Xbox Series X HDMI Replacement - LFC

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Chapters:
00:00 - Disassembly
16:10 - Port Removal
24:16 - New Port
32:52 - Assembly & Test

[@TheCod3r]

Seen a few people commenting now about it being "painful" or whatever. The truth is this board is a PITA. Here's my two cents and how I do it hassle free every time... Realistically you need a better hot air station. Personally I use an Atten ST-862D. It's cheap and on par with the big boys. You're also struggling because you've got a nozzle on the heat gun which will cause restricted heat. Take off the nozzle completely and just use the base. Go for hot hot hot, don't be afraid of using 480⁰C on this board. It can take it. Heat from underneath and just let the connector pretty much drop out. Retin the pads and ground holes and don't desolder them. Use the drop method to put the port back on. The reason for that is because these ports are designed in a way where the ground legs just about meet the edge of the board. Leaving the solder inside the holes ensures you will have a good contact and make sure you don't have the console back under warranty because the port falls out. Honestly that process with a little practice will take less than 5 minutes from start to finish. Practice makes perfect

[@Adamant_IT]

Yea I started out no-nozzle, but my Quick 857dw+ just didn't have the grunt for it and it really felt like I was getting nowhere. That Atten is the station I keep eyeing up every time I'm working on a heavy board that my Quick struggles with... it's crazy cheap for the power it has, and I've seen more than a few friends recommending it. Cheers 👌

[@TheCod3r]

@@Adamant_IT I 100% recommend that station. I've had one for 3 years now (well I have two) and apart from the odd element replacement it works a dream every time. I do say for hobbyists the cheaper or older stations are fine, but when it comes to using it every day just spend the money and get the good stuff. The way i see it is we make money from the equipment we use, so why not make our job easier and quicker with the good stuff :)

[@pldaniels]

"Paul is Paul" - true true true... it's coming, I was writing the new shop front for the lights, usb-c meters and anything else, when you made this public - thanks for the shout out.

[@JoeyDoesTech]

Hey Graham 😁 Xbox Series X HDMI's are probably the most tedious port to deal with for me. I usually like to clear all the ground holes and solder on the pads, then fill up the ground holes with leaded solder, and use the drop method by applying my heat gun to the underneath and putting the port on top. This then allows the solder to bond with the port legs, and 9/10 you don't need to go over the ground legs with a soldering iron. I then like to go over the actual HDMI port pins with a soldering iron after to ensure a solid connection. This is the only way I can do the Series X ports 😊

[@microgamingrepairs1981]

This is probably the best way to do it and is identical (mostly) to how I do it.

[@ImranAli-rp4kd]

If you got low melt and a good hot air station then it’s easy to remove old hdmi and clear the psds then solder hdmi port by iron, the problem in the video is the hot air station isn’t that great

[@felicitarianiversare]

Nice!

[@Dejan357]

I feel your pain with inadequate tools... This is the story of my DIY life where I cannot justify spending more money on tools since I used them only a couple times a year. I would not even try to get anywhere near a board that thick with what I have.

[@ltenigma]

Thank you for posting this! I balked on first watch but eventually decided to try the repair on my Xbox. It was challenging, but works like a dream!

[@somewaresim]

Well done. Good job Graham. I had my fingers crossed.

[@sgtmartin2728]

I must say man watching your videos is relaxing i like fixing and building pcs myself. Brilliant work as always.

[@Vonklieve]

Boy, that is one challenging repair. Impressed.

[@DonaldEastwood]

One thing to note is that there are about 4 small 'blobs' of solder on the edge of the board that hold the front of the connector on, providing more hold for the port on the board. There are quite small and are hardly seen but they are there for a reason.

[@pekitivey]

I enjoyed this one. Kinda relates to any diy projects I take on at home. Usually have the know how but always using the wrong screws or a hammer with a broken handle, or a driver bit that's a little rounded.

[@rossgee2950]

Nice work!

