NTSC-J Xbox 360 broken, looking for advice

[Jotamide]

I recently bought a used JP X360 and since the power supply that it came with died shortly after. I hooked it up using my other X360's power supply. Here's a picture of both of them side to side (left JP, right NA)



Apologies for the humongous pictures. While the voltage levels are the same, the output DC is different for both power supplies. When I started using my local power supply on the NTSC-J Xbox 360, the dashboard would start flickering (video: https://db.tt/UiWhwtok) or sometimes I would get a solid red light and nothing on the monitor:



Now looking at Xbox's online support page, it appears that when a solid light appears on the console but no system error is shown, it is mainly a power supply issue. However, the flickering on the dashboard leads me to believe that the console could also have some trouble as well. Or is this also caused by a mismatched power supply? Any help would be appreciated, getting it replaced by the vendor would cost me at least $100 in shipping fees.

[HydrogLox]

The flickering looks like video memory problems (can't access the images) ... but first things first. What is the stated wattage on either power supply? There are two types of Xbox 360S revisions: Trinity (codename Valhalla) and Corona. Trinity shipped with a 135W power supply while most of the Coronas shipped with a 120W supply. I've had no problems running a Trinity NTSC-J console with a 120W supply from from a domestic Corona for short periods of time - but under certain circumstances there could still be problems of running a Trinity off of an under-powered power supply.

Also what happens when you use the power supply with the original domestic console?

I recently bought a used JP X360 and since the power supply that it came with died shortly after.

Is there something going on in your house current that can kill power supplies?

[Jotamide]

The flickering looks like video memory problems (can't access the images) ... but first things first. What is the stated wattage on either power supply? There are two types of Xbox 360S revisions: Trinity (codename Valhalla) and Corona. Trinity shipped with a 135W power supply while most of the Coronas shipped with a 120W supply. I've had no problems running a Trinity NTSC-J console with a 120W supply from from a domestic Corona for short periods of time - but under certain circumstances there could still be problems of running a Trinity off of an under-powered power supply.

Also what happens when you use the power supply with the original domestic console?

I recently bought a used JP X360 and since the power supply that it came with died shortly after.

Is there something going on in your house current that can kill power supplies?

Judging from your description, I might have a NTSC-J Trinity and a NTSC Corona. Not sure why the original JP power supply died so fast, while it was resting on a carpet, it is right next to a window so there's little room for overheating.

[bobrocks95]

I thought all the 360 power adapters were keyed so you couldn't plug any lower-voltage supply in?

[HydrogLox]

Not sure why the original JP power supply died so fast, while it was resting on a carpet, it is right next to a window so there's little room for overheating.

Movement over some some carpets can generate static electricity - static electricity kills (improperly shielded/grounded) electronics (typically the higher level of miniaturization the more sensitive to static it is) - so best to never rest any electronic device on carpet. Bit difficult to believe that a power supply would go that way - depends on the control circuitry that is used in its manufacture. It's more likely that the fan inside the supply died.

I thought all the 360 power adapters were keyed so you couldn't plug any lower-voltage supply in?

That is true for the pre-S models (Jasper 150W, Falcon (Opus) 175W, and Xenon (Zephr) 203W). The Trinity 135W and Corona (Winchester) 120W supplies have identical connectors.

Xbox 360 Power Supply:

The 120-watt PSU and 135-watt PSU are interchangeable, and you can use both with the Xbox 360 S and Xbox 360 E consoles.

From what I've seen the 'E' (Stingray) has a totally different power connector to the 'S' - so apparently even Microsoft can't get it right.

[bobrocks95]

Ah, the pictures didn't load for me so I didn't catch that it was a slim model. I would imagine long-term under-wattage could definitely be bad, since even if the extra isn't necessary it's good to have overhead.

[Jotamide]

^ I didn't say it before, but thanks for the help!

Once I bought an appropriate PSU, I could game on the console without much issue until December. After that, the glitches started again and it got to a point that after 30 mins, playing the console would freeze the same way as before. Sadly, if I try to place a repair order through Xbox Canada the only option I'm given is to localize it, which obviously I don't want. Here's my prerogative now: Do I try to repair it on my own? Do I send it to repair locally? Do I sell it broken as it is for scraps? I think I'll have to give in and buy another new console. But at least it would be nice to see if this one can be put to some use.

[Jotamide]

Bump

[HydrogLox]

If I was in your position I'd be leaning towards getting it fixed given the cost of international shipping and the fact that you probably have to settle for an Xbox 360E. If you do want to go "new" (Xbox 360E) I'd PM rancor to give you a quote.
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 4#p1093356

However I googled "xbox repair vancouver":

• We Repair kind of stuck out - so if they are in your range for a drop-off (to avoid shipping cost) it might be worth a call to see what they have to say.
• If you are going to end up with domestic shipping anyway the Console Repair Guy (way out in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia of all places) may be worth a look.
• Console Repair Guy is interesting for another reason. They offer CR4 XL installation. So if your J360 repair goes well, I'd start looking to pick up a used domestic Xbox 360S and then send it there for an "upgrade" - to become the backup for your J360 (or as your main (offline) machine to minimize the wear on your J360).

Let us know what you decide to do and how it goes.

[Jotamide]

If I was in your position I'd be leaning towards getting it fixed given the cost of international shipping and the fact that you probably have to settle for an Xbox 360E. If you do want to go "new" (Xbox 360E) I'd PM rancor to give you a quote.
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 4#p1093356

However I googled "xbox repair vancouver":

• We Repair kind of stuck out - so if they are in your range for a drop-off (to avoid shipping cost) it might be worth a call to see what they have to say.
• If you are going to end up with domestic shipping anyway the Console Repair Guy (way out in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia of all places) may be worth a look.
• Console Repair Guy is interesting for another reason. They offer CR4 XL installation. So if your J360 repair goes well, I'd start looking to pick up a used domestic Xbox 360S and then send it there for an "upgrade" - to become the backup for your J360 (or as your main (offline) machine to minimize the wear on your J360).

Let us know what you decide to do and how it goes.

Thanks for the tips! The werepair guys I contacted already and are charging me around $80 for reflowing the GPU, not sure what that means but that's an option. The consolerepairguy apparently is not doing X360 repairs anymore so that's ou of the picture. I already contacted rancor to get a price quote on a new NTSC-J X360. I'll read more online about this "reflowing" to see if it's worth the risk or whether I should just go ahead and buy the console.