Xbox 360 RROD

Stigs · August 20, 2014

usually the fix for a RROD xbox is to take off the heatsinks, put new thermal compound on and then it sound be fixed. Does this work basically everything time you get the RROD or is that a one time only fix?

HippY · August 21, 2014

that is not the fix, it can work, but let me explain what happens

whereas on PC the CPU connects to the mobo via pins and pads, at consoles, there are usually solderballs under the chip, and it is soldered to the board.

around 2006 there was a new law that no one can use lead in solder. it is green and healthy and we saved many many baby seals, but it results in a sh... really bad quality solder.

when they changed to lead free solder it arrived to the computer world quickly and untested, but as there were the regulations, they had no other choice but go with it.

With both Xbox and PS3 these solder balls failed under the chips, resulted in faults as RROD in xbox and YLOD in ps3.

As you see, we are talking about a simple yet difficult problem.

There are 2 ways to do it:

1. Good way= buy a reflow station, that you can set the exact temperature, that will melt the solder under the cpu, but does not warms up any other parts and does not kill the cpu. it cost thousands of pounds. then get new solder balls, insert new balls under the cpu and resolder it with the machine

2. Sketchy. Anything, that includes baking, heating, heatgun, torch, anything other than option one.

The one that you would like to use is simple. take of the X clamp and replace it with bolts, then tighten it really hard, over heat it, then use it. it kinda melts the solder balls but it is still that bad solder and it WILL brake, and the cpu does not like the large pressure+heat combo.

So if I were you, I would look for something like 3rd gen and above, I got my Falcon for £45 from a second hand shop, still going strong since then.

Stigs · August 21, 2014

that is not the fix, it can work, but let me explain what happens

whereas on PC the CPU connects to the mobo via pins and pads, at consoles, there are usually solderballs under the chip, and it is soldered to the board.

around 2006 there was a new law that no one can use lead in solder. it is green and healthy and we saved many many baby seals, but it results in a sh... really bad quality solder.

when they changed to lead free solder it arrived to the computer world quickly and untested, but as there were the regulations, they had no other choice but go with it.

With both Xbox and PS3 these solder balls failed under the chips, resulted in faults as RROD in xbox and YLOD in ps3.

As you see, we are talking about a simple yet difficult problem.

There are 2 ways to do it:

1. Good way= buy a reflow station, that you can set the exact temperature, that will melt the solder under the cpu, but does not warms up any other parts and does not kill the cpu. it cost thousands of pounds. then get new solder balls, insert new balls under the cpu and resolder it with the machine

2. Sketchy. Anything, that includes baking, heating, heatgun, torch, anything other than option one.

The one that you would like to use is simple. take of the X clamp and replace it with bolts, then tighten it really hard, over heat it, then use it. it kinda melts the solder balls but it is still that bad solder and it WILL brake, and the cpu does not like the large pressure+heat combo.

So if I were you, I would look for something like 3rd gen and above, I got my Falcon for £45 from a second hand shop, still going strong since then.

Okay, I'll look into this, and I'm with you on the non-lead solder. It REALLY sucks. I actually have lead solder at home, but haven't had a need to use it. (I go it before it was "banned" btw)