First timer here :P

[KayCube]

Ey guys , I ordered a xenoGC for 4 bucks from a Chinese website and not sure if clone or original soo .. if clone , is there a difference? And does it affect my GameCube? And I have no experience in soldering ... We all gotta start somewhere right? I wanna give soldering a try. Anything else I need other than the soldering iron? And how much do they cost (soldering iron) ? I can use my fathers soldering iron if its expensive :> and I need a step by step guide like when you put the soldering iron with the wire thing where does the melted wire go? (I saw some videos moving it left and right soon I got confused..) I'd be thankful

[emu_kidid]

Clone vs original doesn't make a difference as it's the exact same hardware + code on it. The only difference might be a orange LED vs green (original) LED, but you can never see those anyway

I would strongly suggest you buy some kynar wire or similar so that you can solder the chip via wires considering your novice skills as stated above

Watch some videos and practice first on something else before attempting the modchip installation yourself.

[KayCube]

Clone vs original doesn't make a difference as it's the exact same hardware + code on it. The only difference might be a orange LED vs green (original) LED, but you can never see those anyway

I would strongly suggest you buy some kynar wire or similar so that you can solder the chip via wires considering your novice skills as stated above

Watch some videos and practice first on something else before attempting the modchip installation yourself.

I had a feeling that you will reply xD Anyway! The wired method sounds easy Any YouTube guide for it? I'd be thankful , I'll practice on old PC boards while the Chip arrives in a week or two

I also just bought the following:

15W Soldering Iron
Flux (That white thing) , Mind explaining what does that do?
Soldering wire , anything else to get?

[emu_kidid]

What type of wire did you buy? is it insulated in plastic or does it look like copper wire (with a light enamel coating)?

You will realize after some practice if you will need the flux or not, but generally it helps the solder flow onto the components. Sounds like you got a flux paste, which means after you're done you'll need to clean it off with some isopropyl alcohol otherwise the board will start to rot around it.

[KayCube]

What type of wire did you buy? is it insulated in plastic or does it look like copper wire (with a light enamel coating)?

You will realize after some practice if you will need the flux or not, but generally it helps the solder flow onto the components. Sounds like you got a flux paste, which means after you're done you'll need to clean it off with some isopropyl alcohol otherwise the board will start to rot around it.

Yeah , its a copper wire not plastic. Ill try to practice , also i didnt get what this flux is used for :p

[megalomaniac]

make sure not to buy "lead free" solder
use the leaded type which is better for lower wattage irons like you have..flux may help
leaded solder will have the numbers 60/2/38 or 60/40
if your solder says 99/1 or something close to that, throw it away and but the type listed above


and for wire, make sure its kynar wire....radioshack calls it "Insulated Wrapping Wire (30AWG)"
if you use a wire type that the solder seems not to stick, then throw it away and use the type i listed above...

practice using a solder sucker too to remove solder in case you make a mistake on the GC, you will have at least some practice...
dont bother using desoldering braid...if you bought some, throw it away...




and your 15w iron....grrrrrr!!!!!
ill confess i started on one also....but its crap....

[deckard]

I use a desoldering braid and haven't had any issues with it. But yeah, I'd agree that using a solder sucker would be optimal

[AC_Orange]

I use desoldering braid myself as well, maybe because my cheap solder sucker was not a good sucker

[jlo138]

Soldering guns or soldering pens aren't expensive. They can run from as low as $17 or so for a pen. You need a fine tip for the soldering points though. I tried doing this myself and I successfully got the chip to power but nothing more. I ruined a board but I have a parts cube I was able to use for a replacement board luckily. The chip is really small. The soldering points are about 1/32" or smaller. There is one soldering point that is really close (maybe 1/64") to another point you don't want to make contact on. Good luck and hope it works out for you.