[@NebukadV]

28:42 there is almost a bridge between pins 2 and 3 from the left. It's gonna be fine in the end, but those pins would have needed a touch-up. 31:55 the reason you are having those dry joints is the following: While you use the hot-air and iron to heat up the pad, the shield of the HDMI connector still remains cold. Hot-Air right on the connector + iron on the pad would give stronger joints and faster.

[@davidlguerr]

You need to use more flux, and a bigger tip for those big joints. A bigger tip, more heat transfer. And flux helps with the flow of solder.

[@andreivoinescu9364]

the tip is really important. the hakko fx-951 can deliver 75 watts at the tip and the pinecil v1 65w. v2 is rated for 88w (i think it can go that high only on the dc jack) but i read that people push it to 100 watts without any issue. you can 3d print an adapter to use the hakko handpiece which would allow you to use hakko tips that come in a lot more shapes and sizes and i think there are ones with a lot of mass so you can build up the heat in the tip and dump it really fast on a ground plane

[@jobi-wankenobi2244]

I decided this repair right here would be my first evwr dabble into soldering, ever, and boy I tell you what, it was difficult but after a mere 2 hours of disassembly, heat gun and removing/replacing with a new HDMI port... I picked up a new hobby lately and am now fixing broken systems for profit. Did my first ever repair on my Series X and since then havent looked back and failed (yet)

[@robertsandy3794]

Have you considered using Low Melt solder to desolder the legs?

[@theotherotherBrian]

I've done this repair with low melt solder. No way I could've managed without, and it was still pretty difficult for me.

[@chrispike7249]

Good to see you working on another console replacing the HDMI socket Graham 👍

[@carlojoselitochua2954]

Done watching, thank you very much for the informative repair video. I have learned significantly more troubleshooting & repair lessons in this tutorial video and to your other repair videos as well compared to my ENTIRE 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE EDUCATION. I hope you will soon have a mini-series for Schematic & Boardview-free Voltage/Power Rail Tracing[12V/18-20V Main Voltage Rail, 5V, 3.3V, CPU/GPU Core Voltage Rail, DRAM Voltage Rail, IGPU Voltage Rail, System Agent/Northbridge Voltage Rail, PCH Voltage Rail, BIOS Voltage Rail, Battery Power Rail], Proper method of testing/checking of potentially faulty MOSFETs & ICs/Controller Chips, CPU/GPU/PCH Reballing and BIOS Bin File Editing.

[@dimitrismaster]

from experience,first solder the contacts,then solder the 4 ground anchor legs.otherwise,you might end up with space between the pcb and the contacts and wonder why you cant solder them

[@phr3ui559]

ok

[@felicitarianiversare]

Congratulations... I would clean the 4 pins where there were problems with a cutter, before applying hdmi to the board. Usually they are a little oxidized from the weather and the glue doesn't stick that well. Anyway, you are very good and I appreciate your videos. I learned a lot from you.

[@poeskey]

Sodler sucker is what i use for those ground pads. microsoft loves to use the strongest solder known to man on those things, and I would prefer a proper de-soldering gun, but the suckers work fine for these once you add a bit of your own solder to the joints.

[@XRaiderV1]

where I recoiled..was how...coated in dust everything is, how were you NOT spending 20 minutes just sitting there, sneezing up a storm, is beyond me. good work, nicely done on that repair.

[@neddi0]

For reflowing the Solder on the Big Ground Planes you can try your Desolering Gun, it's a big Soldering Iron if you don't aktivate the Pump... it comes with more Wattage and brings lot of thermal Mass to the fight ;)

[@coyotex850]

having done a bunch of these honestly the traces on these boards stand up pretty strong, you have to really caveman that shit to actually break them, the hardest part about this is cleaning the holes imo but that solder pump you got there came in clutch

[@Techisol]

MORE FLUX!!! LOL. Oh what a feeling, when you turn the console on and it works. .

[@namemenick9819]

with this tools you have to re do all pins and contacts with leaded solder wire(183 celcious melting point),because by factory they are soldered with 217 celcious unleaded solder on board.if you use low melting solder(140 celcious melting point) it will be even easier.

[@radio-ged4626]

For de-soldering, three words: - Low melt solder.

