I've got 2 Xeno GC chips I've installed into an early model Indigo and a later model (missing serial port 2) silver cube. Both display the same exact behavior with both chips which is to start up red (normal) and then turn yellow (not even finding results through Google). When the chip is successful it is supposed to turn its LED green. Anyone have any idea what yellow means? The one cube I have with a Duo Qoob works fine. I've tried adjusting the POT and cleaning lenses as it attempts to read the disc but ultimately fails.
Did you do a direct install or did you use wires? Have you verified all of the connections and that you have no shorts?
i never heard of the yellow light either. thats weird. they didn't mention it on their official site... ( http://web.archive.org/web/20070226000425/xenogc.com/settings.html ) What happens when you boot up a game with the start button pressed?
That explains a lot. Would have been nice if the Xeno guys had bothered to make note of that on the PCB. Initially I tried a direct solder just to be clean about it (I'm no amateur when it comes to soldering) and at first it didn't take so I went the wire route which turned up with a yellow/amber light (amber actually comes up with google results. Why can't people pick colors that aren't named oddly?). This second cube with the second chip is directly soldered (though I tried wires at first) and it *seems* to be fine given what paul.strickler1 wrote. The lens is clean, tried two different types of media and two different chips with two different install methods! I'm going to grab a controller from a friend and see if the chip does display its info when start is pressed. If that function works I'm going to running head first into a cement wall. The only longshot I can think of would be that these two different revision laser assemblies somehow are incompatible with the Xeno's code but I have no way of testing that theory.
Note that there was a bug in the XenoGC V2.0 that made the menu screen/shell always appear in PAL video mode, so if your TV does not support PAL then you wont be able to see the menu. I have posted some quotes below which you might find interesting/useful, they are copied from ASSEMbler's sale thread:- http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26545
Hmm based on that it would seem I've installed the chips just fine. The media I'm using are mini dvd-rs which play just fine on an Indigo cube I installed a Duo Q into some time ago. The discs are TDK brand but I'm pretty sure they're CMC Magnetics Corp made discs rather than anything really, really cheap. I also gave a shot to some full sized dvd+rs (haven't tried -r quite yet) and they failed to load in the same fashion. The laser runs across the disc and the cube eventually times out and drops to the menu. I've also adjusted the POT on the second cube to be at 191 ohms which just leaves me with less and less possibilities to try beyond acquiring another brand of chip. Thankfully for me my Dell 2405FPW that I'm using for composite input does support PAL and PAL60. UPDATE: Just tried holding start while it boots but it doesn't do anything beyond stay at the Gamecube logo after it's finished with the animation. Same with any other button being pressed. Seems like since it can't read the disc it won't continue the booting process.
@APE CMC dye is really crappy and +r isn't any better - the cube likes -R media, Ritek preferably. You're totally right in that it's not doing anything while holding start. That's because the Game loading is patched with a handler that listens to pad presses and does stuff - so no game, means nothing to patch and nothing to patch means nothing on screen If you're getting the orange light (switching from red at first to orange, the code is uploaded ok to the drive) and the only issue here is the media fails. The best way to check this is to try to boot an original import - that'll tell you if the modchip works or not.
Well I can tell you with absolute certainty that it does in fact boot originals. I had no idea CMC was crappy dye truth be told. When I bought my first pack of CD-RWs back in 1998 they were CMC made discs and lasted until at least 2006 before they were too scratched to be of any use. Then again that is in fact a CD-RW not a DVD-R. I'm aware that cubes don't like +R but I figured I might as well try. I have access to some DVD-R Verbatims that I will try (that I know use Ritek dye) tomorrow afternoon. I'll be absolutely shocked if that is the reason given solely that the cube with the Duo Q reads every one of these CMC discs and I didn't even have to adjust it's POT from factory! Must've just gotten really lucky that it worked out I guess.
Oh balls. I removed mine because the light wouldn't go green. Nice to know it aint dead though! Got a switched NTSC Cube now anyway, but still. As the dash is PAL too my PAL Cube wouldn't display on my XRGB-2+ anyway.
the way i tested whether the chip works is by using a us or japanese region game on my pal gamecube. if it boots everything's ok and i could move on to the next step, which is to try backups.. if it doesn't chip is not soldered properly
Well son of a bitch. I imaged a mini DVD-R I have of a cube game I ripped myself and burned it to a Verbatim full sized DVD-R (also of CMC manufacture btw) and the cube booted the game right up without so much as a hiccup. I don't understand this myself given that they *should* essentially be the same damn dye. But whatever, it works and now I can sell it knowing it functions just fine. Thanks for all the help guys, I can't believe the one thing I ruled out turned out to be the problem.
Glad you got it sorted :nod: Since it was the disks that were at fault have you tried putting the laser pot back to its original value to help extend its life?
Not yet but that is a good idea. I'll test to make sure it can read the Verbatim DVD-R back at the original values but I'm not 100% sure what they were. One was 700 something and the other 500 something but one is at 197 and the other 210 right now. I'd imagine 400 would be a safe bet for both. Both of these will be available for sale shortly as soon as I get everything sorted out cable wise.
