MakeMhz Xbox HDMI Install Guide - The Ultimate Digital-to-Digital HDMI Mod for the Original Xbox!

The original Xbox is home to many outstanding games and offered forward-thinking features, including progressive video resolutions and Xbox Live. These days, getting the best video signal from an Xbox can be tricky as component video options can be expensive and modern displays add latency when converting analog to digital video. On this Fix it Friday we will install the Xbox HDMI, the only true digital-to-digital HDMI mod for the Xbox!
Check out 1uprestorations.com/ for more video game console repairs and mods!
Parts:
makemhz.com/products/xboxhdmi...
Install documents:
github.com/MakeMHz/xbox-hdmi/...
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[@MrDrop442]

They use torx bits because they don't strip it as easily and the bits last way longer for production.

[@mykalimba]

"Drill bits" are for drilling. Torx bits are for... torxing.

[@brkbtjunkie]

What about twerk bits, what are they for?

[@hualni]

The OG Xbox is hands down the greatest game console ever made. At the time of it's release, it could literally play anything. It could play anything in the home market, it could play anything arcade related, it could play most PC games, and do it flawlessly. I love the OG Xbox. I hope the mods keep on coming!!!

[@MichaelM28]

Wrong! The PS2 is easily the best console every made

[@MichaelM28]

PS2 is objectively better

[@hualni]

@@MichaelM28 So you woke up this morning and chose being wrong.

[@MichaelM28]

@@hualniNo I woke up and choose facts xbot

[@MichaelM28]

@@AkihitoZero-rb5tbPS2 has significantly more games and way better exclusives. Not to mention a better controller, smaller design (especially the Slim model) and requires way less maintenance compared to the xbox.

[@RastaJediX]

Thanks for the vid! One thing to note: kapton isn't really heat-resistant, but it *will* help hold the components in place. Just don't ever rely on it as a heat barrier! Edit: I should clarify: the tape itself is heat-resistant, but it's not going to shield anything under it from the heat

[@ericyoung3480]

Fantastic install video. Just need to figure out how to patch the bios and I’ll be set. Subscribed

[@AndroidFanatic]

What a great and methodical walkthrough. Props to you! Awesome video!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Glad you enjoyed it and I hope it helps!

[@RastaJediX]

Clock cap is not needed. No need to do any sort of mods. On a 1.6, however, it is needed, and you can't simply remove it--it has to be replaced. Luckily, they don't often go bad on 1.6s. If you have anything other than a 1.6, remove the clock capacitor immediately and clean up any leaked fluid, even if you don't plan on doing a single other mod to it, this is a life and death situation for the Xbox. The only thing a mod has to do with the clock cap is just that once you have a custom dashboard, it can update the time from an NTP server. But you don't have to bother with the time ever. It doesn't matter. Just press ok when you turn it on. Also, if you're using HDMI, don't enable 1080i lol. Trust me when I say you don't want an HDTV doing any deinterlaced. The lag is so bad... Progressive all the way. Also also, there are some games that won't run in 480p even if you have it enabled (480i only). Get yourself xbmc4gamers dashboard and run the script that comes with it, and it will patch any of these games to run in progressive mode :). Edit: apparently you don't have to patch any games with the Xbox HDMI. But if possible, it is still helpful to use a force-480p BIOS. But the patching applies to any other output method.

[@peterstaklis3712]

Great video. But I don’t understand why you fast forwarded through the soldering parts. The soldering especially the micro soldering bits are the most difficult parts of the mod so seeing your technique may help others. This mod is definitely for experienced solderers . Thanks for posting this.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. It’s tough to figure out what parts to go through quickly or not. If I play the entire installation in real time I think it would be rather dull for a lot of people. So sometimes I choose to Speed up sections of the insulation so that people understand the main idea of what needs to be done. But I’ll certainly keep in mind

[@JrManPT]

Very helpful mod install video. Thankss again.

[@leobgoo6350]

14:50 The ribbon cable solder points

[@popcatzoo]

try working assembly, you'll learn to love torx.

