The Reason the 360 crashes....

According to the Inquirer, the 360 crashes because the power supply overheats. Putting it on carpet floor is like wrapping a blanket around it, it just doesn't let the PSU cool. Apparently, keeping the PSU above the ground lets air circulate around it more to keep it cool.

I think MS has to come up with something because.

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27930

 

Personally, I have my power supply (at the moment) on the carpet, and I have yet to have a game crash on me. I think it may be a combination where you put your 360 and the power supply as well.

 

I think it has to also do where you have your console placed. On the floor isn't a good place for it.

That would be cool if someone cracks open the PSU and somehow finds a way to solder a 12volt DC fan and mod the case of it and end up with an active cooling solution. Something MS should've done to it in the first place.

 

Something I heard mentioned was that you could stick an old slot 1/A heatsink onto it (using thermal paste obviously) which should help the heat dissipate. Alternatively, don't put it on a carpet, or in an enclosed space.

 

I was thinking of getting one of those USB powered laptop coolers, and using that for the PSU

Mine isn't crashing, but it seems like keeping that PSU cool as possible is wise.

 

I heard another reason for this is if you have it sitting vertically. I know a friend who has a 360 and his won't play games vertically.

 

I did have a few problems when I moved my 360 from the Horizontal position to the vertical position. Basically, the system went to the 360 splash screen then restarted. After about 5 times, it finally went to the dashboard. Didn't have a problem with it since.

Which brings me to my next question: is there some sort of sensor on the 360 that can tell if it's in the horizontal/vertical position? The power light on the 360 has 4 parts of a circle around it that light up when a controler is present. When it is on it's belly, the upper left light is on. However, when I change it to the vertical position, the lower left light comes on (So it looks like it is always the first light in the ring of lights).

 

My PSU is sitting on the carpet behind my entertainment unit. I'm sure this provides less airflow than the average user but I have yet to encounter any problem. I usually leave it on for hours at a time. The system itself is in the cabinet but I made sure air flows through sufficiently.

Yes, there is. It is used exactly for that purpose...to orient the indicator lights correctly. If you wiggle your system a bit, you should hear a small ball rolling around. That ball is a component of the sensor.

 

Switching power supplies shouldn't heat up, at all...

 

the cpu could just be running really hot...it doesnt allways have to be the power supply.

 

I will be getting my xbox from the US any day now, and im in the UK... So i will have to use a power converter... the power converter i use for my US Xbox1 gets damn hot too...

My question is, will using the power converter with my 360 add to the over heating complications?

 

As long as the temperature of the room that's gonna have the 360 PSU and step-down in it is set to around -4*C, it'll be fine ; ) Might be a bit chilly for gaming though.

Serioulsy though, if the 360PSU is getting hot, adding the heat from a step-down really isn't gonna help anything. As long as you have good ventilation you should be fine.

Maybe use some Lego bricks to make a base that has holes in it for the PSU to stand on?

 

Just make sure your step-down is 300-ish or higher. My stepdowns hardly produce any heat at all if they are capable of handling about double the amps the article in question needs. I noticed my sega saturn got hotter if I used a step-down that was "just" capable of handling the saturn's power needs. So a 300 step down might make the 360 a little hotter, we shall see soon enough, just keep checking the heat of everything the first time you turn it on.

 

You may be able to snag a UK power supply and use it once its released though, but im not sure of the inputs for power

 

It's a pretty odd plug on the console, reminds me of what you see internally on a PC motherboard for power input.

 

I thought of this too, perhaps the power prick will work like my Apple PowerBook's one... Anyone from the US able to tell if their power supply will take UK voltage or whatever?

 

I doubt it. A laptop is designed for travelling, so it can take anything from 100-240V. A console is designed for use in one country only, so its most likely only a 110V supply. Anything more would be extra unneccessary expense.

 

The PStwo powersupplies supported both, so anything is possible

Quote:
Originally Posted by ASSEMbler
Then the laws of physics have changed, anytime energy is changed, it creates heat, no matter what you do, for sure less than a linear design, but still there is heat.



You can lose heat though

 

Having both a US and UK power supply in hand, I can safely say that neither is world voltage. The US power supply takes 100-127V input while the UK power supply takes 200-240V input. Both have the same output and connect to the console with the same plug so if you have a US console in Europe, simply wait until after release and then purchase a "replacement" 200-240V power supply. No step-down needed.

-hl718