Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 6:18 am Post subject: project wetbox
ive all but stopped modding xboxs and went into computers exclusively, but i couldnt leave it behind. i got the itch and this is what ive come up with. i usually dont advocate xboxs in pc cases, but i wont have enough room any other way. i def. want this project to be portable. coupled with me and my grandad being able to build the custom waterblocks for vertually free, i thought this a great project to get ready for the 360. this log is up on a couple of other forums, and i am ashamed that i have neglected this forum, as everyone here is so curtious. at any rate, my pics might not be completely up to date for the next few days becasue there is quite a bit that has already been done.
we'll start off with a pic of my slimbox. may it rest in piece. i didnt like how cluttered the inside had become so i decided that it would donate itself from to the cause.
** SEE IMAGE 1 - ATTACHED: halouser_topic_image1.jpg **
and now for the beginnings of this project.
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started with an old compaq presario 6000 case.
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window shape is kinda odd, but i have a plan for it.
** SEE IMAGE 4 - ATTACHED: halouser_topic_image4.jpg **
i drilled out the rivets to expose the chassi.
** SEE IMAGE 5 - ATTACHED: halouser_topic_image5.jpg **
i wanted some usb's but i dont want them showing...
** SEE IMAGE 6 - ATTACHED: halouser_topic_image6.jpg **
i fabricated a door that will have a hinge so that it will swing freely. this compartment will also house the dpdt switch for the dual hdd mod.
halouser_topic_image1.jpg
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IMAGE 1: we'll start off with a pic of my slimbox. may it rest in piece. i didnt like how cluttered the inside had become so i decided that it would donate itself from to the cause.
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IMAGE 2: and now for the beginnings of this project.
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IMAGE 3: started with an old compaq presario 6000 case.
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IMAGE 4: window shape is kinda odd, but i have a plan for it.
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IMAGE 5: i drilled out the rivets to expose the chassi.
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IMAGE 6: i wanted some usb's but i dont want them showing...
so i picked up an etching bit from the hardware store...
remember my plan for the window?
no matter how many times i look at this pic, i still love it.
another shot.
i decided i didnt want the standard computer i/o's for an xbox, so i got rid of the back panel. i picked up a rivet gun while i was at it. those are impressive little tools.
i got some little nuts and bolts for some nice accents. remember, polished industrial. after a buffing those things will be blingin. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
forahobby Administrator
Joined: May 22, 2003 Posts: 23945 Location: NSW, Australia
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:04 am Post subject:
Hi halouser,
nice idea.. I like most of your mods anyway..
I was just thinking..
Why dont you have a website?? I could give you some hosting to put up a small website and host some images with your tutorials??
i build this little stand out of pvc i had laying around to help with the wetsanding process.
this is what i have after the first coat. it is slightly reflictive, and has that orange peel affect.
this is the submersable pump that should be in the mail tomorrow. at 200gph, and 5ft of head pressure this the is more then sufficient for being the heart of the watercooling loop. plus for under twenty bucks, you absolutely cannot beat it.
this will be the house for the pump, and the resuvior (spelling!!!). the benefit of post this a little late is the change in plans that you guys will get to know about. that will be mounted on top of a custom bracket. reason being, i dont want all the water from the radiator to flow back into the res and over flow it, so the res will have to sit higher then the radiator. all for now.
a nice piece of frosted plex will take the place of the rear I/O's. it will be lit with countersunk leds that will give the whole back panel a nice glow.
these are some accent bolts i picked up. they will be used to mount the side window plex, and also the back panel. the theme of the case is going to be polished industrial. with a nice polish from the dremel these things will be blingin.
this is a pic of me testing how to tap the hole in the res with the hose barb. if you look closely you will see that the barb is sitting crooked.
res with inlet installed, of coarse threaded crooked as well.
this is a pic the leak test on the hose barb inlet on the res. it works, skeet skeet. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
halouser Xbox-HQ Member
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 97 Location: georgia
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:20 am Post subject:
i installed the window for just a test fit, and i also didnt want to drill holes in the finished paintjob. the paint doesnt look very good right now because the last coat i added when the wind was blowing so it kinda fouled it up. ill finish that hopefully next time i wetsand, but i might actually have to add another coat of black now, LAME!
