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View Full Version : Project: Paradigm (Xbox 360 case mod)


DAE_JA_VOO
12-30-2007, 02:14 AM
Well, it's christmas, everything is closed, so i can't buy paint or plexi for Endorphin (the mod i'm working on at the moment), and my family is in christmas mode (i don't celebrate christmas so i need to keep myself busy). So, what do i do, i mod something ELSE!! Woohoo!!

Here are the plans so far for this specific 360:

Case Window
Replace the fans with nicer ones
Some modding to the fan duct, maybe chrome it, or import a new one
LEDs in the bottom and the top
LEDs inside the place where the front USB ports are. These LEDs will only be visible if something is plugged into the ports
Internalize the HDD
Mod another HDD into the current HDD enclosure and use that as a device that i can store stuff on from my PC and then view on the 360
LEDs in the optical drive
Optical drive window
HDD activity LED somewhere on the 360... still need to decide
Ethernet activity LED
Change the LEDs on the Ring Of Light (ROL) to blue
Change the LEDs in the controller to blue
Change the LED in the play & charge kit to blue
Maybe an LED fader kit for the LEDs in the case for when the 360 is off
Window in the HDD enclosure
LEDs in the HDD enclosure
Close up the memory card slots and IR view on the front. I don't want that stuff there

So i grabbed one of my 360s and pulled it apart. Here's the top cover:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6088_800.jpg



Inside:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6089_800.jpg



All masked up and ready for some love. Say hello to my little friend!

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6090_800.jpg



Almost done cutting:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6092_800.jpg



Alrighty, panel out:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6094_800.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6096_800.jpg



Now it's all down to lots and lots of sanding...

Sanding done:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6097_800.jpg



A quick test fit:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6102_800.jpg



Excuse the two random wires and masking tape in the 360. Those are wires i've soldered onto the underside of the board for 5V power source.

What i needed now was the window. This is the plexi i'll be using for the window.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6114_800.jpg



Don't worry, it's transparent plexi, it just has a blue protective film over it. I didn't bother cutting that plexi to size just yet because i first want to cut a nice window border like i did here with Endorphin's side panel:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/Genocide/IMG_5539_800.jpg



I'll probably only get to do that next week though when everything opens :(

Anyway, 360 back together:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6104_800.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6111_800.jpg



And back on it's place

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6123_800.jpg



I have a few goodies on their way to me from china. I ordered them just before i went on holiday, so they should be here any day now. I ordered some replacement rear fans, an LED lighting setup... err... can't remember what else :|

Then I started with the HDD enclosure. So, we all know what the HDD looks like in it's default form:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/360hdd/IMG_5722_800.jpg



After opening it up, i pulled the top piece apart from everything else, and then I masked it up:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6158_800.jpg



Almost done cutting:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6167_800.jpg



Done sanding. Just have to make the edges smoother:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6171_800.jpg



Now, the 360 HDD enclosure has a nice chrome side:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6173_800.jpg



That fits like this:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6175_800.jpg



But that little bridge in the middle is in the way, so it needed to go:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6177_800.jpg



All done, no plexi yet though:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6183_800.jpg



And then, finished!! All pimped out with a nice 1.5mm clear plexi window :D

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6187_800.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6190_800.jpg


I just need to get rid of that "Warranty" sticker on the HDD...


I wasn't happy with the HDD window. So i decided to make a flush mount window. This way, instead of having the hole in the cover with a piece of plexi INSIDE, you have a piece of plexi SLIGHTLY larger than the hole, which is then FORCED into the hole and the result is a window that's FLUSH with the cover. It looks a million times better:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6212_800.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6216_800.jpg



Then it was time to get some LED goodness going. So, i took out the HDDs cables:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6203_800.jpg



I needed these two:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6206_800.jpg



Yellow is 5V, black is ground. Wires stripped:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6207_800.jpg



Then after testing with a multimeter, i quickly soldered on an LED just to make sure:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6210_800.jpg



Success. So, after removing that LED, i made these:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6220_800.jpg



I also soldered on a resistor:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6223_800.jpg



Glued the LEDs in place:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6226_800.jpg



Once that was done, all i had to do was put it all together. All done:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6232_800.jpg



Lights off:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6237_800.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6235_800.jpg



Not too bad if i must say so myself!

Now i need to change the LEDs on the ROL (Ring of light) ASAP. The green doesn't exactly go with the blue in the HDD.

MUCH more to come!

Let me know what you guys think.

Regards
Ett
DAE_JA_VOO
03-03-2008, 06:25 PM
Thanks for all the comments guys!


So, I count 3 360's that I can see. Do you think you have enough? Why so many? Anyway, the project looks very cool. The only thing I would suggest doing is to lightly sand the tops of the LED's flat. It'll give them a more diffused look, and not so spotty. Can't wait to see more.
+rep

I have 4 :D

Thanks for the tip BTW ;)




That looks great man!

One question, how do you get the Acrylic to mount flush with the HD casing? That has perplexied me for ages (Bad pun).
It's actually pretty simple. You need to cut the plexi SLIGHTLY smaller than the hole it's going to fit into, and then just force it in there ;)

Update!!

Okay, this isn't much of an update, but i've got one or two things to share :)

A nice little package arrived from Honk Kong:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6447.jpg



Included in this package were the following:

A set of Blue Talismoon rear fans:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6454.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6455.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6456.jpg



Compared to the stock fans:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6458.jpg



A new fan duct:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6460.jpg



Compared to the stock fan duct:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6463.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6465.jpg


Some LEDs:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6467.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6468.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6469.jpg



(yes, i know, i could have made those myself. But i'm lazy, and they were cheap :P )

And lastly, the replacement cover for my DVD drive:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6470.jpg



The bummer about the DVD drive cover is that it requires me to tear open my original cover for the little balancing goodie:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6476.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6477.jpg



Which is then held in place with this:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6482.jpg



I dunno if i'm gonna keep that piece though. I might make my own one...

Anyway, stock fan:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6485.jpg



New fan:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6490.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6491.jpg



Fan duct in place, and testing:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_6496.jpg



I then also wired up the new LEDs. All power from the bottom of the motherboard:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_7643.jpg



I ALSO changed the LEDs on the ROL, from green to blue:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_7655.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_7656.jpg



I then threw it all together just for a quick test to see how it looks:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_7654.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_7657.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/IMG_7660.jpg



Tomorrow i'm gonna go get some paint. Can't wait to finish this baby :D
DAE_JA_VOO
05-02-2008, 08:02 PM
Thanks guys!

Final pics!!!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I was pushed to finish it towards the end and just didn't have the time or patience to do updates ;)


http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8102.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8104.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8106.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8108.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8110.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8114.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8115.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8116.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8122.jpg



A nice clear shot of the paintjob:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8124.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8125.jpg



And the DVD ROM window:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8142.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8141.jpg



The controller:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8111.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8113.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8126.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8127.jpg



And of course, some shots of the lighting:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8129.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8130.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8133.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8134.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8136.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8137.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8140.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8138.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c267/DAE_JA_VOO/first360mod/img_8139.jpg



Let me know what you guys think! :D


Link To Original Worklog (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12508)