Fixing My Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows
I have been using two Xbox 360 controllers going through an Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver from Microsoft for several years without issue. Today, I unplugged it to plug it into my girlfriend's laptop, and it would not turn on (Windows didn't even detect that anything was plugged in).
A quick search helped me to discover that the F1 Fuse on the circuit board is prone to failure, and the symptoms matched perfectly. It had been ages since I fired up a soldering iron, but I decided to give it a go.
First, I pried apart the halves of the receiver. If you can get something really thin, you can simply shove it between the two halves and gently pry them apart. I had to be a bit forceful with mine, and it no longer looks new, but I don't really mind. I unplugged the single plug connecting the USB wire to the circuit board, and unscrewed the board from the plastic shell to access the bottom of it.
On the upper right-hand corner, there is a very small fuse labeled F1. Yes, it's practically the smallest thing attached to the board. The fix involved simply bypassing the fuse altogether by applying a small amount of solder to connect the two posts on both sides of the fuse. This will make a connection between the posts, and should allow power to flow normally.
Since I can be a bit ham-fisted, and the work area where the fuse is located is tiny, I was somewhat worried I had damaged the board or something else around it, but I put everything back together and alas, it worked like a charm.
I just avoided having to purchase a replacement Microsoft component--today was a good day!
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