the prophet of mephisto

while perusing the work logs forum a few days ago, i came across higgins' great playstationpc thread. i dug around in the pictures a bit, which got me looking around at prices and stats for the new itx standard and the atom 330.


which lead to this idea.


being an xbox kind of guy as opposed to ps1, my plan is to take an original xbox (broken, they're way cheaper that way) and mod it into an HTPC/conversation piece for my stereo cabinet at home. i might add some adjustable cathode lights along the bottom for effects. i'll add a few fans (likely exhaust under the top logo and intake on the back), replace the controller ports with USB plugs taken from a few old cases i have sitting around, and generally attempt to keep it looking as much the same as the original as possible. i intend to use the original power button. the eject button will likely wind up being used for controlling the lights, if i choose to add them. i will also likely paint the case (my dad's an auto mechanic and has the tools sitting in our garage back home).


parts:
-used and broken xbox, purchased from ebay
-intel BLKD945GCLF2 mini-itx motherboard with included dual-core Atom 330 @ 1.6ghz
-picoPSU-120 12V DC-DC ATX power supply
-dvd-rom drive from newegg
-usb connectors and wiring from extra cases
-ddr2 667 ram from newegg
-80g hard drive from newegg


what do you think? i'll post pictures as i have them. i'm bidding on a few broken xboxes on ebay as we speak, so i should get one within the next few days.


a few questions for you guys. do you think i'll need a video card if i'm intending to watch content that's up to 720p in quality? (i back up all my dvds onto my main system, which has a blue-ray/hd drive on it) if so, which should i go with? i'd like to keep the cost down as much as possible. would i need to upgrade to a 120w kit instead of a 90w kit if i added one?

step one: xbox acquired and disassembled.
step two: parts ordered, en route


thanks (so far) go out to: llamma.com's xbox mod section, www.mini-box.com

the prophet of mephisto

i should probably reserve at least one.

the prophet of mephisto

eh, make it one more.

tindolos

Sounds like a cool project. Sub'd

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the prophet of mephisto

yeah, and if anyone has an idea as to where to get a broken xbox original besides ebay, let me know! i've found them in various places, but they're all like 70 bucks.

the prophet of mephisto

xbox acquired - pics to come soon.

I AM TEH LAW GIVAH

good luck! seems like a good idea

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Drift0r

A good idea would be to use the old Xbox's eject disk button and attach that to a DVD drive (same could probably go with the power button). Quite tricky to install but would be real nice. I'd like to see the end result. Good luck!

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the prophet of mephisto

i forgot to take pictures of it before i disassembled it, but here's what i found.



there's all the case parts in the box, disassembled. all xboxes have two layers to the case - a plastic layer and a thin metal box inside as well. the plastic layer is what i'll mod up - but i will likely use the metal box to help organize everything in the htpc itself.



there's a better view of the case parts. i'm still planning on using the front buttons if at all possible.



here's the header for the front buttons. i'm going to try to find some wiring diagrams so i can see what button does what. the eject button should be able to stay wired the way it is (the dvd player's power and controls are attached directly to the motherboard with data through an IDE cable, so this should be easy to continue using). the power button will get a bit rewired, and i'm going to use it like a standard momentary switch with the picopsu.



here's the internals in the metal casing that's inside of the plastic case. i'm probably going to install the internals into either a handbuilt case or an old 386 desktop case i've got sitting around for the lulz. with an expanded hard drive, of course. i might just chop up a broken 360 to run backups and xbox originals instead, i haven't decided if it's worth the time getting the software to run backups off of the (also hacked) hard drive.



here's a better picture of the motherboard and psu of the xbox. most of this is coming out, of course. a worthy item to note is that the front controller ports are connected through a header card to the motherboard...but they're almost exactly the same as standard usb. i might even be able to reuse the header, we'll see. i'll probably just wind up using those brackets to hold reused usb ports.

that's all for now. when my next computer job comes in, i'll buy the parts and get the interior set up. because all of my case mod tools are at the house i grew up in, i'll have to wait till i go home for christmas to do the case modifications. i should be able to set everything up now, though, assuming there aren't any huge issues with space inside the box.

Higgins

Awesome

Should be a LOT easier working that front panel then my PS2. I looked at it and sighed.. so much room to work with. haha

Good Luck dude
subbed

EDIT: im not sure about Intel's GMA 945's HD playback.. it plays DVD's fine on my laptop @ 1200x800 but im not sure about 720p

And yes you would have to bump up to the 120 if you got a discrete video card.

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