I Finally Found One of These! Can I Fix It?

[@Sergei-King]

Fuse on the power supply is most likely gone. I'd check it in continuity mode. No beep = blown fuse. T2A 250V Fuse.

[@midas1108]

This is my guess, too.

[@jimbeam275]

Yep, I’m surprised he didn’t check any voltages across the power supply, but that does make for a 2nd video!!

[@adamrosas]

yep, just had a 1.1 with no power, found the fuse on the PS was open.

[@Thorne1982]

this was my thought. I do HVAC and ive come across many window units that had a small blown fuse on the board where the power comes in. So many people even experienced people miss those small fuses.

[@monoslocosfive]

Same here!

[@Nobe_Oddy]

capacitors don't contain an acid, they contain a base, an alkaline base I think, and that's why vinegar is used to neutralize it. if it was an acid you would use a base to neutralize it, like baking soda. but even though it is a base, it will still eat away and destroy the components, just like if you were to leave the vinegar on there without cleaning it off (well, maybe not the vinegar that's used as food grade because it's diluted quite a bit.. but it would do SOME damage, but probably not as much as the caps do)- GOTTA LOVE SCIENCE!!!

[@Youmama187]

Was goi g to make this same comment. It isn't a big issue, but if someone were to try to neutralize acidic things with Viniger they could be in for a very bad time

[@techfire1]

was just wondering how he would neutralise an acid with vinegar. Thanks for explaining

[@PoutingTrevor]

Is vinegar non-conductive?

[@maxgerber488]

That's what I thought. I kept thinking that capacitors worked like batteries where they were alkaline. Especially saying he was using acid to neutralize "acid".

[@Haulinbassracing]

Base= caustic. Acid= corrosive

[@RN25899]

Have you tried using IPA to get stickers up? It's what I use. The lockpicking lawyer used it as well to lift a tamper proof sticker. Maybe it helps - good luck!

[@adventureridergirl]

I had an OG Xbox with cold solder joints on the PSU wires that got to the main board. This was preventing the main board from getting any power from the PSU. I removed most of the old solder with solder wick and replaced it with some fresh solder and it solved the problem.

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks for the comment. I'll make sure to check that

[@timothywaters8249]

Can confirm. Cold solder joints can crystalize, much like if you move molten solder before it cools. The crystal lattice has voids. Those voids fill with oxygen from the air and oxidizes the metals in the solder from the inside out. After time, the resistance of the solder joint increases as more of the metal is oxidized, eventually becoming brittle and you have an invisible open-circuit.

[@tanjem]

good point

[@intoxicode]

Just make sure you get rid of all the vinegar when you use it as a neutralizer since it will continue to corrode the board especially if it's underneath chips. Best to rinse the board with distilled water to displace it, then rinse with iso.

[@tanjem]

iso is good enough ...

[@Ichabod_Jericho]

As someone that details things for a living, there’s only so much cleaning that can be accomplished with rinsing alone. A lil bit of gentle agitation with microfiber is the only way to be sure.

[@ReetinEntertainment]

These were done with codes found on bottles of Mountain Dew. My mom would literally go to the market near my house and take the bottle caps off the returned Mountain Dew bottles. I had enough points to get one but they only allowed you to trade in the points at a certain time. I went to a summer camp for a week, during that time they released it and I missed my window. I am still so freaking upset I never got one of these.

[@thadofalltrades]

what a bummer

[@Tronicsfix]

That would be upsetting! That sucks. I'm mad for you, lol

[@xos]

Sucks you never got one, but dang your mom sounds like a champ!

[@jernigan007]

i got a Mtn Dew hoodie, and an Optimus Prime Pepsi transformer. people from work would leave all their caps on my desk. i spent days entering in those codes!

[@jamesf8783]

They really should have honored that i mean you had all those saved. Such a shame :/

[@Cetghost06]

I would test the traces near the battery clock under board to make sure there was no trace rot. Those traces affect the power😊. There are test points you can check. Might have to install a jumper wire or trace repair.

[@EdsHead]

This! Those traces for the buttons are at the edge of the MOBO near the clock capacitor. Mine were corroded so bad I had to install the jumper wires and after I did, my Xbox works just fine again.

[@Erikih]

You are right. That clock capacitor might have ruined the power/eject button. Had a few of those broken ones fixed by adding a wire on the broken traces. Currently those xboxes found a way to the trash can because they failed again.

