JTAG an Xbox 360: Dumping the NAND [Part 3]

Last time we wired up our NAND cable, today we're going to use the cable to dump the NAND image from our Xbox 360! The file we're going to get out of this is the software the Xbox 360 runs on. Think of it as the operating system + bios combined. The purpose of retrieving this data is so that we can modify it and write it back - with less restrictions!

JTAG an Xbox 360: The NAND Cable [Part 2]

In the previous step of the JTAG tutorial I showed you what you need to get ready to JTAG your Xbox 360! Let's begin the actual mod by first creating your NAND cable!

JTAG an Xbox 360: Introduction [Part 1]

Welcome to part 1 of my Xbox 360 JTAG tutorial. This will likely be a 4 or 5 part tutorial, as it requires a lot of explaining and a lot of time!

First off, what's a JTAG? A JTAG is a modification to an Xbox 360 motherboard & NAND chip that allows it to run unsigned code. The programs created using this unsigned code is known as homebrew. Typical homebrew usually consists of classic game emulators, media programs, and file managers. An Xbox 360 that has been "Jtagged" is also able to run retail Xbox and Xbox 360 games directly from the hard drive (HDD) with no DVD in the tray.

Fix the YLOD with a Heat Gun Reflow

In the previous tutorial I showed you the process of taking apart a fat (phat?) PlayStation 3. This time I'll show you how to fix the Yellow Light of Death! Like I said in my previous post, the YLOD is very, very similar to the Xbox 360's Red Ring of Death (RROD). It's also fixed the exact same way!

Disassemble a PlayStation 3

I recently acquired another 60 gig, backwards-compatible PS3 on craigslist for a mere $30. Only catch? It has the "Yellow Light of Death" (YLOD). This is basically the PlayStation 3 equivalent of the Xbox 360's Red Ring of Death (RROD). It's caused by the solder joints under one of the microchips on the board (usually the GPU - just like the 360) breaking or pulling away from the board.

In this tutorial I will guide you through the steps needed to disassemble your PS3 (fat model) so you can then later fix your YLOD. Another reason to disassemble your PS3 would be to dust it! This is the main cause of excess heat in these systems that leads to the Yellow Light of Death!

First thing you'll want to do is pop off the small plastic cover over your hard drive (HDD).