[@Iisakkiik]

Torx is way better than phillips! And it's also a bit better than hex if you ask me.

[@TheRailroad99]

@@Iisakkiik Hex Is the WORST. Those screws can get messed up so easily.

[@walterbkeen]

Torx is great for small fastners, but it's evil when used with large fasners in dirty environments like automotive. The opening becomes impacted by dirt and grime, preventing the tool head from properly seating.

[@justanotherbeautiful5736]

Cool Install Guide Bro!!!

[@Kikay0n]

Awesome thanks!

[@toxzin156]

Installed mine a few weeks ago. I'm highly impressed with the result. Not gonna lie tho, I had a bit of a panic attack when you bridged those points. lmao.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Lol I hear you, at first I was terrified of bridging pins when I was still learning how to do this. But eventually I learned how to manage them and not worry if it happened

[@dreamcazman]

Flux, flux & more flux.

[@TQVIP]

Great Video! In what folder and drive do you copy the xbox-hdmi-app folder?

[@seanvinsick5271]

Torx originally were tamper proof screws because the bits were hard to get

[@lancevee]

Love this video. Will this work on the PAL region consoles? I know that getting HD output thus far requires changing the region post modding to NTSC.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I'm pretty sure that it does but I would check on the MakeMhz site to confirm. However I did not see any region-specific install instructions so the steps are most likely the same

[@GUN2kify]

Since the Problem at 19:00 … you Need to Change the Region first. else 576i/480i will displayed and cause the Problem.

[@electronicprojects9557]

Very nice work 👍

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@kennyu6856]

I have like 12 of these original xboxes sitting in my basement lol

[@legokenobi1185]

Did you take the clock capacitor out of them?

[@BIG_C9]

@@legokenobi1185 I was about to say 😂

[@brkbtjunkie]

Hook a brother up

[@SeanPennII]

I only have 9

[@PoppinWheeliez]

Very cool. I just dont know if I would use it enough to warrent the effort and expense. Boiling the drive belt is about where I am at with it.

[@Junkman444]

If doing this modification I would highly recommend recapping the XBOX before doing this. 1080i should also be disabled since it will look horrible on a modern flat panel. Magnification is really necessary (statement, not a question).

[@LIRetroGaming]

Agreed with all of that. It’s a good time to replace the capacitors because you already have the system open. And certainly for the 1.0 and 1.1 models this is very important. And I agree, you have to use some kind of magnification for the flex cable

[@Godzfirez]

What do you use for magnification? I have moderate soldering skills for things like car and audio systems but this tiny shit concerns me and I have an hdmi mod in hand for my 1.0 so I need the daughter board anyway.

[@Junkman444]

@@Godzfirez these (or similar) are not great but they get the job done. www.amazon.com/Beileshi-Magnifier-Illuminated-Multi-power-Magnifying/dp/B018DLMHFI/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=magnifier+headband+with+light&qid=1614261108&sr=8-9

[@IMDYT420]

Yea I use 1080i on an Xbox 360 and I get weird lines. I know it’s not gpu failure as 720p or 1080p works fine .

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

This unit is electrically similar to the SEGA CHIHIRO but most XBOX Game Discs don't come with Dongles as keys to let you play the games.

[@Sharptooth100]

Great one, lad. Find more original Xbox consoles from thrift stores or flea markets.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks! Always good to find one in a place like that

[@RenePerez-pu4cj]

Do you do modding of xboxes at all?

[@dylanrogers1987]

Great video! I'm waiting for a restock of the HDMI kit, and until then, I'm looking to learn how to solder. Will this project be possible for a beginner? I'd appreciate any help!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, glad that you enjoyed the video! This one is definitely not a good beginner’s project. There’s a lot of very fine soldering required and it’s much better to attempt this when you have some experience under your belt first. Do you have some of the tools needed for this mod yet? If so then try practicing on a scrap circuit board and see how it goes

[@dylanrogers1987]

@@LIRetroGaming Thought so! Looks really precise. I honestly haven't done much research yet; this video inspired me to. I have a lot of tools, but I don't own any soldering equipment. Would you be able to point me towards a beginner set that could potentially be capable of this mod in the future? Not sure if that's possible.

