Scratch Build – In Progress X360 Scratch-built project [Update 29/03/09!]

Not sure on a title for this yet, but I'll leave that for now.

Atm, this is still at the concept stage, so don't get too excited.

Since the Lian Li Xbox case came out, and after seeing various awesome mods for the 360 surface all over the internets, I've toyed with starting a proper mod based around one. For me, the 360 is let down by 2 things - its uglyness, and the ridiculous noise it makes. So a custom case would be a pretty good idea imo.

So far, I've sketchupped this:




The rads are Black Ice micro with 80mm fans to keep the size down. The blocks are, temporarily, EK NF4 northbridge blocks with angle-barbs (that I knocked up, so they're not exact either). The pump is (for now) an MCP350, although any small pump would do. The 350 is a bit pricey for this project really, it's meant to be fairly cheap, so #50 for a pump is a bit much. Any suggestions for an alternative?

The actual case itself is ~5mm Acrylic (haven't paid much attention to material thickness yet), which means the build itself will be relatively simple in terms of tools and skills (both of which I have little of).

Atm the DVD drive is just sitting on sufficiently extruded legs from the original Sketchup model, so no real basis in reality tbh.

The temp gauge would be a water temperature gauge, and again that's a temporary idea - it could easily end up being a Matrix-orbital type fan controller/temp monitor idea yet.

Haven't really thought on front fascia and DVD-tray ideas yet, what do you guys think? Chances are this'll be made from opaque acrylic too, so no need for fancy lighting etc, just a simple case with a WC'd 360 in it.

Anyway, I'd better list stuff to do to keep my obsessive tendencies at bay:
1) Front fascia
2) DVD drive mount (hopefully rubber dampened, to chill that noisy fool out)
3) Rear plate with port locations etc
4) Top cover for fans etc
5) HDD mount
6) Fillport location - I'd like to have one on a T-piece between the pump inlet and the rad.

Any suggestions, comments, criticisms, Sketchup tips (I'm seriously noob) ?

If anyone wants that rough model of the right-angle barb, I'll happily post it up here. It's very rough, and doesn't actually correspond to a proper part, but it looks about right for simple modelling.

 

Im very interested in this. Unfortunately my Box RROD'd last week so microsoft have it now. Subscribed.

 

Looks cool. A few suggestions:

-Why two 80mm radiators? Can't you just use a dual 80mm one? I think one dual would be cheaper then 2 single.

-XSPC now make a block for the 360 that covers both cpu/gpu, made out of copper/delrin.

-pump: I think the tiny DangerDen pump is cheaper, and it has 1/4" threads.

-temp gauge: Lian li make a tiny monitoring display with 3 temp sensors and a few fan controllers, costs about 30€

Keep up the good work!

 

Looking awesome so far.

Is the CD drive a regular 5.25" PC jobbie in the 360? Can it be replaced by a slimline slot loader from a laptop?

 

alpha: I hadn't thought of an 80.2 radiator, I'll look into it - I just used the models which are listed in the Sketchup model database over in the modding section.

I've seen the XSPC block, but it's a bit pricey imo, and a pair of old CPU blocks should do fine here imo.

Thanks for the pump and temp thingy advice, I'll check it out! I might make my own LCD monitoring job yet, we'll see if I find one I fancy, and how adventurous I'm feeling with my soldering iron.

identikit: Iirc the DVD drive is a non-standard power job, with weird voltages to boot - presumably to stop people replacing 'em.
What I might do is mod an mATX PSU, that way I can have a normal SATA DVD drive in there. Or, as you say, a slimline DVD drive from a laptop.

To both - cheers for the compliments!

 

Afaik you cant. The 360 dvd rom has signed/registered firmware that the 360 itself looks for and allows it to play games. If you try to use another dvd drive you get banned.

(You could always add a mod-chip/kernel and keep it off Live)

 

The voltages arent that weird http://www.kev.nu/360/dvdshort.html


You can also mod that matx psu to power the 360. I'll go look for that.
here

 

Thanks - I knew there was something that stopped DVD swapping, just couldn't remember what. Voltages definitely aren't weird, I'll retract that comment right now.

I'm building this to be as close to standard as possible really, so the Live! functionality will have to stay, it looks like I'll be keeping the DVD drive and making an anti-vibe mount.

 

Ah yes, I remember now, that's why I've seen quite a few people with multiple 360s. 1 has a modded drive to play... a-hem certain games

 

Extremetech used Dynamat to quiet a 360 they had. And it helped a little bit.
Clicky.

Make sure you include the HDD somewhere in there. Since you can load your games onto the HDD now, it is much quieter when playing game. I see it in your sketch up but how are you planning on connecting it?

 

Cool idea Krikkit! Look forward to seeing it.

 

I don't have a 360 myself but its great to see a custom case for one, good luck!

 

Got a PS3?

 

Nooo PC Only =D aswell as a few retro consoles of course.

 

Thanks for the Dynamat suggestion, I'll look into it!

As for the HDD, it'll be down the bottom somewhere, possibly in a caddy-type affair for easy access. Connection might be tricky, but I'm going to make something up when I actually get my hands on a 360 with a HDD.

I'm glad there's some interest in this project, there don't seem to be that many simple scratch builds for a 360 case. Half are modded original cases, or something otherworldy and crazy.

Thanks for the support!

 

looks like a good project. i'll keep y eye on it

 

Couldn't you raise the motherboard up on some standoffs and have the HDD and CD drive under it? Then you can see the complete mobo and w/c setup through the case without any obstructions (if the acrylic is going to be clear that is).

 

I haven't decided on a clear/opaque acrylic yet. If I go with clear acrylic, I'll end up spending ages trying to make it look "right", rather than getting it finished.

The other trouble is that, with the mobo above the drive, it still needs quite a bit of height for the ports etc. I want to try and avoid soldering on the mobo as much as possible, especially on the display and power ports, so I'd end up with a much larger case.

 

Any news on this? Looked like a decent plan

 

I've been a bit skint atm, but thanks to RinSewand, I've got myself a pump now.

It's a DDC with a plexi top, so it's perfect for this project.

I also grabbed a pair of Zalman GPU blocks for cheap from the awesome www.specialtech.co.uk

I'm probably going to have a bash at getting the thing working next week, I've got a 120mm rad sitting around I can use, so if I can get the coolers mounted, I'll borrow my housemate's 360 bits and bats to get it working in a cardboard jig.

Pics will follow shortly.