Don't plug your 360 into a surge protector (unless you want the 3 red lights of doom)

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BIGJ

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Dec 19, 2006
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So, I just got off the phone with xbox customer support and the guy told me that 90% of the time the three red lights of doom are caused by.........(drumroll) SURGE PROTECTORS!!!

Thats right, apparently the manual says like 3 or 4 times not to have your 360 plugged into a surge protector. I asked him why this was and he said that the power block was meant specifically for a certain amount of voltage that comes out of the wall socket.

Then I asked him if the power block had any protection against a power surge, and he said that it has protection built in.

So what is the lesson of the story?? UN-PLUG YOUR 360 AND PLUG IT INTO THE WALL!! (unless you really want to loose you 360 for 2 weeks, and then have it replaced by a re-furb, PLEASE, learn from my mistakes, I learned the [H]ard way :( .)
 
Launch console here. Always used protection and No problems....
 
A couple months back my Satellite receiver was acting funny and support said to take it off the surge protector. That fixed my issue. I have never heard of this surge protector problem until then. Thanks for the tip on the 360 as well.
 
I've heard this from two other people, who had talked to Microsoft's Tech support, and were told to not have their units plugged into a surge protector. The manual does say to specifically plug it into a wall, so if it has built-in surge protection, plugging it into another surge protector is probably pretty counter-productive.
 
Very interesting. I had a launch console that worked great for just over a year. I moved it upstairs to a better TV and used a surge/power strip. Got the three rings of death but figured it was due to heat since the ventilation was maybe not as good as the downstairs location. Your post makes me wonder if it wasn't the power strip instead of a heat issue. Hmmm...
 
They can void your warranty if you tell them you plugged it into a power strip or surge protector, so be careful about what you say.
 
BIGJ said:
So, I just got off the phone with xbox customer support and the guy told me that 90% of the time the three red lights of doom are caused by.........(drumroll) SURGE PROTECTORS!!!
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Uh huh, and I'm 90% positive that the 3 red lights of doom are almost always caused by the god awful solder joints on the main board.
 
jaguax said:
Uh huh, and I'm 90% positive that the 3 red lights of doom are caused by the god awful soldering job they did on the main board.
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I'd agree. They of course are not going to admit that the unit is shoddily manufactured. So they ask a bunch of questions to relieve themselves of responsibility, and boom, you answer in the positive to one of them, and they can pin all of the problems with their console on YOU.

The red lights denote specific hardware problems, not all of which could be conceivably caused by a power strip, sorry.

I love my 360 and am a huge fan, but this is a BS move by them to just pin the problem on customers.
 
Out of the 10 things that need to be plugged-in in my entertainment center, half of them mention that they should not be plugged into a power strip or surge protector. What I want to know is how in the hell they expect me to plug in all 10 things when I only have 2 plugs behind my TV.

I run everything through a noise filtering AVR box and then into a large UPS. I have never lost anything with this set up. I have a launch day 360 that is still going strong. According to MS, my setup should have burst into flames or something the second I plugged it in. :rolleyes: The whole thing is a bunch of BS.

I want to know how it is made to run on the amount of voltage that comes out of the wall when it is different in almost every house. :rolleyes:
 
I frankly believe a large number of the 360 failures are from the power supplies and if MS has found that surge protectors could dirty up the line (which some do) that could be a likely cause.

I have come to the idea that some power supplies can cause the issue since people will say they have gotten 4, 5, 6, 7 replacement consoles all that go 3 red on them. The thing they dont say is that they are using the same power supply as MS only said to send the console in (at least this is what they did for some/in the beginning, dont know if it has changed or not). The person would get the console back, plug it into the same bad power supply, and bam 3 red lights.

Also, I think people tend to put their 360s in areas of bad airflow or shove them into a very tight space.

Personally I have had a 360 for almost a year now with no issues *knock on wood*. I have mine in an entertainment center but with dual 120mm low flow fans in the back so that the hot air is expelled. I have my 360 on a surge strip as well, but one that does no line regulating and is simply for spikes. My two friends also have 360s and they have done nothing special and theirs are still 100% fine.
 
Not plugging it into a surge protector is a TROUBLESHOOTING STEP ONLY!

