Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

[momaka]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Heat the board to around 100-120C, then remove it - it will come off much easier when hot. If you are afraid of warping/damaging the board when hot, though, then you can try to remove it when cold too. It will just come off harder.

[stj]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

dont mess with the x-clamps, if you pull the sink harder you bend the board.

if you want a 360 to keep working, remove or relocate the dvd drive and fit the gpu with a spare cpu heatsink (the big one)

[vinceroger69]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Thanks for the info guys and yes the glue removed easy with the use of a hair dryer i used to struggle not sure why i didnt think of heating it before.

[The_Killer53]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Hey everyone. I have been looking through some caps and I'm wondering if these caps can be used on my board:

Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF <--> Nichicon 2200μF 6.3 V, VZ Series 10 x 20mm

Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF <--> Nichicon 1500μF 16 V, PM Series 12.5 x 25mm

If not could you guide me to any that can be

- Thanks

EDIT:

Also could I change a Nichicon VZ 16 V, 100 uF <--> 820uf 6.3v

[vinceroger69]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

As for reflowing and reballing, we used to do that with a proper rework station. But if you all have is a heatgun, you can still do a proper reflow. Just do NOT bake the board in the oven, as that *will* destroy all of the electrolytic capacitors. I've seen this mistake way too many times.

I wouldn't say that Mad_Professor's way of doing is wrong, but I do have some things to add to that process.

First and foremost, you *will* need proper flux for lead-free solder. Regular rosin may not do so well (in fact, it may burn of and harden way before the lead-free solder melts, which may actually cause an even worse chance of successful reflow). Kingo RMA-218 is a cheap Chinese generic that works fairly well. But I think Kester had some better fluxes available.

As for the reflow process itself:

1) Clean around the chip you will be reflowing with 90+% IPA (isopropyl alcohol).

2) Make a heat shield for any nearby capacitors. I've seen way too many people not do that and pop the caps on their board. Aluminum foil works fine for that. Don't completely cover the caps, though - we are not trying to cook a Turkey here . Just cover them on the side that they are likely to get hit by hot air from the heat gun.

3) Place the board on some kind of a metal stand so that you have access to both the top side and the bottom. I usually do this by clamping metal rods to a table and have the metal rods sticking past the edge of the table. Then I place the board there, so I can have access to both the top and the bottom of the board. This way, I don't have to flip the board when it is hot, which greatly reduces stress on the various BGA components on the board. The chip you are trying to reflow/remove/rebal should always be on the top side.

3a) (Optional, but very highly recommended) If you have a type-K temperature thermometer, put the thermocouple probe near the chip you will be reflowing. Don't put it on the ship itself or under its BGA, as that may actually cause the chip to move out of place once it is hot. As for type-K thermometers, the Lutron TM-902C can be found for about $5 on eBay, and I highly recommend it.

4) Assuming you have a high-power dual temperature heat gun, turn ON the heat gun to the low setting (which should be around 500 Watts, give or take 150) and heat the board from the bottom side, focusing mostly in the area under the BGA chip you are trying to reflow.

5) When the temperature readout of the type-K thermometer reaches 150C-160C (if you don't have a thermometer, it will probably take 3-5 minutes to get up to that temperature), stop heating and gently apply flux around the edges of the chip. The hot air coming from between the board and the chip will actually suck the flux right into the BGA, so no need to worry how to put the flux under the chip. Also, do NOT drown the chip in flux. Too much flux can actually cause the solder balls to move around and short out to each other.

6) Switch the heat gun to the high setting (should be around 1000 Watts) and continue heating the chip from the bottom of the board.

7) When the temperature reaches around 180C (again, if you don't have a thermometer, this could take another 2-3 minutes), stop the heatgun and carefully move it to the top side of the board. Begin heating the top side of the board on the high setting again.

8) When the temperature reaches around 220-230C and stays in that range for 10 seconds (again, if you don't have a thermometer, this could take another 2-3 minutes), turn OFF the heat gun.

9) Let the board cool down for about 10-20 minutes (this will depend on how hot/cold it is where you are working).

10) Remove protective heat shield around caps and test the board. (Don't forget to add thermal compound to the CPU and GPU, of course. )

Hi just followed this guide and the xbox now powers up fine, ive also done the 12 volt fan mod and no more rrod, so tomorrow i just have to change the dvd try drive belt as is slipping/worn then fully reasemble and then test i guess i will do the top fan mod too but have to order a couple as fancy the led and bearing type fans.

[Wester547]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Hey everyone. I have been looking through some caps and I'm wondering if these caps can be used on my board:

Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF <--> Nichicon 2200μF 6.3 V, VZ Series 10 x 20mm

Nichicon VZ is general purpose. Definitely not a suitable choice for the VRM output of the CPU and GPU, as HZ is the highest grade of wet electrolytics. You need to match or come close to matching the ESR and ripple ratings of the original capacitors.

Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF <--> Nichicon 1500μF 16 V, PM Series 12.5 x 25mm

PM even in 12x25mm case size isn't rated for anywhere near the ripple current or ESR that Nichicon HN is. As stated above, you need to find replacements that are more or less equal to the originals as far as ripple and ESR goes (exceeding the ratings of the originals wouldn't hurt in this case).

Also could I change a Nichicon VZ 16 V, 100 uF <--> 820uf 6.3v

Ultra low ESR lytics would be an overkill for that application if that's what you're referencing.

[vinceroger69]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Hi guys ive just managed to make two xbox 360 out of the three i had.I have had to relow both and service the dvd trays so whilst apart i thought i would do the 12 volt fan mod (cut both fan lives from plug solder to one wire then connect too 12v bottom of power supply plug socket) yes this works fine and should stop the rrod for a little longer as better cooling the down side is its noisy can i lower the voltage down to say 9 volts i will be certainly higher than the 5 volts it was running so should keep the box cooler and hopefully quiter so what i need to know is can i use a resisitor in heat shrink to drop the voltage if so what size and what watt? the fans are 12v max 0.40 amp each (two fans on back now connected to one 12v feed) thanks guys.

[stj]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

it wont help much, you really need to remove the dvd and put a bigger heatsink on the gpu.
also, mod the plastic ducting acordingly.

i'v tried the 12v mod in the past, and the top-fan - neither worked in the end.
the fucking dvd shields the gpu from the top-fan and stops you using a good enough heat sink.

jtag / glitch-mod it for harddrive loading and ditch the dvd if you can.

[The_Killer53]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Nichicon VZ is general purpose. Definitely not a suitable choice for the VRM output of the CPU and GPU, as HZ is the highest grade of wet electrolytics. You need to match or come close to matching the ESR and ripple ratings of the original capacitors.

PM even in 12x25mm case size isn't rated for anywhere near the ripple current or ESR that Nichicon HN is. As stated above, you need to find replacements that are more or less equal to the originals as far as ripple and ESR goes (exceeding the ratings of the originals wouldn't hurt in this case).

Ultra low ESR lytics would be an overkill for that application if that's what you're referencing.

Hey, Thanks for the info. I have found an old board that I'm going to pull the caps from

- Thanks again!

[The_Killer53]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Hey, I was wondering could I change my Nichicon HZ 6.3v 2200uf to Nichicon 16v 1500uF ? Thanks.

[momaka]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

Hey, I was wondering could I change my Nichicon HZ 6.3v 2200uf to Nichicon 16v 1500uF ? Thanks.

The ripple and ESR specs of the Nichicon HN 16v 1500 uF are not as good as the Nichicon HZ6.3v 2200 uF specs. My guess would be they are still somewhat close enough to work. But, I never tried it, so I can't say from personal experience whether or not this will work for sure.

Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF <--> Nichicon 2200μF 6.3 V, VZ Series 10 x 20mm

Won't work (or not for long).
Nichicon VZ caps are general purpose 105C, as Agent24 noted. So that's not suitable. From electrolytic caps, your only choices are really only Nichicon HN, Nichicon HZ (again), or Rubycon MCZ. You won't find MFZ for sale anywhere online (if you do and they are not Xbox 360 pulls, BEWARE!)

If these are for the caps on GPU V_core or CPU V_core, you can also use 2.5V or 4V 820-1200 uF polymer caps. Just about any polymer brand and series will do.

Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF <--> Nichicon 1500μF 16 V, PM Series 12.5 x 25mm

Probably won't work too well in the long run (if it does at all). Again, Nichicon PM does not quite poses the good ripple and ESR specs of Nichicon HN. I think Nichicon HW, Panasonic FR/FM, Rubycon ZL, and Chemicon KZE is probably as far down as you can go.

Also could I change a Nichicon VZ 16 V, 100 uF <--> 820uf 6.3v

If that is just for spots, C5B4 and C5B2, then this should be okay. But I wouldn't suggest blindly using 6.3V caps in place of 16V caps anywhere else on the board. Could have a 12V rail somewhere and make one of those caps go kaboom .

Hi just followed this guide and the xbox now powers up fine ... i will do the top fan mod too but have to order a couple as fancy the led and bearing type fans.

Nice!
Let us know how it turns up. Better yet, show us pictures when you are done with it and if you have time.

