Xbox Beta Debug Kit

Hi guys,

Any one have any info on a "Xbox Beta Debug Kit"? Its standard black case, no other markings/extra ports etc. This one wont boot past the "flubber animation", just loses video and flashes red..which I think is a dashboard problem? Not opened to look inside as of yet, also its NTSC and 120v PSU.

Also anyone have any idea on value in cash/trade?

Tired to take a pic of the sticker, but as its a shiney kinda silver its a bit hard to see..

 

Isn't that the one used to beta test LIVE games and will only play "specially made" games?

 

I thought that too..but ive only ever seen green versions of that, with beta sticker on the front..hmm

 

Debug kits come in both Green and Black cases.

As for the failing animation, it sounds like either the EEPROM on the system is corrupt or the BIOS is partially corrupt (possibly from a failed flash).

Chances of getting it working again are probably best if you simply install a chip.

 

You need to supply a mfg date if you want a positive ID...

...Looking at the sticker, it doesn't tally up with the Live! program, but like I said lmk a date and I'll try and help.

One simple way of proving if it's a Beta Live! Debug Kit is to try running a regular Recovery Disc.

...If the system 'looks' at the disc and 'asks' if you would like to install, then its definatley NOT a Beta Live! Debug Kit.

 

Right, I used the hair dryer trick to peal the label back a bit to get the screw out from under it..didnt want to punch a hole in the nice sticker lol, theres no sticker in the normal place for the barcode and manufacture date etc, anyway..opened up and..



Has that stuck on it..but no barcode sticker on the mobo either. Also looks like a V1.0 motherboard to me, only has standard amount of RAM (empty spaces), Also has a PIN Header installed on the LPC Debug port..

Any ideas?

 

Ah, right, yep your piccy confirms what I thought...

You have a Beta Debug Kit produced to debug before the regular green Debug Kit (Final)was available. (debug without overheads due to lack of RAM of course)

...So basically it could run the XDK dash, network, run stuff from the HDD and take screenshots.

...The reason it frags is because it's been recovered with the wrong recovery disc, which for this particular system is terminal

...A very nice piece of kit, thanks for sharing, send it to me, lol

 

ah thanks for the info oldengineer. Im going to plug a modchip into the LCP/D0 and see if I can get it booting, maybe can then rebuild the bios/eeprom and hard drive content, would be much nicer to see it booting up the xdk dash

might end up in the for sale section either way lol

(ps ive not fogot about the blank NR you were after, just sorting some other bits at the mo)

 

yeah. modding a devkit. this really emits a fishy smell.

 

I tried a xecuter 2.6 CE in it but it made no difference lol still frags after the start up animation. Ho hum it be proper screwed lol no fish fumes were released on boot up tho lol

 

To flash the eeprom you need to create a bios with an embedded
epprom image,then flash the bios to a chip either with a programmer,
or buy hotswappng it in another xbox.

 

yeah ive recovered an xbox eeprom before using cromwell with an embedded eeprom hex, and by removing the eeprom and sticking it in a programmer and then back in the box lol but if i do this on this box i cant see if its going to work as flashing a new eeprom image will change the HDD unlock key..thus its not going to work even with a fresh eeprom image (unless the HDD in the box is already unlocked? guessing not tho even for a debug, even then I cant imaging the bios would boot the box with an unlocked hdd?)

 

A regular green style DVT4 Debug Kit has an unlocked HDD as standard.

...But your Kit has to have a locked HDD, I suspect.

I'm enjoying your experiments at getting this going again and hope that you win although don't forget that when I say your "system is terminal" I mean its dead for good I'm afraid

 

ok well i hav no experance with debug xboxes, i do work with retail 1s alot.
ok first off my guess is that its been upgraded with won't recover disc. and if ur going to try running a mod out of it my guess is u need to do it with a debug bios (like i said i hav never worked with debug/beta kits b4, but wat i believe) and from wat i no debug kits hav blank epprom but urs may not b as its a beta and i really don't no. if ur gonna get this 1 working ur gonna need a copy of the systems right recover disc.

try flashing ur mod with a few diff debug bios(i don't no wat will work with them, like i said b4 i never worked with debug kits) and try tracking down a recovery disc for it then u could try getting it to boot (if 1 of the debug bios that works) if not u could aways desolder the epprom(if used in beta), tsop(u could just leave it installed with it running a working bios) and take hdd out and get it set up with good old beta soft(or u could do hotswap after turning it on)

just my ideas, not sure if any help or not but if u want to get rid of the system give me a pm (i always wanted a debug xbox and will get it off u if i can afford it)

cheers

 

Right, I gotta go bulid a SAN CLuster at work today lol but later on im going to try..

You can make a retail into a debug, but can u make a debug into a retail? hmm

Will try using a debug bios on the modchip..see what happens then.

remove eeprom - snarf content with programmer

have a look at eeprom content for hdd key etc, if blank then flash with eeprom image from another box.

put in fresh hdd which has been locked with the same new eeprom hdd key from another xbox.

put all back in the xbox and boot up with standard hacked bios...and then with a debug bios..

see if any of that helps. As far as I can see, if I disable the on board bios and make it boot from a modchip (even with a retail bios), flash the eeprom and put in a locked drive it should be as such a retail machine (if that works or not im not sure yet) if that does work then i could flash the bios with a debug image and then load the xdk dash over ftp using evox or alike boot disc.

Shall post pictures and alike of my adventures later As oldengineer says..its prolly dead and wont be coming back to life lol

 

to turn it into a retail, well i don't no y u would want to do it and don't no if its possible, u can get it to boot retail games. hav a look at this for some info http://www.xbox-scene.com/bios_debug.html
there r a few that r not listed there but u can find easy enough.

cheers

 

Yes, you can sort of 'make' a regular DVT4 Debug into a Retail, but all it does is change the XDK dash to a retail dash, you still can't run retail games on it, as it is.

...Though I suspect your's isn't DVT4, so I would expect the Debug > Retail option might not be available, as per the Beta program constraints.

...I suspect that a fresh HDD will need to be running the 3823 dash, and of course will need locking to the motherboard.


...All of the above is gonna depend on the development state that the MCP/SMC is at.

Would be nice to see some Hi-Res pics of the full mobo, to see how transitional it is.

 

gonna hopefully have a play around with this at the weekend, will post and pics/developments

 

Cool

 

Pyro> Does the box have an MCPX v2 or MCPX v3 on it?

-hl718