[@user-jr1hm3jw2i]

Do you supply the parts with the service or do we need to supply the parts? New to all of this and excited my old systems can have new life. I think my xbox is one of the first ones. Is the only way to tell is looking at the mother board?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Send me a message at 1uprestorations.com and I can fill in the details

[@burgerbunns]

What version of XBMC is that? Looks way better than Evox

[@Wally17.]

So that plastic 3D printed piece is actually supposed to go between the metal cage and the plastic shell. I saw Dustin actually say this on his Discord server. He said people don’t know because they naturally don’t read the instructions lol.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Damn, I screwed that up. It does seem to fit very nicely from the outside of the metal cage. But that’s something I will correct going forward

[@Wally17.]

@@LIRetroGaming If that’s the only thing people screw up with this mod, I’d say job well done. You did a nice job installing it and showing the process.

[@brkbtjunkie]

How would this compare to hd pack to retrotink 5x?

[@ronaldhenson9170]

Also 1.0 the 1.0 has a fan on the gpu heatsink

[@Tron08]

Say we wanted to offroad this mod a little bit and keep the AV-out port, would it even still function or is it completely disabled or handicapped by this mod?

[@LIRetroGaming]

It might work but it would be forced to output component video

[@Tron08]

@@LIRetroGaming Interesting, I'd prefer component video out of that port so that's no issue for me, would be curious of an image quality direct comparison of quality component cables with potentially an upscaler vs. the HDMI kit.

[@ronaldhenson9170]

The o g original Microsoft Xbox is a powerhouse

[@kocsis1978]

What's the benefits of using this compared to a custom made component cable (made from an xbox 360 component cable)? Just done a component cable and im getting crystal clear picture and same resolutions.

[@LIRetroGaming]

The main difference is that a component cable is analog whereas this is purely digital so there is no degradation of the signal. But you are correct, a high-quality component cable is going to give you very excellent results as well

[@kocsis1978]

@@LIRetroGaming Thanks for the reply, im always interested to "upgrade" my retro consoles and it was interesting to watch your video. Im using a panasonic 42 inch plasma tv with its own shelfs that is fantastic for old consoles (even got 2 hdmi input and does 1080i i think so) but this method could be fine for those whose playing on new tv's with no component input or prefer to use hdmi instead.

[@snizzytown5217]

My Xbox is just soft-modded will that work with this kit? I already started installing the kit so I hope so.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes but you would need to install an open Xenium first

[@sparepart1849]

I have seen aluminum foil used to cover areas to help reduce heat. js

[@punttpunt5389]

Installed XboxHD+ to my 1.6 Xbox console and to my disappointment it doesn't work. There is no Video or Audio output at all. All I get is blinking Blue Led on XboxHD+ board. Console was working perfectly fine before installation. There are no bridged connections or cold solder joints. All connections were tested with MM. Any suggestions on what might be wrong? As I'm still waiting for the answer from MakeMhz support team.

[@martinsonnleitner7911]

does have a very similar issue. HDMI boards blinks green but Stellar says XCODE Stalled... No vid nor sound :(

[@green97probe]

Would it be possible for me to ship my Xbox to you to have the HDMI mod done? My soldering skills aren't up to par for soldering the ribbon cable. I'm located in Pennsylvania.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Definitely, I can take care of the installation for you. You can contact me at 1uprestorations.com

[@JLMtime]

I dont unsterstand why the HDMI kit iself dose not bridge the advance HD AV pack is there another model ?

[@Snowpiercer2]

Another model of what?

[@yodead369]

I really didn't achieve the emulation expectations with this Xbox. But feels great having one again, 18 years later for me! Missed that thing lol.

[@Killerspieler0815]

A normal hair driyer or curls dryer is sufficiant to soften the 20 years old thermal paste ( I have tested it)

[@koigoi]

That's literally impossible.