[@michaelbitting2624]

Agreed. Check the traces for damage/rot

[@ChrisWijtmans]

i think he knows.

[@Tronicsfix]

Yeah, this is one of the first things I need to do.

[@jrharbortproductions]

Denatured alcohol is a good way to loosen the adhesive of stickers (even the security/warranty ones!) without damaging them. It even keeps the adhesive sticky once it evaporates.

[@polarstar]

Correct. Get a syringe and a fine needle to work the alcohol under the label.

[@AllenRamirez-007]

To remove stickers, try using the edge of one of anti static bags. Slide under the sticker and shimmy back and forth. Works well!

[@WantBadtime]

You can also use 90-99% IPA, let it soak under the adhesive, and then carefully remove it. You can then re-apply it with new adhesive and it would look like the sticker was untampered with.

[@fabiors10]

@@WantBadtime I've never used beer for cleaning, awesome

[@leoleo1035]

WAIT LMAO@@fabiors10

[@Tronicsfix]

Interesting. Seems like that could work well. Thanks for the tip

[@ianburkard]

The issue with all adhesive removers, even IPA, is that is can bite into sticker clearcoats and make them foggy, or soak partially between the clearcoat at the graphics leaving a waterlogged look. There's really no way around it. Some stickers respond well, others do not. Life is a gamble. :) @@WantBadtime

[@makedaevilmage]

A common problem with these xboxes is damaged traces along the front of the board. Traces for the power led, on/off button and eject. There are points on the board you can solder jumper wires to, to resolve this issue ;) (Done this myself twice now, got both consoles working). Been working on a lot of old xboxes lateley ... You, Steve, and MyMateVince have been really educational and giving me the confidence to try and fix broken consoles and other devices, and been pretty succesful. Thanks!

[@AuFondDeLaGrange]

Also had this issue on a 1.4 xbox board, I agree it can be that kind of thing ;)

[@jonathan3579]

Man, I appreciate that you still upload videos even if they’re not always a success.

[@xsaxia2008]

not a success yet*

[@tlilihamza]

it's about the journey not the destination

[@bryanfrye8770]

The thing i love about OG xbox repair is how active the discord community is. I have repaired 100s of OGs since 09. Clock cap corrosion is usually the main culprit. The P/E continuity trace fix works almost always.

[@bryanfrye8770]

Tronicsfix, you should do a 2TB Sata upgrade for this bad boy. I believe it's a 1.3 revision so a TSOP mod would be best for it.

[@SCTRS_]

I bought one of these around 5 years ago, it’s probably my favorite console I’ve owned. Looking forward to part 2, really hoping you can get it fixed!

[@Tronicsfix]

So cool that you have one! I'm really hoping I can fix it too!

[@garyallen538]

Its an alkaline. the opposite of an acid. That's why vinegar (a real acid) neutralizes it :)

[@christophervanzetta]

Chemically, it’s considered a “base”

[@TechGuyLife]

There are 4 traces on the underside of the motherboard, they run right along the front edge and then up the right side of the board. Those traces often get breaks from leaky capacitors. Those traces i believe are related to the power and eject buttons, so if they are damaged those buttons may not work at all.

[@craigmarshallbodybuilding]

Wii, Wii U, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 3 4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 slim, Xbox One, and Xbox One S have all been fixed by me because of watching your channel. I’ve had a lot of fun enjoying electronic repair. I purchased all this stuff cheap as not working on EBay. I got all my wireless controllers not working and fixed them as well. Thank you for your videos I’ve been enjoying my new hobby

[@danielhulan3058]

Heating labels and unscrewing screws is like tapping your head and rubbing your stomach. Man, it's a tough wait waiting for your monthly videos!

[@tank2045]

Were you able to test the power supply after changing out the capacitors? Maybe use a known good power supply and test the rest of the board? It might help narrow down where your issue is...

[@antibodyarmy]

this brings back memories lol. there is 4 places to check all of which are basically continuity checks, there is a fuse on the PSU while you are here check the cables and connectors, they are prone to broken solder joints, check the traces near the clock capacitor, the power board on here check the buttons, and the expansion cables/connectors.

[@ledidier15042000]

Hello you should check the continuity between the front panel power and eject buttons and the PIC microcontroller on the motherboard. I fixed mine using a soldered wire between the 2. Absolutly worth a try 😊

[@bryanfrye8770]

I second this. Clock capacitor leaks usually is the culprit and the PIC rewire, usually does the trick.

