Jim Squires, a blogger at The BBPS recently experienced quite the scare with his Rock Band USB hub. While the unit was plugged into the wall and his Xbox 360 was turned on, the cord for the hub began smoldering. No structural damage or cats were harmed during the episode, but the same can’t be said about Squire’s USB cord.
Like any rational person, Squires contacted EA customer service about the issue:
My Rock Band 4-port USB hub started a small electrical fire. It was being
used as it was intended. It had four instruments plugged in for about ten
minutes and was connected to both the AC-adapter and the Xbox 360.
And like any rational, massive conglomerate, EA was sympathetic to the issue in a return e-mail:
Check to see if the customer has plugged the AC Power Adaptor into the USB
Hub and a wall outlet in order to provide power to the USB Hub.
Power Down Xbox 360, and unplug everything, but the USB Hub, AC Adapter.
Plug in One Peripheral to a port on the USB Hub.
Turn on the Xbox 360 to see if it is working.
Of course, it’s extremely likely that EA will replace the cord. The only problem is getting through the robots first. Have any of you experienced this issue? Do you think EA designed the cord like this on purpose to encourage people to buy Rock Band 2 and its wireless instrumentation?
[via X3F]