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Like your Microsoft XBox, but wish it were an Apple product? Here's your guide to convert that boring black XBox into an Apple iBox!
Your first step is to fully disassemble your XBox. There are 6 hidden screws underneath, which are removed with a T20 screwdriver. Once inside, all screws can be removed with a T10 screwdriver. You will need to remove all components. A wealth of information for these details can be found at xbox-scene.com
Once you have the case apart, it is time to smooth it out. We'll remove all traces of the Microsoft logo and the XBox logo. The first thing to do will be to remove that green jewel. The best way to do this is to remove that metal shielding, then put the top in the freezer for an hour, and then take it out and hit the back soft, but firm, and it should pop off.
The next step will be to bondo the case. Bondo is an automotive filler that can be found at any auto parts store. Follow the directions on the can and apply the putty to where the jewel was, the triangles at the top and bottom, and the MS logo and port numbers on the front. We are filling in those 2 triangles to remove the "X" on top, since it will no longer be an XBox. Here's how it should look after a lot of sanding:
Once you have all that done, which should take a lot of trial-and-error, and a lot of sanding, your next stage is to cut out an Apple logo in the top center, where the green jewel used to be. I did this using a dremel rotary tool. To get it exact, I first printed out the logo, cut it out, and spray painted a stencil of where to cut. Take your time, as this will be a key feature at the end. Here is how it should look after cutting and priming:
This next step is optional, but I think it really adds to the fact that this is now an " i " Box. We will remove the physical power and eject buttons, and replace it with an " i " symbol. To power on the iBox and eject, I used an internal device called the XERC, which allows you to do these things with a remote. Again, get out your bondo, and putty in all over the power and eject front panel. Once you have it sanded smooth, Drill a dot for the i and file a rectangle for the rest of the i. I put a white piece of wax paper behind it to allow the white light through, yet cover up the holes. Here is what it should look like when finished:
You will also need to get rid of the XBOX text from the DVD bezel. To do this, simply sand it off. Start with a low grit sandpaper, and work your way up to finer paper, until it is smooth. Now you have all the case molding finished, so it is time to sand everything and prime it. I ended up wetsanding with 1500 grit sandpaper for a nice, smooth finish. You should also apply some Dupli-Color Filler Primer before painting, to fill in any imperfections, and give it a nice base coat. To paint, I used Krylon Fusion Glossy White. Give it a few light coats, using a back and forth motion, letting each coat dry for 30 minutes, and do this until it is a nice, white color.
With the case all painted, it is time to take care of that Apple hole you cut at top. I wanted it to light up, and be flush with the case, so after a lot of trial and error, I found clear Epoxy to work the best. Put a piece of tape over the top of your case, and then mix and pour in the epoxy and let it harden overnight. The results should be a flush filler, that still lets light through. Once it is hardened, paint over it again with the white paint, so it blends in with the case. The result should look like this:
With that done, it's time to wire up some white LEDs to illuminate the Apple jewel and the front " i ". I used 5mm, to provide a more even glow. I won't discuss the specifics of how to wire them up, but all I did was hot glue a total of 8 underneath the Apple jewel and 2 for the " i ". Here's how mine ended up looking:
Since I mentioned I'm using the remote to power on the xbox, with the XERC installed, I decided to paint my remote to match. Very simple to do, just pry it apart at the middle, and use the Krylon Fusion paint again. I used glossy white for the top, and nickel shimmer (silver) for the bottom:
The final touch is to write iBox on the DVD bezel, where XBOX used to be. To do this, I simply used a black Sharpie marker. It's very simple to write, and looks fine.
Here is how it turned out. It took countless hours of learning how to work with Bondo, and the best method of making the Apple jewel, but my struggles are your gain, as you now know exactly how it's done. Good luck, and happy modding! I'm sure Microsoft would really love to see what has been done to their XBox!! Hah.
- SICKdimension
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