Original Xbox
Capacitor Replacement
March 24, 2022
I began the process of refurbishing an original Xbox recently. Before opening up anything I like to run through a checklist for testing so that I have a good handle on what works and what doesn't. In this case the console first appeared to be in decent shape. It powered up, and the AV output was working fine. I was able to walk through some of the standard menus, but when I popped in a game disc the screen just went black. I let it sit for a minute or two, but nothing further was happening so I powered the console off. When I tried to power it on again, nothing happened. No lights, no AV, nothing.
I unplugged the console, let it sit for a few minutes, then plugged it back in. This time it powered up, but the same blank screen appeared when I tried to launch a game again. It was time to open it up. The first thing I noticed is that I wasn't breaking new ground, someone had been inside already...
Both the serial number sticker, and the Xbox Video Game System sticker which cover a couple case screws had been punched through. I wonder what the last person did inside?
Once the cover was off, things were looking good, no magic smoke yet
The Xbox with the DVD and HDD removed.
Once I pulled out the DVD and HDD I started looking around the board. It didn't take long to find the first problem, that some of the capacitors had given up their magic juice. I suppose this isn't surprising given the age of the console and the fact that many Xbox systems were manufactured during the 'Capacitor Plague' of the early 2000s.
The Nichicon 3300uF 6.3V capacitors near the CPU and power supply were definitely no longer doing their job. Unfortunately I didn't have any drop in replacements on hand, but a quick Digikey order and a few days later, I could move things forward. The first step was to remove the existing capacitors and clean up the board. Luckily there wasn't much corrosion.
I ended up putting in 10v caps because I wanted to bulk buy caps which could be used to cover a few scenarios. The replacements are a little wider in diameter, but there is enough room on the board this isn't a problem.
New capacitors in place and ready to go.
The board has been cleaned up with some swabs and isopropyl alcohol.
Before leaving the capacitor replacement behind I wanted to do some tests against the failed capacitors for fun, just to see how they would read. The first picture is a reading from one of the new 3300uF capacitors, the remaining pictures are readings from the five failed caps. It's no wonder the console wasn't up to playing games.
Replacing the capacitors was just the first step in refurbishing this system. The optical drive has a bit of a sticky tray, and I also am considering refreshing the thermal paste for the GPU and CPU.