[@jefferyshearer6056]

I have a ps3 fat 20 or 40 gb that I owned since new still works flawlessly. I’d love for this guy to put new thermal paste in it

[@Zenkusuoo]

Yes a part 2!!, I recommend looking for the original schematic, would help you tremendously

[@indy5280]

Problem is that most companies don’t release schematics. Not sure about the OG Xbox though

[@Zenkusuoo]

@@indy5280 Yes that’s unfortunately true, and also many schematics can’t be attained without it being behind a pain wall, but I think a technician or engineer might have knowledge to recreate it

[@indy5280]

@@Zenkusuoo True. People have figured out gameboy game pcb’s so maybe a person who loves a system enough could make one

[@SendingThruHardware]

As some have said, test the button continuity because the clock cap can cause issues there. Also, with a foxlink PSU the four solder joints for the power plug are worth taking a look at. The two outside joints are mount points its the inner two you want to re-flow solder to because they're notorious for bad solder joints.

[@seguramlk]

That's a beautiful OG Xbox

[@mr.liquifier8343]

To be fair I think it's f****** ugly I like the original Xbox look

[@Tronicsfix]

Agreed!

[@FueledByIronTeam]

I bought my Mtn Dew edition Xbox about 8 years ago, also no power issue, just took a power supply out of a spare parts Xbox with same motherboard revision, works great to this day. Great video

[@GLAAAAAR]

Laserbear sells replacement feet with the screw holes pre cut. Pretty handy!

[@Tronicsfix]

Good to know! Thanks for letting me know.

[@israelpena747]

Used to love watching these videos, also would get things off goodwill, now ever since this video when I go and look at games everything is wayyyy over priced used to be able to get things at good price, dont understand why you had to go blow it up just for some clout… glad it made you feel good though☺️☺️

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

6:20 I was going to say "oooh, fancy!" about your vinegar bowl, but using a heavy crystal bowl for vinegar or IPA is a legitimately good idea. Something that heavy isn’t going to tip over if you brush it with your hand, and why buy new when you can repurpose old?

[@Tronicsfix]

Lol, yeah, that's why I used it...and partially just because it's what I had.

[@douhacomcastnet]

Another great use for an old “candy or condiments” bowl.

[@t3chninja_official]

Oh I use a straight edge box cutter to carefully remove labels. Heating them up works for most but those metallic ones just crumble no matter what you do. You did great with the tweezers too.

[@MXTuber3000]

Wanna see this Xbox brought back to life, can't wait for video 2!

[@jernigan007]

i wish Xbox would have kept that case over the years. TONS of room. i dropped it a couple times ZERO ISSUES

[@OcarinaN64]

I'm impressed that you removed the heatsyncs without being able to power on the console. Those are basically superglued to the dies until you apply heat.

[@SaltyFPV]

Wow great find. Love your work and the way you keep these museum pieces going.

[@jakthebomb]

The power socket pins often come loose on the Power Supply. That led to a Safety Recall, but reflow and adding extra solder to reinforce.

[@sugentechnologies1527]

Vinegar is an acid. If it neutralizes anything, then the cap must have a base electrolytic and not acid.

[@deeh6020]

I love working on these old OG box's. You never know what the problem is going to be. I aquired three from a flooded basement. All corroded, rusty and nasty. Took me a while but I restored all of them.

[@damolin77]

You will figure it out Steve Don't give up. Capacitors generally comprise a conducting salt based on long-chain aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and also a solvent, for example ethylene glycol. An example of a conducting salt used is dodecanedioic acid, which is generally used in the form of ammonium salts.

[@radfoo72]

I was going to say the same thing!

[@kironoschannel]

I still have my OG Xbox back when i got it in 2008. Still running strong after a full recap, DVD drive swap, multiple HDD upgrades, and an HDMI mod. One of my favorite consoles.

[@WillThrillin]

This is so crazy you doing this video right now. You’ve been a big part of why I have gotten into the mod old console hobby recently. I’m actually in the middle of an og Xbox spruce up myself and actually got mine from the goodwill auction

[@Tronicsfix]

That's awesome! Good luck with your repairs!

[@WillThrillin]

@@Tronicsfix thank you! Looking forward to the next video on it. Since my comment I plugged it in and heard a loud pop and now it won’t power on lol.

[@ElcanaldeEspetero]

I would have first checked voltage and current on the supply, fuse... If the supply is fine, I would go to the motherboard. good luck with this repair!