[@Killerspieler0815]

@@koigoi - wrong , I did it this way using a hair dryer with the XBOX of somone I help in all coumputer stuff .... works with Computers too

[@koigoi]

@@Killerspieler0815 How?? The melting point of solder is so much higher than what a hair dryer can reach.. And afaik, solder's melting point does not change with time.

[@Killerspieler0815]

@@koigoi - I do NOT talk about the solder ... just softening the old thermal paste ..

[@koigoi]

@@Killerspieler0815 Oh gosh my bad. I completely misread your original comment! Sorry, friend. As an aside, around when I got my XBOX, I repasted it. I let the console turn on and heat up the paste that way just so I didn't damage any SMCs.

[@hamsterwolf]

quick question what temp do you have your soldering iron set to?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Normally it is set to about 750 Fahrenheit

[@adamsturgell5474]

I need to find someone I can pay o put emulator mods and that hdmi. I'm not very knowledgeable with this kind if stuff. Could I do this myself?

[@LIRetroGaming]

This modification is definitely not for beginners. There are several people who can install this for you including me. You can reach me at 1uprestorations.com

[@nunocat4481]

I´ve installed in a 1.6 hdmi board only. Do you I need any other mod? I got no image after that. thanks!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Did you install an open Xenium as well? It’s very strongly recommended to have a mod chip as well. There are a lot of reasons why you might have a black screen

[@nunocat4481]

@@LIRetroGaming thank you for your reply. The owner says that have xbmc installed, but there isnt modchip present. Meanwhile ive noticed that the games work fine, i can see image when i insert a game. But without a game, it doesnt show the dashboard or other image. So i assume the hdmi board is well installed, but other issue should be related. Do you recon it may be from the lack of the modchip?

[@LIRetroGaming]

I suspect that it’s the bios - it needs to force 480p and you will have problems if it does not. So yes, I strongly recommend a mod chip and installing the bios that they discuss on the Xbox hdmi discord/GitHub page

[@cdoublejj]

wonder what it would look like on an OLED?

[@imbodenandre2106]

all games are upscaning?

[@Argonisgema]

I have a 1.6 so i guess i'll have to wait.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I believe that the 1.6 kits are now available

[@TheFrenchy82]

Nice picture, but you have to work hard to get it.... I still have my xbox and I think I'll wait for the update of cxbx.

[@webonada100]

Que hermoso se mirá halo 2 el mod lo venden en Ebay?

[@robevenegas]

No en la descripcion esta la pagina web, pero no tienen en stock.

[@garethparkman3677]

What is the liquid you used on the ribbon cable?

[@LIRetroGaming]

It’s called no clean liquid flux and you can find it on Amazon

[@ColaTai]

What xbmc skin is that

[@GUN2kify]

on both XBOX Videos stated wrong, that the modchip would be needed to remove the Clock capacitor … the only one xbox that only works with this cap is the 1.6. and these you didn't mod.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Sorry for that, that was a mistake. Either way it’s good to get rid of the clock capacitor and with the modchip you don’t have to set the time every time you boot it up

[@GUN2kify]

@@LIRetroGaming no it's fine. i just want to say for the next videos, to get rid of this point 🙂 I'm with you, that a modded BIOS that skips the time/date set makes a more fluent experience.

[@MrDrop442]

Anyone know where to get replacement dvd drives for the original xbox that aren't extremely expensive?

[@imneverbackingdown]

Hard to come buy but may be able to buy one off ebay or even just console with a working one. May be better off modding with chip, upgrading hard drive, and FTP'ing the games over.

[@sparepart1849]

Have you tried replacing the drive belt?

[@child_asmr633]

do i need to soft mod my xbox? i want to do this to my halo special edtion xbox

[@LIRetroGaming]

Technically you don’t need to, but a mod chip is highly recommended in combination with the Xbox hdmi

[@Wally17.]

There’s an app for upgrading the XboxHDMI’s firmware and changing other options so it’s highly recommended.

[@Theotherdroidman]

The instructions said to remove that capacitor that was near the ferrite bead

[@LIRetroGaming]

Not sure what you mean. The instructions state that the ferrite needs to be removed, not the capacitor

[@TannerBartko]

Please help me! It won't display on my tv!

