xenogc install tips?
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whitewolf80
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:48 pm
xenogc install tips?
Ok I looked forever for someone to install it for me...and no luck.Ive never soldered anything and I understand the risks but Im impatient what can I say. What I want to know is does the xeno come with a guide thats a bit more clear than the videos and pictures Ive been seeing? Do you put solder on the copper strips on the board first and then the pads on the xeno? Vice versa? and at what temp should I operate the iron? Ive always been better with text guides anyway. Any Help would be greatly appreciated.Now that Ive almost certainly made all the greats laugh their arses off at me, im done!
Re: xenogc install tips?
Take a look at this.
Anyway, use a VERY fine soldering iron. The one I use for all my work is around 15W, and very small. For some exceptions I use my 30W iron, but this is not needed for the Xeno.
Also, be patient, and follow the tips above without the wires. Just place the Xeno on your drive board, and try to solder the points correctly.
I'd also practice the soldering on some old hardware, so you know how the solder behaves. It's not THAT hard, it just requires some patience and a steady hand.
Anyway, use a VERY fine soldering iron. The one I use for all my work is around 15W, and very small. For some exceptions I use my 30W iron, but this is not needed for the Xeno.
Also, be patient, and follow the tips above without the wires. Just place the Xeno on your drive board, and try to solder the points correctly.
I'd also practice the soldering on some old hardware, so you know how the solder behaves. It's not THAT hard, it just requires some patience and a steady hand.
"The only thing more dangerous than a hardware guru with a code patch is a programmer with a soldering iron."
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gtmtnbiker
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 4:30 pm
Re: xenogc install tips?
Here are my tips.
First practice on some old electronics boards to get your soldering technique down pat.
With the XenoGC, I recommend doing the wired install. This means using thin kynar (wire wrap) wire that is 30AWG.
On the xeno gc pads, put a little bit of flux on the pad you're going to solder. Heat the iron and touch the tip to the pad. Touch some solder
to the pad (not the iron) and depending on the temperature of the iron, it should melt after 5-10 seconds. Pull the solder away. You want a small bead of solder on the pad. You'll know the pad is hot enough when the flux bubbles and starts to smoke a little.
Do the same process for each pad on the xeno gc and the game cube. Then put the chip in the cube and start connecting up your wires. Cut the wire to the right length (not too long), strip the ends to expose the copper. Dip each end into flux and put it on top of a solder bead. Put the iron on top of the wire and after a few seconds, the wire will melt the solder bead. Pull the iron away and now it's joined together.
Flux is essential for soldering. It cleans the wires/pads so that the solder can bond to it. A common newbie mistake is to heat the solder with the iron. The part you're connecting to has to be heated or the solder will not stick. That's why you want to heat the material (wire or pad) and let the material melt the solder.
Use thin electronics type solder.
Watch soldering videos on YouTube.
First practice on some old electronics boards to get your soldering technique down pat.
With the XenoGC, I recommend doing the wired install. This means using thin kynar (wire wrap) wire that is 30AWG.
On the xeno gc pads, put a little bit of flux on the pad you're going to solder. Heat the iron and touch the tip to the pad. Touch some solder
to the pad (not the iron) and depending on the temperature of the iron, it should melt after 5-10 seconds. Pull the solder away. You want a small bead of solder on the pad. You'll know the pad is hot enough when the flux bubbles and starts to smoke a little.
Do the same process for each pad on the xeno gc and the game cube. Then put the chip in the cube and start connecting up your wires. Cut the wire to the right length (not too long), strip the ends to expose the copper. Dip each end into flux and put it on top of a solder bead. Put the iron on top of the wire and after a few seconds, the wire will melt the solder bead. Pull the iron away and now it's joined together.
Flux is essential for soldering. It cleans the wires/pads so that the solder can bond to it. A common newbie mistake is to heat the solder with the iron. The part you're connecting to has to be heated or the solder will not stick. That's why you want to heat the material (wire or pad) and let the material melt the solder.
Use thin electronics type solder.
Watch soldering videos on YouTube.