINM is compulsory coz it need to melt the cpu and gpu leg, just make sure the 360 is horizontal and lying on flat surface. if the heatsink are not fastened then ON it for around 2 minutes is enough. if heatsink is fastened then it might take longer, around 5 minutes for my case.

This post has been edited by xxboxx: Jun 14 2007, 09:42 PM

Read awhile back about using something like a razor to apply thermal paste onto a processor. They also mentioned credit cards. I just wrote what came to mind at that time.

didn't know the 2rod trick was compulsory.

I always thought that the most ideal case was just fastening the screws and it'll start working.
Then more desperate measures would include the 2rod or other reheating tricks.

Thanks for the heads up

This post has been edited by Gurdian: Jun 14 2007, 10:34 PM

GET YOUR ARSE BACK TO XBOX LIVE!

*shoots your eye out american soldier style*

There is some problem with Malaysia international link with UK i think, can't surf lowyat.net (only can load up half of the page), thestar.com.my etc etc until today.

Anyway, thread is pinned as promise once the guide is complete. Good job!

good job!
is this means we can send u our xbox if got 3rod?

This post has been edited by UltramanToron: Jun 15 2007, 02:17 AM