Introduction: Customize Your Xbox 360 for CHEAP!
I will show you how to make you Xbox 360 look super cool and super affordable!
Steps:
-Cutting Windows Out On Top
-Cutting The DVD Housing For Viewable Disk Spin
-Lighting The Interior With Your Choice Of Color
-Painting The Face Plate, Sides, and DVD Housing
VIDEO OF IT IN ACTION ON VERY LAST STEP
Step 1: Tools & Supplies Needed
Tools Needed:
Torx Screw Drivers (You may be able to get away with just small flat head screw drivers intsead)
Small Phillips & Flat Head Screw Driver Set
Soldering Iron
Solder
Drill & Bits
Dremel w/Cutting Wheel
Hot Glue Gun
Wire Snips
Exacto Knife
Sanding Block (medium grit)
Sand Paper (medium grit)
Supplies Needed:
9 x 7 1/2" x 1/8" Sheet Of Plexiglass
6 LED's Of Your Choice
Black Spray Paint
30 AWG Wire
Masking Tape
Resistor (depends on what led setup you use)
Step 2: Disassembly!
THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY BUT IT IS WILL WORTH IT!!!
1. Remove Your Hard Drive
Just press the button and pull it off
Step 3: Disassembly! Contd.
2. Remove The Face Plate
Just stick you thumb in the usb slot and pull with a little bit of force.
Step 4: Disassembly! Contd.
3. Remove The Sides
Now, to remove the pieces you will need a small pointed object such as a very thin torque screw or a small screwdriver. You will now need to locate the plastic tabs within the wholes and push them in with your pointed object. Each piece has three tabs per side totaling 6 tabs for each piece. On the piece that holds the Harddrive, it can be easier to get the two tabs by going inside and pulling them out. (shown below) To remove the last top grey piece, you will need to remove the rubber pad covering the hole. Also, use a spare screwdriver or other object to hold up the popped tabs
Step 5: Disassembly! Contd.
4. Remove The Bottom Half of the Cover
Next, after the pieces have been removed, look closely and you will see small notches on the left and right sides of the system. Once again, you will need a very narrow pointed object or screw driver to successfully complete this step. Now, starting on the side closest to the power input, push the screwdriver into the narrow space until you hear a click sound. After you have heard the click I suggest using another screwdriver or small object to keep the top and bottom of the system apart. After you have completed the clicks on the left side, (this may take a few tries) start on the other side and repeat the process.
Now that you have successfully finished this step, you should now easily be able to separate the bottom portion of the system. Keep this part separated and you can easily remove the 4 snap hooks on the other side of the system. After removing all the hooks you can lift away the cover of your system and begin the unscrewing process.
Step 6: Disassembly! Contd.
5. Removing The Top Half of the Cover
For this step it is easiest if you have size 8 Torx Driver but I will show you how to unscrew them with out one.
First you need a small flat head screwdriver like the 2.0 mm one in the stanley jewelers screwdriver set.
Next you need a pair of vice grips or pliers and you want to grip the screwdriver with the pliers and try to unscrew the torx screw. Once you get it loose you can just unscrew it without the pliers.
Now you can simply pull off the top cover.
Make sure to take out only the marked screws!
Step 7: Disassembly! Contd.
6. Removing the DVD Housing
The DVD drive just sits inside the xbox 360 so all you have to do is pick it up and unhook the 2 cables and now you have it out.
To remove the housing you have to first unscrew 4 Phillips screws on the bottom and then the cover should be able to be removed by just pulling up on it.
Step 8: Cutting Out a Window in the DVD Housing
Now we are going to cut a hole in the housing that we just removed so you can the the disk spin when playing you Xbox 360!
1. Remove all of the stickers in the housing
2. Mark where you are going to cut using a sharpie and an old CD.
3. Make sure when you are cutting you xbox 360 or dvd drive is no where close so dirt and metal shavings don't fly into it!
4. Cut out the hole with a dremel and a cutting wheel but make sure not to touch the middle circle that helps keep the disk in place while spinning
5. Sand you cuts down so they are nice and smooth
Step 9: Cutting Out the Windows in the Top of the Xbox 360
Before we get started first we have to remove the metal piece that is under the top of the cover. To do this just give it a good yank it and should snap right off. This piece is no use to us.