[@LeadFarmer813]

anchors don't protrude enough to be touched by iron tip.. use skinny part of tip straight down to touch metal anchor to make it bond. nice one identifying the issue!

[@jkboyett2]

Thanks for another great repair video. I'm still learning as well. I have a Hakko FX888D and I use a 2mm chisel tip on it for those anchors. I find I can get it down in the hole and heat up those anchor pins. I usually run the iron around 750F (~400C). Add plenty of flux and go for it. I haven't done many of those, a couple of HDMI ports and a few USB ports, but I've had good results so far.

[@pbarnfield]

Yep deffo at the limits. Flux, better solder (Kester I find is better flowing) and a decent iron. Can't go too far wrong with a hakko for reasonable budget - UK suppliers HK Wentworth. Hot air station has to be the Quick 861. Also if you have a repeat offender with console HDMI's, I suggest a short HDMI extension be fitted and hot glued or cable tied to the casing. Then it's only a short £2 cable needing to be replaced. Especially for kids with separated parents who move their consoles daily!!!

[@user-dt3ds5rt9n]

On top of the board by the front legs, it looks like the ground plane is there. I would verify by scraping a bit of mask there, then apply solder there to the top of the legs/body for more security.

[@tim0steele]

Try using a bigger soldering iron for the anchor points. You have a lot of thermal mass to heat up.

[@Roobotics]

You should look into low-melt solder alloys, a common name brand one, being 'chipquik'. Specifically to help with through-hole parts stuck into multiple ground-planes. Also when using them, I'll use water-soluble flux that must be washed off after, it's more electrically conductive and naturally acidic, and will attack the copper if left for weeks. That little bit of post-fix inconvenience is worth the more aggressive oxide-layer breakdown it creates, it will actually help the low-melt solder alloy much easier to the base solder.. and my tweezers as I've unfortunately discovered.. 😆 Edit: Also when removing PTH ports, I do suggest heating from the underside of the board, BUT! not with the board flipped over. I would place the HDMI port upright and run my hot-air gun along the bottom, it creates a bubble that also happens to naturally rise up and heat the port on the top as well, heat naturally flowing up and all. Another way I'd do it with less frustration, is put my MHP30 under it and hotair from the top, it's a great little device for localized pre-heat. The WS flux can also help with the cold-solder joints you found with the shielding anchors, buttttt I'd highly suggest to have a large beefy tip with some thermal mass to it soley for that. All the flux in the world can't save you if you can't get a melting and amalgamation temperature to flow into the metal faster than it dissipates it away, the base of the knife tip and a hotter temperature might be enough, preheat the area with the hotair gun if you have to, it will make a difference.

[@GlenIT]

Graham, what are you using for repairs, desktop or latop

[@Foobar_The_Fat_Penguin]

It might also be a worth a try to wait with the solder. I noticed you touched the iron to the anchor pin and immediately came in with the solder. So by the time everything is up to temp the flux in the solder has already burned away. Which would also explain why more flux fixed the issue in the end. Maybe just add a little bit of solder at the start for better heat transfer and then wait a minute. Give the iron some time to heat up the anchor and the hole. Then come in with the solder.

[@Adamant_IT]

I tend to add solder right away because you can get some molten metal down that will make better contact with the surfaces to transfer the heat. I'll try some 'pre-heating' as well, but also even then I think the flux will burn away faster, which is why a lot of techs tend to drown everything in flux.

[@joenathan8262]

@Adamant It What are you using to power the Pinecil??

[@Ed31003]

Nice - that solder remover seems to be a great addition - cops after someone

[@ricobass0253]

I assume you're using leaded solder as it has a lower meting point than unleaded, but I think you can also get special solder with an even lower melting point for ease of removal with hot air. A larger iron with a higher thermal capacity would help too.

