Softmod Depot

hey everyone, here's another way to get around the whole action replay thing when softmodding. this tut shows how to make ur own USB to Xbox cable so that u can hook up memory devices, USB lights, and many things that run via USB and linux.

Materials:
- 1 Xbox breakaway cable (its the cable that usually comes with orig XB controllers, but u should get a seperate one)
i bought one for $5 at EB games, worth it IMO, but if u cant find these cords anywhere, u can find them HERE (http://secure.llamma.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=64_27&products_id=110) for $2.50.
the ends look like this:
(http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/6206/breakawayrg2.th.jpg) (http://img47.imageshack.us/my.php?image=breakawayrg2.jpg)
- USB female
(http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/1228/img0419mb6wx4.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)

Procedure:
1) cut breakaway in half and strip about an inch off the wire so that it looks like this.
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8490/snippedendyz4.th.jpg) (http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=snippedendyz4.jpg)

2) solder wires onto USB female. (do not solder the yellow wire as it is useless)
1-Red
2-white
3-Green
4-Black
(http://www.xbox-linux.org/pic/usbx_01.gif)
(http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/4952/solderwiresjf3.th.jpg) (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=solderwiresjf3.jpg)

3) tape up USB female end so that wires are covered and the end is rigid enough to withstand breakage.
the end result should look something like this:
(http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8938/1002417mc2yr0.th.jpg) (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1002417mc2yr0.jpg)

If you are lookin to make a Xbox to USB adapter, Zzk2001 has a great tut online --> LINK (http://www.smdepot.net/forum/index.php?topic=677.msg3662#msg3662)
.:Props:.

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after u have created the cable, u may use it to softmod.

Materials:
- USB flashdrive (the bigger memory the better)
- the cable u just created
- Action Replay software (download from HERE (http://uk.codejunkies.com/downloads/XBOXAR_USsetup1_31.zip))

Note: for the USB Flash drive, the Xbox will first erase all of its contents, so make sure to remove anything that you cannot afford to loose. also, not all drives will work. just a fair warning.

Procedure:
1) hook up USB flashdrive to the cable and connect cable to xbox (controller port 1)
2) in the Xbox dashboard, select Memory. You may get a message that the memory card could not be read and was erased. That is ok, and means it was recognized. You should see your controller listed on the memory screen
3) you can now use ur USB flashdrive to softmod, to do so follow this great tut by ZZk2001. Click here ---> LINK (http://www.smdepot.net/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=6528013c41184216e42ddd18c75f8712&topic=19.0).
Keep in mind: that the tut by Zzk2001 calls for the action replay 8MB Xbox mem card, u however are using the USB flashdrive.
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Now for the most important step, i cannot stress how crucial this one is...
Help SMDepot and DONATE (http://www.smdepot.net/donate.php) <--- click me

and thats it, good luck.

- skip2mylou

i didnt know there was already a tut like this online. please believe me i never meant to offend anyone.
Zzk2001, just gimme the word and ill delete this post asap. thanks for the heads up.

Yeah those are some nice pics. If you didn't write it skip then who did?

i did write this one, used my own pics and stuff. but i didnt check to see if someone has already created a tut similar to this. apparently Zzk2001, wrote a tut similar to this one, involving a cable that does the reverse of the cable in this tut (sorry for the mix up Zzk2001, ur a good man for being so reasonable).

skip

just wanted to bring this to attention:

if ur really scared about making this cord, because the thought of minor cutting and soldering scares the living u know what out of u, u can  actually buy this same cord from llama.com --> LINK (http://secure.llamma.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=64_27&products_id=80)

I just made a Xbox controller to USB for my PC yesterday so that my brother and I could play Twisted Metal 3 on my computer because the Xbox is a piece of crap and can't play it. :D

lets say it never happen =)
(sorry man i did not mean to go off on you i was just pissed off that day by my sister )

great, makes me feel better.



Attention
please note the change the above tut. i had previously stated that after making this cable, ud be able to softmod. why did i say that? well apart from the fact that im an idiot... im an idiot. it turns out that u cannot softmod using this cable, however, when u do have a softmodded XB, u can use this cable to transfer stuff from a USB drive and such and u can plug in a keyboard (i have actually tried and it works fine). sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for understanding.

skip

Yes you Can use this to Softmod 

you can take a Thumb drive and use as a xbox Memcard

really, cuz i tried and my systems wasnt recognizing it. i think there may have been a problem with my soldering. thanks fro clearing that up tho, ill make the nesseccary changed in the tut. so there u have it folks, the tut is accurate, you CAN softmod using this cable.

yea when your in the M$ dash  it automaticaly formats the drive so the xbox can reconize it

good to know. ill resolder and when  get my XB up and running, ill try it again.