1. Decide what type of window you want and sketch it out on a piece of paper.
2. Once you are happy with what you sketched now you want to cut out the windows in the piece of paper
3. Trace the paper design on to the xbox 360 and make sure everything is straight and parallel like you want it.
4. Use a dremel with the cutting well on a low speed to cut about 1/8th of an inch away from your line.
5. Once you have cut out the window(s) take you sanding block and sand down you cuts until they are smooth and on the lines.
6. Next sand down your corners until they are also smooth and on the line.
Step 10: Installing the PlexiGlass
Before we install this I am assuming that you have already got a sheet of plexiglass cut to the right dimensions of 9"x7 1/2".
1. Flip the cover that we just got done cutting hole in upside down.
2. Measure and mark 9"x7 1/2" and make sure it is centered an even all around
3. Now we need to cut anything out that will prevent use from allow the plexiglass to lay evenly, so with the dremel get to work and cut out anything that sticks up above the surface. NOTE: The 2 screw holes in the middle are no use to us and we can cut them out, but make sure that all 4 corner screw holes are left alone.
4. Sand down all the rough cuts so everything is nice and smooth
5. Test to see if you plexiglass will fit in the area that you cut out for it.
6. Attach the plexiglass to the cover with hot glue around all the edges and anywhere else you can get it without it being visible
Step 11: Installing the LED's
For this step I would suggest using 5mm LEDs because they make instillation much easier.
First we will do the easy side and that would happen to be the left side. This is because there are already holes that are the perfect size.
1. Pick where you want to install your LEDs and slide them into the holes, make sure you push them in as far as they can go.
2. Next take the 2 wires coming off the LED's and pull them inside through a hole next to the LED.
3. Now take the LED's wires that you installed on the left side and solder all the negatives together
4. Now do the same thing with the positives just make sure the - and + aren't touching and make sure not to drip solder on the motherboard.
Time for the right side. This side is a little tricky because the hole on this side are way to small for our LED's. So you will have to drill out some holes and make sure they are the right size.
1. Mark the holes where you are going to drill for however many LEDs you want on that side.
2. Drill out the holes with a bit that is closest to the size of your LEDs. Make sure to clean out your metal shavings when you are done!!!
3. 3. Now take the LED's wires that you installed on the right side and solder all the negatives together
4. Now do the same thing with the positives just make sure the - and + aren't touching and make sure not to drip solder on the motherboard.
Now to wire them all up!
1. Now since the right side set of LEDs are wired we can attach about 1 foot or more of 3awg to both a + and a - on one of the LEDs (which led doesn't matter because they are all wired as one but I would recommend the LED closest to the back for easy wiring)
2. Run the newly installed wires to the left side set of LEDs as cleanly and hidden as possible.
3. Solder the right side set of LED's + to the left side set of LED's +
4. Now do the same thing for the -'s
Now all the LEDs are wired in a parallel and you will only have to install one resistor for all of them!
To figure out what resistor to install use this calculator and make sure you use the parallel calculator, also our input is 12v
Calculator= http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/ledcalc/index_eng
1. Once you find out what resistor to use wire it in on the positive lead of the LEDs.
2. Attach about 3-6" of 30awg to the other end of the resistor.
3. Solder about 3-6" of 30awg to the negative lead of the LEDs
4.Strip a good amount off of both + and - wires
5. Remove the 4 pin dual fan power connector
6. Look at my illustration on where to install the wires.
7. Replace 4 pin dual fan power connector once wires are installed
Now power on you xbox 360 to test you work and if you did everything correctly the LEDs should come to life!
Step 12: Painting
Self explanatory pretty much, just mask up what you don't want painted and then go at! Just make sure you know how to spray paint good. I would also suggest you use a special spray paint made for plastic so the paint don't chip.
Good Luck!
Step 13: Finished Product
Once you are done painting, slap everything together and there you go you have your very own very custom xbox 360!
Here is a video of it and of how the spinning disk effect looks!
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!!!
