Hacking x360key xk3y suddenly stops working randomly

[simbin]

been using my xk3y jasper happily for many years
now it is acting finicky
more and more it won't auto close the tray to enter mixed mode
unplugging, jiggling USB cables, praying to xk3y gods, re powering - it begins working again

everything is fine once I get a game loaded
but switching games usually makes it stuck reading or open tray
thus repeating the cycle of praying to xk3y false idols - I'm running out of sacrificial offerings

my suspicion is the flex cable
originally plugged in the back
now it carefully rests atop my console
USB extension cable to the front
so my Kinect plugs in the back

everything set this way untouched for about a year
got a single E64 error when the problem first started happening - maybe I left something unplugged

what do you all think the problem is?

I’d be curious to know what the solution is if you fix it.

Solved: So it turns out the problem was that crappy SD card was intermittently failing. I solved the problem by writing the base 1.30 xk3y image to a spare SanDisk card, copying my firmware.bin, xkey.cfg, and updating the uImage and rootfs firmware files like @DinohScene mentioned. I took a couple unnecessary steps along the way, but I'm just so thankful everything worked out. Thanks to everyone for the help!

 

[DinohScene]

Reflash the firmware to it.
Just dump the firmware files on a FAT32 USB drive and wait 5 minutes after powering on.

I'd also let the console bleed power for an hour or 2.

 

[simbin]

Reflash the firmware to it.
Just dump the firmware files on a FAT32 USB drive and wait 5 minutes after powering on.

Oh neat.. didn't even know that was possible.. always thought you had to manually re flash the firmware to the hidden partition on the SD card. I was planning to re paste my CPU and GPU anyway.

I'd also let the console bleed power for an hour or 2.

always unplug after playing, so my USB drive isn't powered 24/7

 

[DinohScene]

PSU of the 360 out of the wall?

Reason why I say wait 5 minutes after booting it is to allow plenty of time for the update to finish.
If you have a remote then this won't be necessary as you can just check the progress on the display panel.

 

[simbin]

PSU of the 360 out of the wall?

yes

Reason why I say wait 5 minutes after booting it is to allow plenty of time for the update to finish.
If you have a remote then this won't be necessary as you can just check the progress on the display panel.

I wonder.. will it even try to update? once it detects I already have the latest firmware flashed

 

[DinohScene]

Yup, it just reflashes the same firmware.
If it doesn't work then the only solution would be to inject the Linux partion back to the microSD but it shouldn't be necessary.

 

[simbin]

Yup, it just reflashes the same firmware.
If it doesn't work then the only solution would be to inject the Linux partion back to the microSD but it shouldn't be necessary.

I'm going to double check the continuity on the flex cable and USB adapter first, since I'm taking it apart for cleaning and re pasting anyway. If everything tests good, then I shouldn't have to worry about bricking anything.

Do you think I should go ahead and replace that generic no name 128MB SD card with something else? I have a spare 1GB SanDisk that's not being used for anything.

I'm also curious.. assuming a re flash fixes the problem.. what do you suppose caused the issue in the first place.. a weak flash chip? I've heard about something similar with early SSDs, that you basically had to "recharge" the weak cells or something, by rewriting the data.

 

[DinohScene]

I think I got a 1 GB in mine.
Only thing you need is a proper Linux partition and a 1MB partition to keep the DVD key.
Unassign the remaining I suppose? ;p

Could very well be, file corruption can occur when electrons flow away, same with harddrives, a bit losing magnetic polarity etc.
I'm not going into much detail about it haha.

 

[simbin]

Could very well be, file corruption can occur when electrons flow away, same with harddrives, a bit losing magnetic polarity etc.

Definitely strange since it works sometimes. I did try plugging in the rear USB in case my PSU is starting to fail and not getting enough power to the already weak front ports - didn't make a difference. I also thought maybe a bad capacitor on the xk3y or something, but it looks like they used SMDs so probably not.

 

[Jkewl999]

Most prob the turn on the cable coming out. Something like that. Mine was playing up at one point then I just kept it in a place where nothing moves. Seems to be good so far.

 

[simbin]

Finally got around to pulling everything apart. Cleaned the fans, drive belt, laser, and applied new thermal paste.

Moving onto the xk3y.. I examined the flex ribbon cable and noticed a very small slice around the bend. It didn't seem deep enough to break any pins, but I shortened the cable anyway (probably unnecessary). I then carefully used a razor blade to expose new contact points, and reconnected everything firmly. I also checked the SD card and confirmed the firmware.bin and xk3y.cfg weren't corrupted. I also tried two separate drives: primary is 2.5" ext2, backup is 3.5" self-powered NTFS.

Sadly the problem continues. Sometimes it works.. sometimes it doesn't. Once you get a game loaded, you're good to go. But once you finish and try to load something else, it just gets stuck on Opening.

I thought maybe there could be something wrong with the dongle, since its had drives unplugged and reconnected many times over the years. I carefully pried up the two center data pins a little and cleaned the contacts with alcohol. But even then, a bad USB connection really doesn't make sense because once a game is loaded, it works fine.

