The Xbox 360 is a video game console which was introduced in the year 2005. The Xbox 360 is the advance version of the ordinary Xbox console. Xbox 360 has an advance central and graphical processing unit when compared with that of the normal Xbox as their processing speed are way too high. With advance graphical processing unit the display has improved well so that the gaming experience becomes very lively.
XBOX 360-RELEASE
The Xbox was released in a hurry because of two reason one is the competition with its rivalry company the Sony has released its Playstation 2. The other reason is that its Christmas season so that there will be good business during the holiday season. As a result of this, Microsoft released the product in a hurry to the market which has caused a great problem now. Because of lack in time, Microsoft has released the product without proper testing of the product. This a lead to a hardware problem in almost all the consoles purchased so far. The problem which has emerged is the “Three Red Light Error”. This error has caused the console to get hang while playing and also in few devices the saved game are also affected due to sudden restart.
EFFECTS OF THE PROBLEM
The Three Red Light Error has resulted in increase in the temperature of the console. As a result of this the graphical processing unit has failed to operate when the temperature goes beyond the maximum withstanding capacity. The increase in temperature is the poor performance of the heat sinks and also the intercooler which also have a part to play for the increase in the temperature. These things show the fact that the console was not properly designed for withstanding the maximum temperature and also there is no space for the air flow within the console so that no option for external air to flow inside and cool the console from the external.
WAYS TO SOLVE
The Three red light error is also otherwise popularly known as the “Red Ring of Death” or RRoD. The name is because of the three red lights glowing in the power ring area when the problem occurs. The power ring is nothing but the LED lights arranged in a ring shape around the consoles power button. Now, the problem is only the temperature, so there is necessity to provide adequate cooling to the console. There are many simple methods to do this. One is the removal of the X clamps which holds the heat sinks of the processors placed above the processors and the X clamps that are screwed to the bottom of the motherboard. The other simple method is that you can place an addition intercooler fan to the motherboard by taking the power supply the internal supply. These processors are very simple so that it can be done on our own instead of giving it to a service centre. The drawbacks while giving the console to a service centre is the cost and the time taken for repairing. But, while repairing on our own the cost and the time spent is greatly reduced. For repairing on our own the only requirement the repairing guide that is available in huge numbers in the internet. Also these guides come as a video samples so that it helps the user for a better understanding of the repair process. Thus once you have finished the repairing you can start playing with your console on the same day without waiting.
Recently there were lots of complain about the latest model of the Xbox console. Users complain about the some kind of red light errors while they were playing. One common complaint is that the console gets overheated soon and the display gets hanged. They are getting an error message called as E74 when this problem arises along with three red lights in the power ring area. Microsoft has named it as the “Three Red Light Error” and among gamers it is popularly known as the “Red Ring of Death” or RRoD.
CAUSE FOR THE RRoD
The reason for the RRoD to occur is the overheating problem. The overheating is due to poor design of the console. Experts had expressed their views about the current situation as Microsoft has brought the product to market in a hurry without proper testing and quality checking. As a result million of customers are suffering from this problem. The previous version of Xbox is considered very well when compared with the Xbox 360.
Now, the problem is that the heat sinks inside the console which are placed over the two processors i.e. the central processing and the graphical processing were unable to cool the hot air around the processor thus leading the processors to fail. Especially the graphical processor’s heat sink fails because only that region has recorded a very high temperature. All these problems are due to the poor design of the console. saying that the new device is very light weight and more compact it has made all the components jam packed inside making no possibility for external air to move inside to cool the console.
METHODS TO SOLVE
There are many methods to solve the Red Light Error. One method of solving is that you can give your console to a service centre. But it has both advantage and disadvantage. The advantage is that is repaired at free of cost if your console has a valid warranty. But, you need to wait for a long period to get back your console.
But many say that the best and the simplest way to solve the problem is that by repairing the console by ourselves. For this you don’t need any sophisticated tools to undergo the repairing work. The only requirement is that you have to get a repairing guide from the internet. These guides are video samples that will clearly explain step by step the repairing process so that the user can observe and repeat the same. These guides will be mainly insisting on the removal of the X clamps that holds the heat sinks over the processors. The heat sinks are responsible to cool the air near to the processors due to the very high temperature developed it cannot able to work to the expected level. Hence they are removed and the sinks are attached to the motherboard itself so that air is circulated to the processors even from the bottom of the motherboard. By repairing on your own you can complete the work within two to three hours and can start playing with your console in the very next hour.
