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Hardware Mods The cosmetic modding guide

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ClarkeOne

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UPDATE: sorry I haven't been on top of updates but I have been busy. I have spoierd each topic so the page size is smaller for your viewing :smile:

I have been looking over this section to see if their was any guides for people wishing to mod their 'boxes, there wasn't so I made one :smile:

The purpose of this guide is to give you an insight into the different parts you can acquire online for your xbox with where the best sites and prices they would cost. So lets get started. Also if i miss a product, please tell me or if you want help with anything. ALL MODS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY AS THEY REQUIRE YOU TO OPEN YOUR CONSOLE.

Case Modding
Now there is generally two types of case modding you can perform, full case mods (most expensive), or window cuts (can go wrong).

A full replacement case may set you back anywhere from �25-�50 depending on where you get it, quality of plastic and other factors. If you were to buy a replacement case you will first have to check whether your case is non-HDMI or HDMI. If your xbox has a HDMI port, it will look like this http://www.360drives.com/images/xbox360-hdmi.jpg
If you don't have the port thats highlighted, then your console is non-HDMI (you may have to remove your video cable to make sure)
Both cases fit the same and cost most the time the same. Now the the choice of manufacture, Off personal experience, XCM cases offer the best quality of plastic, durability and transparency for the price you pay.http://xcm.cc/360.htm
next for quality would be NEXiLUX, the quality of the case is somewhat satisfactory, but the LED's that come with the case in my opinion or poor and hard to position. I ahve also heard many times these cases breaking with the slightest of delicacy.
http://www.nexilux.com/cgi-bin/nexilux/engine.pl?function=viewcat&cat=360

I only know UK sites that are good to buy from so if you have other regions, please PM me them and I will include it. I bought my case and most things off a reliable site.
http://www.thegametrain.com/categorylist/Xbox-360-Replacement-360-Shells/

So once you purchase a case of your choice you will have to disassemble your case and install the new one. The first link will help you disassemble the case and the second is to install the new one. http://www.xcm.cc/How_to_disassemble_the%20xbox_360_case.htm http://www.xcm.cc/How_to_install_360_full_case.htm

Next is window cuts, which dont cost as much as a full case but can be hard to perform without the right tools. This requires you to cut the top of the case into a window or a design of your choice and covering the hole with a plastic cover.
One of the main covers people use is by talismoon.
http://www.talismoon.com/cgi-bin/multipage/engine.pl?function=viewid&id=RKS00039&cat=XBOX360-TUNING
To fit this, you will need the proper tools, talismoon also make their own window cutting tool but you will still have to use other tools along side this. If you use the window cutting tool sold separately by talismoon, you will also need to drill a hole into the plastic to use the tool and sandpaper to go over the edges and give it a smooth finish.
http://www.talismoon.com/cgi-bin/multipage/engine.pl?function=viewid&id=RKS00023&cat=XBOX360-TOOLS
If you have or wish to buy a dremel which most people opt for. This tool can be dangerous and expensive however. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dremel-F0130300MR-Multi-Tool-300-30/dp/B002LARRQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=diy&qid=1265317371&sr=8-1

So once you pick how you wish to perform this mod, I would use this guide because of how cool the design is and detailed. http://www.xbox360forum.com/forum/xbox-360-modding/47476-tutorial-how-cut-paint-your-case.html
Now that you have your tools, it's up to you.

Internal cosmetic mods
Basically you can make other parts inside transparent or kitted with LED's. You can buy a transparent case for the DVD drive so you can see the disc spin, HOWEVER, you will have to make sure you know the make of your drive, to do this, you can either open your case to find out, or identify the drive based on the tray, you can use this picture to help with both scenarios. http://www.biline.ca/X-Box/360/allthreedvdsf360.jpg
Once you find which drive you have, you have to pick the correct cover accordingly. In order, BEN'Q, Hitatchi, Samsung.
http://www.thegametrain.com/enlargeimage.html?zoomimage=http://images.esellerpro.com/2261/I/120/89/lrgscaleSFIMG00005943.jpghttp://www.thegametrain.com/enlargeimage.html?zoomimage=http://images.esellerpro.com/2261/I/940/1/lrgscaleXbox%20360%20Clear%20HD%20Cover%20for%20Hitachi%20DVD-ROMebay.jpghttp://www.thegametrain.com/products/Case-Mods/596-Xbox-360-Clear-SD-Cover-for-Samsung-DVD-ROM.html
There is also another type of cover available, but these are dangerous, they only cover half the drive and dust and wires can get stuck in it easily. All of these can be bought at thegametrain.co.uk

