Xbox:Aladdin

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Exclamation-triangle-fill.svgThis process is dangerous and potentially can brick or fry your Xbox. It involves soldering a very small contact, so it is recommended to be experienced with soldering before proceeding.


The Aladdin chip (previously known as XenoFX) is a low cost chip that arrived late on the scene. The latest revision, the Aladdin XT Plus2 (a +4032 with a pin header), is an all-purpose chip and is highly recommended for its simple installation. This is the model that is covered with this guide.

Video installation guides can be found on MrMario2011’s channel:

Features

Software features:

  • Comes with Evox M8plus BIOS ‘M8plus_16.bin’ loaded on the single 256k bank
  • Plays all backups, homebrew, debug executables, and original imports
  • Supports the LBA48 Hack (max 2TB HDD support)
  • Embedded In Game Reset (IGR)
  • Compatible with all EvolutionX software
  • Includes no-patch hack and eject trick hack
  • Auto patches new media flag titles
  • Works on all regions

Hardware features:

  • Support for Xbox 1.0 through 1.6b
  • On-board power LED indicator
  • LPC bus timing code optimized for flawless 1.6x performance
  • Female pinheader mounted on pcb
  • Separate Male-Male pinheader included
  • Socket for flash
  • Can be flashed with new BIOS
  • Compatible with SST 49LF0x0 and 49LF0x0A
  • Open tool design
  • Supports two boot modes, with option for permanent "on":
  • Off - Tap the power button and the Xbox starts as normal with the original BIOS.
  • On - Press and hold power button for 1 second and the Aladdin XT PLUS2 is activated.

Required Materials

  • Soldering iron and solder - fine tip is preferable
  • 30 AWG wire
  • Pliers
  • Desoldering braid or desolder pump (if LPC port is filled with solder)
  • A 7x2 male pin header (if not already supplied with the modchip)

Installation

  1. Disassemble your Xbox and remove the motherboard. Determine the motherboard revision, as the following steps will depend on it.
    • If the LPC port is filled in, you will need to desolder the holes using a desolder pump or desoldering braid.
  2. Use a pair of pliers to pull pin 4 out of the LPC header. The shorter side of the pins is the side which will be inserted into the LPC holes.
    • Motherboard revision 1.5: Solder a wire from the edge of pin 2 to ground, and pin 9 to a 3.3V source as shown in the motherboard diagram in the bottom left.
    • Motherboard revision 1.6/1.6b: Solder five wires to the edges of the LPC ports as shown in this diagram. This is known as a "LPC rebuild".
  3. Insert the LPC header into the LPC port, with the shorter side of the pins entering the holes. Make sure you have inserted it so that it is using pin 0 and 1. Temporarily tape it in place using electrical tape, and flip the board over. On the underside of the motherboard, touch each pin and it’s hole to fill it with solder and attach the header in place. Remove the electrical tape and insert the modchip into the LPC header.
  4. You will need to follow the next steps for soldering depending on your motherboard revision. Refer to the motherboard diagram to see where specific points are on different motherboards. It will help to dab a small amount of flux on the contact points and soldering tip.
    • Solder D0 on the motherboard to D0 on the chip. You will need to scrape the surface of the D0 point on the motherboard, as it has a clear solder mask coat on top of it. If you don’t have fine tools or confidence in your soldering skills, the alternate point on the back of the motherboard is easier to solder to than the frontside one.
    • Decide if you want the modchip always on (recommended), or on only when power button is held for one second. If you want it always on, solder BT on the chip to ground (XT Plus2 feature only). If you want it on only when the power button is held for one second, solder BT on the motherboard to BT on the chip.
    • (Optional) Solder H0 on the motherboard to H0 on the chip, and L1 to an LED on the front panel to allow the LED to blink whenever the HDD is being accessed.
  5. Plug back all components, hook Xbox up to a TV, and turn it on to test functionality. If successful, it should show an EvoX logo in the top left of the flubber screen and boot to EvoX. It is recommended to update the modchip BIOS using an Auto Installer Deluxe disc. If you had a broken hard drive or just put a new one in, insert a copy of Auto Installer Deluxe and restart the console, and it should boot into the disc.

Troubleshooting

  • If you receive any error codes, see the Error Codes page for help.
  • If you end up with a clock loop, try connecting the Xbox to your network so it can update the time via NTP or using Auto Installer Deluxe to update the modchip BIOS.