you can see where it is mirroring a wee bit at the bottum, but it still needs alot of work. im going for a somewhat polished industrial look with this, so the bolts will be blingin before its over with. im in the process of trying to find a nice tool for polishing metal, and i should be able to get some really awsome effects then.
sorry for the bad pics, my dad's digicam died. it will probably be camera phone pics for the next couple of updates. till next time.
i got home from college today to find 100uv leds, and 100 free 470ohm resistors in my mailbox. if anyone knows how many amps are on the 12v rail on the psu please let me know.
leds. it doesnt matter that im never going to be able to use that many because they always look exciting hahaha.
i cant wait to get some uv dye in the water. i think its going to look awsome. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
halouser Xbox-HQ Member
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 97 Location: georgia
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:30 am Post subject:
well my dremel broke today so i didnt actually get to finish as much as i would have liked. my parents said that they would spot me the funds to pick up another one tomorrow, so hopefully i can get some nice work done. i test fitted a spare piece of plex on the back just to get an idea. tell me what you think thus far.
pic of the custom mounting bracket used to mount the plex. i will remove the excess as soon as i get another dremel.
shot of the middle bracket.
keep in mind the final mount will be much more uniform then this, and have some nice lighting effects.
another shot
i have some window trim ill be using on the final mount to get it a proffestional look. tell me what you guys think. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
halouser Xbox-HQ Member
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 97 Location: georgia
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:34 am Post subject:
my grandfather an i took a good portion of the afternoon figuring out how to design the block. he though smaller id tubing was the way to go, so we both had to sacrifice a little bit settling with 3/8" id barbs. with the cpu and its chipset being so close together we decided to go with one large block instead of two. since we are using two 1/2" thick bars of 6061 aluminum that will be bolted together i think it will work well, considering this isnt a cutting edge computer or anything. also we went with one large channel running the length of the block with two outlets on each side. its a mixture of cross drilling and routing. ive made a few very rough concept sketches.
top veiw of the tunneling on the block. both top and bottum sides will be routed
side view
these are not actually how the blocks were built, but they were our first design.
in closing, i had to help a friend this evening, so i couldnt get a dremel. tomorrow ill have to find a 3/8" npt pipe tap so we can complete the blocks hopefully by tomorrow evening. in addition, i was curious as to how i was going to be able to use an xecutor 3 chip i had installed on a v1.0 that had broken, and the i realized. the box that i play xbox live on has already had an x2.6 on it. so all ill have to do is add the chip, and reflash a 1.6 bios. all the apps are already installed. chances are once i finish the case ill work on a dual hdd mod with a 250gig. does anyone know how hard it is to reflash a bios like that, or if its even possible? i usually stay away from the software part of xbox modding. untill tomorrow hopefully. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
halouser Xbox-HQ Member
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 97 Location: georgia
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:40 am Post subject:
i picked up a few things today because i didnt get to work on the blocks.
it took a couple hours to find a place in town that stocked this pipe tap.
an elbow for the above design, that didnt get used. it might in the final product.
finally, picked up some rca jacks for my hippad. im going to mount it to the front of the case, and i dont want to have to desolder every time i want to take the case apart.
i was having so much trouble ftping my boxes, and i felt like such a noob. a buddy of mine told me the other day that the only way he could get his to work is through his router, and a lightbulb went off in my head. i realized that the problems i was having were generated by the network switch i use for xbox live. immediatley i pluged my crossover straight into the computer and then kicked myself for being such a moron. needless to say, im not having that problem anymore. me and my grandad got to work for a bit today, and im impressed with the way its coming out thus far.
the culprit.
we tack welded the blocks together so that they would stay still while we drilled the four bolt holes.
