Completely share your hatred of stuff like this. The designers decided on a shape and style, the poor engineers had to make it all fit. If it doesn't sound to "octogenarian from Tunbridge Wells", is it any wonder we're drowning in landfill junk when repairs are made so difficult. Really approve of the Australian 'right to repair' laws. Awesome work, Mark.
@@dunebasher1971 Manufacturers want to make things look smaller to compete with other manufacturers and make the things as sheap as possible so many people can buy it 😉.
I've seen a lot of HDMI repairs on PlayStations. Never one on an XBox. Now I know why. That was ridiculously complex for a part that is probably the most likely to need replacing at some time. Superbly done though, as always. I particularly enjoyed, and shared, your disdane for the modernity of it all too. 😁
If it was me Mark, it would have been a hammer and then a bigger hammer to reduce it to rubble! LOL!!! You must have developed a LOT of patience over the years! Man, oh man! 🙄🤨🤷♂
Designed to be as hard to fix as possible. I always use USB hubs on my pc to save the motherboard usb sockets wearing out. A HDMI short extender would work well.
Mark, if you watch a few videos by Steve at TronicsFix you'd learn a lot about how 'quick' it can be to get inside these monsters. He's a master at dismantling and repair because he can't bear it that a simple bit of damage makes a box go into landfill and he goes to extraordinary lengths to repair stuff - very successfully too. I know you hate these things but one or two will come your way from time to time... (Love your channel - very entertaining and educational 👍👍)
Those multi-layered boards really are a pain in the arse; I had a fun time replacing bad caps on an Audiolab M-DAC MK1 - a four-layer board with ground plane🙃
It's more than apparent that these devices were designed in such a way not to be repaired. As with everything nowadays, they want you to wear them out and buy a new one as quickly as possible. Planned obsolescence being the name of the game.
These things arent like IBM PCs from the early 80 though. Millions of times more powerful, insanely more complex, there is no way to make them super easy to repair because the parts have to be small. Sure they dont make it any easier, and a modern PC is easier than an XBOX, but its also larger, a lot more expensive, and still hard to repair if you need to break out the soldering Iron.
The thing is, making it bigger would allow for some more repairability without much extra parts cost, but only for the less critical parts. The main unit with the heat sink and the fast electronics couldn’t really get any bigger while maintaining performance. And making it bigger would make various stages of shipping significantly more expensive. Probably cost an extra 100-200 at retail.
The amount of engineering required for the planned obsolescence myth would cost more than any recoup of people buying new machines. They buy a new xbox because of new generations, not because they were planned to break. They are difficult to repair because of the complexity of them. Sure, you could make this bigger, but nobody wants that with all the other junk you have in your entertainment center.
Clearly carefully designed to be easily serviceable - not! Good for you for remembering where the screws go - I would undoubtedly have a few left over when it was back together.
Man..Just admire you, just watching you disassembled the xbox, parts by parts together those screws, I couldn't even keep track how many screws are they and thinking how am I to put it back. Very daunting task for me that I am not an technician or an engineer. Great job Mate. I always follow you vlog. I am your new subscriber and would love to learn about electronics. I know software a lot coding them but your field is a different ballgame and more interesting than I do. More power !!! 👈😊👍
Only the plastic locking tab for the cable was removed, the connection still works fine and the multitude of spring wires for the connection have enough tension to keep the cable in without the locking tab functioning. As he mentioned it only takes someone tripping over a cable or trying to remove it from the back without depressing the lock to result in damage. In my experience this damage is from theft. When people are quickly grabbing and unplugging items to take they don't have much care to undo cables properly resulting in damage to both of these connectors.
As you started using the desolder pump in my head I shouted out NOOOOO!!! - use braid!!!! No matter how careful you are they always skid sideways and fine tracks suffer - but you know that. Too late ......................
If you tell an engineer to construct a device where exchanging essential connectors is as difficult as possible, something like this propably comes out.
Mark! I’m loving your videos, and that Xbox repair felt as painful on this side as it did to you. And speaking of that, it would appear that wherever your camera is, you aren’t looking at it, but rather looking to the side. It kind of takes away from the personal experience, so I’m wondering if you might put a small dot or something near your camera so you will be looking at your viewers. Again, love the calibre of your work, and really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
Hi Mark, You really should try low melt solder (138 Celsius) , it is only for de-soldering and you have to wick it off when your done but it really helps.
