Converting 360 fat power supply to 360 slim, safe?

James1234

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I bought a 360 slim a few months ago, the console itself is really nice and quiet but the power supply is stupidly loud so I put the power supply in a cuboard. Unfortunately I think it overheated and died (the console still works with a different power supply).

While looking for a replacement power supply I found people recommending an adapter for sale which allows you to use old-style (completely silent) power supplies on the 360 slim.



Does anyone know if it would be safe to use this adapter and a 175w (falcon) 360 power supply to power the slim?
 
Id say no, the Xbox 360s uses a 135w PSU.

Also it will void your warranty ;)
 
Id say no, the Xbox 360s uses a 135w PSU.
That won't matter mate. The 360 just draws the power it needs. For example, you can use a 203 Watt PSU with a Jasper console that draws 150 Watts, but you can't use a 150 Watt PSU with a Zephyr console that draws 203 Watts, which is why MS design the PSU plugs to be forwards compatible and not backwards compatible.

I dunno if anyone here is qualified to say whether that cable is safe or not though. Not without testing it and knowing all of the consequences of using it (outside the 360 warranty being made void, as Darryl mentioned). I personally would not use it - not because I know it's not safe, but because I'm not sure that it is safe.
 
Yeah, it wasn't the wattage I was worried about, I've used a 203w xenon psu on a 150w jasper for ages without problems.

I'll probably play it safe and just phone Microsoft and see if I can buy a replacement (official) slim psu. Shame though, it would have been nice to have a PSU that doesn't sound like a jet.
 
Why not buy one online? There are loads of places that sell em, more than likely cheaper than what MS want!

Even better, push MS to GIVE you one.
 
I use one of them adapters and they work fine. I have been using my old 150w Psu with it. As for voiding the warranty, would they really even know you have used one as it is only a plug in lead ?
 
Probably not, but youl be screwing if it dies a week later and they DO find something and tell ya to do one.

Id just buy an official one, theyre about ÂŁ40
 
From what I can tell the old Psu has +12v, ground and +5v connections the new slim just has the +12v and ground. The adapter takes the 3 +12v connectors and the 3 ground connectors and feeds them to the pins to the two pins on the xbox 360 s. The older Psu is more than up to the job of running the slim so there should not be any issues as far as I can tell. I have had mine for just over a month with no problems at all..

Edit - It seems that the slim does have 5v supply, and its fed on the 12v line when the xbox is in standby.

The adapter combines the 12v + 5v onto the same line so in theory it does the same thing..

I think I might take the adapter apart and have a look to be sure..
 
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I managed to get an official replacement from Microsoft (ÂŁ25 delivered) but I'm sure it's even louder than the last one. I really don't understand why Microsoft put effort in to making the console quiet and then added a crappy noisy power brick (especially when the old fat power bricks are silent) :(.

From what I can tell the old Psu has +12v, ground and +5v connections the new slim just has the +12v and ground. The adapter takes the 3 +12v connectors and the 3 ground connectors and feeds them to the pins to the two pins on the xbox 360 s. The older Psu is more than up to the job of running the slim so there should not be any issues as far as I can tell. I have had mine for just over a month with no problems at all..

Edit - It seems that the slim does have 5v supply, and its fed on the 12v line when the xbox is in standby.

The adapter combines the 12v + 5v onto the same line so in theory it does the same thing..

I think I might take the adapter apart and have a look to be sure..

Could you let us know your conclusion if you do take it apart? I'm still tempted to get one. Where did you get yours from? Have you used it for long gaming sessions or just short periods of time in the month you've had it?
 
Could you let us know your conclusion if you do take it apart? I'm still tempted to get one. Where did you get yours from? Have you used it for long gaming sessions or just short periods of time in the month you've had it?

Will pull it apart tomorrow and have a look. I can't see any reason tbh how it could not be safe as the older psu's supply more than enough power for the new s model. If its wired up as I expect then it is perfectly fine.

I have been using it for just over a month including long gaming sessions and hours of use. I bought it from ebay for ÂŁ5.99 inc delivery if I remember.
 
Ok sorry for taking a while to get back to this thread.

I have done a bit more re-search into these adapters and there is no problem at all using one. The Slim 360 uses the same power requirments as the fat just slightly less current and wattage is required to power it so any 360 Psu is capable of powering the slim as the voltages 12v & 5v are identical.
All the adapter does is swap the pins around so the 12v and 5v are fed to the correct pins for the slim. I have taken the adapter apart as far as I can the end going into the slim is moulded so I cannot get into there and confirmed it is just swapping the pins around. My camera should be back from repair tomorrow so will take some pics although there is not a lot too see...

Hope this helps..
 
Thanks for the update, I'll probably get one any try it then. (I'd rather risk breaking the 360 than put up with the jet noise anymore :p)
 
Hi, just thought Id sign up and top this, as it's the best discussion on it that I've found online. The next best resource has been this YT video

Does anyone else have experience with this setup? I have done a lot of googling and finding actual user experiences are thin on the ground! Which surprises me because I thought anything that makes the system quieter would be pretty popular?!

Id like to do this with my 250GB Matte Slim (UK). I have bought the fat-slim adapter cable which is with me now, I have also bought a: Jasper 150w 12v 12.2a 2008 - 2009 brick which Im waiting to be delivered.
Im away to work tomorrow for 2 weeks so won't get a chance to try it until Im home.

Is this the same as you use MOOGLEYS? Have you had any issues? Will I be safe enough with this?

Has anyone else tried it?

