Well i decided that since i make everything for customers id make one for myself this one will use my custom design that i use on my mediacades but this one will have a few upgrades.since this will be my main media center i wanna be able to use it for work and fun so here is the idea.modifiy my original design for my cabs add 2 monitors led buttons sound mods and a ton more.harware wise this thing will be a monster here is a list of what it will have.
1.the unit will be based off of a modded xbox with a mod chip and 1tbhdd with ram upgrade loaded with every xbox game plus emulators and xbmc with custom UI dash and all.
2.since the room its in is small i will add a 32inch 3d tv.
3.23inch widescreen lcd tv/monitor as the marquee/pc monitor(for work/modding)
4.Gaming PC as media hub/gaming/working
5.new appletv
6.built in dock for the new ipad
6.keyboard tray
7.modded ps3/xbox 360 jtag
i have a few other ideas but this is the basic idea of what im going for the hole system will be controlled with the ipad.
in this tutorial i will show you how to build your own.

Step 1: The Supplies

step 1: is to gather up the supplies for the frame.We will be using a book shelf for the base that you can buy at walmart for 15 bucks.
then you will need to get.

2 pieces of 3/4 inch MDF wood-23inch long by 1foot 9 inch long for the side panels
2 pieces of 3/4 inch MDF wood -31 inch wide and 24 inch long for the top and bottom of the control panel
2 1x4 pieces of wood 31 inch long-for control panel frame
2 1x4 pieces of wood 24 inch long-for control panel frame
1 2x6 piece of wood 6ft tall to mount the tv on
1 piece of MDF 29.0 x 32.0 for the back panel for the shelf
joysticks and buttons i got mine from paradise arcade shop.but you can get a great deal at xgaming.com 39.99 will get you what you need.
a soft modded xbox for the brain of the system with 2 controllers
tv bracket any size that works with your tv
wood screws
wood glue
sander
jigsaw
tablesaw

Step 2: The Base

here we will start to build the base by putting the frame of the shelf together.then you wanna take the MDF 29.0 x 32.0 and glue it to the back of the shelf frame when dry screw it into the frame of the shelf.this will give us our base.

Step 3: The Leg Supports

Here we will make the legs these will serve as part of the design and function to support the cab and the weight of the tv these can be made anyway you like i chose a simple design.What i did was cut one of the 3/4 inch MDF wood 23inch long by 1foot 9 inch long and cut a curve in it to make a cool looking shape then i sandwiched it with the other piece of 3/4 inch MDF wood-23inch long by 1foot 9 inch long and cut along the edge to give me to of the same shaped pieces then sanded them down smooth and even use clamps for this.Then just glue and drill one piece onto each side of the book shelf from the inside be careful not to drill all the way through.

Step 4: The Control Panel

here we will build the control panel this will house the xbox and the joysticks.first we will build the frame by using the two 1x4 pieces of wood 31 inch long and the two 1x4 pieces of wood 24 inch long and glueing and screwing them together to make a box.then take one of the 3/4 inch MDF wood -31 inch wide and 24 inch long and glue and nail it into the wood frame this will be the bottom of the control panel.next we ant to make fan holes towards the back of the panel put one on each side i used 80mm fans. Make one hole in back to run wires.then put on the top piece and sand the hole box even round off your corners and edges.next we will drill the holes for the buttons and joysticks i chose a 8 button layout but you can do any design you want here.you can get layouts from google.Use a 1 1/8”
drill bit to cut the holes.

Step 5: Art Work

If you followed the steps your cab should look something like the one in the pics below.So now what we do is put the control panel with the lid off on top of the base.Make sure the back of the control panel is flush with the back of the base and even on both sides the control panel should hang over a half inch on each side.next comes the art work i made a custom picture with photoshop and had it printed on high gloss poster paper at staples for ten bucks this step is also optional.If you decided to use art work make sure you get a piece of plexiglass the same size as your print.place the plexiglass on the control panel over the button holes.Make sure everything is even and draw a line across the top of the plexiglass on the control panel.then cut the control panel in half.we will reconnect the two half.with a piano hinge later.next take the half with the button holes and your plexi glass and a scrap piece of mdf.and sandwich the plexi between the two clamp it all togather.use the part with the holes as a guide and drill through the holes through the plexi very slow you dont want to crack it.and now your plexi will match the control panel and protect your art work.