[@robinvandijk4788]

True I always use low melt solder with removing these connectors. The solder melt on 50 degree celcius already :)

[@JustShupp]

Question, I'm trying to remove a port on mine I have my hot air set to 400⁰c and have been heating it it seems like quite sometime. Im concerned I will over heat it. About how long should I be heating this port sustained and how much heat will it need? I have already added low melt solder but it still seems like its being super stubborn. My ps4 seemed like it took much less heat. Just looking for advice on if I am just being to worried and should keep the gun steady and sustained more and how hot the board can actually get before its too much. Thanks in advance.

[@frank-t6857]

The Cod3r is maybe the most experienced person I have seen when it comes to replacing HDMI ports on game consoles. We all learn from others with more experience.

[@mendiarapi]

why you did not remove the solder behind those anchors before?

[@OpenYourMind80]

Low Melt Soldier is the Key!

[@prime_bassingtv6273]

The boards are thick on the series x. The best method I found was to use my cheap harbor freight heat gun on bottom and then on the top of the board I use my good heat gun. Basically getting heat on both sides of the board at the same time, I don’t use flux when removing either. Takes about 30-45 seconds for the port to come off. I actually use that method to remove all hdmi ports on various consoles, takes no time and doesn’t rip any pads during the process

[@felicitarianiversare]

You can try to solder a wire to a battery directly or make a few scratches with the cutter on the battery You will see the difference

[@aktech3271]

what type of soldering wire you use ?

[@BWGPEI]

My hands ache just watching you - but then I'm 70+ and still trying to fix things. I sure do hear you about better screw drivers with bigger handles. Be good to yourself!

[@josephroberts6027]

This a job best done by heating from the bottom, then remove the old port. Clean and tin pads but don't do the anchors. Heat from the bottom, and then once pads are molten, drop the port on,then go back and do anchors.

[@davidgeltz7604]

If you pre solder (tin) the legs of the HDMI connector first it should help you not trying to heat the legs and the ground plane at the same time.

[@gabrieln5357]

1st: why don't you prime the limbs with solder before seting in on the pcb? 2nd: I think the iron can output more power if you increase the voltage and if it doesn't "suffer" it you can try change the power transistor in it and try with smth like 25V-4A... and get almost 50% more power... cause in reality the electronic iron all it does is to PID adjust the temperature of the tip, the power limit is how much the transistor can bear...

[@j1e1r1r1o1]

awesome content and really good job. If I have to do that I think I already lost the line during the disassembly part 🤣 #LFC is one of my favorite series on 'Tube...keep up with the good work. If you got some PC to repair in the shop...that would be great some "nostalgic" content if can be happen

[@Adamant_IT]

I do try to knock out PC content when I can! I've just been cursed lately by all the PC related stuff being extremely dull and not video-worthy. Like, old dusty systems with a dead PSU, it's not exciting to do a video where I say 'it doesn't turn on. plug in new PSU... it turns on. Replace it.' Rest assured I keep an eye out for potentially interesting ones!

[@j1e1r1r1o1]

@@Adamant_IT Sure sure, fully understand. Thanks for the clarification. I really like all kinds of stuff what you share either so the credit all yours👍 Just nowdays the old/new contents of LFC made my whole days ( fully addiction 😁 mostly during night shifts 😁) Appreciated Sir! 🙏

[@markbriscoe8526]

Bro, if you notice on the board the Xbox series X board where you have an HDMI port you’ve got four soldering joints underneath the HDMI port they need to be tinted as well as the four main anchor supports when you’re soldering those supports you need to put flux then put a certain amount of solder into-the main supports so it doesn’t move

[@KyleSand]

Theres a little plastic bit that melts to the board you have to fight with and scrape off after too. Done a couple of these but the amount of heat necessary is unnerving

[@michaelmeux4137]

Good call on the flux because I was thinking you have to be the only person I've seen solder with almost no flux.

[@thomasmroz]

I would try preheating the board first, below melt point of course. Once saturated then hit it with the hot air, connector would probably come off much quicker.

[@fw3973]

Hi, my port blades are all intact, I'm getting video on tv it's just some games when graphics are hard pushed it starts to play up, my port is sort of loose could the problem be at chip, and my unit is save-able? Thanks

[@HalifaxComputersRepair]

I use low melt solder , and it helps alot , but you want to make it really hard lol

[@derekarridge23]

I would always check each data pin is solid under the microscope with the tip of my tweezers before putting it back together. Made the mistake of thinking “that looks good” too many times. Visual ain’t always good enough.