[@fluffyfloof9267]

that bubble-gummy thermal paste might be a phase change material, which "liquefies" when hot and fills all the micro structures on the surface

[@Tronicsfix]

It definitely gets softer when hot

[@Tedybear315]

@@Tronicsfix No comment.... (now you know someone had to say it....)

[@cassiopeiagames]

@tronicsfix thank you so much for your humour and light look on life. Your reaction to the reverse install of the big capacitator made me smile big time. keep doing content!

[@Tronicsfix]

I still can’t believe I installed it backwards! Thank you for the super thanks!

[@Bobicus5]

It's surreal seeing the notes on the box and knowing it was shipped FedEx. Glad it got to you.

[@fluffyfloof9267]

8:55 aye, caps are basic - you're using vinegar (an acid) to neutralise the leakage

[@ronaldtentschert6876]

That's why I stopped buying a lot of stuff, prices are too high. I started fixing all kinds of electronic things and vacuums 2010. Not as advanced as you do, you are top-notch.

[@bluebearyt12]

awesome!

[@me0262]

A few tips. Check for the fuse in the power supply, check that the front panel connector was plugged in, and as chris tursk mentions, check the front panel traces on the underside near the clock capacitor (segments 6 and 7 along the edge). Those will probably be PE#1 with the clock cap leaking. Strange though, usually I've seen it power on immediately when the console is plugged in in the wake of that damage, try the eject button as well to turn on the console (though that's also victim to the trace rot, along with the front panel LEDs and power trace).

[@whatjake7898]

I hate Goodwill so much. Taking donations from people and still price gouging. Special place in hell for that company.

[@williamharris8367]

So, they should resell something for significantly less than market value and so leave a larger margin for the next reseller? 🙄 FWIW, there are some great deals to be found at thrift shops -- just not in video games. I am an avid bibliophile, and I once purchased a vintage book about Princess Elizabeth (as she then was) for about $.50; the ABE online price was around $60. It is just not possible for _all_ products to be listed at market price; the key to success in collecting is finding those niches that are undervalued and exploiting them.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

@@williamharris8367Goodwill specifically has all kinds of issues over wildly overpaying executives and turning local organizations into petty fiefdoms.

[@Scruit]

Their mission is charitable work, selling donations is how they raise money. The higher selling price allows them to do more charitable work. They don't set these prices, the market does. Be angry at the market instead.

[@bobbyrivera2951]

@@williamharris8367exactly right. Rather have goodwill profit than your garbage reseller/picker

[@Res375]

The reason why Goodwill has gone up is because of the resellers looking for a fast flip.

[@shawnrodgers2180]

Picked up a As is xbox one S from the pawn shop for $20. Hook it up and it kept throwing the error 102 , 106 codes. I knew it was a bad harddrive. Found my old laptopi n the closet that had a 1 terabyte harddrive . Formatted the harddrive , download xboxes firmware and the update. Now I have a working white xbox one s for nearly nothing. The ifixit guide helped me out . Thanks Ifixit

[@amazingmation97]

Great video! :D The only thing is that the folding animation around 7:30 to 7:40 ish actually made my heart drop. I thought u snapped the board in half 😭😨😱 Amazing videos though. I love tech.

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

Also I would highly recommend A mod chip. And not for piracy, but for being able to rebuild the hard drive and installing a new hard drive. Then you can reinstall the stock o s and still use the console without the security on the console

[@Otzchieem]

I believe in you man. Let’s get it working. And yes you are inspiring me to go back and start workshopping old electronics which was something I did as a kid but not to this level before the internet

[@mavs44s]

The Mountain Dew Console is definitely one worth saving, and a favorite of mine. The color is just great. I certainly would of tested output power before reassembly. A fuse is the start point. But if there is no output power no reason to look at the board yet.

[@MrBorisuri]

I did put thermal paste on my PS4 by watching your videos. No more fan noise. Thank you!!!

[@KatsuyaTheFuuk]

This was certainly a fun watch after replacing the capacitors on my cousin's childhood OG Xbox yesterday. First time doing it, and it was a success! I wonder what could be up with this one though. Possibly bad traces from the clock capacitor leak?

[@radfoo72]

I'm not into computer repair but Xbox has always been my console of choice so this interested me. I'm going to subscribe just because I want to see you resolve the issues in part two!

[@CreeBreej]

The PSU has a known fault of dry joints towards the 110v input. The boards also suffer with trace rot. There is a long trace at the front of the board for the pwr switch. The eject button will also turn on the console. The latter is worth checking but i would suspect the psu in this case.

