360 Power Brick is a Surge Protector

[DoctorWho]

I'm just talking to my friend now over MSN and his second 360 finally died. He mentioned that the MS rep told him not to plug his 360 into a surge protector and that it should be directly plugged into the outlet. I've never heard anything of the sort but a quick search found this:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/foru...9.40276#290310

Anyone heard anything similar?

[urk]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906102

Plug the power supply directly into a known good wall outlet. Do not use extension cords or power strips.

[Deepblue]

I'm just talking to my friend now over MSN and his second 360 finally died. He mentioned that the MS rep told him not to plug his 360 into a surge protector and that it should be directly plugged into the outlet. I've never heard anything of the sort but a quick search found this: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/foru...9.40276#290310 Anyone heard anything similar?

That's grade A bull.

[Wario64]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906102

Oops...

[Deepblue]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906102

Oh damn.

[CrushDance]

The 360 is built to last so of course you can plug it directly into a wall.

Joking aside. I don't see what's so bad about it, I do it all the time and none of my electronics have ever died. Although when you make a purchase in excess of $400 you'd better have a good surge protector.

I just use some cheapy ones right now and everything been okay. My GC is right in the wall and it's never had a problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906102

Wow.

[Pastry]

Heh I guess I'll plug it directly into the outlet when I get home, can switch the surge protector with my cable box.

[Jim]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906102

Ya know.. pretty much every manufacturer of consumer electronic equipment says the exact same thing (LCD/Plasma/DLP tv, audio receivers, game consoles, etc.). For the average home theater, you'd need like 3 or 4 sets of wall outlets to power everything.

It's certainly safe, but companies use it as a way to tell you your warrantee may be void.

[CreepingDea7h]

Mine is plugged into a surge protector... should I start panicking?

[w0s]

When I was getting my locking up 360 troubleshot they mentioned this to me. I didn't believe them but I did it anyways. Oddly enough about two weeks ago the lightning hit and my tv and everything plugged into my surge protector reset yet my xbox that was now plugged directly into the wall didn't reset. I was amazed.

[Deepblue]

I need my surge protector though, I only have one outlet near my theater. I guess my 360 has been working fine thus far and I'll live on the wild side.

[LakeEarth]

Mine is plugged into a surge protector... should I start panicking?

Absolutely.

[MCD]

I have been using surge protectors/power strips for god knows how long now...

wall outlets are not an option with so many electronic devices in one room.

[LuCkymoON]

Well now we know why the Xbrick is so big.

[shidoshi]

They tried telling me that as well, but it has to be BS. There's no way they could release the machine if it was unusable with a power strip.

[Patrickula]

I think there's actually a (very) small amount of UPS functionality in the power brick. I noticed recently that if you unplug it, the standby light remains lit for maybe a second afterward (it might turn red, but I don't have it at hand to confirm). So I wouldn't be surprised if it functioned as a surge protector.
I don't know how a power strip would make a negative difference though, unless it was a messed up one.

edit: I am wrong.

[BlueTsunami]

They should have turned the block itself into a power strip. Would have made it more useful

[urk]

I don't know how a power strip would make a negative difference though, unless it was a messed up one.

You aren't supposed to series connect power strips.

[WickedLaharl]

as if plugging a 360 directly into the wall is gonna stop the xclamps...

[Ghost]

I thought this was well known....after MS were forced to provide surge protectors for Xbox (after the firestarter fiasco) they pretty much had to include them for 360.

[DoctorWho]

You aren't supposed to series connect power strips.

Is this like end of the world type of stuff? I did this recently. Not with my home theater though.

[RumFore]

All three of my 360s that died was plugged into a surge protector. I guess next time I will plug them in the wall then.

[Google]

I think there's actually a (very) small amount of UPS functionality in the power brick.

No.

It has surge protection, like all UPS do, but theres no actual battery backup there.

The red light staying on, is probably just an indication that there is still a charge there.

[speculawyer]

I don't think plugging it into a surge protector is a problem at all . . . I think they are just worried about people plugging so many things into the same surge protector that it blows your circuit.

I can't see how a surge protector can harm the xbox 360 or its power supply at all.

[urk]

Is this like end of the world type of stuff? I did this recently. Not with my home theater though.

Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling...Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes...The dead rising from the grave...Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.

[Patrickula]

You aren't supposed to series connect power strips.

No. It has surge protection, like all UPS do, but theres no actual battery backup there. The red light staying on, is probably just an indication that there is still a charge there.

Thank you GAF for showing me my dumbness.

[Mr Spliff]

so, whats the deal with plugging it in to one of those apc back-ups? the reason i have mine plugged into it is for the voltage conditioning cause the volatge dips when the AC kicks in.
this just sounds like a bunch of crap anyhow, i mean, it couldn't be that there is something wrong with the 360 why they always break right (on my 4th one), its gotta be where you plug it into the wall. next thing you know you shouldn't fart in the room it's in.

