xbox aerogel cap

[bluto]

This has been documented elsewhere, but I thought I would bring it here for good measure.

I recently decided to figure out why my xbox would lose the system time immediately after being unplugged. I recalled that there is no clock battery, but instead some kind of 'super capacitor' or so they say. Turns out this 'super capacitor' or aerogel capacitor is not so super after all and was leaking its electrolyte inside my xbox (and most every other xbox in the world too).

I found some posts where folks said that their xbox started acting up because of it and few even shorted out and released the magic smoke because of the electrolyte on the board.

Fortunately neither of my two xboxes (both 1.0 version) had not suffered this fate yet. I ordered some replacement aerogel caps from digikey and fixed both of my xboxes at the same time. On the first one, I knocked off an SMD capacitor (C7G6) which was compromised and corroded by the electrolyte spill. Luckily, the machine still works without it. Does anyone have any idea on how to figure out what the value might have been? It appeared to be connected in parallel to the small 'lytic cap right next to it, I am thinking that means it didn't do much

The digikey part numbers that you can use for the aerogel cap are as follows:

283-2776-ND (1.0F 2.5V aerogel) [stock value]
283-2780-ND (3.3F 2.5V aerogel) I used these for a ludicrous amount of extra clock backup time.

My pictures of the damage didn't turn out so the first picture is shamelessly re-posted from another thread. The second pic is my recapped board with the missing SMD cap at C7G6

If you still enjoy your xbox, you should open it up and check for leakage. If nothing else, just remove the aerogel cap and clean up the mess. The xbox will work without it, there will just be no hope of the clock backup working. Amazingly enough, all the standard electrolytic capacitors on the board look just fine.

[stj]

dont replace them, just leave the space empty.
the clock uses so much power that even a lithium battery wont last.
(design fault)

a 1.6 wont start without a cap, but older boards dont need one.

[bluto]

Why should I not have replaced it? Is the risk of the new one eventually leaking the main reason?

[stj]

yes, it will fail pretty fast.
and it's not really needed because almost nothing uses the clock.

[cheese007]

Oh good, right after fixing the broken solder joints on that damn FOXLINK PSU too! Glad to know about it though. I almost lost the XBOX to that one, don't want the repair to be in vain.

[370forlife]

Foxlink, actually foxconn brand, their re-branding of delta. Didn't know they called the one in the xbox a foxlink too, I would have thought Microsoft would have bought straight from delta.

[stj]

some are delta, others are fox.

[370forlife]

Foxconn = delta, only OEM's foxconn used is delta/newton and deer.

Foxconn started to use delta when dell started using them for psu's. They knew their earlier deer units wouldn't cut it with dell.

[stj]

they arent "Foxconn", they are "Foxlink" btw.
i just looked at one.

[370forlife]

Foxlink Group is Foxconn's parent company.

[cheese007]

Who makes the minebea one?

[stj]

i'v been in over 100 xbox's and never seen minebea, it must be an aftermarket replacement.

there were a few replacements made, 1 was universal 100-250v inout, one was even a buck/boost design with 12v input for cars.

[370forlife]

Originally Posted by cheese007

Who makes the minebea one?

Minebea is NMB, they make their own psu's AFAIK. I've never seen a Minebea in a xbox, but I do see a Minebea fan in them.

[weirdlookinguy]

I had a refurbished xbox for a bit and it had a NMB/Minebea PSU in it. Maybe M$ used them as replacements?

It was really nice with TDK transformers and all japcaps.

[cheese007]

http://secure.llamma.com/catalog/pro...roducts_id/489

[Xboxoriginalfan94]

Originally Posted by bluto

This has been documented elsewhere, but I thought I would bring it here for good measure.

I recently decided to figure out why my xbox would lose the system time immediately after being unplugged. I recalled that there is no clock battery, but instead some kind of 'super capacitor' or so they say. Turns out this 'super capacitor' or aerogel capacitor is not so super after all and was leaking its electrolyte inside my xbox (and most every other xbox in the world too).

I found some posts where folks said that their xbox started acting up because of it and few even shorted out and released the magic smoke because of the electrolyte on the board.

Fortunately neither of my two xboxes (both 1.0 version) had not suffered this fate yet. I ordered some replacement aerogel caps from digikey and fixed both of my xboxes at the same time. On the first one, I knocked off an SMD capacitor (C7G6) which was compromised and corroded by the electrolyte spill. Luckily, the machine still works without it. Does anyone have any idea on how to figure out what the value might have been? It appeared to be connected in parallel to the small 'lytic cap right next to it, I am thinking that means it didn't do much

The digikey part numbers that you can use for the aerogel cap are as follows:

283-2776-ND (1.0F 2.5V aerogel) [stock value]
283-2780-ND (3.3F 2.5V aerogel) I used these for a ludicrous amount of extra clock backup time.

My pictures of the damage didn't turn out so the first picture is shamelessly re-posted from another thread. The second pic is my recapped board with the missing SMD cap at C7G6

If you still enjoy your xbox, you should open it up and check for leakage. If nothing else, just remove the aerogel cap and clean up the mess. The xbox will work without it, there will just be no hope of the clock backup working. Amazingly enough, all the standard electrolytic capacitors on the board look just fine.

🌟🌟🌟Could you explain to me how to remove the aerogel cap and where it is located on the motherboard?🌟🌟🌟

[mariushm]

You can see it in the pictures he posted ... it's the big one that says B-Series on it

And you remove it like you remove any capacitor... heat the wires from the bottom and pull it out.