Project X2

Originally published by Matthew on June 1, 2006
Last updated on June 1, 2006

A friend of mine gave me a dead 1.6 Xbox, sans DVD drive, since he had no use for it. Since I more or less completed the “whitebox“, I have been gathering new ideas for future Xbox modding. Once I had a spare case in my hands, the ideas really started to flow. Having had a few months to learn how exactly we use the Xbox, I have come up with a more refined plan that will better fit our needs. One thing I learned, for example, was that all the effort to remove the jewel, cut a hole through the top of the case, and install a bunch of LEDs to shine through it is not really worth the effort when what you really want is a sleek entertainment device. Also, painting the already ungainly-looking Xbox white makes it stand out even more, sometimes in a bad way.

With these lessons and more in mind, I set out to dream up a new home for my Xbox. Nothing outrageous, nothing completely unique, just efficient and sleek and good looking. The reason for the name X2 is twofold (no pun intended); first, this is my second Xbox case, and second, it’s like the B-2 stealth bomber: it’s black, and it carries its arsenal (wireless controllers, DVD dongle) internally.

Design

The above diagram is a rough sketch (I’m not that good at photo manipulation, but I tried) of my ideas and what it may look like in the end.

Plan of Attack

Four wireless controllers (probably Pelican Blade controllers) will be integrated into the inside of the Xbox. I will be removing the DVD drive and making it external (see connections on the back of the case), which will require converting its power connector to standard molex. The case will be shortened roughly 3/4″, and I will use Bondo to cover the jewel and make the top smooth as well as the controller ports. On the lower corners of the front bezel will be smoked plexiglass (like IR windows) which will cover the HDD, LAN, and dongle LEDs. The toggle for the DVD dongle to 4th controller will be a simple push-on push-off switch, and the LED next to it will be illuminated when the dongle is active. The entire case will be black except for the center areas which will be silver as seen in the prototype diagram. The stock power switch will be removed, and the eject switch will be the new power button. Finally, a rocker switch on the back panel will enable “stealth mode” (B-2 bomber reference again). This will deactivate all the LEDs — the ones for the DVD dongle, hard drive activity, LAN activity, and front panel underglow — except for the main power LED around the power button (which can be turned off in software via XBMC).

At this point I’m still in the conceptual phase of the project; as I proceed I will update this site. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to leave them below!

Add a comment