I also just tested loading games at random intervals over the span of about an hour, without actually playing the games, and they all loaded successfully. I'm also going to test another power brick. Maybe power fluctuations when booting, and after playing a game and returning to the dash are causing some issue with the xk3y. Not sure what else to try.

 

[jellybeangreen2]

Finally got around to pulling everything apart. Cleaned the fans, drive belt, laser, and applied new thermal paste.

Moving onto the xk3y.. I examined the flex ribbon cable and noticed a very small slice around the bend. It didn't seem deep enough to break any pins, but I shortened the cable anyway (probably unnecessary). I then carefully used a razor blade to expose new contact points, and reconnected everything firmly. I also checked the SD card and confirmed the firmware.bin and xk3y.cfg weren't corrupted. I also tried two separate drives: primary is 2.5" ext2, backup is 3.5" self-powered NTFS.

Sadly the problem continues. Sometimes it works.. sometimes it doesn't. Once you get a game loaded, you're good to go. But once you finish and try to load something else, it just gets stuck on Opening.

I thought maybe there could be something wrong with the dongle, since its had drives unplugged and reconnected many times over the years. I carefully pried up the two center data pins a little and cleaned the contacts with alcohol. But even then, a bad USB connection really doesn't make sense because once a game is loaded, it works fine.

I also just tested loading games at random intervals over the span of about an hour, without actually playing the games, and they all loaded successfully. I'm also going to test another power brick. Maybe power fluctuations when booting, and after playing a game and returning to the dash are causing some issue with the xk3y. Not sure what else to try.

I’d be curious to know what the solution is if you fix it. I could NEVER get mine to work so I just RGH’d in the end.

 

[simbin]

I’d be curious to know what the solution is if you fix it. I could NEVER get mine to work so I just RGH’d in the end.

Mine worked perfectly for years. Until recently, when it started not working randomly. Not sure where I put my spare power brick, but I'll test that theory once I find it.

 

[simbin]

I’d be curious to know what the solution is if you fix it.

Solved: So it turns out the problem was that crappy SD card was intermittently failing. I solved the problem by writing the base 1.30 xk3y image to a spare SanDisk card, copying my firmware.bin, xkey.cfg, and updating the uImage and rootfs firmware files like @DinohScene mentioned. I took a couple unnecessary steps along the way, but I'm just so thankful everything worked out. Thanks to everyone for the help!

 

[K1NGDOMGAM3Z]

Anyone have the base 1.30 firmware with Linux partition.. my sd card is messed up I accidentally formated it and now i can't get it to work at all

I need the image file that contains the base card when u receive it..

Xkey.cfg
Uimage
Rootfs

pleaae anyone help a fellow gamer out

Solved: So it turns out the problem was that crappy SD card was intermittently failing. I solved the problem by writing the base 1.30 xk3y image to a spare SanDisk card, copying my firmware.bin, xkey.cfg, and updating the uImage and rootfs firmware files like @DinohScene mentioned. I took a couple unnecessary steps along the way, but I'm just so thankful everything worked out. Thanks to everyone for the help!

View attachment 273819

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[nnamerz]

FILES:
•USB Image Tool: https://www.mediafire.com/file/s2spewj09vkzyrm/xKey_USB_Image_Tool_1.90.zip/file
•MicroSD Card Images: https://www.mediafire.com/file/e4nq3cvb1i79laq/xKey_MicroSD_Images_1.06.zip/file

NOTE: There are 3 images in the zip file. As per the original instructions from xKey:
-Use Type A for MicroSD > 128mb. (1gb, 2gb, 4gb, etc).
-Use Type B for NOT original 128mb MicroSD.
-Use Type C for original xKey MicroSD (with a green dot on it).

STEPS:
•Unzip "USB Image Tool".
•Unzip the SD card image file into the same directory as USB Image Tool.
•Insert your MicroSD card & note the drive letter Windows assigns to it.
•Run USB Image Tool (run it as Administrator).
•Make sure the USB Image Tool is in "Device Mode".
•Select your MicroSD card from the list of drives.
•Click the "Restore" button in USB Image Tool and then select the MicroSD card image file you unzipped previously.
•Wait a few seconds for USB Image Tool to do its thing.
•Eject/Safely Remove the MicroSD card.

You now have a factory reset MicroSD card with xKey firmware ready to use.
Just add your firmware/dummy.bin file and test in your xKey.

 

[lorenzoilnano]

Hi there,
I had a slim 360 that works perfectly years ago, i just power on these days to play some backlog, but xk3y doesn't work anymore.
open tray (emulation) close tray but doesn't apper the mixed disc. I've changed the flat cable. restore the SD on the original one, use a new one, i still have the dummy.bin so i restore, and copy it on the SD.
the cable in the console are properly installed.
what else i can do?

 

[DinohScene]

checked if the blue tab is in the correct orientation on the dongle?

 

[lorenzoilnano]

checked if the blue tab is in the correct orientation on the dongle?

Hi @DinohScene yes facing away the xbox. i also change it with a new one thinking could be damaged.

 

[DinohScene]

Do you have a large library on your HDD? I know that NTFS formatted media takes a while to load in a large library.