[Ktmrida4life]

About a year and a half ago (2 years?) I started this project, and failed. Miserably. Then I tried again, and failed again. Miserably. So this is take 3 of a project I've been wanting to finish for a long long time. I hope for this to obviously be successful and much nicer and professional looking than all my previous half assed attempts. I would've started this a while ago, but money was an issue.. and still is.

Im going to work on this the best I can and use my money as I get it.. which is from doing odd jobs since I don't have a job yet (17).

I hope to use better components than planned before, do things CORRECTLY and in the correct order

, and be able to possibly sell it on eBay or here someday and get some of my cash back.

The plan.. to modify an Antec 300 case to fit an xbox 360 inside and watercooling equipment. And hopefully make it look pretty as well

Hardware used:
Antec 300 case
XSPC Xbox 360 CPU/GPU copper waterblock
3/8" ID x 1/2" OD compression fittings from eBay

Koolance 3/8" ID x 1/2" GREEN tubing
Black Ice GTX 240 Radiator
Swiftech MCP350 pump
Swiftech MCRES Micro Revision 2 reservoir
Lamptron FC4 fan controller, LEDs modded to green
Xbox 360

Project updates!
Modding PC power supply
OCZ Power supply finished and working!
New DVD drive cable, soldering and sleeving
Making a blank I/O Plate + led testing
240 rad grill + green led fans + radiator mounted
PCI cover plate made
Reset + power button sleeving, DVD drive mounting, cable management hole
Sync button mounted, modding front panel usb + fan controller LEDs
Slow speed ahead captain.. HDMI + A/V port cut
Ethernet + USB pots cut, I/O plate "done"

I have chosen metallic black + green for the color scheme. return
return
return

 

[Ktmrida4life]

So... here are some things that I will have to do, and that are planned.

- Drill holes and tap for mobo standoffs for xbox 360 - -done-
- Make blank PCI plate -done-
- Cut holes in blank plate for xbox 360 jacks -done-
- Make blank I/O plate - -done-
- Extend xbox 360 DVD power cable + sleeve black - -done-
- Mount res -done-
- Mount 240 rad at front of case + sleeve fan wires - -done-
- Re-sleeve my modified OCZ ATX power supply to black (its blue) -done-
- Solder male 8pin ATX connector to xbox 360 power jack terminals -done-
- Mount pump -done-

- Solder female 2 pin connectors to eject, sync, and power buttons on xbox
- Mount CPU/GPU waterblock and run tubing
- Make mount(s) for DVD drive + stealth
- Mount external wireless antenna for better reception to controllers..
- Clear window on side door.
- Test, if everything works.. then disassemble and
- Paint case (interior only?) and fans + whatnot

- Cut out power logo, place green acrylic + green (white?) leds behind it, and wire to ROL mimic (this may or may not happen... deciding)
- Extend hard drive cable for better hard drive placement. Not sure how to do this one yet.

I *think* that's everything. Then again its probably not.

Sorry for no pictures or progress or anything.. but this project is just starting. As of right now, Im trying to get my hands back on my Antec 300 that I left at my uncles, and I just shipped an xbox 360 to Microsoft for repair today. I also bought a few things off ebay.. some 2 pin connectors from hong kong

, some 1/8" sleeving and heatshrink...

 

[Somenamehere]

Can I ask what went wrong the first two times ?

 

[Ktmrida4life]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Somenamehere Can I ask what went wrong the first two times ?

I figured people would want to know.

Basically, I half assed everything. When I assembled everything (that was half-assed) and booted it, something shorted. With xbox 360s, that means certain death.. xbox was DEAD. Sucks, because its not even repairable, because you cant even trace down what parts shorted and are causing an issue.

So I went to the store, bought a brand new xbox (200$) and then re-did the whole project (not kidding) and something shorted again.. this attempt was not as half assed, but not done well.. xbox was DEAD

SO, Im hoping this attempt will be much much (much) better, even if it takes me a tad longer + a tad more money.

 

[bahmtf]

I'll be watching this thread for updates and pics. Good luck mate

 

[LiLChris]

This may sound stupid, but any way of actually overclocking the 360? Since you plan on having it on water?
I really know nothing about the insides of it.

Edit- Of course I mean like a hardware mod like BSEL mod.

Hopefully this one works out unlike the last 2.

 

[Ktmrida4life]

Thanks!

If anyone is curious..

http://www.overclock.net/6199902-post1.html

Thats my last thread. The pictures in the first post are the only ones that are up to date (well, not really) but those are the parts Im using even though that was a year ago. You can view the rest of the thread but its pointless.. its all pictures from a previously failed attempt.

No LiLChris, sadly there is no overclocking the 360. Sorry

 

[bahmtf]

can I ask why you're modding a power supply instead of using the normal xbox 360 one?

 

[Detroitsoldier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bahmtf can I ask why you're modding a power supply instead of using the normal xbox 360 one?

So it'll look better in the case + not be noisy/ugly as the 360 one + because he can.

 

[wumpus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ktmrida4life Thanks! No LiLChris, sadly there is no overclocking the 360. Sorry

maybe you can do a PLL pin mod and increase the bus speed

might be worth a look!

 

[Sozin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bahmtf can I ask why you're modding a power supply instead of using the normal xbox 360 one?

It's too easy? The man is watercooling a 360, why wouldn't he go out of his way to run it on a modded PSU?

 

[Digigami]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ktmrida4life First off, can anyone come up with a better name for this project?

Waterbox 360?

Cool idea, i'll be watching

 

[Ktmrida4life]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sozin It's too easy? The man is watercooling a 360, why wouldn't he go out of his way to run it on a modded PSU?