Step 6: Painting the Cab

Next we ant to paint the cab the color is up to you i chose black.You want to sand the hole cab down nice and smooth.make sure you blow all the saw dust away and then lay down 3 coats of primer.Then use 3 coast of whatever color paint u decide to use.Once dry use clear lacquer on the hole cab to protect and seal your paint job.Next once everything is bry get a piano hinge i used a standerd large one and it was a perfect fit.Use this to connect the back and front parts of the control panel(see pic below).

Step 7: Side Art

Now this step is also optional and can be done a few ways.to add art work to the legs you can custom cut a logo or you could get a vinyl sticker made or just be creative.i chose to make my tag team logo out of wood letters.all i did here was go to my local craft store and picked up wood letters and 4 wood planks.i painted them and with a nail gun attached them to each leg.you can also use wood glue and wood nails or screw it in.

Step 8: Test Fit the Parts

ok now that all parts are painted we want to test fit the cab to see if everything lines up.grab all your parts and put them where they should be see pics below.once you have it all in place take the shelves that came with the walmart shelf put them in place where you think they will stay and drill holes at the end of each shelf to run wires through the back.

Step 9: Preparing the Xbox

this step uses a original softmodded xbox.the best part of using a soft modded xbox is how stable it is.You can install tons of homebrew apps and emulators plus XBMC this will make the cab a media center as well.Now soft moding a xbox is simple and there are tons of tutorials on youtube and google that will show you how step by step.you can buy a original xbox very cheep at pawn shops, flea markets,or craigslist.i got mine on ebay with two controllers for 20 bucks.once you have this all done we want to take the xbox apart.once you have it all in parts you want to dremel the case bottom down as far as you can go this will give us a motherboard tray see pic below.now with a xbox once softmodded there is really no need for the dvd drive because you can ftp.so what you wanna do is take the motherboard off of the dvd drive thats the only part we need.tape the board in electric tape leaving the original connectors exsposed and reconnect to the xbox.now it will boot normal.next extend the power button with a momentary push button of your choice (see pic below for wiring point).you can place this button any wear you want on back of the control panel.grab two 80mm fans of your choice i choose ones with leds.attach these with a molex y splitter to the xbox power behind the hdd.then put one sucking air in and one sucking air out. (see pic of my layout below)use original holes in bottom of xbox case to screw it down.you can also install fan grills.

Step 10: Controls

ok this step is time consuming its called pad hacking.this can also be easier to get a xarcade tank stick strip it and install it.but my way is cheaper and a little better in my opinion.i made a video tutorial for this step you can see it here...
once you have that part done we want to put the buttons through the art work and plexi and screw them in place and install the micro switch's that came with them.if you tape the art work to the plexi in the corners with clear tape you will get it perfect.(see pics below)
next we wanna mount the controlers to the bottom of control panel and wire them up.(see pic below)
to wire the buttons use the ground from each controller and daisy chain it to the ground of every micro switch.then take the button wires and wire them to each positive of the microswitch's.(see pics below)

Step 11: Finishing Up

Well if you followed along all steps you should have a pretty sweet looking cab all that is left is to install the tv.The size i used was 32inch 3d tv but you can use what you want.any mount will work just make sure its made for your size tv.mount it to the piece of wood we bolted to the back of the cab and your tv will be ready and safe.all there is left to do is be creative and add as much detail as you like or a poster over the tv to use as a marquee i used a lcd .put the shelves in and place any other component's or other game systems you would like on them.you can see me making this hole project on this video and follow it as a visual guide.hope you all enjoyed the tutorial and have fun.and if you could like and subscribe to my youtube page it helps me ba able to make these videos and tutorials thanks.