[calder]

Ya know.. pretty much every manufacturer of consumer electronic equipment says the exact same thing (LCD/Plasma/DLP tv, audio receivers, game consoles, etc.). For the average home theater, you'd need like 3 or 4 sets of wall outlets to power everything. It's certainly safe, but companies use it as a way to tell you your warrantee may be void.

*nods* Basically they're covering their ass, because on rare occasion a faulty extension cord or power bar will mess electronics up. Of course, your house's AC could in theory mess your shit up too if there's a surge or brownout or what have you.

[urk]

*nods* Basically they're covering their ass, because on rare occasion a faulty extension cord or power bar will mess electronics up.

Actually, if the brick is a Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor, then it's the White Book standard that drives the warning. You aren't supposed to daisy-chain those types of devices.

[SapientWolf]

So if you plug your XBox 360 into a surge protector the GPU/CPU will jump right off the motherboard? Right.

[urk]

Who said that? It's just out of spec for the device and could be a hazard.

[sprocket]

So many rules!

[Google]

so, whats the deal with plugging it in to one of those apc back-ups? the reason i have mine plugged into it is for the voltage conditioning cause the volatge dips when the AC kicks in. this just sounds like a bunch of crap anyhow, i mean, it couldn't be that there is something wrong with the 360 why they always break right (on my 4th one), its gotta be where you plug it into the wall. next thing you know you shouldn't fart in the room it's in.

I dont know which APC unit you're using, but im assuming its just a simple voltage regulator with a small battery?

Basically, its doing **** all.

[VictimOfGrief]

oh microsoft.

[GAZERK]

Ya know.. pretty much every manufacturer of consumer electronic equipment says the exact same thing (LCD/Plasma/DLP tv, audio receivers, game consoles, etc.). For the average home theater, you'd need like 3 or 4 sets of wall outlets to power everything. It's certainly safe, but companies use it as a way to tell you your warrantee may be void.

I find comfort in what you say here. Because of that (and I'm too lazy to mess with dealing with a new set-up) I'm going to listen to you and leave my 360 plugged into the surge protector.

[eXistor]

Mine is comfortably plugged in a powerstrip for a year-and-a-half now. No problems whatsoever.

[Dizzy]

Well my console has died 3 times whilst being plugged into a surge protector. I'll put it straight into the wall next time in the hopes that my console won't die....though judging by the fact that everything else connected to the surge protector has been fine for many years, way before I even got the 360...I kind of doubt that this will help much :(

Oh and I noticed that the warranty doesn't cover against power surges, so this power brick better be surge protected.

[Zenith]

pretty pathetic if a surge protector can kill a system.

[Slavik81]

The real worry is that you'll plug it into a cheap powerbar lacking proper polarization and grounding.

Power bars also increase the likelyhood that you'll blow trip the breaker for that circuit (just because there are more slots to plug stuff into).

[Google]

pretty pathetic if a surge protector can kill a system.

Awesome troll right there.

[Burai]

The CS rep isn't wrong. I had my 360 plugged into a surge protector and I was shocked to wake in the night to find that the surge protector had levered the casing open and was fitting an x-clamp and smearing on additional thermal paste that just wasn't required.

Luckily, I stopped it just in time before it could throw my console into a wine cooler.

[Bildi]

Awesome. I'll be sure to do that right away.


Tossers.

[CrushDance]

Awesome troll right there.

Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.

[Bildi]

Mine is comfortably plugged in a powerstrip for a year-and-a-half now. No problems whatsoever.

Same here. Oh, except I'm on my 3rd 360. And I won't be plugging into the wall. I guarantee the cause of broken 360s is: 360s.

[WickedLaharl]

one of the first things a CS rep asked me when i called about my system dying was if it had been plugged into a surge protector. to me, a question at that point seems as if they're insinuating that plugging it into a surge protector could've given me the lovely checker board pattern.

but, it is just a rep runnin through the questions.

[Death_Born]

Awesome troll right there.

one of the first things a CS rep asked me when i called about my system dying was if it had been plugged into a surge protector. to me, a question at that point seems as if they're insinuating that plugging it into a surge protector could've given me the lovely checker board pattern. but, it is just a rep runnin through the questions.

You have to be careful with these third-party surge protectors! They are programmed to deliver a fatal electric shock to any Xbox 360's that are plugged into them!

[Zenith]

Awesome troll right there.

enlighten me, how is it a troll aside from you not liking anyone badmouthing the 360?

[Onix]

So does that mean we shouldn't plug the original X-box into a surge protector either (x-box w/'new' AC adapter design)?

[Google]

enlighten me, how is it a troll aside from you not liking anyone badmouthing the 360?

pretty pathetic if a surge protector can kill a system.

How is this at all relevant to the thread?

The warning is a sensible one, and is simply that, a warning.

[AEBrock]

I plugged my 750w PC into a couple of surges running off of one wall socket, with 3 External HDDs, a Wii, speakers, joystick, camera, mouse charging dock, monitor, 2 other PC's, 2 other monitors, another joystick, a minifridge and a space heater. Yeah that thing blew out after a few minutes