DIY slimbox mod.

Discussion about Modding the XBOX, including hardware and software hacks.
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bigkidoz
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DIY slimbox mod.

Post by bigkidoz »

Ok students , i'm going to take you thru a step by step guide to ridding your xbox of that failing dvd drive and helping your xbox loose a little weight. Over the next few days (time permitting ) i'll upload pics as i go.

step 1) Gut your xbox like a freshly caught trout.
step 2) Remove the tin shielding ready for trimming down (optional unless you are a butcher)
step 3) Locate the marks for cutting, for the front this is the recessed line just below the DVD tray and for the rear count 3 fins up from the RH side fins and cut just above the 3rd.
You can use a sharp hacksaw blade, a craft / stanley knife or a large Bowie if your name is Rambo. A dremel is best or if you are a cheap bastard like me a cheap dremel knockoff does just as good for 1/3 the price - see my weapon of choice to the right of pic.
Important tip - WEAR SOME FORM OF EYEWEAR, i got some plastic shards in my eye and it hurt like Fat Uncle Chuck Kelly !

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After cleaning up the cuts with a fine file and or sandpaper its time to trim the tin shielding, i should have noted the my first post that we are aiming to cut the case down by approx. 10-12mm - rough cut 10mm allowing a few mm to clean up.

Now get your shielding and at the front where the dvd tray was there is a recess in the tin, mark across from this line and then right around all sides.

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Now with tin snips cut along your marked line all around.

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Cutting all done and ready to clean up the edges.

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Ok so now we have the base completed i have placed the lid to show how much we need to cut the lid down by.

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Easiest way to start on the lid is to mark a line 10mm up from the bottom of each side and cut straight across, when looked side on you'll notice how the side curve up from the middle to the outer edges. Once the 10mm is removed sit the lid in place and notice where the curves are so you can mark for the the next trim

Well being that its a nice day and all i managed to get outside and finish this slimbox, since i dont have a garage and my shed is full of crap

And just to prove that you can do a slim with basic hand tools i decided to cut the lid using a hacksaw instead of the rotary tool, the cut is actually cleaner although takes a little more care that you dont crack the lid.

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There is a bit of trimming inside the lid to make it sit flush with the base, there are ribs that need to be trimmed and slotted so that that sit into the tabs. So here we have the finished case ready to re-assemble , i'm still thinking about going nuts on the lid and cutting the finned triangle bits out and gluing tinted perspex in its place as well as a paint job and maybe some leds just to add some bling.

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Now that the case is ready you need to trim down the dvd tray to use as the hdd caddy, cut the legs down by 10mm and do a test fit to your mobo. Depending on the version xbox you have will dictate how you need to trim the tray, some will need clearance for the caps and some will need trimming on the cpu heatsink. Where the dvd try sits into pegs on the lid you will need to drill out the holes so that it can sit further in.
Apart from that all you need to get it up and running is a 60mm fan to cool it as the original fan is now too big, also you might want to do the power/eject button swap since eject is useless now- you only need to swap 2 wires on the pcb and no soldering required.
I picked up a 200gig WD ide hdd for $10 so it will be going into this machine.

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If you have any questions please dont hesitate to ask or even send me a PM.

When i did the base i actually cut down the wrong base for the mobo i planned on using so i'm doing another one today after lunch just for the hell of it .

regards,
Nick.

And here are a couple of finished and painted units .

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Nextelhalo
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by Nextelhalo »

Thank you sir for making this, i had planned on making one too but you beat me to it and did a FINE job!!!.
BTW, I llllloooooooveeeee the white slim :mrgreen:
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by RoyalX »

@ Nextelhalo, Could you make yours anyway?

It is better to have some references.
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by Nextelhalo »

Sure, I'll talk to Bigkidoz first and maybe we can merge the two into a SUPER TUTORIAL OF AWESOME SLIMNESS!!!!!!
Dont want to be a thread jacker now :lol:
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by bigkidoz »

Its the same one i did last year but since everything was lost and i posted it on another site it was easy to put it back up here, i just added the finished items to complete it.
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by professor_jonny »

bigkidoz wrote:Now that the case is ready you need to trim down the dvd tray to use as the hdd caddy, cut the legs down by 10mm and do a test fit to your mobo.
good tutioral but i have one question:
how come you cut off the bottom of the dvd tray?

i trim off the top of the caddy by the same hight you remove off the fromt face of the xbox on the top of the screw posts it means the top of the drive touches the top metal shielding and keeps it cool and there is more space under neath for the dvd board on those sata slims and for the mod chip.
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by bigkidoz »

professor_jonny wrote:
bigkidoz wrote:Now that the case is ready you need to trim down the dvd tray to use as the hdd caddy, cut the legs down by 10mm and do a test fit to your mobo.
good tutioral but i have one question:
how come you cut off the bottom of the dvd tray?

i trim off the top of the caddy by the same hight you remove off the fromt face of the xbox on the top of the screw posts it means the top of the drive touches the top metal shielding and keeps it cool and there is more space under neath for the dvd board on those sata slims and for the mod chip.
No particular reason, i trim down the tops and then enlarge the hole in the posts so that it fits in the alignment pegs on the lid to hold it in place. Never had any cooling issues and i dont use the dvd pcb so dont need the extra space, still room for a chip but i tsop all the pre V1.6's.
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by blighty »

Hi ya, I made one of these some time ago but when i had finished it, it dawned on me that the stock case bolts were to long to re use, is there an easy way around this or should cut them down and get my die set out? Cheers :)
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by professor_jonny »

blighty wrote:Hi ya, I made one of these some time ago but when i had finished it, it dawned on me that the stock case bolts were to long to re use, is there an easy way around this or should cut them down and get my die set out? Cheers :)
some people use wood screws, i also have pictures of how i retapped mine i used an 8-32 unc taper:

http://www.xbmc4xbox.org.uk/forum/viewt ... ?f=13&t=18
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by blighty »

Cool, will be fixing it together for the first time tommorow then :D Thankyou.
Muhlbacer
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by Muhlbacer »

So i release im waaaaaaaaaaay late to this party. But i was always a Sony boy, and completely missed the xbc. Anyways im in there process of doing this to a few consoles, but unless i missed it, how do you get around the xbc flipping out because there isnt a drive?
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by LudviG »

I am pretty sure I have a guide somewhere, but not before I get at work over the weekend. If I remember correct, you need the PCB from a Xbox dvd drive.

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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

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www.theisozone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=39734

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Muhlbacer
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by Muhlbacer »

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it has to be modded (soft or other) before the removal of the drive correct?
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by Nextelhalo »

If your talking about the DVD drive, yes and no. If you completely remove it then yes, if you remove the PCB from the DVD drive and leave it plugged in and in the xbox then no.
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by stevieb »

Question about painting: what is the best paint and/or method?

I've used spray paint before and it doesn't seem to stick well, meaning it chips off easily.

Thanks.
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by Nextelhalo »

Depends on the spray paint, using something like Krylon for plastics has always worked well for me. Make sure you do one very light coat initially, let it dry for 10-15 minutes and then do thicker coats as you go. I'd imagine you'll do 3-4 coats and that should be enough. I've never had paint chip or crack on me unless I hit the xbox with something but even then it would have to be pretty hard. You could always lightly sand down the surface that your painting and that will help the paint stick and hold to the surface much better.
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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by LudviG »

Using primer made for plastic also helps alot :)

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Re: DIY slimbox mod.

Post by brianeric26 »

Im plaining to do a slim mod as I have 2 extra cases for xbox ( bad motherboard they have frag) but the questiona are how much I have to cut the screw post what screws I can use and what bios i need to flash it ?

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