Reballing and GPU replacement

 Xbox 360 Reball service

Reballing is the best type of repair for the Xbox 360. The original solder used on all the chips inside the console is lead free, lead free solder is brittle and eventually cracks/fractures which is when you get the red light errors like 3 flashing red lights (RROD) and 1 flashing red light (E74). The fracturing is down to the repeated heating and cooling of the solder. When a chip is reballed, leaded solder is used, leaded solder is much more reliable and can stand heating and cooling far better than lead free solder.

The reball process

Once the console has been stripped and clean, the motherboard is mounted on a jig to ensure the motherboard stays flat and doesn’t warp.

Xbox 360 Motherboard on the jig - Click to enlarge

The jig is then placed on the rework station, the motherboard is heated slowly to 217°C – 225°C. This melts the original lead free solder that is underneath the chip.

  Xbox 360 GPU Heating the motherboard - Click to enlarge

Once the temperature is correct, the chip is carefully lifted from the motherboard using suction.

Xbox 360 GPU lifted - Click to enlarge

The lead free solder from is removed and the BGA/GPU site is then cleaned thoroughly

Xbox 360 GPU BGA site - Click to enlargeXbox 360 GPU BGA site (Cleaned) - Click to enlarge

Now on to the GPU BGA its self.

The GPU is placed in to a reball station and held in place. The reball station is like a small vice.

Xbox 360 GPU reball station - Click to enlarge

The lead free solder from is removed and the GPU and is then cleaned thoroughly

XBOX 360 GPU solder removed and cleaned - Click to enlarge

The correct stencil is the placed on to the reball station and positioned

Xbox 360 GPU stencil - Click to enlarge

Solder balls/Spheres are then poured on to the stencil, the balls measure 0.6mm. Ive used more than normal just for the picture, normally you use a quarter of what is in the picture.

Xbox 360 GPU solder balls - Click to enlarge

 

Then the reball station is tilted slightly from side to side to ensure each of the holes in the stencil have a solder ball in. The excess solder balls are then poured off.

Xbox 360 GPU solder balls - Click to enlarge

The stencil is then lifted off and all the solder balls should be in place.

Xbox 360 GPU solder balls in place - Click to enlarge

The GPU is then placed on to the lower hot air nozzle of the rework station. It is heated to about 210°C to melt/attach the solder balls on the the GPU.

Xbox 360 GPU Reball attached balls - Click to enlarge

This is what the GPU looks like once the leaded solder balls have been attached

Reballed Xbox 360 GPU - Click to enlarge

The GPU it then placed on the motherboard and lined up. It is then heated up to 210°C to attach it the the motherboard.

Xbos 360 GPU attached - Click to enlarge

Once it has been attached, it is then reflowed with liquid flux to ensure all the solder balls have attached and the GPU is seated properly.

Xbox 360 GPU attached - Click to enlarge

Excess flux is cleaned up

Xbox 360 GPU Flux cleaned - Click to enlarge

Heat sinks are placed on to the GPU and CPU for tested. If everything went as its supposed to, you should have 4 green lights

Xbox 360 GPU Reball - Xenon - Working - Click to enlarge

Click HERE to book your console in for a reball

Here is a Gallery to other reballed chips

HANA Reball                               Southbridge Reball

Xbox 360 Southbridge Reball - Click to open Gallery

CPU Reball

Xbox 360 CPU Reball - Click to open Gallery

Below is a video that was done last week (20/01/12) of a GPU replacement from start to finish. The fault was 0003 RROD, the GPU was short circuit and needed replacing.