Thanks
 
That's the same as I have been using for well over a year now with a 150w jasper psu and have had no problems at all...
 
Thanks for getting back. From everything I've read online you have supplied the most information! Trust me, I've searched numerous terms, through discussions/blogs/consumer reviews..

There are a few reviews from people saying it bricked their console etc, hence my apprehension. Rather be safe than sorry.

My Xbox gets used pretty heavily so would hate to lose it.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. My slim powerbrick shuts down in approx. 15-30 minutes, and they don't send this transfer adapter to my country:/ Do you think it's safe to cut the wire on my fat myself and somehow find a way to re-connect it with the head of the slim adapter wire (the one that actually connects to the back of the slim)

Haven't found any advice online on how you would do this by yourself, and don't want to mess up my xbox...

The old brick seems to have three yellow wires, three black ones, one grey/white one and one blue. The slim brick seems to have two yellow ones, two black ones, one grey, one red and one blue

Do you think it's okay to wire it up in a way that i just leave out the one extra yellow and one extra black wire and tape them so they won't touch anything?

If anybody has some info on this it would be appriciated. Here is some info on how to use an ATX power supply to run your slim xbox, if it helps at all.. Wiring Method To Power New Elite Xbox 360 With Atx Supply - Scenyx Entertainment Community

Thanks dudes, getting tired of it shutting down so soon. I once opened the brick and cleared out a whole lot of dust. It fixed the problem for a few weeks, but then happened again. Opened it up again and no dust, it must me beyond repairing at this point, since it hasn't got nice treatment since it broke haha.. :)
 
I just recently did this when my slim PSU failed. I didn't see the point in purchasing a replacement since I had a few from the older systems laying around.

The wiring from the two plugs is as below:
Original Plug:
- Three Yellow (12v)
- Three Black (Ground)
- One Red (5vSB)
- One Blue (On/Off)

Slim Plug:
- Two Yellow (12v)
- Two Black (Ground)
- One Red (5vSB)
- One Blue (On/Off)
- One Grey (??? - Could be communication between XBOX and PSU)

You can easily "convert" an original supply (I used a 150W Supply) by connecting the matching colors except for the grey wire. It is not required for the XBOX to function normally. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!



BE SURE TO TAPE EACH CONNECTION WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE TO PREVENT A SHORT. IF YOU DO NOT TAPE THEM PROPERLY YOU WILL RUIN YOUR PSU.

After all connections are made and taped, test the PSU by plugging it in, but DO NOT plug it into the xbox yet. You'll want to verify that the light on the PSU does light up to indicate standby power without any shorts.

Plug the PSU into the XBOX and power it up. If all goes well you should have a working original PSU on a slim XBOX.

Again, this is AT YOUR OWN RISK. Microsoft obviously won't honor a warranty if they know you've done this. This should work for any of the original supplies.
 
Nice info man, is your Slim working smoothly after the fix?

I will probably try this out on sunday, but one thing is bothering me. Since there are one extra wire of both yellow(12W) and black(ground) in the old supply; do I just leave them hanging on their own with tape around them, not connected to anything?
 
The slim is working perfectly with the adapted supply. The reason there are three wires in the old supply is mainly due to the way the power was routed into the original style of motherboard. They split the power off three ways for three independent pin sets in the original connector. The slim seems to be engineered to use only two separate inputs for power.

Since all three of the yellow wires are 12v and all three of the black are ground there is no harm in connecting three wires to two wires. I did not connect mine individually. I soldered all three yellow directly together with the two yellow on the slim and the same for the black. I'm sure it would work perfectly fine if you are more comfortable going one to one with the connections. In that case just leave the extra one out.

It's going to be difficult to cause any damage to the console by trying that. As long as you don't mix up the colors you should be fine.

I have a ton of supplies laying around because I run a computer shop and we repair game consoles. I'll do some more testing on different wiring configurations at a later date but it's really pretty basic. Just match the colors together and ignore the grey wire as it isn't needed for normal power functions.
 
Wow man, thanks a bunch! Finally I have reached the confidence level to do this without unanswered questions, and for that I am very thankful:D

I will leave an update when finished!
 
It worked like a charm! Soldered them all separately (quite frankly not the best soldering job), and left the extra black and yellow out of the circuit, plus the grey one. Still haven't played for more than 15 minutes, but since it boots it must work.

All I left out was the electrical tape to isolate each pair of wires, it will be done first thing in the morning.

This forum and thread made this a reality, thanks guys !
 
Im home tomorrow evening. My ebay PSU has arrived, so I'll be giving the adapter cable a try.

Got a Yamaha YSP2200 Soundbar aswell waiting for me, so being honest that's my priority. I'll get them both hooked up tomorrow evening or Wednesday and will report back.
 
Works a treat! Fantastic! Now all I can concentrate on the hum from my TV haha.
 
Sorry, here's a quick pic for anyone interested. Very happy with this (temporary bedroom) setup.

5uHYA.jpg
 
A bit of help with the other end of the power brick for me please. I upgraded to a xbox slim from an original non hdmi model at Christmas. The trouble is the Kettle lead (from wall socket to power brick) is about 18in shorter than the one used in the older power brick. This mucks up my wire routing set up behind the tv unit. The new kettle lead only has 2 prongs into the power brick, but my old kettle lead has 3 prongs but fits in fine.

Do you think it would be ok to use the old lead?, as I can't find a longer 2 prong lead anywhere.

After doing some searching people mention that a two prong power brick will be double insulated and not need the Earth prong from the old lead and will work fine.
 

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