Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Minecraft Split Screen on Xbox Without HDMI Cable

Our kids bought an older XBOX that does not have an HDMI port.  It is connected to our 1080p HDTV with component video cables.  There are 6 colored cables coming from the XBOX connector and we have 5 of them plugged in to the TV (the yellow one dangles and is not connected).

The boys tried everything to get Minecraft to work in split screen mode, where they can play at the same time.  They switched the cable to the "HDTV" setting.  This is what we had to do to get it to work:

1. In the XBOX menus, go to "Settings" and then "System Settings"
2. Select "Console Settings"
3. Select "Display Settings"
4. Select "HDTV"
5. Click 1080p for the screen resolution

After this, the boys started dancing around the room because split screen was working!

Dishwasher Not Draining

If your dishwasher is not draining, try the following before calling a plumber or looking for a replacement:

1. Remove the front plates at the bottom of the dishwasher
2. Get some shallow dishes ready
3. Disconnect the pipe from the drain hose coming out of the dishwasher.  Allow water to drain into dishes
4. Take digital photos of all pipe connections.  Remove all pipe connections in all drain pipes from dishwasher to sink.  Most clamps can be removed using either needle-nose pliers or a flathead screwdriver.
5. Drain all pipes and remove any debris
6. Re-connect pipes

This took a few hours, but after we did this and removed all the gunk from the pipes, the dishwasher started draining again like new.  The primary culprit seemed to be the special white V-pipe that comes up to the ink level.  Next time we will try this one first, since it can be removed without taking the dishwasher apart.