we drilled and tapped the bottum portion of the block so that the bolts wouldnt actually thread into the top block. this way we could pull the block tight together. bolts went well with the overall theme of the project. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
halouser Xbox-HQ Member
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 97 Location: georgia
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:45 am Post subject:
this is the hippad with the quick disconnect rca jacks wired up.
here she is blingin. i cant wait to get back and get a dremel, so i can get some more finished.
i just got back from the beach yesterday. i havnt actually done a whole lot, but i wanted to make a wee update. i really didnt do anything but work out where to put the xlcd and hippad. anyways, this is my new dremel, i took the old one back and they exchanged it no questions asked.
i was gonna mount the lcd screen today, but a buddy of mine came over so i just worked on the pain a wee bit. tomorrow ill have some good stuff to post.
just some shots of the reflection. im not really sure if im going to repaint it or not. up close it has some imperfections i want to get rid of. for now its fine. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
halouser Xbox-HQ Member
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 97 Location: georgia
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:54 am Post subject:
the waterblock was finished today. i bought some rubber gromets along with some bolts to hold it down , and thumb screws. im going to athens this weekend, but when i get home ill order a radiator, heatshrink, and a few fans. i just have a few shots of the block. i was planning on working on the front panel today, but i got busy doing this and at lowes. i actaully found out how to use to dremel to polish things finally, and im very pleased with the results.
this is a test mount on a brokin motherboard i have. it obviously wont be laying down in the computer...
i was skeptical to just have the one support running across the middle, but it did the job great. in not actually going to stay like this. i have some more plans to spruce the look of it up.
yuck, let the lapping begin!!!
the block is back together with some silicone drying. you cant tell, but ive polished the bolts too, and they look really good as well.
tadaa.
another, tadaaa.
almost forgot the channel. its probably 3/16" of and ince from the bottum.
i really appreciate all the work my grandad did on this with me, and for me. i think he did an amazing job, and he'll probably be helping me more before the project comes to an end. monday ill leak test this beast. until next time. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
halouser Xbox-HQ Member
Joined: May 04, 2005 Posts: 97 Location: georgia
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:02 am Post subject:
little update. i worked on homework on and off all day. a guy brought his xbox to me to be modded also, so i worked on that for a bit as well. if you can tell me why i cant get the dash to work i would greatly appreciate it. i have the latest x3 bios on a v1.6, and im trying to load unleash x as the dash. do i need to reformat the hdd, if so, wich files do i need to keep in order for it to boot the ms dash again.
at any rate, i did a weee bit, and these are the pics.
tadaaa, my dad got a new camera today, but i couldnt use it because it was charging. its a sony cybershot p200. that means i have good pics on the way.
i leak tested again before 48 hours because i couldnt wait for it to dry completely. the silicone did its job, and it didnt leak anyways.
just another little shot of my little makeshift loop.
picked up a dpdt switch for my dual hdd mod, and i found a good place to mount it. i also have some hinges for the trapped door, but i forgot to take a picture of them.
a little hippad teaser. this piece of plex will be flush mounted in the front panel. dont worry about the A:/ drive slot. it will be bondoed over.
ok, now you guys are up to date. if i ever wait to post a log until im this close to being finished i just wont do it. i hope you guys enjoy. _________________ wetbox rusty pc
Dark_Rebel Xbox-HQ Elite Member Xbox Version: All 1.0-1.6 Modded: Xecuter3 & Spiderchip
Joined: Nov 10, 2004 Posts: 347 Location: Belchertown, MA
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:06 pm Post subject:
As impressive as ever halouser ... you simply amaze me!
And after seeing your slimbox I was inspired to build my own, but I'm doing some cooling modding to it trying to drop the temperature. I'll post pics when i got some parts and finish my box. but god damn a would love a water cooled box. _________________ Blue Chaos
Joined: Mar 12, 2005 Posts: 1887 Location: Orlando/West Palm Beach, FL USA
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:15 pm Post subject:
I would like to get some more information on that LCD screen you have and all your pinouts for it. Ok, a schematic for your design would defintely be awesome.
Also, where you got the lcd, name model etc...
Impressive man, impressive. _________________ XBOX v1.6
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