I could take the console apart, but I would be left with a bunch of screws left over after trying to reassemble it, and when I would plug it in it would show the BSOD.
But they clearly *don't* prevent anyone else repairing them. The bottom line is that games consoles need to pack a great deal of tech into the smallest practical footprint, so of course they're going to be fiddly to work on. An easily-repairable console would be twice the size and much more expensive, and consumers don't want that.
What a pig of a thing to get apart. The only thing worse than that would be an iphone (don't ask me how I know). Well done getting it all back together and working.
I bet that track was cracked off the board when the connector was yanked, you just uncovered the problem. I must admit, I'd have gone with a pc thermal compound like arctic silver, but I've not actually seen any evidence it's better than the normal white silicone based stuff.
@@maxfactor4209 It obviously does not work for 4..5 years in a lot of circumstances because of the weak quality and inaccessable nature of lots of the parts (highlighted on this video).
i doubt that generic thermal compound for psu and amp transistors can do a job on a apu crystal. it can cause apu overheating then unstable working and degrade of apu at last, obviously. it's modern and wery hot apu from amd afterall.
Utterly ridiculous, why all the ports aren't on a separate, easily accessible board I don't know. But then again, I used to be able to just remove the back of my phone and stick in a new battery. Progress.
I can't find solder with lead in Sweden. I think it is forbidden in the whole EU, so i have to buy from China. Luckily i still have my roll of solder from the 80s 😊
Wow, that was a lot of fiddly work to get to that connector. I've worked on some complicated stuff before, but never anything quite like that. Id pass on it.
I think when Microsoft and Apple, those Manipulative Companies, are no more our Earth and We People will breathe more with full lungs , thank you Mark for these great Videos and sharing your opinions with us 👍
Not sure why, but modern repairs don't do as much for me than older, more robust equipment. Weirdly enough, it's almost like the vintage stuff has a "soul" and "character" behind it's construction and circuitry. The new stuff literally screams "Made by a machine!" 😂
Chip Quik always worked for me, maybe put that on the HDMI pins before adding hot air? I share your hate for these highly integrated devices! "like doing a bra up" lol - love the channel
the internal design of that thing is amazing - but it's a service nightmare! You can't test anything while running! Only designed for parts replacement I guess.
Never seen a piece of modern equipment die from static charges unless you are walking across a room dragging your feet and poking the boards at the end of your travel, or poking them with metal tips while they were running.
I wonder how many times he was asked before she had enough 🤔 I really hope he's paying the mum back for how much it costs AND they'll be back for the RJ45.
Hi there fella, have you ever read a book called "Battlefield Earth ", by Ron Hubbard? In it there was an alien race that protected their technology by means of hidden substrates in the component boards. Just a sort of parallel with companies that put obstacles in the way of repairers
Completely share your hatred of stuff like this. The designers decided on a shape and style, the poor engineers had to make it all fit. If it doesn't sound to "octogenarian from Tunbridge Wells", is it any wonder we're drowning in landfill junk when repairs are made so difficult. Really approve of the Australian 'right to repair' laws. Awesome work, Mark.
Consumers want smaller and cheaper, and making things more repairable involves making them larger and more expensive.
@@dunebasher1971 Manufacturers want to make things look smaller to compete with other manufacturers and make the things as sheap as possible so many people can buy it 😉.
Completely agree. Aesthetics first, functionality and repair are an afterthought.
I really think the main design is to dissipate all of the heat without the console having to use a fan that sounds like a jet engine.
@@raidensama1511 Plus saving on the cost of including a fan.
Your contempt for this job was amusingly evident! Well done for getting it sorted.
Never seen anybody so happy and grumpy at the same time. :)
The amount of work required to access and replace an externally exposed and easily breakable connector is ludicrous. Great job
This time, the fear is on your face. But happy ending take back smile on your face.
I've seen a lot of HDMI repairs on PlayStations. Never one on an XBox. Now I know why. That was ridiculously complex for a part that is probably the most likely to need replacing at some time. Superbly done though, as always. I particularly enjoyed, and shared, your disdane for the modernity of it all too. 😁
"Keep taking the screws out until it submits" - I will try this with my teenage kids!!