[PetersburgFix]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

I sectioned these for you, so you can understand what each cap does

Stand-by 1.8V rail (generated from 3.3V stand-by)
- C5B4 - Nichicon VZ 16 V, 100 uF, 5x11 mm (dia. x h)

Stand-by 3.3V rail (generated from 5VSB)
- C5B2 - Nichicon VZ 16 V, 100 uF, 5x11 mm (dia. x h)

5VSB rail from PSU
- C5B7 - Nichicon VZ 16 V, 100 uF, 5x11 mm (dia. x h)

12V rail from PSU (GPU VRM high side)
- C6B3 - Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C7B3 - Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)

GPU V_core rail (GPU VRM low side)
- C6C2 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C6C3 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C7C1 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C7C2 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)

CPU V_core rail (CPU VRM low side)
- C8C1 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C8D1 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C8D4 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C8E3 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C8E8 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C8F1 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C8F2 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C8F3 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)

5V rail (generated from PSU 12V rail) for USB controllers and front ports, if I remember correctly
- C7F1 - Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)

12V rail from PSU (5V rail VRM high side)
- C7F2 - Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)
- C6F3 - Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF, 10x20 mm (dia. x h)

Worth noting is that if you have other dead 360 boards, you can use these caps interchangeably:

Nichicon HZ 6.3 V, 2200 uF <--> Rubycon MFZ 6.3 V, 2700 uF <--> Fujitsu FPCAP RE 4 V, 820 uF (the yellow ones)

Nichicon HN 16 V, 1500 uF <--> Rubycon MCZ 16 V, 1500 uF <--> Panasonic FL 16 V, 1500 uF <--> Sanyo WF 16 V, 1500 uF <--> Chemicon KZJ 16 V, 1500 uF
(I personally wouldn't recommend using the last two, as they are somewhat unreliable series)

Nichicon VZ 16 V, 100 uF <--> Rubycon YXA 16 V, 100 uF <--> Chemicon KMG 16 V, 100 uF <--> Panasonic NHG 16 V, 100 uF

Let me know if you need any other help with these. I have these boards for scrap (already pulled the caps) and can get most component value measurements for you.

As stj noted, there might be a reason why the caps were pulled from your board (probably unrepairable). I've seen quite a few 360's develop bad RAM. Not worth the effort changing it, IMO. But it could be that GPU just needs a reflow. Or, if you are very lucky, a shorted MOSFET on GPU or CPU VRM - but I've seen only one or two cases of that (used to work/help in a console repair shop). Most common problems are GPU BGA issues, DVD drive laser or stuck door, and overheating RAM chips (which is not easily repairable).

@Momaka, Any chance you feel like updating this capacitor list with currently available replacements caps? I have an old Xbox360 non-HDMI xenon board with several obviously blown Rubicon 6.3v 2700uf MFZ caps that I would like to try replacing then reflowing the GPU to see if I can revive this old thing. (3 red lights).

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

[momaka]

Re: Xbox 360 Xenon Motherboard Capacitor Replacements?

For Rubycon MFZ (6.3V, 2700 uF, 10 mm dia.) & Nichicon HZ (6.3V, 2200 uF, 10 mm dia.):
** Rubycon ZLG 6.3V 2200 uF
** Panasonic FM 6.3V 2200 uF
** Panasonic FR 6.3V 2700 uF
** Nichicon HW 6.3V 2200 uF
** Nichicon HV 6.3V 2700 uF
** Rubycon ZLH 6.3V 2700 uF
** United Chemicon KZH 6.3V 2700 uF
** United Chemicon KZM 6.3V 2700 uF
** Rubycon ZLS 10V 2200 uF
** Rubycon ZLQ 6.3V 3900 uF

Rubycon ZLH 6.3V 2200 uF will probably also work OK and can be found in stock here:
https://www.badcaps.net/store/produc...products_id=33

Alternatively, you could also use polymers.
The cheapest alternative: Kemet A750MU228M0GAAE007
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...AE007/13676488
-or-
Very reliable, but also expensive: Nichichon PLG series, P/N: PLG0G272MDO1TD
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...MDO1TD/5180933
-or-
Good balance between price and known good quality polymers: Nichicon RR5 series P/N: RR50E152MDN1 (2.5V 1500 uF)
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...52MDN1/2207226

What I would do if I were to recap one: do a mix with half-polymers and half-electrolytics - i.e. probably the Nichicon RR5 (2.5V 1500 uF) with some Rubycon ZLQ 6.3V 3900 uF. The high capacitance of the ZLQ combined with the low ESR of the RR5 will be about as close as you can get to what was there originally.

And for Rubycon MCZ (16V, 1500 uF, 10 mm dia.) & Nichicon HN (16V, 1500 uF, 10 mm dia.) - these shouldn't be failed. If they are, someone likely baked the board before you or did the "towel trick"... which may have hosed the board already. But in any case, if you do need to replace these as well, you can use the same brands and series listed above for the 6.3V 2200/2700 uF caps - just choose 16V 1500 uF caps instead (though 1200 uF and 1800 uF will also work.) Many of these should be available on Digikey and Mouser. Here are two such examples from badcaps.net store:

Rubycon ZLG, 16V, 1200 uF, 10x20 mm:
https://www.badcaps.net/store/produc...nlmu0s11rha3q1

Rubycon ZLH, 16V, 1500 uF, 10x20 mm:
https://www.badcaps.net/store/produc...nlmu0s11rha3q1