Gaming Xbox 360 DVD Drive Power

[mpg187]

I notice on my 360 that the power there is not a standard SATA power. Is it safe to turn the Xbox on to power the drive and plug it into a comptuer?

The 360 won't mess up if the drive is missing as long as I put it back when I am done, right?

 

[olliepop2000]

Best bet is to use a proper connectivity kit but if you must do it that way disconnect the network. I wouldn't recommend it though.

 

[Joe88]

yes it will work fine but just make sure you connect the video cables or the 360 will shut off by its self in a few mins which if you were flashing at that moment ...

 

[FAST6191]

You can use the 360 to power the drive but as Joe88 says connect the video.
Also make an electrical connection between the 360 case and your PC case as the 360 uses a floating ground meaning what the 360 thinks is 12V can actually be something considerably higher (no such thing as voltage, only such a thing as voltage difference).

Finally some have floated the idea that a 360 with no drive attached is one of many ways MS uses to find who to ban, I am not convinced but others are.

Also:
http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=668247
In the bottom left of the picture is a pinout of the power lead; you can find all the necessary voltages inside a modern PC and with nominal effort for an older PC.

 

[mpg187]

Does the video cable have to be plugged in to a TV?

 

[FAST6191]

No just into the back of the xbox.

 

[Originality]

It's the same as Xbox1 - if the AV/HDMI isn't plugged in, it won't finish booting up. Likewise for the DVD drive. Whilst I don't think M$ really will ban you for having a disconnected DVD drive (it could just be malfunctioning), it never hurts to be safe and disconnect the network.

Something I noticed randomly the other day, with my console, when I left the HDMI cable out (I've never used the AV before), it never gave me 4 red ring (like some people report), it just stayed blank for a few minutes until I plugged it in, after which it connected the controls and finished booting in an instant. Doesn't mean much, but it does make me wonder if 4RROD actually does mean "AV not detected".

 

[mpg187]

Mine got the 4 RR when I didn't have the cable in.

So it won't boot without a DVD drive (That's OK as I only need power)

 

[Originality]

Just to add to my previous post - whilst my HDMI Xbox doesn't show me 4RR when there's no AV/HDMI cable plugged in, the non-HDMI I just resurrected from 1RROD/E74 did show me 4RR when the AV wasn't plugged in.

 

[mpg187]

What u mean HDMI box?

Can't any 360 use HDMI?

 

[FAST6191]

HDMI was announced/leaked back in early-mid 2007 and found itself in production not long after.

 

[mpg187]

What do you mean leaked? How can you tell if a 360 supports it?

 

[triassic911]

What do you mean leaked? How can you tell if a 360 supports it?

He means the information about an hdmi xbox 360 was leaked. All xbox 360s support hdmi now. The only ones that don't have hdmi are the VERY early models (2006-07). You can tell by the hdmi port below the a/v port on the back of the xbox.

 

[Originality]

To answer the question more directly - you can tell if a 360 supports HDMI if it has a HDMI port above the AV port. Every Xbox360 made after October 2007 will, most certainly, have HDMI.

From my experience, HDMI looks so much better than component or composite

 

[bubbleboy]

Before modding my 360 I really did a LOT of research. Only now do I read about the AV cable needing to be plugged in.. that's on no jungleflasher faq or dosflash tutorial ANYWHERE!!

I was going crazy with the machine always powering the DVD drive off...!!!!!! I must have done it 30 times before I *just* managed to flash it before it turned off.. like a microsecond before!

Ahh,.. this should be all over the FAQS.. like I said I read every thread and tutorial and nowhere is this mentioned..!

Oh.. and thanks!!!

 

[Originality]

Actually, based on my own research, I've seen it plastered in most places that if you're going to use the Xbox to power your drive, you should always make sure the AV/HDMI is plugged in (doesn't have to be connected to the TV), and the ethernet/WiFi unplugged (banning fears).

I also heard that if it powers off whilst flashing, you'll likely get a brick. Gratz for managing to avoid that

 

[mpg187]

So is it the same port that's on the TV (So the cord has the same ends on both sides, Male HDMI and the XBox and TV have Female HDMI?) I thought the HDMI would go into the same port as the AV Cable. I only have one video port and my DVD Drive says it was manufactured in 2006.

 

[Armadillo]

Yes, it's the same port as you find on a tv. Boxes with hdmi have the other socket that the av cable goes into and then an hdmi port under that.

 

[mpg187]

Hmmm, I thought it would use the same proprietary connector the AV used...

 

[Originality]

Simple look in the back of most newer Xboxes - you'll always see 5 ports total - power, HDMI, AV (wider than HDMI), USB (for external HDDs and the WiFi adapter) and ethernet. Ones without the HDMI port simply can't go up to 1080p (only 1080i at the most).