[@Drew-mr6tr]

Use an old fashioned Antex soldering iron for those tabs. New doesn't always mean better. Get some proper heat in there .

[@user-bh1tj8df3l]

Summarizing: if I manage to "discover" the anchors without leaving residue: first battle won. If in the end I manage to completely "cover" the through holes of those anchors on both sides of the plate: I won the confrontation. Another way of saying it, the 19 pins don't "worry" me in the least (it's assumed that I have quite acceptable soldering techniques for that and the materials to use for this purpose). (14:43) Its technical name: thermal putty in gray, blue, white and pink; I miss seeing it in light green (it is placed on the Mosfets mainly in laptops and gaming consoles) is much cheaper than the good quality thermal grease that is preferred for -CPU, APU, Chipset-. On Ali/ss I only saw pink thermal putty, I only replace it when it is completely dry and when using the cleaning brush or the moistened soft bristle brush it turns into a powder that spreads. Thank you very much for sharing. All the best.

[@tuntowatkins1375]

Mines just broke overnight by itself somehow, I thought I could just order the piece and do it myself until I seen all of this . I'm like.. NOPE.. to the shop it goes.

[@fernandogalloso359]

You need to buy equipment that makes it easier for you to work better and more efficiently. I recommend the SUGON T21 with T245 tips and for the heat station the ATTEN ST 862D. Greetings

[@haxxorsheep]

I do these often. you should invest in a better rework station I use to have the Quick 861DW and it worked good but the heating element went bad so I got a Atten ST-862D and I was sold. It did better then the Quick and had better features. The best tip I can give you is Low Melt instead of normal solder helps a ton. I always put heat on the bottom of the board. I always combine my hotair with my iron (Hakko) You will need a good station these little 65w irons can't handle the thermal mass of these boards when wicking out the anchor holes or solding them. I love my TS101 but it can handle these jobs. Once you do it a few times you get use to it and can get these off in matter of a mins or 2.

[@ImranAli-rp4kd]

Low melt and better hot air station is required, better soldering station too rather than a portable iron

[@rodcon66]

I was concerned I never seen you do the solid test on the hdmi data connects.

[@leeheggie7043]

I use pure indium instead of leaded solder to remove the port makes it easy to remove the port.

[@zenos9302]

Dont forget to test it goes 4k too :)

[@MeitsMSX]

Bloody hell. Never watched an xbox x being done and now I do fear the day one brings one of those into our shop. I'll be sure to remember this vid as a guide on how to get in. I'm not that bothered about the soldering though. I've got powerful enough gear for that. And as you said in the video yourself, so should you... And yes: Flux! ;)

[@walterb.9290]

Wicking on the joints is always the better choice

[@train4905]

Awsome😊

[@davidlguerr]

That board is quite thick, sucks all the heat, that is why is a pain in the ass to remove components. You're blowing air, and the copper tracks inside are absorbing the heat.

[@josephking6515]

Hi Graham, are you comfortable and willing to share with us how long that job took? *Thank You* for the video. 👍👍

[@microgamingrepairs1981]

They've started making hdmi port replacements with longer legs for the exact reason of the issue you were having.

[@1998eclipse1998]

You can't have metal touching legs or hdmi connecter when trying to remove it lol. I have a 150 watt c245 usb soldering iron that hands down out performs my 120 watt ksger t12. You have to use big high power type c power supplies. My type c usb soldering iron is ran from my bench top power supply 20 volt 7amps or a 130 watt 20 volt 6.25amp type c laptop charger. Test your usb power supply because not all of them put off high power

[@ytdarsch84]

Is the support surface under the board made of aluminium? because in that case, that is precisely the problem, the metal dissipates the heat by removing it from the board and the port, making desoldering more complicated. It would be better to have a silicone support ad a low-melt soldering tin (183 celsius degrees)

[@HowardMatthews]

You should watch Joey does tech and thecoder for tips on the HDMI port replacement.

