Original Xbox dvd drive problem

[CapLeaker]

i have a original Xbox v 1.6 wit a bad Philips drive, I think. Anyway, the Xbox wouldn't read any DVDs to play games so I bought a new laser. Come to figure out it still will not play any games nor read a DVD with the new laser installed. However, it will play a music cd. I played with the pots on the laser to no avail. So I checked the old laser again in the drive and it does the same thing, no DVDs, but plays music CDs no problem. Any one heard of this problem before? I am kind of stumped.

[stj]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

must be a fault on the dvd board.
most people just swap-out the drive.

[R_J]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

Lasers are usually shipped with certain points soldered to prevent static damage during shipping, these need to be unsoldered before the new laser will work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTYxo3F_YIA
compare the old laser to the new one and look for what looks like a solder blob accros 2 traces

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

Thanks for the suggestions! I I'll report nack

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

The replacement laser didn't have that solder blob. So I guess the problem must be somewhere on the DVD drive board. I am up for suggestions!

[stj]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

what do you use it for?

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

I want it to restore it to original and play games with the kids on it. Never owned an Xbox. Everything else works fine on it, just that damn drive won't read any DVDs nor games. It still plays music CDs, but that's not helping much.

[stj]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

hmm...
most people fit a big harddrive & install all the games & films on it from the ethernet.

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

so no dvd drive needed to play a game?

[Wester547]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

Not sure if this will help, but it seems to pertain to your issue:

http://forums.afterdawn.com/threads/...eaking.495512/

However, if you're not comfortable doing it, modding your Xbox and putting the games in question on a large hard drive with another optical drive might be a preferable alternative. I also wonder if the drive has bad lytics. And the motherboard is version 1.6 as stated in the original post so it should have Nichicon UC rather than the Aerogel Powerstor B series capacitor.

[stj]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

what motherboard revision is it btw?

there are 2 safety things you need to do.
1: resolder the power cable connector - it was causng housefires!
2: if it's not a 1.6 then remove the Aerogel capacitor before it leaks so much that it destroys the board.
http://www.eurasia.nu/wiki/index.php/XboxInfo

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

mother board version is 1.6 and it has the Nichicon UC. I read that afterdawn thread before and tweaked like crazy that laser to no avail. I have checked the drive for bad surface mount caps, but couldn't identify any. That doesn't mean they couldn't be still bad. I have toyed with the idea to somehow suspend the drive in such a way, so I could get with my oscilloscope at it. But then I'd be willing just to buy a new DVD drive, if I could find one.
Thanks for throwing ideas at me... keep em coming!
Meanwhile I read that wiki which stj posted.

[Wester547]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

If I'm not mistaken, some drives have separate optical pickups for reading CDs and DVDs. That might be why the drive will read CDs and nothing else. And here's another tutorial that recommends against treading too far with tweaking the pot:

http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/philipspot.php

But frankly, those Philips (and Thomson) Xbox drives sound like nightmares. I don't think their optical pickups are any good even from the factory. I've heard and read too many stories about those lasers only wanting to read certain games (DVDs) when they did work at all. The Samsung drives were always regarded as the best because when they worked, they would read anything you'd throw at them. But even then, they had caustic issues (a weak DVD laser optical pickup eventually going bad, the SOH-D16.... the belt getting prematurely worn, etc). So my recommendation would be to replace it with a Samsung Xbox drive (though those Samsung drives are hard to come by these days). If that isn't an option, modding the Xbox might be the last resort.

[stj]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

i was using reflashed lg 8164 pc drives with a microcontroller in the back to send the tray signals.

you can run the box wih no drive if you want.
or you can use a pc drive, but they wont play original game disks.

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

If I'm not mistaken, some drives have separate optical pickups for reading CDs and DVDs. That might be why the drive will read CDs and nothing else. And here's another tutorial that recommends against treading too far with tweaking the pot:

http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/philipspot.php

But frankly, those Philips (and Thomson) Xbox drives sound like nightmares. I don't think their optical pickups are any good even from the factory. I've heard and read too many stories about those lasers only wanting to read certain games (DVDs) when they did work at all. The Samsung drives were always regarded as the best because when they worked, they would read anything you'd throw at them. But even then, they had caustic issues (a weak DVD laser optical pickup eventually going bad, the SOH-D16.... the belt getting prematurely worn, etc). So my recommendation would be to replace it with a Samsung Xbox drive (though those Samsung drives are hard to come by these days). If that isn't an option, modding the Xbox might be the last resort.

Hmm... yes... that is what I understand now too.

i was using reflashed lg 8164 pc drives with a microcontroller in the back to send the tray signals.

you can run the box wih no drive if you want.
or you can use a pc drive, but they wont play original game disks.

I personally don't care what for a drive is in it. Even if I have to put a small daughter board in there or flash it some how in order to read original game discs, as long as everything fits inside and it works like original. I just have to figure out what needs to be done to get there. Makes my kiddies happy!

[stj]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

fit a modchip - you can get them for peanuts.
then put a 250-500gig drive in - also peanuts.
(remember it's not sata, and the filesystem wont like bigger drives than 500 without some skiilz)

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

is there any preference on the mod chip?

[stj]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

cheapest you can get,
as long as it's flashable.

because in the end it's just a replacement bios - and i have the tools to customise it.
http://www.eurasia.nu/modules.php?na...ox_M8plus_BIOS
http://www.eurasia.nu/modules.php?na...e=EVtool_1.0.9

http://www.eurasia.nu/shop/product_i...roducts_id=266

[CapLeaker]

Re: Original Xbox dvd drive problem

Thanks! Great info stj!