Right! And also, I need it to power all the case fans + the pump + anything else I got going on.

Modding the power supply wasnt too hard actually.. I found a thread on another forum Im on (xbox-scene) that tells you how to do it, so I just cut the cord off a working xbox 360 power supply I had, and made a small PCB with some components on it to invert the "PS_ON" signal so the xbox 360 will still turn on with a controller. Then I just spliced the power wires together and put the small PCB inside the power supply mounted off to the side.

Wish I couldve taken pics, but it was difficult to put back together... and I did it like a year ago. And no, I was not the genious who came up with the PCB and inverting the PS_ON signal... I just copied it.

 

[Ktmrida4life]

The 1/8" sleeving I bought came in today as well as 1/8" heatshrink.

I realized that I cannot use individually sleeve the molex power cable for my OCZ modular PSU... I spent about 3 hours trying to make it work by desoldering / sliding on sleeve and then soldering, and then it just didnt look good and wouldnt fit back into the connectors. Also poked my finger with a needle pretty good

So I decided that I will resleeve over the crappy black sleeving that comes on it not individually, but the same way. Just with better sleeving.. should look a little better.

I do plan to use the 1/8" sleeving for any other wires that it will fit on.. fan wires, pump, any other wires running around. I want to resleeve my power supply cord (the xbox 360 cord) as its currently blue.. or I may just leave it that way, who knows. If anyone has any big black sleeving as well as some big black heatshrink lemme know!

Just need a few feet.

I did get to take apart the psu because I got bored and wanted to do something.. I removed the 24 pin connector and CPU power connector as I dont need them. It was a pain as I had to cut each wire and cap it off individually, but the PSU still works.. so Im happy.

Kitty approves this post.

Antenna stolen from router above

Power supply, see the un-needed cords?

Power supply inside.

PCB made earlier to invert PS_ON signal

How I capped each wire.. 26 of them

Done capping

Back together, and it works!!

Starting to waste my time trying to sleeve.

Still wasting time.

Even more wasted time, and ohnoes I poked my finger!

 

[Cacophony]

i hope this works

 

[fl0w3n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ktmrida4life I figured people would want to know. Basically, I half assed everything. When I assembled everything (that was half-assed) and booted it, something shorted. With xbox 360s, that almost means certain death.. xbox was DEAD So I went to the store, bought a brand new xbox (200$) and then re-did the whole project (not kidding) and something shorted again.. this attempt was not as half assed, but not done well.. xbox was DEAD SO, Im hoping this attempt will be much much (much) better, even if it takes me a tad longer + a tad more money.

My god, you must really really want to be able to say you successfully completed this project (and I don't blame you, doing something custom you set your mind out to do is awesome, especially when its something other's haven't done) but WHY in the WORLD would you set out to do this??

It's a god forsaken XBOX, a useless piece of crap when it comes to real men's gaming. I wish I could have the 550+ hours I spent playing MW1 on XBOX back, considering once I played MW on PC for the first time I about shot myself for blowing so much money on an XBOX setup. And that is just the amount of time I wasted on MW1, I don't want to think about MW2, GTA, or Forza2

/rant about XBOX wasting my life and time compared to computer gaming

 

[Ktmrida4life]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fl0w3n My god, you must really really want to be able to say you successfully completed this project (and I don't blame you, doing something custom you set your mind out to do is awesome, especially when its something other's haven't done) but WHY in the WORLD would you set out to do this?? It's a god forsaken XBOX, a useless piece of crap when it comes to real men's gaming. I wish I could have the 550+ hours I spent playing MW1 on XBOX back, considering once I played MW on PC for the first time I about shot myself for blowing so much money on an XBOX setup. And that is just the amount of time I wasted on MW1, I don't want to think about MW2, GTA, or Forza2 /rant about XBOX wasting my life and time compared to computer gaming

lol I used to play Halo 3 over 6 hours a day on the weekdays and over 12 on the weekends.. but then about 6 months ago I took another "break" from Xbox live and havent played it since. I dont play my xbox but occasionally just to play PGR 4 and GHWT. I mainly play CSS on my PC.

Im doing it to say I did it (and finished, since some people in my family are known for not finishing projects) and to get rid of all these parts I have laying around that I bought previously.. the CPU/GPU block, the radiator, the antec 300.. OCZ power supply.. I dont plan to use it as my personal xbox, I want to sell it. Dont plan to make money, just get back alot of it.

 

[mcpetrolhead]

subbed.
Interesting to see how this turns out.

 

[ddietz]

Interesting!

Two questions for you. How are you dealing with the wiring of the power supply. You said you removed the 24 pin wires. Is it safe to assume you meant you removed all the wires you did not need? Does that PSU have more than one 12v rail and if so, how are you dealing with it?

Last, how do you plan to extend the wireless/power module. The connection is proprietary? I suppose if you have a broken module around, you could de-solder the two connections and wire them to make an extension. I considered that with my build but decided I did not have an extra module and I was not sure if the added wire length would be an issue (not all that keen on my electronics knowledge).

Have you considered just wiring you 12V, 5V, and ground wires directly to the bottom of the PCB on the motherboard. You could use a modified and trimmed down male 20 pin connector on a short pigtail from the motherboard and use a similarly modified female connector on the PSU. This would eliminate the need to have a power cord leave the I/O area then re-enter the case and would reduce the stress on the mobo there.

BTW, be sure to use the threaded inserts near the power, usb, video, and memory connectors to support the mobo. The thread is perfect for a #4 sheet-metal screw.

Also, if you have any of the front mesh/plastic 5.5" bay covers from the front of that case left over, drop me a pm!

 

[Liighthead]

subed

shuld be pretty sweet