xBook Worklog (Now Powered via PicoPSU!!)

[Harlequin]

probably talking out of my @$$ but this seems to happen with a lot of portables and the only conclusion I can come to is that the video signals are affected by the "bounce" in available electrical current, since we often run so many extras essentially in series from point A to point D. adding grounds seems to allow the signal to reduce the bounce. I would imagine the Caps that someone else mentioned are used in the same manner....

Oh yeah thought of something else that might help with the power situation... not on a permanent basis but would still help a bit, introduce a delay in the power on for DVD. Some guy was trying to get a burner to work in his xbox but found that the draw was too much with the HDD powering at the same time. He introduced a delay on the DVD and it allowed him the ability to power up...

unfortunately he has taken the site down... and the email I got from the guy didn't document that either.. damn... I believe he put a resistor on one of the IDE channels on the DVD drive side of things...

[hackmodford]

I have no problem powering up.
It's just my video signal not working right.

The only thing I have powered is

12DC PSU > PicoPSU > Xbox

so i'm not powering any "extras"

[hackmodford]

I'm also puzzled to why the xbox-scene modders couldn't get this working without some modification to the xbox.
Maybe it depends on the xbox version?

Mine is 1.4
I'm using the picoPSU 120 DC-DC
Sickmod's ATX adaptor

And it powers it just fine. I have some weird grounding issues going on though.
But yeah it works fine for me...

[jdmlight]

This got bumped to the top of my "active topics" list, so I read through it. All 10 pages. Anyway, looking great so far!

[hackmodford]

That makes me feel good

Got any ideas regarding the ground issue?

[jdmlight]

That makes me feel good

Got any ideas regarding the ground issue?

Do you have another monitor you could plug your Xbox into? Then, do you have another device you can plug into the monitor you plan on using in your portable?

This will narrow down the source of the problem. If you plug your Xbox into another TV and it's the same issue, it's somewhere on the Xbox side (bad ground, you need to add the capacitor as previously mentioned, etc); if you plug something into your portable's monitor and you get the same problem, it could be something with your monitor.

[hackmodford]

I grabbed my video glasses I bought a while back (you know those personal video screen things. They're supposed to be HUGE but are really tiny when you stare at them)

Anyways... the picture was fine... I'm trying to find something to plug into the screen to test that way.

So as of right now... it appears the monitor is broken or something. (Maybe my spliced power cable is no good? If the screen is bad this project is done. I'm not investing another $160 for a monitor...

But the cool thing is it appears I have an xbox that runs on 12V DC
Which is just plain AWESOMELY COOL right?

I'm gonna try the capacitors soon. But since graduation is coming up, plus senior trip, etc. It might be a while

UPDATE: I remembered I had one of those tiny PSOne's in my closet. I plugged that baby up to my screen and got a perfect picture
what does that mean? What could be wrong on the xbox side? Is it the picoPSU? Does it just not give the video line enough juice? Could that be why it works on a tiny screen in the video glasses but not a monitor? Got any ideas?

[samjc3]

wow. i feel bad that i havent commented on this yet.

i have no idea. perhaps the xbox is over or underdriving the screen? (i had that issue with a SNES. needed a resistor.) different screens have different ranges of video they will accept. try amplfying or putting a resistor on the video line. i assume you are using composite?

[hackmodford]

Everything...

Composite works the best. It's like it's just some minor interference with composite.
RF was horrid but it would keep a picture at least.
Svideo is just a little worse than composite.
Component (which is what I want) behaves as if it can barely "drive" the picture. My screen will black in and out like there's no signal.

So if anything it needs to be amplified. Would the capacitor idea work maybe?

Also weird thing if I attach more grounds to the monitor the picture improves. But never to the point of being perfect.

Curiouser and Curiouser..

[samjc3]

sounds like interference. get some nice shielded cable?

[hackmodford]

The video cable is just a stock cable. No hardwired stuff yet...

[hackmodford]

Capacitors didn't make a lick of difference.
I then seperated the PSU's as far apart as they would go... now that made a difference. Weird...

Anyways I shorted something and now when the xbox is off the fan goes full blast

In any case I'm getting kind of tired of this project... anybody want to buy it?
I would throw in the xbox, screen, picopsu, the case (or what's done of it) basically everything I've acumulated that's supposed to be in this project.

Anybody want it? I really need some money anyways...

[snowpenguin]

Interested in selling the case alone?

What size is the screen?

[hackmodford]

No not really.

The screen is 15" or somewheres around there...
You can input RF, Composite, S-Video, Component, VGA, HDMI, and some sort of serial connector.

[snowpenguin]

Well, what are you looking to get for the whole thing, unless you want to sell the screen and case alone?