Captain Stupid

Captain Stupid strikes again...

I bought a used Xbox (version 1.0) a few weeks ago, intending to convert it into a cheap (heh) frontend machine for my MythTv system. I knew the project would require some soldering, but I was not worried. I've been using a soldering iron since I was 12. Years of experience would make this a simple project.

Three--no four--things doomed me:
1. My soldering iron was too hot for pcb work.
2. I had the wrong kind of solder (electrical, but not the pcb stuff).
3. I didn't have a braid to wick up extra solder.
4. I stubbornly insisted that 1, 2 and 3 (above) didn't matter--I knew what I was doing.

I just ruined a $30 Xbox mod chip and will be lucky if I haven't ruined the Xbox motherboard too. When the stinging pain (mental, not physical--I managed to not burn myself) dulls down, I'll get another mod chip. Then I'll find someone with the right kind of soldering iron and do this right.

Is there a lesson here? Yes.

Have I learned it? Yes.

Will Captain Stupid continue his fearless quest to bungle simple projects and waste good money? Quite possible.

And an entire level of my house stinks of solder.