Background
A friend was out walking just a few days after the New Year(2017) started and saw a Microsoft XBox 360 lying in a recycling box outside a house having been discarded presumably because it had been replaced by a Christmas present of a newer faster version. She knows i like a challenge getting these sort of things working again or recycling any parts from it so phoned me and asked if she should bring it home. I guessed that at least i could reuse the power supply unit and salvage a few other parts so decided to take on the challenge.
When i first examined the XBox 360 i could see it was a bit bashed up although most of the marks were cosmetic. The problems that concerned me most were:
1. The DVD front bezel was missing and the DVD tray did not retract fully into the DVD case.
2. The Audio/Video (A/V) cable connector was damaged and the plastic covering was missing however the connections were intact.
3. There was no hand controller so if the box actually works a replacement will need to be purchased.
From the outset my view was that the XBox would be canibalised for parts such as the 120GB SATA disk drive that was also present, the PSU, the DVD drive and any internal parts such as heat sinks, connectors etc. However as i started to examine the unit and powered it up it appeared to actually work so maybe a few new parts and some refurbishment would result in a working system.
Below are the details of how the project progressed.
When i first examined the XBox 360 i could see it was a bit bashed up although most of the marks were cosmetic. The problems that concerned me most were:
1. The DVD front bezel was missing and the DVD tray did not retract fully into the DVD case.
2. The Audio/Video (A/V) cable connector was damaged and the plastic covering was missing however the connections were intact.
3. There was no hand controller so if the box actually works a replacement will need to be purchased.
From the outset my view was that the XBox would be canibalised for parts such as the 120GB SATA disk drive that was also present, the PSU, the DVD drive and any internal parts such as heat sinks, connectors etc. However as i started to examine the unit and powered it up it appeared to actually work so maybe a few new parts and some refurbishment would result in a working system.
Below are the details of how the project progressed.
The first task was to remove the plastic covers to get access to the internal parts, initially the DVD drive so that it could be removed and examined.
The plastic outer case parts all unclip but one half of the case is held in place with a number of very long screws that require a torx bit to remove.
The covers removed revealed a very, very dusty interior. This pictures show the heat sink and plastic cowling that directs the air over the CPU via the fans.
The heat sink fins are entirely blocked with a thick layer of dust which will adversely affect the cooling of the electronic components below so this will have to be cleaned off.
This picture shows the DVD drive still mounted in the XBox 360. The DVD bezel has been broken off and the tray did not fully retract into the device.
I decided to try to repair this. A replacement drive is about £25 including post and packaging.
The DVD drive was removed from the XBox 360 and the metal covers removed. This revealed a very dusty interior with all the major components and the peripheral areas of the case coated with dust and dirt.
The XBox 360 case had obviously been on or close to a floor where the fan sucked up al the dust and dirt trapping much of it inside the case.
I was able to examine the mechanism and could see that it had been pulled sharply causing it to jump out of positiopn which would mean that it would no longer work. It would not be possible for the DVD disc to centre of the drive spindle.
This picture shows the tray of the DVD as it was when it was removed from the XBox 360 case.
The tray could not fully retract into the case and as can be seen the spindle drive motor is not in the centre of the DVD disk when it is in the drive.
As a result it would be impossible to play a DVD or CD.
This would probably explain why the device had been discarded.
After checking that there was no obvious damage to the internals of the XBox 360 i decided it was time to power up the device and see if it actually worked.
It was connected to the A/V input of a TV and powered up. This picture shows the results..."The XBox Lives!!".
I do not have a controller pad so i will have to get one before i can test the rest of the unit.
The A/V cable was damaged and had to be resoldered before the video worked but that was a minor problem.
It was connected to the A/V input of a TV and powered up. This picture shows the results..."The XBox Lives!!".
I do not have a controller pad so i will have to get one before i can test the rest of the unit.
The A/V cable was damaged and had to be resoldered before the video worked but that was a minor problem.
More information will be added as the refurbishment project continues.....