Confusion with power cords!

Hi all! Awhile ago I bought a original XBOX, and I KNOW it did not use one of the power supplies that has the TEST button on it, and I don't think it used one at all. I live in New Zealand. We have around 240 volt power here, and my XBOX says, near the power input, 220-240 volts. But it has 1.2 amps, and the plug I found, which has the same output, uses 250 volts and 2.5 amps. But the wall socket plug says 7.5 amps and 250 volts! This is too confusing. Can someone please help?

 

You can use a straight plug with an Xbox. You don't need the "safety" plug (with very few exceptions). MS offered that as a CYA maneuver. I've never known anyone to actually use one.

 

Update!
Shite. I did actually have 2 cords. Neither worked.

 

Huh! I had no idea the Xbox even had those safety plugs. I guess that's my one thing learnt for the day!

If I am reading this right, those amps you are mentioning are just rated maximums for the actual cables.
The wall socket is just saying it can provide a maximum of 7.5A before blowing up fuse boxes or circuit breakers.
250V is more-or-less a maximum the cable can handle as well.
I believe power is something like 230V +/- 10% as it can vary a bit.
Anyone care to back me up on this one?

Edit: What I should have said was don't plug in seven Xboxes to the one power point! :loyal:

Think of amps like litres per minute. The cable is a river. While it can hold 2.5L/min, you'll only be taking down 1.2L/min from the socket.
If you take more than 2.5L/min it will burst (and in the case of a cable, melt and catch fire!).
The dam (power socket) can deliver up to 7.5L/min... actually that's not a very big dam at all is it... ffended:

 

hl718 is right. No need for that "safety" box. Just plug it directly into the wall. No need to mess about

 

Some Xbox that came with Foxlink power supplies had issues with bad solder joint on the input fuse of the power supply. The joint would weaken and crack and it could possibly start an electrical fire. This "safety" cable did not prevent the power supply from turning to smoke but it was designed to prevent house fires.

EDIT: http://www.llamma.com/xbox/Repairs/xbox power supply repair tutorial.htm (tutorial)

 

Sorry mate but that was the made up story MS created as smoke screen. What catches fire is the super capacitor which keeps date/time up on the main board when it's not plugged in.



Don't that look cute ? lol

 

That story wasnt made up. I've had to fix my Foxlink power supply multiple times.

 

Bloody scary the damage they can do when they do go up! Seen one that cooked the bottom of the DVD drive (big black scorch mark).

 

From that to a house fire is just a matter of the plastic igniting, don't you agree ?

 

True, the funny thing with that unit, the main board was rooted (obviously) and apart from being smelly, the DVD drive still worked lol! It was a Philips unit from memory.

 

I think I should desolder that cap...

 

Update, I tried my PS3 cord (don't use PS3, hate Sony now, sorry PS3 fans.) and it worked! Thanks guys, can a mod please close thread.

 

Glad it worked.