Proper Care for your 360 and 360 hardware

If you're one of those people who want to take really good care of your 360, then this is the Instructable for you.


This is my first instructable, so please give me some feedback on how I did or how I can improve.

Step 1: Gathering materials

Here is a list of materials that you will need for the process:

Needed:
scissors
compressed air
polishing cloth


Optional:
Nyko Intercooler (EX model)
small screwdriver (the ones for glasses usually work best)

Comments

[Wally_Z]

Please don't tell me you run your Xbox when it is on the black case made of cloth. The way it is pictured in the intro of this Instructable. It doesn't degrade ventilation that much but it's not a very good idea.

[Wally_Z]

As you may have noticed from the many comments about the Intercooler, is that it SUCKS. This video explains the airflow and how to improve performance on your Xbox: http://www.instructables.com/id/Things-any-Xbox-owner-should-know/

[Jeebiss]

I seriously hope you do not run 360 in that case. With both the case, and the intercooler attached, the restricted airflow level is high.

[MrNintendo]

I don't mean to sound like an idiot, but I don't understand what you're talking about. The intercooler doesn't restrict the airflow, the vent holes on the side allow much more airflow than it needs. The intercooler won't affect the airflow by restricting it, it should improve it.

[macwhiz]

The intercooler pushes air into the xbox and the internal fans pull air out so an intercooler will work better if you flip the fans in the intercooler like I did

[Jimbobjoeyman]

thats so stupid
sorry to be blunt but it is the intercooler pushes air out of the 360 and so do the stock fans.
by flipping the fans aroud you have stopped the hot air from leaving your 360 because the intercooler will overpower the stock fans and stop them from working

[digitallyinsane]

The intercooler has been rumored to push so much airflow through the case as to overcome the rotational capacity of the internal stock fans, significantly shortening their shelf life. I've never had a heat problem with mine, but then again, I don't run it inside of any enclosure, soft or otherwise. My 360 seems to run pretty darn cool all by itself, so I consider myself lucky.

[yolarrydabomb]

Intercooler Drains the power on your board and causes RROD. Some Intercoolers can melt the plastic. Microsoft picks up information Fan Speed, Voltage, etc from live to make sure nobody modding so if I was you, remove it off your 360

[junits15]

the 360's PSU is a 203 watt unit. The 12v rail can supply 16 amps! the intercooler can melt, but MS cannot find out, they don't give a sh*t if you have an intercooler. It dosnt cause the RROD, that is caused by poor manufacturing on MS's part. The stuff that gets you kicked is JTAGing and reflashing your dvd drive's firmware not an intercooler.

[uberdum05]

Yeah but what happened if you cut the speed cable coming from the fan so you could use the cooler??

[MrNintendo]

I already took off my intercooler, but thanks for your concern. I'm in the process of making a more efficient one. The only problem is that it will have to draw off a power outlet for maximum air flow. If I didn't have to have a great amount of air flow, I would just hook it up to the USB port.

[yolarrydabomb]

Yeah I was thinking about buying intercooler and rewire it to a DC plug-in or something.

[ThatInstructablesGuy]

You know there is one just like that bit instead it serves as a stand, I heard it doesn't draw power from the 360 and does not cause the RROD. I can't quite remember its name though.

[Cameron657]

It is called a 'Pelican Fan Stand'. They are easily found on eBay.

[Mstocker]

wait does this fan replace the one on the inside. im getting confused cause i was under the impression that it went on the outside but you said it would void the warranty. Personally i think the ones on the outside are a waist of money. Just buy a new internal fan to replace the stock one and it will cool the xbox just as well as externals...even better actually. and it doesnt make your xbox big and bulky ( and they can light up to :D )

[junits15]

I don't know why people are so afraid of getting kicked off of live. MS has no way of knowing if you have an intercooler, its analog hardware. There are no diagnostics tests that anybody could run to show that there is an intercooler, because its not sending data to the machine.

[cmolle]

There is a new version add on fan from Nyko - the Intercooler TS

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Intercooler-TS-black/dp/B002LA4NCS/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_image_2

This one has its own power supply and it senses the air temperature - it will keep running after the XBox is turned off to help cool it down.

The fact that this one runs after the console is off makes sense - so I upgraded to it just to be sure my console survives longer.

[timothy demaegdt]

just build an usb pc fan and place it on the side of the xbox

[MaximReapage]

Memory effect is a think of the past. Newer rechargeable batteries have no such problems.

Source: http://www.zbattery.com/Battery-Memory-Effect

[MaximReapage]

Thing* of the past.

[jrod92]

Not entirely true, it depends on the battery type. Nimh and Nicd suffer from it, thats why lithium batteries(lipo, liion) are so much better. The 360 rechargeables along with most AA and AAA rechargeables are all Nimh usually, so these do suffer from "memory effect", not as badly as Nicd though. Just every once in awhile use them til their pretty close to dead, then recharge them all the way. its called cycling and it should extend the battery life sufficiently.

[tbird45039]

hello estupido you cant compress air into a liquid!!!!!!!! nitrogen and oxygen by themselves is a different story.

[MrNintendo]

True you can't compress air into a liquid. The compressed air in the container that I was using had a mix different gases such as nitrogen and oxygen, allowing it to compress into a liquid.

