Keep Your Xbox 360 Cool, Save Energy, Heat Up an Area, and Use Your Own Hard Drive

by Ha4xor4life

17K1219

Intro: Keep Your Xbox 360 Cool, Save Energy, Heat Up an Area, and Use Your Own Hard Drive

Keep your Xbox 360 Cool, Save Energy, Heat up and area, and use your own Hard Drive, yes very long title, i know. But there was nothing else to describe this awesome project. Now, This whole project for me was completely FREE besides the intercooler. I used all salvaged parts. Lets get started. shall we?

STEP 1: Things You Will Need

Whatchya' gonna need doc?

Well... Not much

You will need:

4 Various Computer cooling fans(I used two average sized ones, one jumbo, and one CPU fan from a Win98 Compaq.)

Wire (any type, it doesn't matter, i used my trusty stereo wire

Nyko TS intercooler (Newest and greatest one, for 20.00$, this automaticly turns on when heat is sensed and turns off when heat dissipates, and uses its own outlet, instead of mooching off of the Xbox power supply)

A box (suitable for holding the two average and one jumbo fans, i used my sisters mario kart wii box

Dryer vent tubing (Ya' know, the silver tubing that's behind your dryer to travel the heat outside)

12v DC 1 amp transformer(I got one from an old phone/answer machine

Fuse & 2 amp fuse (From my fathers old Benz auto starter)

These are optional

A HDD that can be used for your xbox (I had a 320gb Seagate EXHDD)

Ubuntu Linux Live CD (Used to format your HDD to FAT because windows refuses to format anything over 32gb to fat)

STEP 2: Create the Box O' Fans

This is really simple, and i apologize, i created this a LONG time ago, so i have no steps on how to make this, but "It's so easy, George Bush can do it" (Yeah, GB was awesome... ><) The pictures can guide, you, as a picture is worth a thousand words... And i will try.

Step 1) I traced the size of the fans to the box and cut them accordingly

Step 2) Inserted the fans and used zip ties to secure

Step 3) Wired all connections of the fans and attached to the transformer, using a 2 amp BUS fuse.

Step 4) Cut a back hole the size of your duct.

Viola!

Just check to see if it works.

Place it a few inches away from the intercooler, too close, and the TS will sense "coolness" and shut off, probably doing more harm than good.

Now i know i said this will heat your room up....Let me touch up on that...

THIS ISN'T PROBABLE FOR HEATING YOUR ROOM PERMANENTLY...IN FACT DON'T COUNT ON IT HEATING UP A WHOLE ROOM AT ALL!

now...back to reality...

I tried it, it would warm a little area about 5 degrees when i played COD WaW on Live, that took about 1 1/2 hours... so i mean it would work a little.


Now attach the last CPU fan facing down, blowing air TO the Transformer. It used Electrical tape to secure it down. believe it or not, because im using an old one.. That thing can cause burns!

STEP 3: Format Your HDD and Use It!

OK, now boot up from your Ubuntu Live CD, or if your like me, boot it up normal if it's already installed.

---
If your using the Live CD, make sure your BIOS is configured to boot up through CD.
After you boot up from CD, choose "Boot from Live CD" or if an older version "Try Ubuntu without harm to your system" ORRR if you have an ancient Ubuntu like 3 or 2, choose "Start Ubuntu"
---

OK, once in Ubuntu, go to the Partition Editor by going to System>Administrator>Partition Editor

Once launched, choose the HDD that you are using, (The only way telling is by knowing the size of your HDD, because Ubuntu names HDD like /dev/hdc/sda1)

Format it by right clicking on the partition, then click on Delete
After right click on the Blank partition again, and mouse over to Format to>Fat32 and click on it

Click on Apply on the top, and let Ubuntu Work its magic.

Download Movies and Music to your HDD and plug it in.

I put on a couple of .MP3's and Pinnaple Express, Dark Knight, and Accepted, my 3 favorite movies .

STEP 4: Fintio!

Conragtz, your done!

Now go and enjoy that cool DIY you just finished!

21 Comments

fire_kid2003 13 years ago

you didnt explain how to solder everything

tocsik 15 years ago

I went to buy an intercool fan the other day at gamestop and they told me not to. They said it makes you get the Red Ring faster. The reasons being that it "Blows the Wrong Way" and "Draws too much extra Power through your xbox." I'm not saying they're right because I don't know but i decided not to risk it either.

NikonDork 15 years ago

He did mention the newer intercooler doesnt piggyback off the xbox's own power supply anymore. Oh and dont always listen to the wieners behind the counter at gamestops - from numerous negative personal experiences.

tocsik 15 years ago

Thanks for the input. Maybe I'll look into it again.

NikonDork 15 years ago

Care to comment on your flawwed 'ible or maybe correcting the information?

ilpug 13 years ago

the intercoolers work fine, just wire them to an external power supply.

NikonDork 15 years ago

Your better off not even bother with it, it wont really help cool the xbox. The best thing to do is to make sure its got plenty of air space around the console and keep it away from dust. The heat transfer system inside is not robust enough to function when its clogged with alot of dust.

cantrell8 14 years ago

I hear you.They cheated me out of $10 once.

beauwalker23 14 years ago

you should try to put your 360 setup on a desk..

cambridge 14 years ago

ROFL do i see an apple sticker on the xbox?

ReCreate 15 years ago

You are booting ubuntu from the hardrive on the XBox?

NikonDork 15 years ago

Hes booting up and formatting that drive on a PC, then connecting it up to the xbox as a removable storage device - which will not be recognized by the xbox as a volume to store game data or downloads on, only files you load on it through a PC, like a MP3 or Movie collection. Also the dryer vent redirection of processor heat is laughable, considering its length would itself turn it into a heat sink for the warm air coming out of that fan box. the air coming out the far end of that tube would probably be almost room tempurature.

NikonDork 15 years ago

Firstly, how is this eco friendly? How are you saving energy? If anything your using more energy with all the fans and the external hard drive your running. These are using more power then a stock Xbox, and the tiny offset of redirecting the heat from the processor into the room isn't worth it in my opinion. Sorry, not "green"

Also with the external drive, you failed to mention if your running linux and formatting the drive with the Xbox or a PC. This is confusing to readers.

Lastly, Xbox will not play all movie formats, would be handy to mention what file types will work with the console.

ac1D 15 years ago

Plus, he get a free bonus gift! IT'S LOUDER!!!!

NikonDork 15 years ago

Yeah, no kidding! IMO I think all these aftermarket and home solutions for beefing up the cooling on the Xbox doesn't do anything but act as a placebo. The design flaw with the xbox's heat dissipation is the poorly designed heat sink, and unless you combat that directly, your just moving more air over an inadequate amount of surface area.

okoshima 15 years ago

not exactly using your own hdd, its not replacing the xbox drive, you are merely adding personal storage and will be unable to use it to store things from the xbox like demos etc as you would with the xbox hdd. those fans are probably doin more harm than good due to you messing airflow to the console (2 fans on back of xbox next to each other one in one out) As has been said, wastes energy, and you will probably find the xbox will dissapate heat into the room exactly the same anyway... just my knowledge on the subject
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