The hardware wizards over at www.xbox-scene.com have been hard at work. Xboxmod08 wrote a stunning tutorial describing a process to install a reset switch in the XBOX controller! Not long after, Gunr posted a message showing that the "yellow wire" used in the controller mod could also be accessed in the memory card! This improved the "reset switch" mod in two ways...

1) Since the mod is done to the memory card, you do not have to hack up your controller.
2) You can use any controller as long as the modified memory card is plugged into it.

I was truly inspired by Gunr's post, so I decided to take on the project myself. After a great deal of thinking, and a lucky parts find, I whipped out the soldering iron and began to work.

Inside the XBOX memory card

The XBOX memory card is quite small. The small circuitboard extends the full length of the casing. There is a small cavity on each side of the board...a VERY small cavity that would require a very small switch.

The switch

After a lot of digging and searching, I found such a switch. Pictured above is a momentary pushbutton switch about 1 centimeter square. Just small enough to fit inside the memory card.

The hole

I figured that the best place for the switch would be the top surface of the memory card. I drilled a hole just large enough (5/32") for the button portion of the switch to fit through.

Circuitboard and switch

I then simply soldered two wires to the switch and mounted it to the board with a small piece of double sided foamy tape.

Wires soldered to points.

The two wires were then soldered to the same two points as illustrated in Gunr's example.

The finished product!

With everything reassembled, the switch sits just a hair beneath being flush with the exterior casing of the memory card. Actually the thickness of the plastic shell was a bit more than the height of the black button, so I carefully ground away a bit of the inside plastic to get the button to sit at the perfect height.

I am quite pleased with the end result. In fact, it looks a lot more professional than I expected! :) There is no way to accidentally press the reset button either. Sliding a finger across the button has no effect, but a light fingernail press into the hole resets the XBOX.

I want to thank xboxmod08 and Gunr again, for without their work I would not have taken on this project myself. I also want to stress that I am not taking credit for any of the ideas here, as they are theirs. This page merely serves as a pictorial description for those who want to see how I modified MY memory card.

I still have a number of switches exactly like the one pictured above. I am selling them for $1 each, plus $1 for shipping (unlimited number of switches). I am currently only accepting payment via paypal. Please email me for details if you are interested.