ByteRot :: Xbox Philips DVD Drive Disassembly

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Xbox Philips DVD Drive Disassembly

Device	Xbox
Difficulty	Easy
Time	15 - 30 minutes
Steps	17

This guide is by Navy Vet 2015 on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

Step by step disassembly guide for the Microsoft Xbox (Original) Philips DVD drive.

This was not my personal Xbox so please don't ask what happened to the top cover. It is assumed the original owner got a game stuck inside and couldn't figure out how to recover it without prying the top spindle off. They were kind enough to electrical tape it back down and this drive is now fully functional :)

Tools: Metal Spudger; TR10 Torx Security Screwdriver; T15 Torx Screwdriver; T20 Torx Screwdriver Bit; Phillips #2 Screwdriver; Spudger; ESD Gloves or Bracelet; Megalodon Driver Kit

Parts: Square Belt

Step 1

• REMINDER: Make sure your Xbox is safely unplugged and is laying on a flat, stable surface.

Step 2

• NOTE: Turn the Xbox over to reveal the four rubber feet.
• Use a metal spudger to pry off the four rubber feet.

Step 3

• REMINDER: There are 2 more screws hidden under the two labels on the bottom of the case.
• You can either remove the labels or simply feel for the screw holes through the labels and then cut or punch a hole through them.

Step 4

• Remove the six T20 Torx screws securing the top cover to the bottom cover.

Step 5

• Once the bottom and top shells are no longer attached, carefully turn the Xbox right-side-up, lift and remove the top cover.

Step 6

• Remove the three 3 mm T10 screws securing the hard drive to the Xbox.
• REMINDER: There is one screw on the rear left side of the hard drive that is only visible when the IDE ribbon cable is lifted up. The other two are at the front right and left sides of the hard drive.
• NOTE: The screw on the lower left corner of the disk drive is not in the hole that it appears to be in, but rather just closer to the corner.
• NOTE: Only the screw under the ribbon cable is for the hard drive, while the other two are for the disk drive. But it's easiest to remove all three during this step, as they are the same T10 screws.

Step 7

• Free the hard drive power cable from the carrier for sufficient slack to lift the hard drive out.
• Lift the plastic hard drive carrier out of the Xbox case.

Step 8

• Remove the four 3.4 mm T15 Torx screws from the plastic hard drive carrier (two screws per side).
• Carefully remove the hard drive from the plastic carrier. Gentle rocking will see the hard drive come out quite easily.

Step 9

• Pull both the hard drive data ribbon cable and the power cable straight up from the hard drive.
• NOTE: They may be firmly seated, so be careful trying to remove them. DO NOT pull the wires as you may damage the cable assembly.

Step 10

• Remove the disk drive. It should come right out.
• Unplug the ribbon cable and yellow cables from back of disk drive.

Step 11

• Pry back the black plastic tabs around the disk drive in order to remove it from its housing. Once removed, set the drive aside.
• NOTE: If you are removing the disk drive in order to gain access to the motherboard underneath, you do not need to remove the plastic housing.

Step 12 :: Remove Top Shell

• Remove 4 PH2 screws
• Remove top cover

Step 13 :: Manually Eject Drive

• With the pointed end of a spudger slide this piece to the right
• Laser assembly will drop about a quarter inch
• Drive door will open about a quarter inch and can now be manually opened

Step 14 :: Manually Close Drive

• Gently slide drive door closed.
• Slide this piece to the left.
• Laser assembly will raise about a quarter inch.
• Drive door is now secured.

Step 15 :: Remove Lower Shell

• CAUTION: After removing the lower shell DO NOT place the drive down as you typically would. You may damage the lower ribbon cable rendering the drive useless

Step 16 :: Pull Cables From Brackets

• Loop the wires out from their retaining brackets.

Step 17 :: Separate PCB

• With the drive upside down, gently pull back on the ribbon cable retaining tabs and pull out the ribbon cable.
• There are 2 plastic tabs and 1 post holding the board in place. Lift up on the post, slide PCB to the left and then forward.
• NOTE: Reverse process to reattach PCB
• Rotate PCB right and place to the side
• There's just enough length in the cable to place the board in a PCB holder to replace capacitors.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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