AboutOctane Expertise I can Answer Video Game Compatability Problems (PAL, NTSC, JAP) for Atari 2600, 5200, NES, Super Nintendo/SFC, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Gameboy, GBA, DS, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive/Genisis, Game Gear, Mega CD, Nomad, Saturn, Dreamcast, Lynx, Jagura, Philips CDI, 3DO, Playstation, PS2, PSP and Xbox. Plus Ways around them to play wrong regions games on most consoles.
I also have an extensive knowledge of service and repair with most home consoles as well as arcade/pinball machines.
I have a reasonable general knowledge of most new to older games (I personally own about 1000 games and almost every console known to man.)
Experience Playstation, SNES, SATURN, Genisis/MD, NES, MS conversions. Controler conversions SNES to NES. Game conversion. Multi Carts. Remix and re-wire. PSP repair. Arcade building and customising. Video Game repair
Question QUESTION: Hello, I have a question regarding the ability to swap my U.S. spec power cord for my U.S. spec Xbox 360, with a European spec powercord...without having evil white smoke coming out of my Xbox, and me $300 poorer.
Basically, I moved from the States to Germany, and I would like to be able to play my U.S. Xbox 360 without having to sell my current console and buy a European 360. So, can I just purchase a Euro power cable, attach it to my U.S. Xbox, and will the power brick do all the electrical conversion magic without any further assistance from me?
Thanks for all the help in advance, I appreciate it!
ANSWER: Gday James,
Yes you theory is right. If you buy a power brick in Germany and attach it to your USA Xbox 360 it should be okay as the input power to the Xbox 360 is going to be the same.
Double check the sticker on your X-box 360 Brick there are a few out there that will handle the duel input voltages 110-240V. If the sticker says Input 110 V then its a US only power Brick. If it reads 110-240 then you will be able to take it with you. There is a few 3rd party ones out there like a computer power brick that has a switch you can flick to change between the power.
Hope this helps.
Octane
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hello once again Octane!
Ok, here's what I got. The back of my Xbox power brick says the following:
AC Adapter (something in an asian language of which I cannot make out)
Model HP-AW175EF3
Rev :01
Input AC
100-127V ~ 4.7A,47-63 Hz
Output DC :175W
12V 14.2A (14,2A). 5Vsb 1A
So, from what I can tell, my power brick can only support/handle 110-127 and nothing more. I believe Germany puts out somewhere between 220-240, which means that I cannot just simply attach a regional power outlet adapter (seeing how the U.S. uses it's own electrical power outlet prong pattern) VS. the several different power outlet patterns one can find throughout the different countries within Europe.
Am I to understand that there are Xbox power bricks that are designed to support between 110 and 220/240?
Bottom line: Am I looking for a specific, elusive (hopefully not) power brick that specifically says it can handle between 110-240, or is it safe to say that I can just buy a German spec Xbox 360 power brick?
Sorry if I'm over-complicating things, I'm just terrified of frying my Xbox. Again, thank you in advance for your help and patience with me and my questions.
Answer Gday James once again,
I may have given you a bit of wrong information. I assumed that there was a third party Xbox power supply that you could just swap out the break away cable to the wall similar to most laptops that would do both 100-240. It would handle the power conversion internally or like home PC have a switch you just flip. Unfortunately I might have been wrong, as I can't find one at all. My mind must be playing tricks on me as I am sure I saw one somewhere. (Obviously not in one of my regular haunts or I would have found one already.)
I was under the impression the new Xbox 360 came with them but it appears they don't, I just disassembled one just in case. (Quite a lot of the Original Xbox had duel switch power supplies in them even though they where not labeled as such. You could only really tell by pulling them to pieces.)
So I think you are stuck buying a German power supply to run you US Xbox. (Which will output the same require voltage to run your Xbox 360)
