Xbox repair

[schmuckingham]

I called this Dr Xbox twice and it has gone to voicemail both times so I am looking for someone else to repair this Xbox that has three rings going on.

[Mensan]

Long read, send him an email. $45 shipped repairs.

 

The following is the info I have on RROD repairs -

 

 

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I've been doing this for over 3 years now online and locally. I'm very good at it, along with fixing other kinds of electronics. I enjoy tinkering with electronics so I treat this more like a hobby than actual work. If you have an Xbox 360 that has the 1, 2 or 3 Light "Red Ring of Death" then I should be able to help you. My price is $45 and I take PayPal at eschatz@gmail.com. I would also accept cash if PayPal is not an option for you. You may opt to pay before or after I have completed the repairs, your choice. If you decide to send it as a gift payment, make sure you include your name/return address. If you have questions or concerns and want to talk the quickest way to get in touch with me is via the above email address and/or Google Talk since they go straight to my phone. PM and posting in this thread are also both perfectly acceptable.

 

UNDERSTANDING THE "RROD":

 

The 3 Light RROD is a generic error that only means "General Hardware Failure". It is generally caused by the stress of the console heating up and cooling down over and over and Microsoft's terrible heatsink mounting design known as the "x-clamps". These x-clamps place tension on the mainboard to hold the heatsink in place and can cause slight bending over time during the thermal cycles. Microsoft also uses solder of questionable quality which certainly doesn't help. This is usually repairable by replacing the x-clamps with something better and re-flowing the broken solder connection under the GPU, CPU or RAM. In rare cases it can be dozens of other things that may have gone awry such as broken resistors, burst/leaking capacitors, "tin whiskers" and ect. Most of those problems can be fixed as well by replacing the damaged part. It is also worth noting that if you have "towel-tricked" your console you have probably destroyed any chance of reliably

repairing it. Doing so makes the solder extremely brittle and causes harsh warping in the PCB. Do us both a favor and don't send me a towel tricked console. Most of the repairs I do last on average of about a year or more. Every so often some do no last long. The console broke once before on it's own and it can and probably will break again, which isn't something I can take blame for.

 

MY REPAIR METHOD:

 

* Determine what the exact cause of the RROD is.

* Strip down the system and clean it all up. A clean system runs more reliably, cooler and thus quieter.

* Flush the mainboard with acetone to remove any trapped debris under the chips.

* Bake the bare mainboard in my oven for 2+ hours. This unflexes and removes any absorbed moisture in the PCB.

* I re-flow your GPU, CPU, and/or RAM's soldering using flux and hot air/underside heat.

* Replace both of Microsoft's "x-clamps" with machine screws and spacers. This helps prevent the RROD from returning.

* I use Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound on your CPU and GPU. This helps keep them cooler than the garbage Microsoft uses.

* Reassemble & stress test the console. Basically trying to force your console to red ring, if everything is good it shouldn't happen.

* Return the system to you via USPS Priority Mail. I use flat rate boxes and lots of bubble wrap. Return shipping is included in my price.

 

 

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

 

* If for whatever reason I cannot repair your console, I will only charge you $15 for the return shipping/parts.

* No refunds. If your console breaks again it isn't really my fault. They break easily. I'm sorry.

* You should have your console back in about 1 or 2 weeks after I receive it. Usually quickly, but you know.

* I'm not responsible for anything that happens to it in the mail.

* You only need to send me the bare console. No hard drive and no other accessories. Hard drives hate being shipped.

* I am not a detective. I need your name/email/forums name inside the package. A return address does not tell me how to contact you.

* My $45 price is good for the U.S. only.

* When you get your console back I may have reset the resolution to 480p. This is due to me not knowing what your TV supports.

* This will void your official warranty. If you have a warranty left I highly recommend using it instead.

* DON'T SEND ME A CONSOLE YOU TOWEL TRICKED. IT'S A WASTE OF YOUR MONEY AND MY TIME. SERIOUSLY, YOU RUINED IT.

 

SHIPPING YOUR XBOX 360:

 

The best and most cost effective way to ship a 360 is in a "skinny" Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box. It will cost you exactly $10.70 ($10.20 online) and takes 2-3 days to get to me from anywhere and they'll give you a free box and bubble wrap if you ask. I've had people pay like $17 to ship one using Media Mail, which is a total waste. The choice is up to you though. Have it stamped FRAGILE. A large flat rate box offers more room for padding and is probably a safer idea for longer shipments. Also, don't be retarded and just throw the 360 loosely in a box. They get banged around a good bit during shipping so use plenty of padding of some sorts. You shouldn't be able to feel the console through the box. The plastic shell of the 360 will crack very easily if not packaged properly, especially the corners. I recommend against using foam peanuts simply because they smash up, get lodged in the console's ports and melt in my oven.

 

WHY CHOOSE ME:

 

I am very professional and honest. I'm very clear about my entire process so you know what you are paying for and receiving. I like to think my results speak for themselves. I will not rip you off and I will often keep you updated throughout the repair process. Most other 360 repair people will half-ass the job to save time and also try to charge you for parts you don't actually need like retarded aftermarket LED fans or goofy "hybrid uni-clamps". I will not do that. It's fairly rare, but if your console actually needs a new part I will only charge exactly what it cost me to buy. I would obviously confirm this with you before proceeding as well. No profit on parts, so no reason to sell you parts that you do not need.

 

Sadly, the majority of DIY guides out there are simply based on misinformation. If you want to repair it yourself, by all means go for it and good luck! If you make it worse, don't assume I can fix it for you. I want to dispel the myth that just simply letting your console overheat will re-flow any of the solder under the chips. The "baking/overheating" method is terrible to use because it just makes the solder brittle and bends the motherboard. The type of solder that Microsoft uses generally flows at around 400F+ and your console will not get that hot on it's own anyway. If it did you would probably start bursting capacitors at around 220F. I don't care what some Youtube video told you, a friend of a friend or that 4+ year old guide in the SA 360 whining thread that is a cesspool of misinformation. It may "fix" your RROD temporarily, but the result is mostly just due to you causing some harsh and irreversible warping/bending under the chips. It will

bend again and you will be faced with a console that is beyond repair now due to your ignorance. If it isn't fixed right the first time, the window of future success diminishes greatly.

[EJ8 KENOBI]

I fixed a red ring issue on one of my boxes, same procedure as this guy but I didn't do it as thoroughly (didn't put mine in the oven, but I did upgrade the heat sinks) and it works. From time to time if I am playing graphic intensive games it will red ring but usually after I turn it off for a while, let it cool it will fire right up.

[87GT]

The x-clamp fix is super easy to do yourself. It just takes some time to remove the old thermal paste with rubbing alcohol and q-tips. I have done it before and it worked fine as long as it wasn't in the case. I had motherboard sitting on my tv stand for over 2 years like that before it stopped powering on.

 

So many fucking hours of fallout 3 were played on that machine.