Yes the manual does say in places to plug it into the wall. HOWEVER, and I quote:

Xbox360 Manual said:
Do not overload your wall outlet, extension cord, power strip, or other electrical receptacle. Confirm that they are rated to handle the total current (in amps[A]) drawn by the Xbox 360 console (indicated on the power supply unit) and any other devices that are on the same circuit.
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I would say that pretty strongly implies they expect people to use power strips and surge protectors.

Also, the tech guy saying many times it says to not use a surge protector is blowing smoke. In fact it never says not to use a surge protector. Once it says to plug it directly into the wall, that is as close as they get.

Interestingly enough, Volume 2 of the manual (the warranty section) says:

Microsoft Warranty Manual said:
E. EXCLUSIONS FROM LIMITED WARRANTY

This Limited Warranty shall not apply and Microsoft has no liability under this Limited Warranty if the Xbox Product:
  • is damaged by Acts of God, power surge, misused, abuse, negligence, accident, wear and tear, mishandling, misapplication, or other causes unrelated to defective materials or workmanship;
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So, if you don't use a surge protector, you are putting your 360 at risk. Microsoft will not cover damages from a power surge, yet they want you to plug the 360 directly into the wall? I would tell the tech to go screw himself, that is putting the consumer in between a rock and a hard place. You can't reasonably ask the user not to protect his equipment. It's like a Homeowner's insurance saying they wont cover fire damage if you lock your door and the firemen have trouble getting in, but they also wont cover stolen property if you dont lock your door.

I say use a surge protector. If the 360 wont work with a surge protector, and it being the only thing plugged in, force them to send you a new power supply.

EDIT: The tech is probably confused. The Manual does clearly state to not use a third party POWER SUPPLY, but that is not the same a surge protector.
 
I don't have the time and energy tonight to explain why this is bunk to you guys tonight...

BUT I want you to think about what you are saying -- Cheap surge protectors are no more than power strips - think extension cords. If the current amperage draw gets too high/spikes it throws a switch...there is no voltage monitoring, nor no voltage regulation going on except if the amperage or voltage spikes to insanely high levels.

Suffice to say that's all bunk...Now if you have a super cheapo UPS or voltage modulator that outputs say square sine wave power rather than sine wave power then you can cause problems, but any electrician will tell you that cheap power strips...(what most people call surge protectors) won't help or harm your equipment in general low amperage use.
 
mcravenufo said:
A couple months back my Satellite receiver was acting funny and support said to take it off the surge protector. That fixed my issue. I have never heard of this surge protector problem until then. Thanks for the tip on the 360 as well.
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That means they surge protector was having issues. It could have been a crappy surge protector, a defective one, or it may have taken a surge. If it took a surge then there is a good chance it saved your reciever.

BIGJ said:
I guess my point is that you don't need 'protection', it has it built in. :)
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So instead of a surge killing a 30 or 40 dollar surge protector it can kill a 100 dollar power supply that you have to mail order if you want a replacement? Yea I know thrid party xbox power supplys are out but they are still 100 bucks. I have a surge damage the surge protector I go buy another one and am home in 15 minutes.
 
Absolute bullshit. I have NEVER had any piece of hardware in my life that was not supposed to be plugged in to a surge protector. For fucks sake from my old Tandy 1000 of yesteryear to my new dual core system and every other type of electrical machinery I have ever owned , I have NEVER HAD ANY surge protector related failures. So tell me why in the hell the Xbox 360 is the exception? At the very best this is a another extremely poor excuse from Microsoft to pass the buck on the horrendous failure rate and lack of quality control with their new console.
 
sgi02 said:
Absolute bullshit. I have NEVER had any piece of hardware in my life that was not supposed to be plugged in to a surge protector. For fucks sake from my old Tandy 1000 of yesteryear to my new dual core system and every other type of electrical machinery I have ever owned , I have NEVER HAD ANY surge protector related failures. So tell me why in the hell the Xbox 360 is the exception? At the very best this is a another extremely poor excuse from Microsoft to pass the buck on the horrendous failure rate and lack of quality control with their new console.
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You may not have, but there are certain things that are not meant to be plugged in to power strips (or what people commonly call surge protectors), like commericial laser printers, or commercial AIO (all in one units). The amperage and current draw those things pull at start up is not at all meant to be handled by power strips (or at least the book says so, but I've seen otherwise, lol). But a 360? I feel that's a load of bullshit, there's no way that things pulling an insane amount of current/amperage that any cheapo power strip shouldn't be able to handle.
 