[@sergiomarroquinjr3587]

Time for a soldering iron upgrade man!

[@catriona_drummond]

We need to crowdfund you a Hakko.

[@FreeWhilly734]

Kinda ashamed to admit was good to see you struggle proves how hard it is if you struggled... I've not had the pleasure of doing an Xbox, only done a ps5 and I just used hot air with a gallon of flux. I think really you need to pre heat the board a little to make it easy. Well done on the pins though that never works for me 😂.

[@_kicaBo_]

hold the tip of the soldering iron, don't rub with it

[@DJaquithFL]

~ 17:20 I'm certainly not an expert here, I've seen a lot of people use "low melt solder" which makes removal of parts easier.

[@DJaquithFL]

.. also, anytime you use solder you need to use flux.

[@DJaquithFL]

.. You definitely know more than I and I would not want to take an Xbox apart!

[@leeheggie7043]

Hot drop the port in mate you haven't soldered the front anchor points.

[@tobiasit1743]

oh, you need to clean it with iso and clean it right with the copper and than use the right flux and solder

[@simonlauer9379]

let’s order him some low meld solder

[@User-13cd-rukf]

Job done doesn't matter how you do it ,if its working. I would buy a Weller soldering station its worth every penny even a second hand one, i have a s.h. one just for this kind of job it makes you're life a lot easier.

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

It looked like the owner of the series X bought it brand new instead of refurbished as I bought a series S refurbished the only difference is its service data not Manufacture date!

[@ockibg]

My god, how much do you charge for that? Work nightmare! But as always learned a lot! 😉

[@fabian11235]

Might be an option to get one of these Chinese JBC clones. They do have lots of power no idea about the longevity of them though

[@juancustodio6653]

Bro use Flux on upper side and use a soldering station , like a hakko with interchangeable tips

[@SmanUK]

Feel you need to look at buying yourself a backheater, would of make getting the HDMI off easyer

[@triplexdread]

Yes a better more powerful iron is definitely required

[@TabulaRasa-Daveda]

Somehow I thought it looked so easy except for taking it apart. Now I have a new hdmi that isn’t soldered to the board. But it has solder all over it 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️. But I just has to try and do it myself. The funny thing is I can play it remotely. It’s really stupid they don’t have a 2nd hdmi.

[@calebspringmeyer3524]

But does it turn on?

[@doubleg2830]

Have you changed the internal SSD on series x or s by any chance

[@Adamant_IT]

I haven't. I believe that it's possible, but you have to clone the old drive to catch a hidden partition on it. Some discussion on this here: www.ifixit.com/Guide/Xbox+Series+X+SSD+Replacement/141752 But I've not looked into it any further than a casual google search. Previous Xboxes there wasn't a special partition, you just needed to install the system software again, so no idea if that's the case here still.

[@doubleg2830]

Cheers appreciate your time.yea I followed your method for the one x.keep up the good work man

[@chrisburns7979]

you do know that its not paste needed its lquid metal?

[@jessewamberg4060]

Any idea why resolution would be locked to 640x480 after this repair?

[@Adamant_IT]

The EDID chip got cooked. I can't remember what the chip number is off the top of my head, but near the HDMI port is a silver square BGA chip that handles monitor (TV) identification. I've not had to replace one yet, so not sure how much hassle you're up against. You can get around the problem by going into the display settings on the Xbox and manually setting the resolution.

[@andrzejyczewski4045]

These PCBs nowadays have so much ground plane it sucks all the heat out of soldering iron.

[@fellpower]

hdmi port change is easy money...repaired in 5min, next time heat from underneath ^^

[@markmellers2055]

Perhaps some simple/real world tips, like when you've smashed the diabolicaly poor wifi connectors, what do you do then?

[@hgbugalou]

Was MS going for military spec construction wise? 🤣

[@leso204]

Pins first legs last bigger iron on the RF cage ................

[@2009numan]

I heard someone a video call their desoldering gun the Moo gun as it sounds like a cow mooing