[@RIGeek.]

This mod is an analog to HDMI conversion. It's not digital to digital. Look at the pins that it connects to, they're the color, hsync and vsync. It's analog baseband video signal. As for the audio, that is digital to digital in this kit as it encodes the AC3 or DTS streams from the stock SPDIF output.

[@MichaelM28]

It's 100% digital. Stop lying

[@RIGeek.]

@@MichaelM28 If you consider baseband video signal digital, that's completely on you. Just realize that digital signals do not require h-sync and v-sync. Those are the pins that you soldered the header to on the right and bottom of the encoder chip. The wide stretch of pins on the left were the analog color channels. ;-) Look at the signals yourself with an oscilloscope. You will see.

[@nyccollin]

Ah nice, I still have my old XBOX180.

[@lexluther1323]

What bios

[@iulianispas8634]

You can buy a progressive cable same quality as hdmi

[@jazzyjez]

I just watched a video and have zero skill on modding. Completly lost but thank Goodness for KZbin.

[@DecibelAlex]

I was under the impression that you need a developer system or ram upgrade to display 1080i content properly, even 720p is too much for a vanilla xbox

[@LIRetroGaming]

That might be correct, I’m not entirely sure about 1080i. But at least I can report that 720p does seem to work fine and that’s what I have my settings on currently

[@pceslayer6815]

What exactly do you mean? If you are doing XBMC or Playing Homebrew/Emulators 1080i will not be optimal, but 720p is just fine for 99% of the content with 64MB ram. As far as native Xbox gameplay @ 720p or 1080i, only a handful of titles will support them anyway.

[@Sascusuizers]

this machina was 100% times better than ps2

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah I an a big fan of the original Xbox. There is so much that you can do with it and there are lots of opportunities to tinker with it and make it better

[@SN-vr1xt]

Is having the Xbox softmodded strictly necessary for this mod?

[@LIRetroGaming]

It’s mandatory to have a modchip installed. I don’t think this modification work properly on a stock system

[@SN-vr1xt]

@@LIRetroGaming Wait, doesn't it say early in the video that it can be done on a stock system and it'll be fine?

[@doers8154]

Is there a 1.5 version?

[@LIRetroGaming]

There is debate whether 1.5 exists, but to my knowledge no one has ever found a motherboard with that hardware revision

[@doers8154]

@@LIRetroGaming ok thanks, I recently picked up one make in July 2005.

[@groom_of_the_stool]

This was the only good Xbox. Mainly because it wasn't developed in house by Microsoft.

[@naseromar5533]

my xbox is 1.6b can i install that?

[@LIRetroGaming]

No you need a revision lower than 1.6 for this particular installation guide

[@naseromar5533]

@@LIRetroGaming i have 1.0 xbox

[@LIRetroGaming]

In that case it will work on the 1.0 Xbox. You just need to get the new filter board and install that as well. When I made this video, the filter board had not been completed yet but now that is a standard part of the kit when you purchase it

[@naseromar5533]

@@LIRetroGaming i have a problem with my 1.0 xbox when i start it i turn off with sound i took off the hard drive and put it in my pc and ran a program taht told me the drive is so bad so when i i add a new hard drive my xbox works for short time then turn off and when i remove the hard drive the xbox works without shout off can u tall me why if u want i have a video for the problem

[@lKOlLlDlEST]

which long island

[@LIRetroGaming]

The one near nyc

[@lKOlLlDlEST]

@@LIRetroGaming do you have a store or contact i couldnt find any

[@MasterOfNone88]

Does anyone know if anybody does this as a service???

[@LIRetroGaming]

Well, I install them as a service. There are a few others that do this as well. My website is 1uprestorations.com

[@MasterOfNone88]

@@LIRetroGaming Okay, we shall be in touch. thanks.

[@iiiiii3673]

Must be nice to get your kit. This guy hasn't shipped my order yet. I've had a tracking for 2 plus months.