Hehe Im currently working on a hub version of this.

Hope it works........

Ill let u kno how it turns out.

!!!! it, the solderer just broke on me. So close, just gotta Solder wires together.

If this doesnt wirk i can still use 1 of the usb ports and it'll at least look like a hub. If it works tho, ill post up a tut.

sounds like plan man, look forward to seeing what u got cookin. later.

Bad news, th xbox wont read the hub. I just wasted half an hour soldering then trying to get it to work, but no go.

Ill have to just take and cut it, then put an ordinary usb female onto it.

people har havin troble wit hubs but if u use a hub tat u plug a cable into it works

well i am having so  much truble finding a Female USB how could i take it out of a Computer Mother bord

Thats What i did for My frist Xbox USB was get a Female USB out of a PC =)

well i just poped into radioshack today to get some prices on usb connectors and adaptors, and i found:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2292429&cp=2032061.2032365.2032389&allCount=64&fbn=Type%2FExtenders&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FExtenders&fbc=1&parentPage=family (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2292429&cp=2032061.2032365.2032389&allCount=64&fbn=Type%2FExtenders&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FExtenders&fbc=1&parentPage=family)

says web only but my local store had it.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2111061&cp=2032061.2032365.2032389&allCount=64&fbn=Type%2FHubs&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FHubs&fbc=1&parentPage=family (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2111061&cp=2032061.2032365.2032389&allCount=64&fbn=Type%2FHubs&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FHubs&fbc=1&parentPage=family)

there is one i found thats just cool :)

i cant find a usb for some reason

dude i go to the local dollar store (its called "Buck or Two") and they have an electronics isle. theyve got a bunch of usb converters from USB male to Mouse male. and i just buy a whole bunch of them they are like $2 each.

or they shud have them usb fone chargers. u get a usb and sum wire!

lol skip, thats a good place lol. i wish i had something like that around here.

hehe, yea its a real treasure. and trust me i abuse the source to the fullest...

iight am goin to the doller store from now on

damn you should see this store "Dollarama" you can get high quality headphones for like 1$ canadian. Its like the legal black market, err at least thats how cheap stuff is there!

yeah man! Dollarama is he s**t, ur right i have those headphones. they're jus like iPod headphones and theyre a buck! Dollarama is he one and only good thing about canada.

i wish there Website Had more then Just Some gay Pic LOL

hey cloud u canadian? 

i was just wondering if skip or anyone else knew which flash drives you can use     i.e. the one they used as well

 ;D my bad.... found a very comprehensive list http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xbox_USB_Compatibility_List#Devices_that_work
that should do the trick

kewl i was lookin for this list just the other day. thanks.

One question. I have not tried yet so I do not understand. Before I go loading things on my flash drive I need something answered. If the xbox erases everything on the flashdrive, then how do I get the save copied over? Or does it just erase the flash drive the first time?

yeah just the first time when u stick it into ur controller. what its doing is its formatting the flash drive so that the xbox can recognize and utilize the memory thats on it.

thats why when u go to stick the flash drive into the PC after its been formatted, there may be some recognition problems with ur PC since the flashdrive is no longer formatted to work with the PC. thats when ur gonna need this tut (http://www.smdepot.net/forum/index.php?topic=660.0) (if that problem occurs). later.

ps. make sure to thank zzk for the tut, lol.

Thanks,
  Hate to ask but I can't seem to pull up the pics from the site. could someone tell me where each color gos? looking from the back of the usb

Thanks

red, white, green, black. hope it helps.

if u can get it, heres the pic.

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/4952/solderwiresjf3.jpg

Theres the problem image shack. the firewall I'm behind don't like that place.

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Like that? with prongs pointing down?

yeah pretty much.

Ok so the cable is working I think. The problem is that when i tried 2 different flash drives it said the memory unit I installed has failed. Then when I put in a third different flash drive it just keeps blinking and making the noise that it makes when you scroll down the pages. Any idea guys?

unfortunately, that's the biggest problem is memory recognition. if uve got a relatively new flash drive, ur chances of it working are even slimmer. im using an OLD Kingston DataTraveler 128mb and its working alright.