[vicelord]

hello how are you all doing i have a question for mr.nintendo.....should i get the intercooler?because my mom doesnt give me allowance and i have to work for my cash so i need to save as much as i can to prevent rrod and is this is unrelated but can i use a usb 2.0 wireless network adapter on my 360 to access xbox live?

[lapdswat]

if i were u i would not get the intercooler and i messes it up read my comment http://www.instructables.com/id/Proper-care-for-your-360/

[ATImaster005]

A few of my friends have the intercooler and they all hate it. I wouldn't bother. (And for everyone that was wondering, it does not void your warranty)

[Sgt.Bacon]

you can go to xbox.com and find out how to use your computer to hook it up to xbox live if your xbox is near your computer

[MrNintendo]

Well it's completely up to you. How old is your xbox? If it's fairly new, only about 1-1 1/2 years old, then it doesn't really need it. Besides you could probably build one cheaper, just buy 2 pc fans from amazon.com for a few dollars, find an extra USB cable lying around, cut and strip the wires, attach the red and black wires to the wires on the fan, place or tape the fans to the back of the 360 and plug it in. The USB wireless adapter though, I'm not sure, which one are you talking about? The one that was made for the 360 or one for a pc? If it's for a pc, I have no idea, sorry.

[lapdswat]

first off for vicelord do not get the inter cooler and dude i have to agree with that guy who said stuff bout the intercooler i had 1 and after a few days i got the ring of death from that i was pissed so i took it off it works fine and a quick note just get a milk crate and put your xbox on it it works better than any intercooler

[Sgt.Bacon]

yea, the intercooler is bad, my friend had one and in about four months his 360 killed off (rrod), on another note if you ask me, playNtrade is much better than gamestop, but if gamestop is closer go to it, gas is way to expensive.

[djtomczak678]

!DO NOT USE THE INTER COOLER TAKE IT OFF IMEDIATLEY! I used one it started getting loud after a while so I brought it to gamestop to trade it in and only got 1.50 for it and they said that there worthless and they can over time burn up the other fans on your 360 they also said the 360 was suppose to run hot the intercooler rushes air through the fans inside the 360 and runs them to fast and burns them up like if your running at you top speed and then you are pushed to go faster and you run out of breath and cannot run any more microsoft can run test on your 360 secretly over live and they can see fan speed voltage etc. all I'm saying is the fans are BAD

[cbarnes0061]

I can assure people that the intercooler will not burn up the fans on their 360. I have had one on my console for a year now with no problems and my console runs considerably cooler because of it. so long as you get the newer version of the intercooler it will be fine.

[NICKSTER117]

This is true, it broke my 360. I had to send it, they couldn't fix it so they sent me a new console. if your gonna make a fan for your xbox 360, make one that has its own power, not one that connects to your xbox 360 PSU.

[MrNintendo]

Thanks for the comment. I had removed my intercooler a couple months ago. About Microsoft doing secret tests over Xbox Live, is that just a rumor or has it happened to a few people. I had my intercooler in my 360 for a good 6 months while connected to Live. I had to send my 360 in for repairs (No it wasn't the intercooler, I removed it when I heard it caused problems, 5 weeks after that, my 360's OS started glitching up) and I got a brand new 360 back with a letter saying that they replaced my 360 for "a faster gaming experience". It didn't have anything on there saying that I had voided the warranty or anything.

[djtomczak678]

my 360 that i had the fan on before got hit with a power surge and i sent it in and the sent it back saying that i voided the warranty with the fan i jus bot a core system cus the hd wasnt on the 360 cus i was at a friends house

[vicelord]

how exactly do water-cooling systems work?

[vicelord]

oh ok i understand the but another difference is that a watercoolings systems water doesnt leak since its used for indoor use unlike an airconditoner but since it uses a water block system shouldnt there be a tank were you have to empty on occasion or else suffer malfunction?

[MrNintendo]

Not necessarily, there are 2 types, open-air systems and sealed systems. Open-air systems have a small tank that holds extra cooling fluid, since when liquid heats up, it expands. With that tank, it's less complicated, but it does have some drawbacks, one is space, the other I'm not sure about, all I know is there are a few drawbacks besides space. Sealed systems are more complicated, but they provide less space and usually last longer. With sealed systems, you must put the fluid inside without air bubbles. Just like brakes, you must not have any air bubbles in the system or the brakes won't function properly. As long as you keep debris out of the system, it will run fine.

[MrNintendo]

They work similar to a fridge or a car's water-cooling system. A PC water-cooling system uses a different substance other than freon (found in fridges and Air-conditioners) and radiator fluid (Coolant for a car). The coolant is pumped through a series of tubes to the CPU and/or GPU. It passes through a Water-block (similar to a heatsink, except without the air cooling) that is attached to the Processor the same way a heatsink would. Since the coolant is colder than the Processor, heat flows from the processor to the coolant, making the processor cooler (Hot flows to cold (one of Newton's laws, forget which one)). The coolant is then pumped back into a small radiator, and a fan blows the heat from the coolant as it passes through the radiator, making cold again. Air conditioners work the same way, except it has another fan to blow the coldness of the freon through the house.

[cotton]

i will tell you how they know you used uit your xbox hets burned by it maaalfunining and your xbox dosent rrod fast or at all