Methods for Repairing the RRoD and YLoD: Part II

The other aspect of the Reflow process is the size of the chip, meaning the temperature needed in order to get the lead free solder to the point of melt is also based on the size of the chip.  The greater the size of the chip or area the greater the heat plus amount of time it will take to get to the point of melt.  Using a heat gun to get the GPU to the point of melt while the heat is blowing around other components that are very small in size will cause smaller components to get too hot, the solder will liquefy and the smaller chips will move out of place and cause permanent damage to the board.  Also, in using a heat gun you will need to monitor the temperature of the GPU as you are attempting the Reflow since you do not want to go above the 400 degree Fahrenheit mark or 200 Celsius. 

There is the amount of time that the GPU should be heated base of the size of the area of the chip that must be adhered to as well.  Based on the specifications for getting solder to the point of melt, you cannot just blast the chip to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and expect any type of good results.  You are trying to get the lead free solder to the point of melt at a safe rate.   If you get the chip to 220 Celsius then the time to liquid (TAL) is about 30 seconds, meaning if you took the chip to the highest degree over several minutes, then maintained that for an addition 30 seconds the lead free solder would flow, which is not what we are trying to accomplish.  There are four steps in the reflow process which need to be followed; the first step is the Preheat Zone; this is where you are getting the entire motherboard warmed and avoiding thermal shock.  Again you are trying to avoid ramping up heat to quickly to keep from damaging sensitive components on the motherboard.  The next step in the process is the Soak Zone; this is where you are safely bringing the temperature of the board up to the Reflow Zone.  Obviously, the next step in the process is the Reflow Zone which is where you are maintaining a level of heat adequate to get the solder to the point of melt over a short period of time.  The last part of the process is the Cooling Zone; this is where you will bring the temperature of the board down slowly over a short period of time to keep from causing any weak solder joints.

Preparation is actually one of the very first steps and very important step in repairing the Xbox 360 from the RRoD.  Once you have disassembled the Xbox 360, you need to clean the motherboard.  You can use distilled water, but you would have to completely dry the board prior to the Reflow process or you can use electro static alcohol made specifically for electronic components.  Also, you will need to use liquid flux around the GPU and CPU prior to the Reflow process.  The flux will help to clean up the lead free solder and remove most of the oxidation that has built up around the solder balls. At this point you are ready to reflow the GPU on the motherboard with your heating device whether it is the heat gun, hot air solution or with the preferred method of the Infrared system, like the PACE IR 1000.  Once the motherboard has been properly heated you are going to need to allow time for cooling of the motherboard; the time needed to cool prior to assembly will depend again on the size of the chip that was heated.  With the chip cooled you are ready to reassembly the console or device, whether it is an Xbox 360, PS3 or other device. 

GameDay Resources makes some minor changes to the Xbox 360 to help eliminate as much of the heat as possible by adding a small resistor to the motherboard which will speed up the fan drawing out more of the heat that is created by the Xbox 360.  Adding the resistor helps to speed up the fan as well as keep the fan quiet, as opposed to rewiring the fan with the DVD power cable.  Rewiring the fan to the power cable will also increase the fan speed, but it will also make the fan very loud which can take away from the enjoyment of game play.  We also make some changes internally to help draw out some of the heat from the front of the console so the overall temperature of the system runs cooler than the original design.  We have also developed some methods for the PS3 during the reflow process to help increase the life expectancy once the GPU has been heated. From our latest improvements to our reflow process we have had very good results in units that had repeated failures over a small period of time as well as seeing better results of units that did not have repeated failures.  GameDay Resources continues to improve their processes with research and development in an effort to provide our customers with the very best customer experience that is available with today’s video game consoles.  

Methods for Repairing the Xbox 360 for the Red Rings of Death (RRoD); Part I

Methods for Repairing the Xbox 360 for the Red Rings of Death (RRoD); Part I
The biggest question I get is, “why did my Xbox 360 fail?”  The second biggest question I get is “what is involved in repairing the Xbox 360?”  This article will go over steps in repairing the Xbox 360 for the Red Rings of Death (RRoD).  If you read my previous post on the “why” question, then you have an understanding of how the Xbox 360 gets the dreaded Red Rings to begin with, which will help you in understanding how to repair the problem.

What we are trying to repair are all the solder balls under the graphics chip (GPU) and under the central processing chip (CPU) as the solder balls have developed cold solder joints.  Most people that explain the failure of the Xbox 360 state that the solder under the GPU has melted… this is not the case.  Lead Free solder cannot get hot enough in the Xbox 360 case to melt.  The hottest it will get in the case is about 200 degrees and it takes a much higher degree of heat to melt solder.  The solder balls under the GPU will, however, begin to breakdown and oxidize causing cold solder joints.  There are about 900 solder balls under the GPU (called Ball Grid Array or BGA), so there are many potential points of failure.  To actually melt the lead free solder you would have to get to 220 degrees Celsius (°C) or about 428 degrees Fahrenheit (°F), which is the specifications for melting lead free solder.  It is also recommended that you stay about 20 degrees below this level since we are only trying to get to the point of melt and not have it start flowing.  The process of getting the lead free solder to the point of melt is called “Reflow”.  Once the lead free solder gets to the point of melt it will reform and correct the cold solder joints that are like micro fractures.

There is different equipment types that can be used to take lead free solder to the point of melt during the reflow process such as a heat gun (although not recommended), the hot air solution and the infrared system.  The heat gun is the cheapest way to perform the reflow but is also the most damaging if it isn’t done properly.  To use a heat gun you would need to cover the area surrounding the GPU and the CPU so as to not damage other electronic components.  All the nearby components are held to the motherboard by the same type of lead free solder and if you get these components as hot as the GPU, you will melt the solder and the components may slide away from where they belong.  As with the heat gun, the hot air solutions have similar potential to damage the surrounding electronic components except that most of the hot air solutions come with a nozzle that fits over the chip you are heating. Hot air solutions normally come with a temperature gauge and a timer, but since they do not built up the heat slowly enough the heat can do damage to the chip.  


Most of the infrared systems will come with an option to set up profiles for heating.  With these profiles, you can tell the infrared system how to heat the board based on the chip size.  That gives you the ability to set up profiles for the Xbox 360, PS3, and other board types that you are reflowing on a regular basis.  The infrared systems use a heat wave as opposed to blowing hot air and that gives a better ability to correct the cold solder joints.  When you set up a profile you are telling the system how to perform; you are giving the system instructions on how long to Preheat and at what temperature, how long to Soak and how rapidly to increase the heat, how long to perform the Reflow and at what temperature and then finally, how rapidly you want the system to Cool the motherboard down.  The other great benefit of most infrared systems is that they will come with some type of cooling system.  The infrared systems that come with the ability to set up profiles are the best way to eliminate errors to repairing the Xbox 360 for the RROD.  The best BGA Rework Station on the market today is the PACE IR 1000 from PACE Inc., out of North Carolina.  This system provides everything you need to repair the Xbox 360 and the PS3 motherboards and even repair industrial type boards if you need that.  


You may contact me for more information on PACE infrared equipment as Gameday handles their US sales and distribution for game console repair.