Hardware How to kill a wii... with xbox kinect

[brx017]

So my boss is remodeling his house, and had to move his living room tv. He unhooked the 360 and wii also. A few days later he hooked the wii back up for the kids to play. His 6 year old son decided he wanted to use the kinect and plugged it into the wii. Now the wii is dead ... no power light.

I'm not familiar with it but assuming the kinect is self-powered? I guess it shorted something out? Is there any way the wii could be fixed?

He had already bought them a new game for the wii for Christmas and wants to know if he needs to buy another console. We are electricians so soldering etc wouldn't be a problem. We just haven't cracked it open yet.

Thanks for any advice you might have.

 

[shortz1994]

So my boss is remodeling his house, and had to move his living room tv. He unhooked the 360 and wii also. A few days later he hooked the wii back up for the kids to play. His 6 year old son decided he wanted to use the kinect and plugged it into the wii. Now the wii is dead ... no power light.

I'm not familiar with it but assuming the kinect is self-powered? I guess it shorted something out? Is there any way the wii could be fixed?

He had already bought them a new game for the wii for Christmas and wants to know if he needs to buy another console. We are electricians so soldering etc wouldn't be a problem. We just haven't cracked it open yet.

Thanks for any advice you might have.

probably fried the mother board. haven't cracked mine since i replaced the shell in about a year, so can't remember if there is an internal fuse or not.( i want to say there is one). but if the kinetic is self powered i don't see why that would fry the mother board.( hdd that are powered or usb multi plugs work fine.). i'm not sure of the output watts on them.. either way you'll need to take the wii apart to find the problem,if it's the fuse or the mother board. you can get just the mother board from ebay or a wii repair shop for pretty cheap.(found one for a friends for 40$).

 

[Lucif3r]

MEH! Misleading topic!!! I was expecting a how-to!


Anyway, if Im not mistaken, the Kinect is connected to the xbox through USB, and the kid plugged the USB plug into the Wii instead of the xbox?
If so, its close to impossible that simply connecting a kinect would kill a Wii. There has to be some other reason behind it.
USB will only and can only provide 5V. USB is always USB no matter what machine its mounted on (cellphone, pc, laptop, wii, xbox, coffee machine etc), and a USB device designed for, say xbox, will NOT kill any other machine its plugged into, like a Wii. All that will happen is..... nothing...

Im not saying his Wii didnt break when he plugged the kinect in, but I am saying that plugging the kinect in isnt the cause. There must be more to it, like a powerspike or short-circuit.

 

[brx017]

Good points... my hdd is self-powered. Im going to take his wii home tonight and check it out. Maybe his power supply just went out coincidentally. Ill update you with my findings.

 

[KiiWii]

http://www.engadget....-port-up-close/

I'm pretty sure the kinect IS powered (esp if it was the old style 360), maybe the kid had it powered on un-plugged only the USB form a powered up 360 and whacked it in the wii?

 

[PsyBlade]

Thanks for any advice you might have.

disconnect wii from power brick an it from the outlet
wait multiple houres to days (for the automatic fuse to reset)
try again

 

[giantpune]

ive had to do this ^ a couple times. but never had to wait days or even hours. it takes mine about 10-15 minutes to fix itself.

 

[nl255]

MEH! Misleading topic!!! I was expecting a how-to!


Anyway, if Im not mistaken, the Kinect is connected to the xbox through USB, and the kid plugged the USB plug into the Wii instead of the xbox?
If so, its close to impossible that simply connecting a kinect would kill a Wii. There has to be some other reason behind it.
USB will only and can only provide 5V. USB is always USB no matter what machine its mounted on (cellphone, pc, laptop, wii, xbox, coffee machine etc), and a USB device designed for, say xbox, will NOT kill any other machine its plugged into, like a Wii. All that will happen is..... nothing...

Im not saying his Wii didnt break when he plugged the kinect in, but I am saying that plugging the kinect in isnt the cause. There must be more to it, like a powerspike or short-circuit.

Wrong. USB is 5v at 500ma and if a device tries to pull more than 500ma it can fry the USB ports and possibly the motherboard. Most PC motherboards have extra hardware in there to prevent that nowadays but it was entirely possible to fry computers by trying to use some of the early 2.5 inch external hard drives with them.

 

[Magsor]

Maybe the kid dropped it. Anything could have happened. You were just not there. its not worth too much time fixing since used wii are dirt cheap

 

[Lucif3r]

... but it was entirely possible to fry computers by trying to use some of the early 2.5 inch external hard drives with them.

Source or bullshit.

 

[brx017]

Ok guys, here's an update.

My boss sent the wii home with me last night. I hooked it up using my cables and power supply and it worked.

So now, my only question is... Is this auto-fuse inside the console or the power supply? Just wondering since it's been unplugged now, if you think his power supply might start working again.

 

[shortz1994]

Ok guys, here's an update.

My boss sent the wii home with me last night. I hooked it up using my cables and power supply and it worked.

So now, my only question is... Is this auto-fuse inside the console or the power supply? Just wondering since it's been unplugged now, if you think his power supply might start working again.

well the only real way to find out is to plug your bosses power cord in an see what happens. worse case your boss will have to buy a new power brick.

 

[spotanjo3]

His father let 6 years plug it ? Its dangerous and the parents should be supervisor. His parents are poorly parents, indeed. I will not let my nephew or niece of 5 years old or 6 years old to plug anything.. Its dangerous.

 

[Lucif3r]

So now, my only question is... Is this auto-fuse inside the console or the power supply? Just wondering since it's been unplugged now, if you think his power supply might start working again.

If Im not mistaken, the power supply got a regular fuse. In other words, if it breaks - tough luck, now buy a new one
The Wii got a fuse as well inside of it, and that one is automatic and resets itself anywhere between 1min to 1 week.

 

[giantpune]

the power supply itself has some sort of magic fuse inside it. from nintendo's faq:


How To Reset the Wii AC Adapter


Description:

Step by step instructions on how to reset the Wii AC Adapter.



What to do:

• Unplug the Wii AC adapter at both ends (from the back of the Wii system and from the wall outlet or power strip).
• The AC adapter must remain unplugged at both ends for a full two minutes.
• Unplug anything connected to the USB ports and the Nintendo GameCube Controller ports (such as LAN Adapters, keyboards, Nintendo GameCube controllers, etc.).
• Check the AC Adapter for the following:
  
  
  
  • Make sure that the word "Wii" and the model number "RVL-002 (USA)" are molded into the AC adapter. Unlicensed products are not fully compatible and may not work correctly.
  • Check the AC Adapter for physical damage. Physical damage, such as frayed wiring or a cracked housing can cause the system to shut down. If the AC Adapter shows signs of physical damage and needs to be replaced, a replacement can be purchased from Nintendo's online store.
• After waiting two minutes, plug the AC adapter into the Wii system and directly into a wall outlet, not a surge protector or power strip. If the power light comes on and stays on, then the AC Adapter reset was successful.

 

[tueidj]

Magic Fuse = Crowbar Circuit.
Some of them in switchmode supplies can be a royal pain in the ass to reset, taking over 30 minutes to dissipate even after power is removed.