Xbox 360:RGH/EXT CLK

The steps on this page are considered risky for your console, as there is a chance you can brick it. Please have someone else mod your console if you are not experienced in soldering!

EXT_CLK is a modern RGH method by Octal450 that uses the EXT_CLK_EN point instead of CPU_PLL_BYPASS to allow reliable glitching of Xenon and Zephyr Xbox 360 consoles.

Equipment Needed

• A compatible glitch chip:
  • Coolrunner Rev A/B/C/D
  • Matrix Glitcher
  • X360ACE V1/V2/V3
  • It is highly recommended to use STBY_CLK instead of a glitch chip's built in oscillator with EXT_CLK, but if you wish to install a crystal on a glitch chip or use a chip's preinstalled crystal it's best to use a 48 MHz one.
• A PC running Windows Vista or later
• A soldering iron, solder, flux, and Isopropyl alcohol with cotton swabs
  • Specific recommendatons can be found on this page
• A NAND & Glitch Chip Flasher
• J-Runner with Extras (Includes EXT_CLK Matrix/Coolrunner Timings)
• EXT_CLK Timing Files (X360ACE chips only)
• A NAND Backup with XeLL written to the console

Reading your NAND

There are a few different tools for reading your NAND chip: xFlasher 360, Nand-X, JR Programmer, Matrix USB NAND Flasher, PicoFlasher, various SD card tools, or a LPT cable. Consider the pros and cons below and choose the method that’s right for you. An LPT cable is not recommended as it's extremely slow, requires more work than other options, and cannot be used to program glitch chips.

A guide on how to dump and write to a standard NAND can be found here.

Device	Pros	Cons
xFlasher 360	Reads NAND fast in 40 seconds to 4 minutes Can also program glitch chips One of four options for 4GB NANDs Actively supported USB-C	Most expensive flasher Not sold on common marketplaces like Amazon or AliExpress Can't be used for flashing Sonus Sounds
PicoFlasher	Reads NAND fast in 1-8 minutes One of four options for 4GB NANDs One of the two options for Sonus flashing Super cheap Easy to find Can flash glitch chips with this J-Runner Fork	Due to how the currently available PicoFlasher firmware is programmed, it often has many bugs with getting consistently good non-corrupt NAND dumps or being detected by J-Runner. Can sometimes have spotty reliability on Xbox 360 motherboards due to their SPI and eMMC logic being up to 5v, whereas the Pico uses 3.3v.
JR Programmer	Reads NAND in 3-10 minutes Can also program glitch chips One of the two options for Sonus flashing Cheap Easy to find	More expensive and less common than PicoFlasher Does not support 4GB NANDs
Nand-X	Reads NAND in 2-8 minutes Can also program RGH glitch chips	More expensive than most NAND flashers Does not support 4GB NANDs Can't be used for flashing Sonus Sounds
Matrix USB NAND Flasher	Cheap	Can’t be used for programming glitch chips unless you modify it Does not support 4GB NANDs Requires unsigned drivers Reads NAND in 7-26 minutes, which is quite a bit slower than most options Can't be used for flashing Sonus Sounds
LPT Cable	Cheap	Requires PC with a native parallel port and more equipment More difficult Does not support 4GB NANDs Can’t be used for programming glitch chips Can't be used for Sonus flashing Takes 30-150 minutes to read NANDs

Programming the Glitch Chip

1. Plug the cable from your programmer into the chip programmer.
   • If you are using an xFlasher, ensure the switch is set to SPI.
   • CoolRunner: Slide switch to "PRG".
2. Open J-Runner with Extras. Click "Program Timing File" in the upper left and select your console’s tab and the relevant radio button for EXT_CLK.
   • You can use the timing assistant in the bottom left to auto select a safe timing for your motherboard revision.
3. Click "Program". When complete, unplug the cable from the glitch chip.
   • Coolrunner: Set the switch back to "NOR".

Glitch Chip Installation

Motherboard points

Phat (Xenon/Non-Xenon)

The points you need to solder to are similar to RGH 1.2, aside from using EXT_CLK instead of PLL.

Glitch Chip Pinouts

Matrix

• A - RST
• B - POST
• C - STBY_CLK (remove oscillator if equipped)
• F - EXT_CLK
  • If you have a Matrix that comes with an oscillator, it can be easily disabled if this resistor is removed instead of removing the entire oscillator.