Another part to consider is a transparent fan duct. Which can either be full transparent, or LED kitted. Off personal experience, these can be a good addition to the internal viewing of a case. http://www.thegametrain.com/enlargeimage.html?zoomimage=http://images.esellerpro.com/2261/I/937/0/lrgscalecrystalflow.jpg
http://www.thegametrain.com/enlargeimage.html?zoomimage=http://images.esellerpro.com/2261/I/936/4/lrgscaletwilightblue_04.jpg

Next we would cover cooling, aka, the fans. Now the stock fans have the ability to swap form 5V to 12V depending on how hard the console is working, for example if you are just watching a film or listening to music, it will operate at 5V but if your playing an online it will more than likely work at 12V, now you will notice the difference in speed (and noise) with this.
The reason I tell you this is that the talismoon whisper max comes with a button to manually swap between the two voltages, so if you were to buy one of these do NOT do what my 16yo friend who has a mental age of 7 did and push the button repeatedly for an hour until his xbox RROD. But anyway on with the tut...

Talismoon offer a great product to spark the life into your console in either red, blue or green (or all if you change them) There is the whisper fan's and the whisper fans max, the whisper fans usually cost �10, and come with the transparent durable plastic of the fans and 8 installed LED's of your choice from red, blue or green. The whisper fans max come with all three colors (blue is the one normally installed)But they also come with the nitro button, that allows manual changing of the fan speed, which will also increase the brightness of the LED's. This however can be dangerous if overused. They also come with two small heatsinks for the northbridge and southbridge to help with cooling them. The whisper max costs about �15.
http://www.talismoon.com/multipage/products/RKS00099/images/3.jpg
Now the next step is to know weather your console is 4 pin or 3 pin connection, it's quite easy to identify but know this, if you have 3 pin and wish to use more than one talismoon product (including the fans) then your going to have to go through the worst case scenario i will mention later.
So all of the launch consoles will have a setup like this with 4 pin.
http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/mods/images/fanpower/360mobo%20001fan.jpg
And all other such as elite or new in general will have this 3 pin.
http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/mods/images/fanpower/360elite%20044fan.jpg

Now it doesnt matter which one you have as all of the fans come with an adapter to switch the talismoon fan from 4 pin to 3 pin. these can still be bought at thegametrain.co.uk.
Now these are easy to install. http://img139.imageshack.us/i/twilightflowfittedne9.jpg/
This is a console that has 4pin, whisper fans and the fan duct.
But if you are going to use it with the illuminated fan duct on a three pin console then your going to need a little more. You want something that looks a little like this.
http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/news/images/xbox-360-elite/fansplit%20027.jpg Except where the stock fans are,you would have another elite/hdmi adapter, then the talismoon fans. So to achieve this all you will need to do is buy a hdmi/elite cable and a fan splitter for 3pin, the rest of the wires you see come with it.
http://www.thegametrain.com/products/Xbox-360-Parts-and-Repairs/696-Xbox-360-Elite-Adapter.html
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-PIN-PC-FAN-POWER-SPLITTER-CABLE-FEMALE-TO-2-X-MALE_W0QQitemZ350206369223QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item5189ed1dc7

Now the great thing about this is, if you look at the image of the set up for 3pin, you will notice an unused 4pin socket, now you can fill this with an aurora kit also by talismoon, which is two strips of LED's that can be held in place with clips to give this effect.
http://img15.imageshack.us/i/aurorabluelightforxbox3.jpg/
http://www.access-gaming.com/agstore/pc/catalog/1003-pkg.jpg
Now if you buy a second you can attach it to the spare plug on the first set, and light the top and bottom of the console.

Controller modding
The original way people use to LED mod their controllers was a 10 out of 10 difficulty job, now this has become much easier as now you can buy the cases already premodded with them fitted for you.
These type of mods are availble for both wired and wireless controllers. The only thing you have to do is solder three wires on either type. (Or you can buy the full controller already fitted but can be expensive)

Now if you are considering one of these, first you should be comfortable dissembling/ reassembling your console.
For the wired controller the screws that hold it in place are just simple Phillips heads, at this point I should assume you can unscrew something. But with the wireless controller, they have a special type of torx I don't have that much experience with. It's basically a torx with a nub in the middle so the screw bit has to have a hole in the middle to fit this. Now you can if lucky, use a small flat head screwdriver with a good grip to unscrew these, but it may chip the screw, making it harder each time you wish to use so.

