Original Xbox clock capacitor leak: remove it before it eats the board

Written by the CircuitScope research team in our own words, from the sources listed at the end, and checked by our moderators.

The clock capacitor on original Xbox motherboards (revisions 1.0 to 1.5 especially) is well known for leaking corrosive electrolyte that eats nearby traces. Take the board out, remove the capacitor, neutralise and clean the area, and repair any damaged traces. The console runs fine without it; it simply forgets the time after being unplugged.

Difficulty: Moderate · Time: about 60 minutes

Symptoms

• Crusty or wet residue, or a green/brown stain around the base of the clock capacitor
• Capacitor leaning, bulging, or snapping off at the legs when touched
• Corroded traces near the capacitor
• In advanced cases: no power, no video or other faults once traces are eaten through
• Often no symptoms at all: the console may keep working while the damage spreads