Now... I know this is probably news you have all read by now, but I guess I'll say it regardless.
Microsoft lied. The power cord is not at fault. It's the XBoxes themselves that have the problem.
Now, recall what the PSU on the inside looks like. It's seperate from the mobo, correct? Now, take a look at where the cord plugs in. It's a seperate plastic piece from the case. Two little metal rods connect it to the PSU. This is where the problem comes in. Whenever you plug the cord in and take it out, it puts pressure on these legs. They are jerked around. On the alpha PSUs in 1.0s and 1.1s, the solder points on the bottom of these "legs" were too wimpy. If a cord is plugged in and taken out often enough, the solder points will become loose/disconnected from the PSU. The causes sparks to fly everytime one bumps the cord.
The real solution? Microsoft should have recalled ALL 1.0s and 1.1 XBoxes and replaced the PSUs. However, they are money grubbing corporate executives. They decided, instead of recalling them, to give us new cords for the 1.0s and 1.1s. How does that fix anything?
Know that huge obnoxious hair-dryer style thingie we're getting? All it does is detect the voltage diffence that occurs when the PSU sparks, and cuts off the power to the XBox! It doesn't fix anything! It's a complete and utter bandage. It really makes me mad, because it doesn't fix the problem.
Now, what can we do? Since we are all modders and have already violated our warrenties, we can open the XBox and fix what M$ should have done themselves.
If you have a PSU from a 1.0 or a 1.1, take it out (be careful!) and examine the bottom. Take notice where the solder points connect to the cord reciever. We need to take a little bit of solder (not very much!) and create a more solid connection between the board and those rods. Then, making sure you didn't short anything, put it back in. Next, take a little bit of super glue or hot glue and SOLIDLY glue the cord receiver to the XBox case itself. That way, whenever you put the cord in or take it out, the plasic connector doesn't move. It will not weaken the solder joints.
If anybody else comes up with a better solution, please tell!
- Greg
Microsoft lied. The power cord is not at fault. It's the XBoxes themselves that have the problem.
Now, recall what the PSU on the inside looks like. It's seperate from the mobo, correct? Now, take a look at where the cord plugs in. It's a seperate plastic piece from the case. Two little metal rods connect it to the PSU. This is where the problem comes in. Whenever you plug the cord in and take it out, it puts pressure on these legs. They are jerked around. On the alpha PSUs in 1.0s and 1.1s, the solder points on the bottom of these "legs" were too wimpy. If a cord is plugged in and taken out often enough, the solder points will become loose/disconnected from the PSU. The causes sparks to fly everytime one bumps the cord.
The real solution? Microsoft should have recalled ALL 1.0s and 1.1 XBoxes and replaced the PSUs. However, they are money grubbing corporate executives. They decided, instead of recalling them, to give us new cords for the 1.0s and 1.1s. How does that fix anything?
Know that huge obnoxious hair-dryer style thingie we're getting? All it does is detect the voltage diffence that occurs when the PSU sparks, and cuts off the power to the XBox! It doesn't fix anything! It's a complete and utter bandage. It really makes me mad, because it doesn't fix the problem.
Now, what can we do? Since we are all modders and have already violated our warrenties, we can open the XBox and fix what M$ should have done themselves.
If you have a PSU from a 1.0 or a 1.1, take it out (be careful!) and examine the bottom. Take notice where the solder points connect to the cord reciever. We need to take a little bit of solder (not very much!) and create a more solid connection between the board and those rods. Then, making sure you didn't short anything, put it back in. Next, take a little bit of super glue or hot glue and SOLIDLY glue the cord receiver to the XBox case itself. That way, whenever you put the cord in or take it out, the plasic connector doesn't move. It will not weaken the solder joints.
If anybody else comes up with a better solution, please tell!
- Greg
