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XBox 360 Rock Band 2 guitar sync problem

ErandusErandus Registered User regular
edited August 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
So, a couple weeks ago, our Xbox red ringed. We let it sit for a while and finally went and bought a brand new Arcade version. The guitar sat in a closet during that time. We took our harddrive off the old xbox and put it on the new one. All the game data and rockband songs and whatnot are there. When I was setting up the xbox, just getting it turned on and running, I used the controller out of the box that it came in. I was able to power on the xbox with the controller without even syncing it.

I grab my RB2 wireless guitar out of the closet and try to sync it. When I hit the sync button on the guitar, nothing happens. If i hit the xbox button on the guitar, all 4 lights on the guitar flash slowly about a dozen times, then quickly 3 or 4 times. This repeats endlessly until I pull the batteries. Any combination of hitting/holding the xbox and sync buttons is completely ineffective. The lights do not spin at any time on the guitar when I hit the sync button. I just got back from running out for brand new fresh batteries. No difference.

Is my controller fucked?

[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Erandus on

Posts

  • ascannerlightlyascannerlightly Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    only way to know is to take it to a friend's house or a game store and try to sync it to any other 360

    ascannerlightly on
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  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Extra tidbit:

    The guitar still turns on the old xbox... which red-rings, naturally, but still responds to the power cycle command.

    And then the guitar goes on to reproduce it's 4 blinking lights pattern and is non responsive to the sync button.

    But if it's busted why can it still turn on the old xbox? :P

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • ascannerlightlyascannerlightly Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    maybe it's like the beep codes on a motherboard? maybe the guide button works and it will send the power on command, but maybe some of the other buttons no longer function? one of those buttons possibly being the sync button (or maybe the whole device itself)?

    ascannerlightly on
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  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Googling for blink codes for the controllers gets me nowhere, unfortunately. Since the thing will not respond to the sync button no matter what I try, I'm currently under the assumption the thing is b0rked and I'll be buying a new one, unless anyone can come up with something else to try.

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • ascannerlightlyascannerlightly Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    did you buy the new arcade from a game stop ish store? you could take it and the guitar there and ask to hook it up to the display/demo tv to test it. telling the guy you're there to either return the arcade or buy a new guitar will help.

    ascannerlightly on
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  • Sir CarcassSir Carcass I have been shown the end of my world Round Rock, TXRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Did you press the sync button on the Xbox itself?
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    Sir Carcass on
  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Yes, I did press the sync button on the Xbox. I tried pressing the sync on the guitar first, on the xbox first, both at the same time, while other controllers were already connecting, while no controllers were connected, holding both down for extended periods, holding one down and pressing the other, basically all possible combinations of pressing sync buttons.

    The problem really seems to be that the guitar refuses to recognize it's sync button being pressed. If you press sync with the guitar off, nothing happens. If you hit the guide button to turn the guitar on and then press sync, it does not register in any way at all. The green lights never 'spin'. They just blink out their same pattern, 12 slow blinks, 4 fast blinks, repeat ad nauseum. I called XBox support last night (who told me in a nice way to go buy a new goddamn guitar), and while I was on the phone with them for ~ 20 minutes, and did not touch the guitar the whole time, the guide button lights never stopped blinking on it.

    It can turn on my old red-ringed xbox, but even after holding the guide button down turns that xbox on, the guitar gets up to it's old tricks of repeating the blinking pattern.

    Final note - It seems that the guitar is also dedicated to teasing me. In swapping out batteries, I tried a set of generic Hy-Vee (local grocery chain) batteries. Apparently those batteries are nearly dead because the guide button lights come on, but very faintly and they fade quickly. However, they do the "battery low" spin pattern instead of the solid blink, and wonder of wonders, the sync button makes the lights do the 'spin'.... just before the guitar dies because the batteries are too dead.

    I'm just gonna go back to my GH2 X-plorer until I get a new RB2 guitar.

    This is why I fucking hate needless wireless controllers. I ain't trying to play from 20 feet away from my tv, or run wildly around.. Wires just aren't that much of a shackle to me.

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • GanluanGanluan Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I have had issues with controllers syncing to a different console before.

    After pressing the sync button on the 360, hold down the sync button for a couple seconds on the guitar while it is already on. If that doesn't work, try holding down both sync buttons at the same time, and make sure both are powered on.

    Also, having low batteries will cause syncing to be a real pain in the ass.

    Ganluan on
  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Tried all various combinations of holding vs simply pressing the sync buttons. Single press on both, single press on guitar first and xbox 2nd, single press of xbox first and guitar second, holding one before the other, holding both at the same time, with the guitar switched on from the guide button, with the guitar switched off entirely.

    The guitar simply refuses to respond to a press of the sync button. It should make the lights around the guide button go into the spin pattern, but it does not interrupt it's current 4-light blink pattern in any way. It just refuses to acknowledge the sync button has been pressed. And if the guitar is turned on, it continues its blink pattern indefinitely until the batteries are pulled. It never reverts back to a powered off state.

    Tried with fresh batteries right out of the packet, slightly used batteries, batteries dead enough to make it do the 'low battery' flash but still function for a while, and batteries that had only enough power left to bring the lights on to a very low level for 5-10 seconds.

    Conclusion is that the guitar is probably dead. Google shows me a lot of people having this "4 lights blinking slow and then fast" pattern, and other people showing up in the thread saying they have the same problem, but nary a solution to be found.

    I'm going with "busted".

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • ascannerlightlyascannerlightly Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    i still say you should take it with you to the store and ask that they let you try syncing it to the demo 360.

    as a side-note: have you tried the ghwt guitar? (since you're going to buy a new one anyway). i have yet to talk to anyone on the fence, they always love one and hate the other. i personally can't stand the rb guitar(s).

    ascannerlightly on
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  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Well, I hated the RB1 guitar, but I love -LOVE- the RB2 one. I tried playing tonight, using my old Xplorer, and I can't believe I ever liked that thing. The RB2 guitar is better than the RB1 and the Xplorer in every conceivable fashion.

    I have fiddled with a GHWT guitar, and I find it to be "nice". I liked the RB2 better by far.

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Maybe it's a placebo, but I always find holding the guitar right in front of the 360 helps.

    DarkPrimus on
  • ErandusErandus Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I was rubbing them up against each other at one point.

    Erandus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • ascannerlightlyascannerlightly Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    what were you wearing?

    ascannerlightly on
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