Your "enthusiasm" with this one is refreshing 😇😂
Very impressed that you remembered how it went back together. Also, no screws left over!
"What a nerd" had me cracking up
welp, just finished watching all your videos. cant wait for more !
If it was me Mark, it would have been a hammer and then a bigger hammer to reduce it to rubble! LOL!!! You must have developed a LOT of patience over the years! Man, oh man! 🙄🤨🤷♂
Xbox caliber cannon. Clear to engage
Joy to watch you in action! Well done!
You have soooo much patience! Another great video!
There are two types of repair channel guys... I watch both!
Amusing commentary from beginning to end. A joy to listen to whilst we watch your pain. 👏👏👍😀
I am amazed you can put these things back together. I know why I own a pc and not a gaming console ! Good vid 👌 Mark.
Designed to be as hard to fix as possible. I always use USB hubs on my pc to save the motherboard usb sockets wearing out. A HDMI short extender would work well.
Really enjoy watching your repair videos Mark.
And that is why I always use HDMI extenders so the main port never gets destroyed. Fine job fixing that one. Cheers!
Good point.
Mark, if you watch a few videos by Steve at TronicsFix you'd learn a lot about how 'quick' it can be to get inside these monsters. He's a master at dismantling and repair because he can't bear it that a simple bit of damage makes a box go into landfill and he goes to extraordinary lengths to repair stuff - very successfully too. I know you hate these things but one or two will come your way from time to time... (Love your channel - very entertaining and educational 👍👍)
Those multi-layered boards really are a pain in the arse; I had a fun time replacing bad caps on an Audiolab M-DAC MK1 - a four-layer board with ground plane🙃
You have the patience of a saint. That thing is ridiculously complex. I'm glad I don't own one.
It's more than apparent that these devices were designed in such a way not to be repaired. As with everything nowadays, they want you to wear them out and buy a new one as quickly as possible. Planned obsolescence being the name of the game.
I am not sure if I agree with that completely but "mend ability" was definitely not any of their priorities
These things arent like IBM PCs from the early 80 though. Millions of times more powerful, insanely more complex, there is no way to make them super easy to repair because the parts have to be small.
Sure they dont make it any easier, and a modern PC is easier than an XBOX, but its also larger, a lot more expensive, and still hard to repair if you need to break out the soldering Iron.
The thing is, making it bigger would allow for some more repairability without much extra parts cost, but only for the less critical parts. The main unit with the heat sink and the fast electronics couldn’t really get any bigger while maintaining performance.
And making it bigger would make various stages of shipping significantly more expensive. Probably cost an extra 100-200 at retail.
The amount of engineering required for the planned obsolescence myth would cost more than any recoup of people buying new machines. They buy a new xbox because of new generations, not because they were planned to break.
They are difficult to repair because of the complexity of them. Sure, you could make this bigger, but nobody wants that with all the other junk you have in your entertainment center.
What a horrific teardown of that thing. I hope your service charge reflected it :D
Clearly carefully designed to be easily serviceable - not! Good for you for remembering where the screws go - I would undoubtedly have a few left over when it was back together.
Man..Just admire you, just watching you disassembled the xbox, parts by parts together those screws, I couldn't even keep track how many screws are they and thinking how am I to put it back. Very daunting task for me that I am not an technician or an engineer. Great job Mate. I always follow you vlog. I am your new subscriber and would love to learn about electronics. I know software a lot coding them but your field is a different ballgame and more interesting than I do. More power !!! 👈😊👍
did the RJ45 not need replacing in the end?
Only the plastic locking tab for the cable was removed, the connection still works fine and the multitude of spring wires for the connection have enough tension to keep the cable in without the locking tab functioning. As he mentioned it only takes someone tripping over a cable or trying to remove it from the back without depressing the lock to result in damage.
In my experience this damage is from theft. When people are quickly grabbing and unplugging items to take they don't have much care to undo cables properly resulting in damage to both of these connectors.
As you started using the desolder pump in my head I shouted out NOOOOO!!! - use braid!!!! No matter how careful you are they always skid sideways and fine tracks suffer - but you know that. Too late ......................
