XBOX 360 casemod

[bobzee]

This should be filed under 'mods I wish i'd never started' because it's taking a lot longer than I thought it would.

Anyway, a search of google images shows up lots of xbox 360s that have big perspex windows with what looks like christmas tree lights inside.
That's a bit too much for my liking, so i've went for something a little more sublime.

Behold the XBOX 360 stencil casemod.

It's still a work-in-progress, but most of the annoying stuff has been done:

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_progress.jpg

It took around 4-6 hours to carve out each letter/digit.
I almost shit myself while working on the letter 'O'. It pinged across the room, turns out it's a cap to cover an injection mould point. It's difficult to tell, even when closely inspected.

The inside of the case doesn't look very pretty:

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_inside.jpg

But the outside is looking rather good:

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_backlit.jpg

So, how did I get the middle parts of the O & B to float?

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_silicone.jpg

Silicone. With lots of bubbles trapped within.

I'm still working on how to mix it without getting the bubbles.

Here's the case as it is just now, with electrical tape holding the middle bits in place while I tidy up the centre of the zero.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_waiting.jpg

This is the top half of the case. There's no way in hell i'm going to even think about doing the bottom half...

I'll post updates once I get the silicone sorted, then it's just the LED's to be fitted.

[Hawk]

That is pretty sick no lie, just wondering how did you carve out the letters? Also can we see a pic of the inside where the leds are located?

Hawk

[bobzee]

That is pretty sick no lie, just wondering how did you carve out the letters?
Thanks, I filed down the plastic from the inside until it was thin enough to cut the letters out with a craft knife.


Also can we see a pic of the inside where the leds are located?
I've still to fit the leds. The backlit picture was just me holding it against my monitor to get an idea of how it should look when they're fitted.
Once i've fitted them, i'll post some more pics

[bobzee]

Some more pictures:

Using alginate to take a cast of the text
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_alginate1.jpg


The cast holds the disconnected parts of the letters in place
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_alginate2.jpg


With the cast lined up under the case, fill the cutout with silicone

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_fill.jpg


The blobs let me check if the silicone has cured without getting fingerprints on the main part.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_blobs.jpg
There was still some silicone in the syringe which has to be emptied, so for some unknown reason, I put a coin in there.



After the silicone cures, the alginate lifts away without pulling on the silicone. There is some excess which is trimmed away with a knife.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_excess.jpg
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_trimmed.jpg

A royal seal of approval :icon_bigg
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/bobzee666/xbox%20360%20backlight/xbox360_stencil_seal.jpg

Next step is to get the backlighting done right. Putting led's straight in causes hotspots, so i'm making a plastic filter to scatter the light more evenly.

[Metro Spy]

Good work, and nice to see a fellow Brit. Royal stamp of approval I see!

Did you manage to sort the problem of bubbles in the silicon?

[bobzee]

Thanks. I managed to get less bubbles than before, and they're smaller too.
I popped most of the bigger ones with a needle while the silicone was still liquid, but loads of smaller ones formed while it was curing.
It doesn't look too bad, gives it some texture :)

[gelberhase]

good job^^
it seems like a lot of work.....but i think its worth the effort

[Hawk]

I'm definitly going to steal your idea to add to my jtagged box's. Where did you get the alginate stuff?

Hawk

[bobzee]

Can't remember, it was online a couple of years ago.
The stuff I used is called Alja-Safe, it's similar to the stuff used to take dental impressions. If you can find a tub around 500g or less, that should be plenty.
The silicone is Platsil Gel 10, a two part mixture. It can be quite expensive, but I got a small trial pack for around £30.
I'm not sure if silicone sealant, the stuff used to seal aquariums would work.

Edit:
The silicone is from mouldlife.co.uk, think I got the alginate from there too.

[bobzee]

I've fitted two leds into the case and wired them up. They're different ratings, so the red is quite dull and the blue is blinding!
All I need to do now is sort them out with a resistor to blend them a bit better and tidy up the wiring.

[mooseblaster]

<picture>
(http://bobzee.com/assembler/setup_01.jpg)

Something seems odd about your dashboard, but I can't *quite* put my finger on it. :P

Wishful thinking?