EDIT: credit to Russia, the name of these bits are just torx security. There is a cheap set you can buy from the UK here:
UK seller
And for US here:
USA seller

You can use these guides to help you disassemble your pad.
Old wireless controller (normal screws)
I don't yet have a wired guide but the layout is much the same as the one above.

And here you can buy your cases from:
UK seller
(If anyone has a good US seller please post)

Now when it comes to the soldering part, you will have to check what edition your pad is. Now there is first edition and second which is the latest. As far as dissemble goes, there is no difference but when it comes to the soldering you will need to compare which you have with these two PDF's. once you find your type, you can solder it in.
First edition
Second edition
(more updates to come)
 
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ClarkeOne

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Thanks i actually made an update but the damn server was full and didnt process so i lost a crap load more paragraphs, i'll get back to typing it though.
 
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Matermine

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Keep it coming. Love it. Don't like the UK only links though =\
 
mrgeo20

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hey I don't know if you want images on your guide but I totally agree about the illuminated fan duct so I took a pic of mine as a visual aid for your guide:
100_9271-1.jpg

if you want to put it in there heres the code:
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218/mrgeo20/100_9271-1.jpg[/IMG*]
just remove the asterisk at the end ^^^^
 
ClarkeOne

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mrgeo20 said:
hey I don't know if you want images on your guide but I totally agree about the illuminated fan duct so I took a pic of mine as a visual aid for your guide:
100_9271-1.jpg

if you want to put it in there heres the code:
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u218/mrgeo20/100_9271-1.jpg[/IMG*]
just remove the asterisk at the end ^^^^[/quote]

Thanks mate, im actually typing it up in word right now so i dont loose it again so i will use your picture for the window cut and fan duct, I will also try to find resellers for america.
 
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ClarkeOne

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So does anyone want a tut for controller mods or sound mod ?
 
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So does anyone want a tut for controller mods or sound mod ?

Controller, yes please. Sound, no clue what that is, so yes. :smile: I am trying to find out the best paint to use, and thinking about painting my dpad and sticks black, as well as my chatpad.
 
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Controller, yes please. Sound, no clue what that is, so yes. :smile: I am trying to find out the best paint to use, and thinking about painting my dpad and sticks black, as well as my chatpad.

I don't know to much about painting as the last attempt I made went badly wrong, if you know how to paint I can link you a controller disassembly guide as well as a dip dye guide
Controller dissemble
Dip dye
 
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uruoki

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I don't know to much about painting as the last attempt I made went badly wrong, if you know how to paint I can link you a controller disassembly guide as well as a dip dye guide
Controller dissemble
Dip dye

I can paint it, and I seen those, a few problems though. I have wireless, and dip dye will wear off in heat and humid rooms, like mine. Thanks though. :smile:
 
ClarkeOne

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I can paint it, and I seen those, a few problems though. I have wireless, and dip dye will wear off in heat and humid rooms, like mine. Thanks though. :smile:

their is another alternative where you could buy the case you want for the colour but most of them are LED lit if that would matter. I can include these in the tut if you want ?
 
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their is another alternative where you could buy the case you want for the colour but most of them are LED lit if that would matter. I can include these in the tut if you want ?

Sure, the more the better.
 
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I just got a Torx Security/Tamper-Proof bit set today. I looked everywhere, but when I checked pepboys (a suggestion from somewhere else in the same section)they had them for about $11, so if you want them, check there. The only problem with the bits is they cannot reach the deepest screw on the controller (on the bottom of the the "handles" if you will), but this can be easily fixed by widening the holes just slightly with a dremel, and it does not look very bad at all. B)
 
ClarkeOne

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I just got a Torx Security/Tamper-Proof bit set today. I looked everywhere, but when I checked pepboys (a suggestion from somewhere else in the same section)they had them for about $11, so if you want them, check there. The only problem with the bits is they cannot reach the deepest screw on the controller (on the bottom of the the "handles" if you will), but this can be easily fixed by widening the holes just slightly with a dremel, and it does not look very bad at all. B)

Thanks for the name of these dude, I shall update it now with these.
 
Rayven2

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Hmm intresting, Although i never cared for visual modding much.. Unles it enhances performance like particular case mods. Either way id prolly only consider doing a controller.
 
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