That' one hell of a extension for that quick station. Does it loose much airflow traveling all that way?
That was so painful to watch that this will be the first video of yours that I leave without watching all the repair being done.
Knighthoods have been cheapened... after this job, Mark should have St. Mend-It-Mark's day declared!
If you tell an engineer to construct a device where exchanging essential connectors is as difficult as possible, something like this propably comes out.
Brilliant work. I've only done repairs on consoles from the nineties and back and this just seems horrible by comparison.
Mark!
I’m loving your videos, and that Xbox repair felt as painful on this side as it did to you.
And speaking of that, it would appear that wherever your camera is, you aren’t looking at it, but rather looking to the side. It kind of takes away from the personal experience, so I’m wondering if you might put a small dot or something near your camera so you will be looking at your viewers.
Again, love the calibre of your work, and really enjoy your videos.
Thanks!
Hi Mark,
You really should try low melt solder (138 Celsius) , it is only for de-soldering and you have to wick it off when your done but it really helps.
Thank you for posting 👍👍
I could take the console apart, but I would be left with a bunch of screws left over after trying to reassemble it, and when I would plug it in it would show the BSOD.
Amazing how he just put the screws in a pile but managed to get them all back in. Mere mortals could never achieve such a feat….
I would love to know how much to charge for this type of repair. It's very labour intensive for what a customer probably thinks is such an easy fix.
i feel for you things you have to do. amazing.
How many spare screws left over? It looked endless..
Mark have you ever worked on Lecson amplifiers, programable unijunctions etc, ?
Will the flux not get into the HDMI connector and disturb the contacts?
I have not seen a series x fail yet. Still have my launch unit.
like your attitude towards junk 👍👍👍👍
job well done , I bet they make them this way to prevent any one else repairing them . 👌👌
But they clearly *don't* prevent anyone else repairing them. The bottom line is that games consoles need to pack a great deal of tech into the smallest practical footprint, so of course they're going to be fiddly to work on. An easily-repairable console would be twice the size and much more expensive, and consumers don't want that.
What a pig of a thing to get apart. The only thing worse than that would be an iphone (don't ask me how I know). Well done getting it all back together and working.
I find iPhones to be relatively easy to open up, lil bit of heat and a suction cup
Love it😂😂😂 junk ! Love my nes from the 80s🎉
I bet that track was cracked off the board when the connector was yanked, you just uncovered the problem.
I must admit, I'd have gone with a pc thermal compound like arctic silver, but I've not actually seen any evidence it's better than the normal white silicone based stuff.
Ahh, the joys of planned obsolescence...great video xD
@@maxfactor4209 It obviously does not work for 4..5 years in a lot of circumstances because of the weak quality and inaccessable nature of lots of the parts (highlighted on this video).
I presume you ignored the damaged RJ45 socket?
Mark, ever thought about moving into the game console repair market?🤔😂 I have to agree with you. They are an absolute ass pain! 🤣
Hi Mark just wondering what a electronic repair cost on this
I wonder how on earth you remember where all those bloody screws go!😂😂
Good grief, remove all that for a hdmi socket ! I hope you charged the mother well for all that trouble 😳👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
i doubt that generic thermal compound for psu and amp transistors can do a job on a apu crystal. it can cause apu overheating then unstable working and degrade of apu at last, obviously. it's modern and wery hot apu from amd afterall.
a real nightmare, well done
Utterly ridiculous, why all the ports aren't on a separate, easily accessible board I don't know. But then again, I used to be able to just remove the back of my phone and stick in a new battery. Progress.
surprised that was economical to even look at gives the time and effort
Am using around 350-400C to heat the board from the bottom side.
Great job. I'm wondering what's the cost of this repair Vs buying a whole new Xbox?
Very amusing! So did you fix the Ethernet socket that was busted in the end?
What happened to the broken Ethernet socket you found?
Left it broken. The connections aren't damaged and even after a repair they are likely to damage it again.
Great videos! Do you use lead-free solder for all repairs, including pre July 2006 equipment?