[@stimp3413]

same. file a claim on paypal then he will actually ship it. that is what i did. i dont even want mine anymore

[@LIRetroGaming]

I have heard about this and I hope that he resolves this. I ordered mine on one of the first days that it became available, which probably explains why mine shipped

[@iiiiii3673]

I only had an option for that Shop app. I went on the discord to find out where my order was and his minions banned me. I'm going to file a mail fraud claim.

[@LIRetroGaming]

That’s really terrible. I’m sorry that it was handled that way. I didn’t learn about all the trouble people were having with getting their kits until much later

[@TQVIP]

@@stimp3413 Exactly what I did and he shipped.

[@slipangle3027]

What does the modchip have to do with the clock cap...?

[@LIRetroGaming]

It removes the need for a clock capacitor by saving the time settings in a different manner. It also allows you to use any hard drive, not just one that is locked to the motherboard of the system

[@slipangle3027]

@@LIRetroGaming I mean you can remove the clock cap entirely without any other kind of mod and the console will still work. A softmod can auto-update the time and date from the internet if it's connected to the network. You don't need a chip for that.

[@fatbelly2438]

someone should offer a service todo this for all of us who cant solder

[@LIRetroGaming]

George will have this service on 1uprestorations.com shortly!

[@Fogolol]

@@LIRetroGaming it'd be nice but sending an xbox across the world is kinda out of most people's capabilities

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Someone didn't use Arctic Silver.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

If you are going to have this Mod chip don't go on line or the unit will be rendered inoperative.

[@ams5616]

after installing this mod i killed my xbox

[@MrNside]

Haha... If you need drill bits to take apart your Xbox, you're doing it wrong. The term you're looking for is "driver bit".

[@LIRetroGaming]

Oops! Yes that’s what I should have said lol

[@THE-CROWZ06]

Wow . Can you do mine? I can pay you for doing it.

[@LIRetroGaming]

You reach George over at www.1uprestorations.com, he does do mod services!

[@dondonian5364]

id rather just use an ossc or a PC CRT

[@LIRetroGaming]

Those are perfectly reasonable options as well

[@guyverjay1289]

That’s nice...so why are you watching this? Lol

[@dondonian5364]

@@guyverjay1289 i love the xbox. was just curious. it kinda makes no sense to do this mod. what good is pure 480p.. on modern tvs the internal scalers will look like shit + input lag from running a non-native resolution. you would still need an external scaler either way for best quality.

[@michaeldonis1217]

Hey can u mod me one I’ll pay for the chip and pay u 400 to do it

[@LIRetroGaming]

If you are interested in modding services please contact George at www.1uprestorations.com

[@rdaws73]

Too bad its sold out

[@docteurzoidberg]

yeah moar xboooox

[@EXITMUSIC2011]

Looks too difficult for my 49yr old eyes!

[@woodysgeekchannel2204]

Im 50 and going to give it a shot... I use cheaters and it helps big time

[@EXITMUSIC2011]

@@woodysgeekchannel2204 whats that?

[@woodysgeekchannel2204]

@@EXITMUSIC2011 eye glasses that you can get at any store. They can magnify up to 10x. I personally use a 3.75x for soldering smaller stuff

[@onikakarot]

haha you don't know why they use those types of screws ... really? its because they don't want you to open it haha rst of the vid was good

[@PWNHUB]

You don't know why they used security screws seriously?

[@LIRetroGaming]

I just find them annoying. They don’t actually provide any security because the drill bits are widely available

[@MrSmith_]

It's clear that he means he doesn't see any point in them since the bits are widely available, thus providing no security. Nintendo had tri-wing security screws which were secure until a bit was made to defeat it which didn't take very long.

[@aderitosantos1695]

Urrr come on? Why sadomasoquism mod risk destroy Xbox, HDMI plug and play more easy

[@LIRetroGaming]

There is no risk to destroying the Xbox if you know what you’re doing. And those plug and play cables are converting analog to digital, and the quality varies considerably. This is pure digital so the quality cannot possibly get better

[@gregjarvis1232]

@@LIRetroGaming This is why I don't work on my consoles parts are very small and don't have all the right equipment