Coolrunner

• A - EXT_CLK
• B - STBY_CLK (remove oscillator if equipped)
  • If you have a Rev D, its built on oscillator can be easily disabled if this resistor is removed instead of removing the entire oscillator.
• C - POST
• D - RST

X360ACE (V1/V2/V3), DGX

• C - POST
• D - RST
• F - EXT_CLK (22K ohm resistor required)
• Remember to remove the diode and connect 1.8V

Testing the Console

Once you've finished soldering, clean up any flux with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs. Partially re-assemble your Xbox 360, ensuring that:

• Heatsinks are attached (If they were removed for some reason)
• Fan(s) are in place and plugged in (On a phat console, the fans can be angled on top of the heatsinks to cool them for testing)
• The RF board is plugged into the front of the console
• An A/V or HDMI cable is plugged into the Xbox 360 and into a TV or monitor
• A power brick is plugged in to both the wall and Xbox 360
• (Optional) An ethernet cable is plugged into the Xbox 360 and a LAN (e.g. a switch, router, or directly to a PC)

Turn on your console, and it should boot into XeLL RELOADED within a minute. If you don't have an ethernet cable connected, write down (and/or take a picture of) the "CPU Key" listed on screen. If the console doesn't boot into XeLL, check all previous steps and double check your wiring accuracy and quality.

Decrypting the NAND

Once you have successfully obtained your CPU key, we can build an XeBuild image, which is a modified NAND built specifically for your console.

• If you want to use J-Runner with the console connected to LAN to get the CPU key, enter the IP address XeLL gives you into the lower right of the app. You can then click Get CPU Key and XeLL will automatically decrypt the retail NAND dump you backed up earlier.
• If you want to use XeLL's web page to get the CPU key, enter the Xbox's IP address in your preferred web browser. You will see information about the console, and the CPU key can be easily copy and pasted from this web page.
• If you didn't have access to an ethernet cable to plug the Xbox into a PC or LAN, you can manually type the CPU key into J-Runner in order to decrypt your original NAND dump.

Writing New NAND Image (NAND Flasher)

1. Power down the console, and connect your programmer to the motherboard.
   • If you are using an xFlasher, ensure the switch is set to SPI.
2. Open J-Runner and select ... next to the Load Source field and select one of your original NAND dumps if not already selected. In the upper right of J-Runner, ensure the Glitch2 radio button is selected.
3. Click "Create XeBuild Image". This will take a few moments.
4. Click "Write NAND".
5. Disconnect your NAND programmer from the console's motherboard when the process completes.
6. Check if the console boots to the Microsoft dashboard. If it successfully boots to the dashboard, it is an indication that you've successfully hacked your console.
7. Boot the console several times and ensure it boots consistently. If not, make sure your wiring is clean and neat and avoids noisy areas. Run the wires near the X-Clamps for best results.
8. Tune boot times if necessary.
9. Continue in the Cleaning Up section.

Writing a New NAND Image (XeLL)

1. Open J-Runner and select ... next to the Load Source field and select your nanddump1.bin or nanddump2.bin if not already selected. In the upper right corner of the window, select the dashboard version you chose for the patched dump that you wrote to the motherboard and make sure that the Glitch2 radio button is selected.
2. Click "Create XeBuild Image". This will take a few moments.
3. Copy updflash.bin to a FAT32 formatted USB storage device and plug it into your powered-off console.
4. Turn on your console. It will boot into XeLL and begin flashing your NAND. Once it has finished, it will power off your console.
5. Turn it back on, and it should boot to the Microsoft dashboard, which is an indication that you've successfully hacked your console.
6. Boot the console several times and ensure it boots consistently. If not, make sure your wiring is clean and neat and avoids noisy areas. Run the wires near the X-Clamps for best results.
7. Tune boot times if necessary.
8. Continue in the Cleaning Up section.

Tuning Boot Times

• If the light stays on at the end of a cycle:
  • This means that the checks were passed, but the console failed to start
  • Probably the timing is too low, or the pulse length is too large

• If the light goes off at the end of a cycle but doesn't boot:
  • This means that the checks failed
  • Probably the timing is too high, or the pulse length is too small

Note: Debug light behavior may be slightly misleading due to using POST_OUT bit 0.

Cleaning Up

Remove your NAND programmer wires and clean the points. Clean all flux off the board, allow it to dry, and test it once more before re-assembling.

Installing XeXMenu

1. Plug a flash drive into your Xbox 360 and navigate to Console Settings > Storage. Select the flash drive and allow it to format the flash drive as a system drive.
2. Extract the CODE9999 folder from the XeXMenu 7zip file to your Desktop.
3. Plug the flash drive into your PC. Create a new folder on the flash drive and name it 0000000000000000 (16 zeroes). Open the new folder, then drag the CODE9999 folder into it.
4. Select Drive > Close, then close Xplorer360. Safely eject your flash drive and plug it into your Xbox 360. Navigate to the Demos section of your dashboard, and it should list XeXMenu there. Select it to launch it.

You can install XeXMenu to your hard drive by going to Console Settings > Storage, and copying it from your flash drive to the hard drive.

From here, you can install any homebrew or mods that you want. See this page for a list of recommended modifications and applications to install.