Hopefully not, lead free solder is awful
I can't find solder with lead in Sweden. I think it is forbidden in the whole EU, so i have to buy from China. Luckily i still have my roll of solder from the 80s 😊
@@fu1r4 try your best to ONLY use it (lead 60/40) for special occasions 😉
@@fu1r4 Here in NL it is still allowed for personal use and 3rd party repairs. OEMs have to use lead free always.
I've always had trouble with that solder. Terrible stuff.
Nice job, but did you also replace the broken CAT 6 connector?
Nope. As it is it still functions fine.
Wow, that was a lot of fiddly work to get to that connector. I've worked on some complicated stuff before, but never anything quite like that. Id pass on it.
Unfortunate the camera was not mounted to the microscope. Must be before the setup was complete. Otherwise what a pain eh.
I don't like any game console too, Mark
You're not alone..
Junk, totaly agree! No games for me either
In 1982 someone said "I hate working on these modern consoles..."
great work,love watching
WOW !!! Cheers !
The less that can be fixed the more units they sell.
I think when Microsoft and Apple, those Manipulative Companies, are no more our Earth and We People will breathe more with full lungs , thank you Mark for these great Videos and sharing your opinions with us 👍
Mark can i ask - Are Electrical specialists like you rare in find?
Yes. Well as far as I know.
@@TheManLab7 Hell I'd give up 6 months as a non-paid intern to pick up what he knows. This man's a treasure trove of tricks and experience.
I wonder how many times Ive asked myself will it ever work again.
Not sure why, but modern repairs don't do as much for me than older, more robust equipment. Weirdly enough, it's almost like the vintage stuff has a "soul" and "character" behind it's construction and circuitry. The new stuff literally screams "Made by a machine!" 😂
If its so robust why does it need repaired ??
I challenge you to repair a VCR with a mechanical problem. Soul and character destroying.
@@ianhaylock7409 yes boss, tape decks are fking crazy, and video tape decks even worse!
To be fair this is a "cheap" consumer device! I'm sure there is higher end computing gear, e.g., servers, which are more robustly made.
Chip Quik always worked for me, maybe put that on the HDMI pins before adding hot air? I share your hate for these highly integrated devices! "like doing a bra up" lol - love the channel
Steg Steve! He did not steam the label off. He made a hole in it! Oh waily, waily waily!
Hmm multiple yanked cords? That's been nicked.
Don't underestimate the destructive nature of kids.
I'm really surprised that the correct amount of thermal paste police haven't commented on this video
This was the first video with you where you didn't smile all the time. You really did hate this job.
That was a painful repair 😅
Looks like a flight data recorder
how else would one get 90 billion transistors on a modern GPU die?
Glad you will do gaming consoles.
The plug is NanoFit, not MicroFit lol😅
Great work, I am sure I would have trashed that if I attempted to repair it
At 13:00 i’m no expert btw😂😂😂
I see it comes complete with the ubiquitous boys bedroom fluff
the internal design of that thing is amazing - but it's a service nightmare! You can't test anything while running! Only designed for parts replacement I guess.
Mark your bare hands are touching all the circuits, is this not a problem with static?
electroboom and linus tech tips demonstrated that it is very hard to kill things like memory modules etc with static.
Never seen a piece of modern equipment die from static charges unless you are walking across a room dragging your feet and poking the boards at the end of your travel, or poking them with metal tips while they were running.
Bench has an antistatic mat on it. It is loose components that are most susceptible to static.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
I wonder how many times he was asked before she had enough 🤔
I really hope he's paying the mum back for how much it costs AND they'll be back for the RJ45.
What a nightmare… I would barely prefer the Walkman mecanism repair 😝
One of the most likely bits to get broken is the most buried, what design flaw
That's part of the life cycle strategy from the producer.
I presume the repair costs surpasses the price of a new X-Box. Otherwise you're too cheap, Mark.
Hi there fella, have you ever read a book called "Battlefield Earth ", by Ron Hubbard? In it there was an alien race that protected their technology by means of hidden substrates in the component boards. Just a sort of parallel with companies that put obstacles in the way of repairers
And out of the black box came a lawn mover motor.
You did not repair the ethernet socket.
What is the economics of a repair like this?
Enjoy watching your videos.
If u know, how an xbox is getting apart - and see Mark "struggeling" with it, its funny ^^