Mistreatment is the tradition when it comes to the quick fix for electrical gadgets. You would give it a good whack to get it functioning again. This often worked since a loose wire or connection could be coaxed into reconnecting. But the device would then fail at a later time since the mechanical shock would weaken other connections.
The towel trick is a well known quick and dirty fix for the 3 red light error or red ring of death. It also fits neatly into this category of abusive, quick fixes. The fix entails cooking the inside circuitry instead of using mechanical shock. The theory behind this is that the broken connections will somehow re-solder themselves if you heat them up enough.
The towel trick starts with wrapping a few towels around your Xbox. Run your Xbox for about fifteen minutes and you’re all done. Now it’s time to enjoy some games. If your Xbox gets the ring of death again just grab your trusty towels and repeat the trick.
So what’s wrong with this method if it does the job? The trouble with this technique is the very high temperatures that damage the internal components. A major concern in electronics manufacture, is heat induced damage during the manufacturing process. It’s a tricky thing to find the right solder temperature that does the job without damaging chips.
In essence, the towel trick is a temporary remedy that works at the expense of damaging the Xbox’s internal components. This damage eventually leads to more problems in the future. When the towel trick is used to fix these new problems, more damage is done which weakens your Xbox even more. Eventually the towel trick will stop working because the heat damage becomes too extensive. Repeated application of the towel trick is a downward spiral for your machine.
One other problem is that it is a dangerous thing to do. A lot of heat is generated by the Xbox. Because the heat is prevented from escaping, internal temperatures get extreme. If your Xbox catches on fire, flammable things next to your Xbox (such as your house) can burn too.
The towel trick is a very bad idea. An undersized cooling system causes the red ring of death to begin with. Trying to solve the problem by applying more heat is like trying to put out a fire with more fire.
Marc Sandford is a gaming enthusiast and writer. Get advice about fixing the .