[@bhaviksolanki600]

U can check the output of the power supply. It's same as a computer power supply. Just short the green wire with black ground wire. Check if psu is giving out voltage

[@vezokpiraka]

One good trick to know is that the vast majority of capacitors on a board are irrelevant. They can be removed and just kept as an open circuit as that is their effect in a DC circuit. Capacitors are used to smooth out the waveform of the voltage (which for DC is flat so no waveform). Also the bigger they are, the less useful they are (unless you are connecting the power supply to AC which needs big capacitors). There are some specific places where a capacitor is important, but those are rare.

[@ericcleland817]

Im excited to see the 2nd video on this xbox repair. Its always interesting to see the process of working through the individual circuit board components too bring back old tech. Thanks TronixFix.

[@robtitheridge9708]

first thing to check is there voltage on the on switch ,if not check all the voltages from the psu ,if there is none (not all lines will be active in the off state)check any fuse on the psu ,if ok look for a high value resistor on psu (there may be two in series)they/it suply a start up voltage to the chopper chip .good luck with the repair

[@PongbyAtari]

It's easier using an Exacto Blade to get label corners up once you do you need to go slow and get heat under where you have it peeled up a actual heat gun almost to hot I feel a hair dryer works better. Nice find I hope you can get it going in the next video thanks!

[@zaborg17]

And now I really want to see that xbox working, don’t give up!

[@pettybourg]

love the funky music when you were installing the capacitors! 😄

[@SickaMorStyle]

Really enjoy your videos. I’ve been watching for a while now. Your videos have helped me troubleshoot and fix my stove circuit board, guitar amplifier, and a few elite controllers. Appreciate the videos

[@matthewgilbert6757]

@Tronicsfix Steve, thank you for all your videos I really enjoy watching you fix broken electronics! 🎮👾🖥️💻

[@pilgrimfitz]

Yay, a part 2. I know its harder for you than me, but now I have something to look forward too.

[@youtubasoarus]

There are a lot of things that go wrong on those power supplies. For one, the input terminals crack at the base solder joint. So that's one thing i've seen on mine. For others there are components that make up the different voltages and regulators that can go bad.

[@damu1337]

Tip for removing labels/stickers is to put denatured alcohol in a syringe and after heating and getting 1 corner up a tiny bit, shoot the denatured alcohol behind it the label or sticker and lift slowly and it should come off really easily and then let it dry and all the adhesive will still be good after the alcohol evaporates

[@Seroku03]

I loved the Secret Agent action section!

[@BuddhaPhi]

I picked up a Mountain Dew Xbox a few years ago and it was a pretty good deal at around $300 US. It still appears to be absolutely immaculate condition and I've rarely seen another original Xbox that looks as nice. (I was a bit suspicious at first that it might have been a fake but everything with the case and internals has checked out as original.) Plus it already had a TSOP flash mod and an upgraded hard drive - which I upgraded again to 2 TB drive.

[@xx3868]

Big ticket obvious and critical items Main Fuse and secondaries? PS output- Isolate problem there and if, use another. Clock circuit for corrosion as if that ant working, its a door stop! Visual check over board to see if you missed something when item is totally dead, work from PS forward through secondary caps or mosfets where board gets input power- This after you look for obvious damage on board.

[@bikkiikun]

I'd recomment cleaning out the holes as well and use all new solder, instead of just heating up the old solder and pushing the new cap through. It'll not only remove any cap juice residue, it's also safer for plating at the through hole.

[@MathiasVen]

Check the traces on the Clock compasitor. There are 3 traces that can get affected and they are used to power it on. Had a several of them to repair with that issue

[@sprybug]

I have a regular XBOX with the same problem. One day it was working and the next it wouldn't even power up. Opened it up and found some bulging caps that I replaced, but still not working. It would power up for a split second before shutting down. I checked the power rails from the power supply and they were higher than they should be. Quite possibly there might be some over voltage protection on it shutting it down. Still haven't figured out what's wrong with it, so I wish you the best luck. Maybe I can get some pointers from the next video!

[@ronmerkus5941]

I use to work for an electronics manufacturing company, that made all sorts of stuff , and when we would clean the product's, they would use like an industrial dish washing machine, and after it was sent through, then you take out the product and let it air dry over night .

[@samio3907]

Have you checked the output voltage of the power supply? I would always recommend to do this when you fiddle with old hardware.

