Thread: XBox360 Struct by lightening

Get a proper relay and electrical wiring. Lightning shouldn't be able to roast your electronic equitment as far as I know.

As for your Xbox360, try getting a power supply from a friend. If that doens't work, the system is probably broken and you should speak to Microsoft or your hardware vendor. If they won't fix the system or replace it, you'll have to buy a new one.

Originally Posted by Marvo

Get a proper relay and electrical wiring. Lightning shouldn't be able to roast your electronic equitment as far as I know.

Lightening ruining electrical equipment is actually pretty common, especially with devises like stationary computers and gaming consoles, but it's also been known to fry TVs and other stuff. It's not unwise to get a power surge protector. The things are fairly cheap, much cheaper than replacing anything that brakes. Remember, lightening can indeed strike twice.

Lightning generates a natural electromagnetic pulse that is capable of inducing
currents in electronics miles away. Your Xbox is likely destroyed. You can still
try a new power cord, just in case, but don't get your hopes up.

If you're lucky, the power supply will have taken the blast, sparing the console itself. If you're unlucky, serious damage to the console has been done, which would require repair or replacement.

Get a new power cord and supply, or borrow one, and try it.

Like khh said, get a surge protector. You can get one pretty cheap. I have all my expensive electronics plugged into surge protectors and I've never lost anything to lightning or power surges. The worst that will happen is everything plugged into it will lose power for a second or two. I highly reccomend it.

Originally Posted by Invader

Lightning generates a natural electromagnetic pulse that is capable of inducing
currents in electronics miles away. Your Xbox is likely destroyed. You can still
try a new power cord, just in case, but don't get your hopes up.

Do you have a source on this or something? Can't say I've ever heard of lightning destroying any kind of advanced electronic equipment that is 'miles' away.

Huh, so apparently we have lightning detection systems that work
because of the simple EMP bursts that are generated by lightning, but
I'm not getting anything on it destroying modern electronics either because
of the protection measures we have against it or due to simple electronics
hardening (a means of making electronic equipment resistant to damaging
electromagnetic effects, like microwave radiation), but I didn't figure we
applied hardening methods to anything more than military equipment. If
that's the case then I feel I must have mixed up a previous article on EMP
weapon design, and in that was brought up the many-mile range.
Weapons, not lightning. *sigh*

There IS another interesting thing to note about lightning and surge
protectors, though. A surge protector will do nothing if the direct powerline
to your home is hit, in which case one would need something called a lightning arrestor.
The device becomes conductive under high potential currents and would
divert current around the device to be protected and into the ground.

If your Xbox is broken, good luck getting a free replacement. I'm not sure about the Microsoft warranty specifically, but most warranties for electronic devices become void if the problem is caused by "External forces, water or lightning damage, or Acts of God". No joke.

Originally Posted by oniman7

If your Xbox is broken, good luck getting a free replacement. I'm not sure about the Microsoft warranty specifically, but most warranties for electronic devices become void if the problem is caused by "External forces, water or lightning damage, or Acts of God". No joke.

I'm not sure of where Hard Wired lives, but this doesn't necessarily apply to EU countries.

My house was struck by lightning last May. I was playing the xbox in my room at the time, and the lightning hit the roof literally feet from me. At first it seemed like it fried everything, but it turned out it just blew all the trip switches and exploded all phone/internet/tv wires. Your xbox may not be fucked, try using it in somebody else's house before buying a new one.
EDIT: Never mind, I just saw where you said it happened a month ago.

most warranties for electronic devices become void if the problem is caused by "External forces, water or lightning damage, or Acts of God". No joke.

They gave us "act of god" when we asked them for insurance money to fix the digital tv box... bastards. I would have thought that would be the exact kind of thing you have contents insurance for...