Xbox Motherboard

Link89 · Post by **Link89** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 8:47 pm

I was thinking about an xbox portable (no I'm not joking and am not going to use a uranium rod to power it or something). But is the xbox motherboard set it layers or is it just one layer where the leads run through. If it's one board you could cut some parts and making a lot smaller. I know how to copy the files on the hard drive to another smaller more portable suited hard drive (Maybe IBM's smart hard drive that senses when it falls.) Also is there any way to help reduce the thickness of the DVD Drive? Please don't make jokes about the xbox I've had one for so long and hate to hear people bad mouth it.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 8:55 pm

Ok fist the mobo of the xbox is an ATX intel, I believe its a laptop on already but dont hold it to me. As it a computer mobo its has two layers meaning its going to be hard )if your good) to impossible (is your like everyone else) to cut the board down anymore.

xbox-scene.com has tourtorials on replacing the dvd-rom. I'd look at that and see if you can use a laptop dvd-rom (as we all know their very small).

If you can get around the power supply unit requirment and pull everything closer together you'll have something very close to a portable.

But as I suggested before, try moving everything into an older laptop case, it will have all the room you need and will save you a lot of time/money.

Post by **gannon** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 9:02 pm

The thing about a laptop case is that the ram you have to lay down flat, I'm not sure if it does in the xbox or not.

Link89 · Post by **Link89** » Thu Jun 24, 2004 10:19 pm

Even if the xbox motherboard is in some laptop already it wouldn't work because you'd have to flash the chips and copy the hard drive and a whole mess of other things. As for the using a laptop DVD Drive you can do that but it won't play xbox games which would diminish the point of a portable xbox. Unless I didn't read everything on changing the DVD drive. I'm thinking I could use a Mini-Itx power supply. How many volts does the xbox take though? As for the ram It's a couple 100 pin chip soldered on the board. Also what could I do about the controler and where to place it and how to power the screen. This would be a sweet portable though since you could add a mod-chip, install linux, and add a usb port to hook up to your computer. Or do a system link/maybe even xbox live.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 6:01 am

Well at xbox-scene that have about a dosen tourtorials on replacing the dvd-rom or adding another one, for the HDD you need a computer running windows 98 and a program to read the data and bless the new HDD with the lock code.

The reason I said a laptop case is, the old cases were 1.5-2 inches thick, plenty of room, it wouldnt be hard to rig up/ replace/ or put a new screen into the exsisting case. You'll also have lots of room left as the xbox is legacy free you can install standard USB, more batteries and anyother item(s) you want.

Link89 good luck if your going to try and portablize the xbox. You'll be about to show a mere consumer was able to make a compact out of an SUV.

Link89 · Post by **Link89** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 2:08 pm

I was looking at the DVD drive replacements and certain drives will read xbox games but I might just try to make the DVD Drive smaller I'd like to know how Gannon made his DVD drive on the PS2 smaller. Does anyone know how many volts the Xbox takes though. As for a laptop case that might work I have a busted laptop that my mom gave me that i could use or something like that... Do you think I should add a usb port (I'll definitley add a modchip of some kind). I think I'll probably have to get a laptop Hard Drive though unless the drive is already small enough. Thanks for the encouragement sparkfist. If I don't use a laptop case I'll use something like one.

JackFrost22 · Post by **JackFrost22** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 6:43 pm

I'm thinking of a x-box portable but i don't have one and if i get opne i don't want to ruin it and an xbox only uses about 2.1 amps

Post by **Sparkfist** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 6:46 pm

First thanks I too was wondering what the amp draw was for the xbox

Second the Xbox is now $120, in all reality thats not that much by todays standards. Hell I was looking at atari's on atari2600.com and they have some packages that excced $200.

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 11:48 pm

honistly you could never get it small enoughf to make hand held.. so i would shot for treamcast like or a big fold out system...
you can start buy losing waght find a smaller atx power suply (or battery)
then change the hard drive put on a screen maby shave a little off its size change to a vachume formed case. and finaly put on some controler junk
meh here is two second pic of what i mean...

Quall · Post by **Quall** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 4:45 pm

A portable xbox would be insane to try an make. You can replace the drive with a PC drive, but it will only read backups. There is a PC samsung drive that can work if you flash hacked firmware onto it, but it will be larger than the current drive inside.

I think you should lose the dvd-drive all together, well, keep a way to hook it up. Either flash the onboard bios or get a chip, then upgrade the HDD. That way, you can put all your games on the hdd and allow you to get a smaller portable system by losing the dvd-drive. Also a small power saver

. That could be expensive though, but no dvd's is a good thing.

Cooling could be an issue though.

Post by **gannon** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 5:16 pm

The onboard dvd drive should be easy to chop down in size. The ps2 dvd drive was quite easy to chop down, but that's since it doesn't have a pcb on the drive itself. I know all computer dvd drives have the pcb, but I'm not sure if the xbox dvd drive has it.

Link89 · Post by **Link89** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 7:49 pm

I was originally thinking about removing the DVD drive all together but it would be a huge headache. I'll probably make it like a treamcast unless I can find a way to make the motherboard smaler. I'll most likely find a laptop hard drive to use to make it smaller. Any suggestions for the batteries.

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 2:26 am

i have no clue where i saw it but some where on line i rember at least a year ago i looked up and found a lithium pc power suply that wasnt too much. and it did run for quite some time before it went out

JackFrost22 · Post by **JackFrost22** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 6:44 am

Link89 I'm with you. I'm getting an x-box on eBay and I'm going to cut down the motherboard. I know its going to be hard but if it is like a computer motherboard I can do it. Hell I've modded a 386 motherboard into a Laptop case.

JackFrost22 · Post by **JackFrost22** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 6:44 am

Double Post