How I Fixed My Broken Xbox 360 For Under 9 Euros

I bought a used Xbox 360 a few years ago because I wanted to play some games that are not available for Playstation. Games like Alan Wake and The Witcher 2.

It came in its original box with all accessories included and I only paid 39 euros for it. On the outside it  looked really neat without any scratches or dents. On the inside though, things were stirring.

Right from the start it had some problem reading game discs. When you put in a disc it would just spin for a few moments but fail to read it. This is a common problem sometimes referred to as the "open tray error", because if the console fails to read the disc it simply says, open tray. 

Usually it started working if you inserted and ejected the disc a couple of times. Sometimes it started working if you knocked on it (seriously) but after a while nothing seemed to work. I tested regular DVD's and CD's and they worked fine so I was a bit perplexed what was going on.

The "open tray error"can have multiple causes but in my case it seemed to involve the laser. I've read that simply cleaning the laser can solve it but in my case that didn't work.

Another solution is to POT tweak the laser. It turns out that over time the laser gets weaker and tweaking the laser's resistance might help it to read the disc. I tried this also but it didn't work. 

After I had eliminated every other option I was quite certain that the laser was simply dying (or dead) so the last option was to replace the laser completely. I ordered a new laser online, it only cost 4 euros + shipping 4 euros (from the UK) so 8 euros in total. It arrived about 10 days later.

To get to the disk drive and laser, you have to open the case of the Xbox. I have done this a couple of times already and it's not difficult but a bit tricky. Once you have opened the case and the disc drive you can start to replace the laser.

I followed the video above and although it wasn't that hard to replace the laser, I had some minor setbacks. For example, the glue that was holding the laser in place, fell off and I had to glue it back and then the screw that is used to fasten the laser to the disc drive didn't fit so I had to replace it. 

You have to remove fours screws to remove the old laser

This ball have to be removed with a soldering iron

This glue holding the laser in place came loose.

Even though it's not that hard to do the replacement it requires some tools that not everyone might have in their home, a soldering iron and a multimeter.

On the new laser there is a soldering ball you have to remove, otherwise the laser doesn't work. Then you need a multimeter to measure the resistance of the laser and calibrate it to 4.5-5 Ohms.

When I had done all this, I put everything back together, and to my amazement, it actually worked! The first disc took a little longer to read and there were lot of noise. My guess is that the laser calibrated itself first. But after that, the Xbox could read every disc I put in it almost instantly. 

The new laser gave this Xbox some new life and hopefully it will work for a few years more.