Replacing the DVD drive with a 2nd hard drive?

XBOX, but not XBMC4XBOX related discussion
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XC-3730C
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Replacing the DVD drive with a 2nd hard drive?

Post by XC-3730C »

I have seen this topic before, but with no links that are still good. I wanna be able to replaced the DVD drive in my Xbox, and add a 2nd HDD (I already have a full 2TB drive).

Does anyone know of a tutorial to accomplish This? I also read somewhere that the DVD drive could be salvaged, and a 2.5" hard drive could be installed under it as the 2nd HDD.

Thanks!
kaos_engr
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Re: Replacing the DVD drive with a 2nd hard drive?

Post by kaos_engr »

XC-3730C wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:39 am I have seen this topic before, but with no links that are still good. I wanna be able to replaced the DVD drive in my Xbox, and add a 2nd HDD (I already have a full 2TB drive).

Does anyone know of a tutorial to accomplish This? I also read somewhere that the DVD drive could be salvaged, and a 2.5" hard drive could be installed under it as the 2nd HDD.

Thanks!
Found a link today on the sub-reddit /r/originalxbox comment [GUIDE] Xbox without DVD Drive.

But, they've also posted another link to a discussion where the mod didn't work. Have not read all of this new thread yet. So still ???'s about the proper method to remove DVD and still allow stock Xbox to run without Error 12? screen.

Although, Harshboy and Rocky5 mention different pins to be tied together. Not sure which is correct as I've not tried this mod.

Voltage levels for a v1.0-v1.5 and v1.6 Xbox may be different. Xcalibur incorporates the SMC functions found on older versions using a PIC processor. Xcalibur's power/eject signals are 3.3V not 5V. Follows that the control lines that run from the DVD drive to the SMC use the same logic levels as the front panel buttons Best measure the voltage levels for the tray_in, cd_rdy. If 3.3V a voltage divider needs to be made or find a source of 3.3Vdc. If 5Vdc, the voltage is available on the motherboard DVD header.
dvd connector at motherboard (top view).jpg
But this figure has to be WRONG as the motherboard connector has 14 pins not 12. There should be 2 more pins, continue on with 13 and 14, which actually have no connection. On the DVD drive side, there are only 12 pins.
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Rocky5
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Re: Replacing the DVD drive with a 2nd hard drive?

Post by Rocky5 »

It’s not wrong the diagram is 109% correct. But don’t do the above, I blew two Xbox Ethernet controller chips doing this and will never do it again. My poor 1GHz board :cry:

It doesn’t work how you think anyways, it still requires a bios with the no dvd Hack. All it was meant to do was stop XBMC or other dashboards from thinking the drive was open.

You can find the thread on here that trusty made with how it turned out for me.

I fixed trusty’s diagram and showed the proper way but the image was on imageshack and they removed it when they went subscriber only. Supply 3.3v not 5v or you will get a pop or the Ethernet controller chip will just die.

Here is how to do it correctly. I have no clue how trusty never damaged his board or maybe he did and never new?
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3947&p=29955#p29955
Download Xbox Softmodding Tool & Extras Disc
XBMC4Kids Mod


Xbox Gamertag = Connxtion
PSN ID = JCRocky5
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