Frags when I try to boot MS-Bios

[ArtemisKitty]

Got a 1.4 (Halo Edition) with an X3, Bios 1959, etc. Good to go 'cept that suddenly (started yesterday) when I try to disable the X3 so I can go play Halo2 on LIVE it frags, hiccups, and reboots, thus re-enabling the X3. Whether I hold the power button to disable the chip or use the Config Live feature to reboot with the chip off, I get the same results. Did something happen to one of my wires? I didn't think this'd be the problem, since the X3 itself still works perfectly. What should I check? Usually if there's a problem the system will just frag right off the bat and not do anything... *very confuzzled*

 

[icecreamguys]

Got a 1.4 (Halo Edition) with an X3, Bios 1959, etc. Good to go 'cept that suddenly (started yesterday) when I try to disable the X3 so I can go play Halo2 on LIVE it frags, hiccups, and reboots, thus re-enabling the X3. Whether I hold the power button to disable the chip or use the Config Live feature to reboot with the chip off, I get the same results. Did something happen to one of my wires? I didn't think this'd be the problem, since the X3 itself still works perfectly. What should I check? Usually if there's a problem the system will just frag right off the bat and not do anything... *very confuzzled*

I have seen this several times before, and it always is a solder joint that has gone bad (probably not the best to begin with)

Someone here can probably tell you which joint, but that is where I would start.

Not fun, though, I know..

 

[jonrees69]

I assume you locked your hdd before disabling the chip ?

J

 

[ArtemisKitty]

HDD is indeed locked. It might be a solder joint, this was the Xbox I used to teach someone how to solder, having her install a pinheader in it. I'll recheck it I suppose. The contacts all looked good and clean when they were done, and it just seems odd that it hadn't done this until now, but oh well. I'll check it out. It just seems really odd that it would work WITH the chip and not without. Hmm...

 

[jonrees69]

OR ... if it's not the standard hdd in there ???

J

 

[ArtemisKitty]

Out of the frying pan...

Well... thoroughly lost now. I pulled the chip and removed the pinheader - Xbox worked perfectly. Ok so maybe it was something with the chip itself... nope. Works fine in another. Installed a new pinheader (though I don't see what could have happened to it after it had been installed - this is what I get for teaching someone to solder on a REAL Xbox... Ugh. Never again. I'll find some old dead PCB for that. Anywho, I dropped a wire install header in, powered on... fragging. Using the power button to disable the chip boots fine. Argh. Bad solder. Inspect the whole thing, remove it and re-install it (btw in the past I've never once had an error with a pinheader as these are fairly large solder points and easy to work with, so I'm pretty sure of my soldering skill...) Still nothing. Ok so let's install a header again. Off to Walmart to get a new solder sucker (those little snot-sucker things for babies work great and are 1/4 the price for the same device) - Dropped it in, soldered it, powered on the system, everything's fine, MS dashboard etc. Cool, cool. At least my friend didn't damage my mobo it seems. Drop the X3 back in and it frags. Holding the power button to disable the X3 works, the system goes into MS-Bios and the MS Dashboard fine now, but the X3 is fragging. I pulled the board again, closely inspected every single solder point, everything looks perfect. I can't see a single dry joint (and I've redone each one 3 times to be sure) they all look perfect, I visually inspected every single visible trace on the board in case something had happened to one - no damage that I can see, even under a very powerful jewelers magnifier (lighted) so nothing there... Hmm... I'm lost. I'm looking for specs right now to do a continuity test with each pin from the top to the appropriate place on the board, but although I found a good guide for a 1.6 for a few points, and a guide for which pins are what on the LPC header, I can't seem to find anything that shows the corresponding points elsewhere on the board so I can check it. Any ideas or could someone point me to a proper guide as such for a 1.4? Worst case I may have to buy a new mobo but I'd RATHER keep this one functional, as it's the original board for my HALO edition box. I realize it was my fault for letting someone else touch the box, and that's not happening again, but if at all possible (especially with the 6 blue LEDs I've run on this thing off the 12v header on the underside of the board) I'd like to avoid changing out the board. That and I won't be able to afford one for at least another 2 weeks which would be kinda annoying. Any info would be awesome, especially diagrams. Thanks again.
-ArtemisKitty

 

[nospmohtkcin]

are you getting 2 led's on the chip lit up?

 

[ArtemisKitty]

Yes, the 2 blue LEDs are lit just fine (with the chip disabled as well) so it's getting power - the X3 logo on the front switch panel is red whether the chip is on or off, could this be a factor?

 

[ArtemisKitty]

using the guide from http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/lpc-diag.php I tested each pin with a meter - I ALSO took the time to visually trace as many of the pins as I could to other spots on the board - all check out fine except for pin 1 - LCLK - instead of 0.2v as the tutorial shows, I show 1.6v... Could this be the problem I'm guessing? Is there another LCLK point on the board? (I can't see the trace as it's topside and therefore under the plastic part of the pinheader...)

 

[ArtemisKitty]

Hmm... LCLK is the modchip disable pin isn't it? I remember something about having to add a switch to it once on an older chip - lclk and d0 were the 2 I had to switch... Could this be something?