[Sata/Ide Adapter]

I have kept an eye on this topic as I would rather save a few bucks on the "mass production" machines I build and use the cheap adapter. And at this point I am not worried about failure and in these use cases, not worried about performance either. But, I don't want to lather it up with liquid electrical tape as thats just not good form to me.

So, here is my discovery. I stumbled this design and wondered why i hadn't thought of this before. 

 

SATA_IDE_Xbox_adapter.zip

[Bought Modded Xbox Need Information.]

I would assume that the thing sticking out of the controller is a usb drive. There is a fairly easy way to replace the memorycard port/connector with a USB slot.

I can only speculate about the port on the back. Maybe its an old way to connect to the modchip I am not aware of or some type of "custom" A/V out to go to a converter?

The dots look like LEDs and/or IR sensor, Most likely to indicate the modchips status or HDD activity or Network activity. and maybe the IR is for a xerc chip (power on from remote).

 

[What Do I Do With My Modchip?]

   I have 5 boxes, two 1.4 rest 1.0-1.1. and during my families quarterly big amazon order "Of Savings" I ordered a few aladdin chips at 3.99 each. At this point i have done more than a few tsop and general softmods. I have Zero fear when it comes to physical installs of components (minus ram. I dont have a hot air station yet.). So is there any benefit to installing the aladdin chip to any of my non 1.6 systems? Even if the benefit is small i am interested as my truer passion with all of this is to create the ultimate best of the best systems.

[Mayflash XP Joybox (XBoX To Ps2 Adapter)]

I do not know if it has to be this specific unit, But, I have seen cheap Chinese variants on aliexpress for around $6 + shipping.

[Managing Cooling]

So I have put in an 80mm fan, did my best to shroud it to the hard drive caddy for best static pressure, and have redone the thermal paste with Arctic MX-4. But, I am still seeing around 60c temps just sitting at the dashboard while doing FTP transfers. 

What are normal idle and load temps for an OG?

And how can I help the cooling even more?

I don't know how hot it should run but, I know if it were a PC I would want CPU temps below 50 at load. That may be unrealistic in the situation of the Xbox because I build "higher" performance PCs.

Edit: I have connected the fan via molex to in theory have it running max. Before this fan, I used a 3pin but changing it to anything higher that 2x in system settings it would stop spinning.

[Hello, I'm Modding Again]

39 minutes ago, wikati said:

xbmc leverages the internet for time (you have to tell it to tho). its common to see XBMC as dashboard. its been my peace of mind when my mind is disturbed by the details.... who wouldnt want accurate time. you are justified in your thinking. i'd rather have no clock than the wrong clock. 

I was not aware XBMC can take care of the clock, this interests me. However due to it not having a permanent spot its not always plugged into my network. I have been thinking about a wireless solution but have not looked hard enough to find one I like.

[Hello, I'm Modding Again]

1 hour ago, Forlorn Penguin said:

No need at all to replace it. But whether you replace it or not, still remove the current one ASAP. The longer you wait, the more likely it is to cause serious damage and there's a strong chance it's already leaking.

I'll get on that then. I just figured possibly replace because things like letting the clock be wrong bugs me way more than it should and it wont have a permanent plugged in home for some time (in small apartment looking for a house). It hasn't leaked yet as far as I can tell. I made sure it turned on then immediately ripped it open and checked all the caps for leaks/bulges/pops/smell. It's a 1.4 and seemed hardly ever used. I got it from an estate sale so I'm assuming it was at some grandparents for when the grand kids were there. Even had a copy of Mercenaries in it.

[Hello, I'm Modding Again]

51 minutes ago, wikati said:

nice LED mods man. i always wanted to be a part of everquest, but at the time was just too busy and theres no way im starting now.... lol. the xbox is alot of fun. even if you dont play the games. a ton of resources out there, alot of it is dated and fragmented. but sites like these are finding ways to string it back together.

Thanks, LEDs are cheap figured id give it a shot.

Yeah EQ takes alot, I don't even want to see my characters online time because its probably close to 2 years.

13 minutes ago, Forlorn Penguin said:

Nice. That's a Hitachi DVD drive in the third pic. Those are uncommon.

 

For sure, TSOP flash all of your Xboxes though. Or chip them, if they're a 1.6. Make sure you also remove the clock capacitor from all of your 1.0-1.5 Xboxes, because they'll die if you don't.

I didn't realize that. I just grabbed it from another system as the Thompson that was in it was being problematic.

I have already realized the flashed bios importance, I started with just a softmod and dealing with locking/unlocking of the drive was annoying let alone worrying about issues if the drive failed. I have not done the clock cap yet because I think i want to replace it rather than remove, I just haven't researched enough to be sure.

[Hello, I'm Modding Again]

   Hey everyone, just recently got back into console modding after not touching a console in 10 years. Back then I primarily messed with 360's for my friends and anyone willing to pay me. Now I am more interested in building for myself to have "The Ultimate System". Excited about learning how the scene has developed over the years and finding this community. I assume like most here, I am a gamer. I can't seem to stop playing EverQuest 2 (13 years) and I play various shooters and single player "play through" games.

   In time I am sure I will have loads of questions and will look for feedback on ideas. Thus far I have 3 OG Xboxs and have TSOP'd one of them but havent really done much else.

Glad to be here. Happy Modding!