Xbox 360 Laptop Work-Blog (Updated 1/6)

[thetwoj1014]

Hey all, I recently started construction of the infamous beast with a friend of mine and have been taking a lot of care to thoroughly document the process every step of the way. I just thought I'd throw the link up so that you can follow along if you like. Enjoy!

http://www.360laptop.blogspot.com

-JJ

[mdh16]

nice work glad to here you started bet it was time comsuming with the desoldering .. are you guys using bens temolates or so his 360 laptop 2 design or making up your own? Also bookmarked site on my safari browser

[collinE]

The absolute best decision you guys made was to do it together. Brainstorming between each other and tag teaming it will boost morale and keep frustration low. Not to mention you can catch mistakes better. Keep it up!

[thetwoj1014]

.. are you guys using bens temolates or so his 360 laptop 2 design or making up your own?

We're using his guide for, well, guidance It will bear the most resemblance to Ben's third box (Halo themed), what with the camera, keyboard, ATX power plug and all. That said, the internal layout will be fairly different in that we've managed to squeeze the LCD inverter into the bottom of the case rather than the power supply. Also hoping to position the camera at the top of the screen as opposed to the bottom, just for kicks.

[thetwoj1014]

Update: We currently have all of the system components up and running, and are working on finishing our custom case so that we can finally put it all together! The world's next 360 laptop is approaching completion Check out the blog linked above for pics and details!

[samjc3]

wow! amazing so far. but, one thing really bugs me: "we are literally buying a brand new 3RD GEN GAMING CONSOLE"

the xbox 360 is 7TH GEN.

[mdh16]

AHHH finally update is that the same lcd bens been using ..dam i wish i could find a 19 inch lcd with a small enclosure like that one you guys might as well put the inverter with the lcd lol...Plus it looks like were going to be finishing our 360 portables @ the same time if you got a chance USE bens templates they help a whole bunch instead of having to make your own ports and have them laser cut

[thetwoj1014]

We've actually been making the entire case by hand. We wanted to do something similar to Ben's but no be constrained by his designs, so we didn't really have a choice. Case creation has easily been the most challenging (and frustrating) part of the project. Just getting to the point where we're ready to start assembling it, probably tonight or tomorrow =]

[coukos34]

Love your blog. I check on it every day. I wish I was as meticulous as you, to document my progress the whole way. BTW, what do you guys plan to do for a modified cpu heatsink?

[thetwoj1014]

As far as the CPU heatsink goes, we're doing something very similar to what Ben has done on his latest laptops, namely just cutting it down and then using a copper sheet that extends out over the GPU heatsink (and thus right in front of our fans) to keep it chilly. We haven't gotten to the point where we've been able to stress test it though, so I'll have to get back to you when we actually determine whether or not that's enough There's also a second copper sheet that comes off the other side and folds up and down a time or two to disperse heat on that side as well.

There's a picture where you can more or less see what I'm talking about in my latest update on the blog. The fans aren't in, you'll have to use your imagination for that one.

[coukos34]

Ah, cool. I actually saw your update before I checked in here. Similar to what I did but I used the older heatsink with some added heatsink pieces off the front and back. I'm really interested to see how well your setup cools once your ready to stress test it. I decided against the keyboard as I felt it was more of an asthetic piece than a useful one. I wanted more cooling also so keyboard was out for me.
How is the plastic you used in terms of durability? I got concerned when ben mentions using an exacto to make cuts. I went for plexiglass becuase it was something that I could easily get, and would be strong. It was tough to work with sometimes though because it is more brittle. I like your idea of going with more of the style of his halo inspired laptop with the monitor portion. Doing this allows the percieved thickness of the monitor to be very thin.

I am complete on my laptop other than a little more sanding and needing paint. I have been putting it through it's paces with long sessions of MW2 since Friday and it is running excellent! I have a bunch of fans and it's all running very cool, but I have main fans on top which forces the monitor to always be in the open position when in use (even when hooked to tv unfortunately). I'm interested to see how your setup will run. When you think your gonna be ready for stress testing? pics of the finished project as soon as I paint it. I was gonna post pics in the state that it's in now but I don't think it does it justice with all the jb weld and such. Maybe I'll just thro some anyways. IDK....Anyways, keep up the good work!

[thetwoj1014]

I honestly cannot say enough about the Komatex. I have no idea where Ben found out about the stuff, but it's awesome. Very easy to cut and rout, even has a bit of flex to it but is very strong once you start putting it all together. It's a fairly porous material as well, making the super glue and JB weld adhere to it extremely well. I had my doubts at first, but now that we have the better part of the case assembled, I have zero worries about its structural integrity. We bought a ton of screws thinking we would need them present at every joint, but now that we've seen how solid it is with just super glue and a bead of JB weld around the inside I think we'll end up only using screws to put the top of the main case on.

Your project sounds very interesting, I'm glad to hear you aren't having any overheating issues. With the old heatsink though, seems like your case would be a little tall, did you chop it down at all? Would love to see some pictures when you get the chance, and as far as doing it justice goes, you've seen pictures of ours in every state of disassembly imaginable if you've been reading the blog so no worries there

[mdh16]

nice job on the case, love to see when actual geometry is being used in the process lol . All three of us are making beautys lol.. have you tested that new heatsink redo, you might wana add some more copper lol

[thetwoj1014]

Yeah, we've been testing it and it holds up for about half an hour with our tiny 30mm fans and their 3 CFM of airflow, so when the big guns (40mm 14 CFM airflow) show up on Monday I'm sure we'll be in the clear.

[jjhammerstein]

UPDATE.