Project: Paradigm (Xbox 360 case mod)

[DAE_JA_VOO]

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:

Inside:

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

Almost done cutting:

Alrighty, panel out:

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

Sanding done:

A quick test fit:

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.

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:

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

Anyway, 360 back together:

And back on it's place

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:

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

Almost done cutting:

Done sanding. Just have to make the edges smoother:

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

That fits like this:

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

All done, no plexi yet though:

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

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:

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

I needed these two:

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

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

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

I also soldered on a resistor:

Glued the LEDs in place:

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

Lights off:

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

[UrbanLegend_NY]

Looks good man! I ones had a 360 of my own. I water cooled it with Koolace's 360 kit and had a sweet window cut out with a beautiful Ferrari stallion on the side but then I sold it.. Looks like you've gotten to know the dremel tool fairly well. I try to teach people but some people are just not teachable lol but its a great tool. That blue looks sweet in there too.

UL_NY

[SgtM]

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

[chaksq]

I really like that flush window. I think you should try the side panel like that too if you can. I'm also wondering why you have so many XBox 360s, want to give me one?

[Omega]

If I had another 360 (I don't want to muck up my brand new one =p) I would totally mod it. Anywho, looking good.

[UrbanLegend_NY]

Originally Posted by Omega

If I had another 360 (I don't want to muck up my brand new one =p) I would totally mod it. Anywho, looking good.

Give it day or two.. It'll be just another one laying around lol.. I thought the same thing but then came to the conclusion of whats the diff you your just gona cut into it late for the benefit not just to destroy it.. Modding doesn't need a reason. Just a good set of tools and a steady hand! So crack it open hack it up and break some warranties. Microsoft wont repair a broken one anyways they've given up on them..

UL_NY

[Mitternacht]

I did the blue LED conversion for the Ring of Lights; i even changed the lights on my controller too. And if my hard drive was gonna stay external, I'd definitely do the HDD LED's.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Mate this looks fantastic. I know a site that has all after market mods for the 360, thy have things that will do everything you are doing. Let me know if you want the link. Also, why do you have 3 360s, I can't even afford 1 lol.

[dexaroni]

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).

[.Maleficus.]

Originally Posted by dexaroni

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).

He said that you make the plexi a little bigger than the hole (read LITTLE) and force it into the hole. That makes it tight and flush.

This is looking great man, and when I get a 360 I might mod it now!

Also, for the HDD activity light, why not just make the blue LEDs the HDD activity lights? It would be blinking a lot, but might look cool.