[@avidadolares]

I would check the FlimFlam Modulator along with the Magno-broscillator to make sure there is not some kind of copulated interference... otherwise it could be total protonic reversal...or destruction at the cellular level.

[@aleksandrbmelnikov]

Acetic acid (vinegar) does not neutralize another acid. However, it does remove corrosion, but at the loss of more metal. Maybe you should find PH testing strips, distilled water (~7), and cotton swabs to know what's on the motherboard. Wet a swab, rub suspect area, and swipe along test strip.

[@87mariox]

Hey the music between the soddering shots is a great addition to the videos. Way to go!

[@saysoun752]

Un-Du works great at removing adhesives and it dries almost instantly. I use it on everything and always have spare bottles available. Currently, 1 being used, 2 spares bottles and a 32 oz refill bottle. Just make sure to get either the yellow or white caps as the silver cap, California sales specifications, doesn't work.

[@Josh-l9q6s]

7:25 I have a few of those exact same glass dishes. Funny seeing it in your video.

[@Nevakonaza.]

Hopefully this Xbox can be brought back to life,Also that board has the free pads to install additional ram!!! :)

[@hmello3250]

In order to properly remove the oxidation from the pads you should add solder to them and then use solder braid in a scraping motion with the iron. TheCod3r does that.

[@Steve-ow5fm]

Look at those ribbon cables 😂😂😂 that brings me back I LOVE THIS CHANNEL

[@mipi_game]

I had an og Xbox and I heavily modded it. Added a usb port, bigger hd, replaced dvd drive with a LG, obv modchip, cleared out top Xbox logo and put a led light

[@javiles2331]

Acid did some damage on the power trace lines, check the connections between the power button and where the clock capacitor was located.

[@nbaua3454]

I was hoping to see that console firing up good after so much work done by you .look at the pile of capacitors you changed.😅😅 Better luck for your fix.. once you are done working on it.. please upload your video.. can't wait to see the fix..

[@alataweel8954]

I actually placed several bids on that Xbox to see how far it’s go. It all makes sense now knowing that highest bidder was willing to pay so much to just to have content material. I was the one who complained on Reddit about how people pay so much for these even for a dead nonfunctional unit

[@ochykysh]

Check the protection Diode on the PSU input...those are known to blow with age.

[@brianwalker7771]

A bad fuse is the most likely suspect but check things like NON electrolytic capacitors as well if a fuse swap dose not get the job done. Also go over the entire board to look for any burned out components . The point of a fuse is to blow instead of the other components frying but something could of been blown by a good surge.

[@MarioSratss]

Great work on these really cool X Box. I hope you do part 2.

[@Kalikid89]

This is my dream console. I'm so insanely jealous you got to work on one 😭😭😭😭😭

[@Geistein]

I would check the traces on the back of the board at the edge below or near the clock capacitor. Generally when the capacitor leaks those traces end up getting damaged and need to be repaired. When this happens the front panel may either not function at all or turn it self off or on automatically.

[@mouthfulofpeanutbutter9753]

For those labels I would try n-heptane. Apply it with a syringe and use a plastic razor blade to get underneath it.

[@TheDigitalAura]

Sometimes when damage is this bad it's best to pull the components and completely clean off the old solder etc and resolder the parts. It's like battery damage which just eats the contacts and destroys solder. I'm rebooting my channel soon and will be concentrating on these kind of repairs along with test gear reviews. It's worth investing in a Bob Parker ESR tester for Electrolytics.

[@speed488]

When you popped the top and I saw a Samsung drive, I was all excited. It was THE best drive to have on a modded console back in the day; was way less finicky with DVD-Rs. Plus, you have a 1.1 board which was also awesome; they got rid of the fan on the GPU heat sink. As for your issue, I would check the traces for button signals. They travel on the perimeter of the board and I've personally worked on consoles where these traces rotted out for no apparent reason. Also check the pinout of the power supply, you can make it turn on by shorting a pin to 3.3v or GND (can't remember) - You could at least diagnose it without having to use the Xbox motherboard. It should help you narrow down the problem.

[@GeekGarageDK]

instead of heating labels, use isopropyl alcohol in a pipette and let it work it's magic. You can even get most security labels off this way without damage

[@andrewarmstrong5266]

Thats lovely shade of green, can’t wait for part 2

[@FiveStringCommando]

You could use IPA to soften the adhesive and remove the stickers. Worst case scenario, you could have the labels reproduced- especially if you’re only going for aesthetic.