XBox Magicbox - why xbl headsets won't work

[billy_dimashq]

OK this isn't a question. We all know Live headsets don't work with the Magic Boxes, but I have figured out why.

Basically, for some strange reason, the memory card slot on the magic box is slot number 2 (not number 1, the top slot on a regular joypad). When you plug the Live dongle in (by removing the casing), the green light comes on but nothing else happens (clicking the button doesn't do anything either).

It got me thinking - maybe the port isn't supplying enough power? I didn't have my multimeter to hand, but, plugging the Live dongle into the second slot on a regular XBox pad displays the same symptoms.

Also, when you plug a mem card into the Magic Box and access it from the dashboard, it'll say MU 1B (or 2B/3B/4B depending on which port the box is plugged in to) which means the second slot of the first pad. if it was in the first slot, it'd say MU 1A, obviously.

Now, I'm wondering, how can this be fixed? Can it even BE fixed? Looking at the Magic box circuit board, there are 3 long rectangular chips, and another one away from them that is quite flat (28-legs, 14 either side). I'm assuming the 3 are probably the converters for each controller port (1 for saturn, 1 for ps2 and 1 for dc).

Now, if the main 28-pin chip is the actual controller, then the problem is that i believe it contains the circuitry for both the xbox pad AND the pad's hub (xbox pads are essentially usb hubs, with the 'pad' circuitry and both mem card slots connected to the 'hub')

if they were separate chips (like they are on the regular pads, i think anyway!) then i could probably just rewire the port so it'd be connected correctly and would show up as port A not B

so, now we know WHY the live headset won't work with a magicbox, what are your thoughts on how to sort this out? there MUST be a way!

[atom]

Can you please enlighten me as to what a magic box is?

[phreak97]

from the description, im willing to bet the magicbox is a converter to play xbox using playstation, saturn, or dreamcast controllers.

billy_dimashq, where might i get one, and what would it cost?
if this thing has three controller decoders in it, it might be worth getting just to hack apart. a dreamcast decoder could be fun.. i already have the ports in the shed. also i have some 'NFG' saturns (thanks lawrence for that term ) coming in in the next week, so i might be able to pull the ports from one of those too.

[atom]

Yeah After a couple daysI decided to google it and found it at Lik-Sang. But remember, what will be cheaper to manufacture, 3 decoders and one encoder or one big transcoder? Although his description of the PCB is giving some hope... Perhaps our buddy could take it apart and take a pic! PLEASE TAKE A PIC OF THE PCB!

And as far as xbox live headsets not working, your controller is basically a USB hub. First splt is the first card slot where live headsets work, 2nd is the other card slot, 3rd is your controller. Xbox controllers are USB, you can lop off the end and plug it right into your computer and it will detect that its there, and will even function as a usb gamepad with a driver. You could rip away the transcoder and make a whole new PCB with a usb hub, but thats a long shot and you might break a couple magic boxes in the process. This is all in theory of course, good luck.

although, to be honest with you I would rather play with an XBox controller on my dreamcast, not the other way.

[Mr-Megalo]

Billy_Dimashq - theres a thread about this on shoryuken forum, someone has reported to have gotten a headset working but when the procedure was tried again on a different unit, it didnt work

[phreak97]

pics?

i might actually concider buying one of these.. i dont have an xbox, but i can mod the box to plug into my pc, and to plug into whatever the hell i fell like if there are seperate decoders..

[atom]

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=...oducts_id=1892&

[phreak97]

yeah, thanks, but i already found it there:P
still waiting on pics to see if it's worth getting or not though.

[atom]

This is going to be like the guy who said his snes mini had RGB.

[phreak97]

yeah.. probably:P

i might buy it and post the images myself. even if it turns out to be one crappy chip to do the lot, i can still mod it so my pc thinks it's an xbox controller. at least itll be slightly useful to convert controllers for play on pc.