Xbox Power Cord Fire Hazard Recall

Here at Llamma we repair a lot of Xbox’s and there's a few things we know as true when it comes to the Microsoft replacement power cord effort.  Although the GFI power cord they offer in replacement will likely prevent your house from burning down it will NOT save your Xbox.  The real problem lies within the AC connector on the power supply.  Due to the design of the power supply, after some usage the solder joint connecting the legs to the power supply crack and rapidly deteriorate.  If untreated the connection becomes so bad it sparks when plugged in or wiggled.  When it becomes bad enough the event can be quite violent and this is what causes the fires.  We have seen holes in the RF shielding tin under the power supply from such severe discharge.  This phenomenon is not restricted to one version of power supply and can potentially happen on all versions of power supplies.  Good power supply connector maintenance is the only real answer to the problem if you are plugging and unplugging your Xbox a lot.  We have a quick tutorial on how you can determine if you have a potential hazard on your hands and how you can fix it!

Above is a photo of your average power supply, this one happens to be a foxlink.

See both tabs? The top one is obviously black and burnt but the lower one has also broken loose and is making intermittent contact.

A little alcohol and a q-tip to tidy up most of the vaporized lead

A little scraping with a blade removes the hard to get stuff

Dab a little flux and heat it up (800 degrees/30+ watt iron)

Be generous with the solder...

A quick touch up on the other contact and we are ready to rock and roll.