Flashing iXtreme LT

2010-01-30 09:01

Looks like it is once again possible to protect your game discs by playing backups and enjoy Xbox Live at the same time.

I took a few photos while flashing the new firmware to my Xbox’s Lite-On 83850c V2.

Unfortunately, this is not as straight-forward as consoles I’ve done in the past. The Samsung, Hitachi, and BenQ drives are flashable by simply connecting them to a computer. The Lite-On drives, excluding the first version of the 83850c, need hardware modification. This thread on xboxhacker explains the process. The firmware I’ve chosen to flash is commodore4eva’s iXtreme LT 1.0.

A Lite-On 83850c v2 controller PCB removed from its drive. Several traces are severed by a nearby blade.

Components attached to the PCB to facilitate firmware flashing.

The PCB attached to a bare Xbox 360 for power and to a bare generic PC SATA port for flashing.

The PCB post-flash with the cut traces repaired with solder and wire.

The PCB with trace repairs insulated by electrical tape.

This concludes my exciting adventure. Look for my grumpy follow-up post, “Banned from Xbox Live”, later this year.