He told me that it should not be plugged into one bc it makes the system work harder resulting in more heat aka, the 3 red lights of doom.

BTW, I am just saying what I heard, and thought I would try help. Thats all!
 
I sent my xbox in today, I guess the only good thing about it is that I get 1 month of XBL gold when it comes back, if I dont like the system, I am going to try and switch it out for an xbox elite
 
Funny, my 2 month old console was plugged into the wall and not a surge protector and I still got the red rings of death and had to wait 2 weeks to get a new one.
 
or how about spending more then $15 on a surge protector that is being used on a $400+ item (including other apparels attached to it)

I never understood the need for people to buy cheap surge protectors for their big time items, cheap protection should be used for lighting, and other small appliances, but I would never put anything that costs more then $100 on a surge protector that costs less then $30

C'mon you aren't being cheap on buying the item, why be cheap trying to protect it!
 
I'm an electrician (or I used to be one...) and this suggestion sounds like BS to me. Either the tech is confused, or he's trying to find a way to shift the blame...
 
mcravenufo said:
A couple months back my Satellite receiver was acting funny and support said to take it off the surge protector. That fixed my issue. I have never heard of this surge protector problem until then. Thanks for the tip on the 360 as well.
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As mcravenufo said, and the tech support guy said, sometimes people take the 360 off of the surge protector and the 3 red lights of doom are gone! Maybe it is due to crappy surge protectors, but I don't think you can say it is complete BS.
 
BIGJ said:
As mcravenufo said, and the tech support guy said, sometimes people take the 360 off of the surge protector and the 3 red lights of doom are gone! Maybe it is due to crappy surge protectors, but I don't think you can say it is complete BS.
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That would be a defective surge protector. Prob one that has taken a surge.
 
swatbat said:
That would be a defective surge protector. Prob one that has taken a surge.
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I know mine has never taken a surge, he said it caused the xbox to work harder, and heat up much faster and hotter.
 
BIGJ said:
I know mine has never taken a surge, he said it caused the xbox to work harder, and heat up much faster and hotter.
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And those words he told you would have come out of some orifice other than his mouth then. Taking the Xbox off of the surge protector is a valid TROUBLESHOOTING step. If it works off the surge protector then something is wrong with the protector. The 360 doesn't have to work any harder with power from a surge protector than it does with power from the wall...that is if you have a working surge protector.
 
BIGJ said:
I know mine has never taken a surge, he said it caused the xbox to work harder, and heat up much faster and hotter.
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How do you know? A surge on the line isn't just the power going out and comming back on or something like that. It can happen while you have power running and things looking normal.
 
swatbat said:
How do you know? A surge on the line isn't just the power going out and comming back on or something like that. It can happen while you have power running and things looking normal.
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Fair enouph, I plead ignorance!!
 
i kinda wanted a 360 but the crappy hardware + ms bull + dl content scams + over priced games. meh forget it. im not saying sony is better.

the entire industry has gone to crap imo. i rather play low end pc gaming but i will never buy that live crap for pc. i really wish pc gamers/developers would go to another os. dont want nothing to do with ms or sony. not excited about the wii either.
 
My 360 is connected to the same medium quality surge protector as my PC and have yet to see any problems.
 
Absolute bullshit..the only way a surge protector could affect electronics is if it's defective and/or taken a surge already. But unless the 360 is the only thing plugged into said surge protector...that would already be apparent.
 
Mine have been plugged into the wall since my first one, I am on my third one.
 
I call shens on that.

a surge protector, at least a good one, is the same as the wall, effectively.
 
So, I just got my "new" xbox from microsoft after my old one got the 3 red lights, and the "new" one is the biggest POS EVER! It is a first gen, and my "old" one was 2nd or third, but that is behond the point,

I am admitting defeate, they"new" xbox they shipped me (I got it last night) already has the 3 red lights (after only 3hrs of game play), and is not plugged into a surge protector! So you win, BUT, I still think that a crappy surge protector will cause the 3 red lights, AND that the stat of 90% or something is completely false! So there you have it, but I'm still not plugging my xbox into a surge protector :p
 
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