Xbox mods and drift {OT} a bit was: Re: [plug] Success!

[Harry McNally]

On Thu, 13 Feb 2003 14:15:13 +0800 Quintin Lette <quintin at arach.net.au> wrote:

> How big is the PSU in them? how much work would I be up for if i intended to 
> rip one to pieces and put it in a 1RU case (ex altronics)? I would prefer it 
> if I could still use the PSU (as it would be totally pointless if I needed a 
> 1RU PSU, might as well use PC components)
> Just a thought :-)

My main concern (that we should be more mindful of) is relocating the guts into
a 1U case without considering EMC (Electro Magnetic Compliance).

The Xbox has metal screening inside and the modder was keen to see that the
wires were kept short and the chip was inside the screen. That way any
unexpected antennas created by the extra wires will still be within the
screen (yep, a Faraday Cage) so additional RF radiation is kept to a
minimum.

If the Altronics rack is not electrically connected all along the panel
seams or there are long slotted vent holes then it may not perform well
as a screen compared with the custom designed screen in the Xbox case itself.

All manufactured electronic gadgets now have to have the CE mark to show they
have been tested and passed a maximum radiated noise threshold over a range of
frequencies. The standards are more strict in Europe.

Here's the simplified explanation (!):

http://www.ce-mag.com/archive/02/Spring/zombolas.html

An example of the charts designers have to work with.

http://www.emctech.com.au/samptrac.html

So there you go possums. And you thought the box was to make things look
tidy and keep the cat out of the whirling bits :-)

What I find intersting about all this is the amount of a very characteristic
ADSL noise I get in my AM radio as I drive around. If you'd like to
experiment, tune to 810 where it's mostly high brow speaking with plenty of
quiet bits ;-) and pull up outside of an ADSL equipped Telstra exchange.

I don't want to see ADSL stop (please, please) but how did this get past
the spectrum watchdogs ?

cu
Harry

btw EMC _also_ means the gadget won't be affected by external noise some of
which is static from people as well as mobile phones etc. People static
is simulated by "the finger" a programmable gun that directs selectable
amounts of energy in the range 2 to 25KV onto the buttons and case of
the DUT (device under test).

Here's one:
http://www.avalontest.com/shop/schaffner_nsg432.htm

Hard to see but the "test finger" is the orange "finger" at the
business end of the gun. 

Proof (from a designers perspective) that all EMC testers are evil :-)

-- 
linux.conf.au 2003		The Australian Linux Technical Conference
http://linux.conf.au/		22-25 January 2003 in Perth, Western Australia
It was huge.			Adelaide next year. I'm going.

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