August update 2017

William Quade on August 1, 2017

In February I wrote this blog’s first post, where I talked about my plans for upcoming posts. Today I’ll be starting a series of monthly posts similar to my first post, where I talk about my plans for the month. This is my August update for 2017.

July post summary

Last month I wrote four posts covering modding three video game consoles. Topics include console fan upgrades to reduce noise, an HDMI video output mod, and a guide covering how to RGH an Xbox 360 S for only $10.

  1. SCPH-39001 PS2 fan upgrade
    • The PS2 fat is a fairly noisy console, especially when a hard drive is installed. To make things more quiet I upgraded the stock fan inside the console to a much quieter Noctua computer fan.
  2. Original Xbox 80mm fan upgrade
    • This post is similar to the PS2 fan upgrade, but for the original Xbox. Just like the PS2, the Xbox isn’t very quiet. I was able to fit a larger, and quieter, 80mm computer fan into the original Xbox.
  3. Adding an HDMI port to the PS2 fat
    • This post is similar to a post I made in March where I added an HDMI port to my original Xbox. The Xbox post has actually been the most popular post I have written this year. I was able to do the same sort of mod to my PS2 fat using pretty much the same parts.
  4. Cheap Xbox 360 S Trinity RGH using an LPT port and X360Ace
    • This post covers the process of doing an RGH mod on an Xbox 360 S. My goal was to do the mod as cheaply as possible, it ended up costing about $10. If you already have an LPT connector, and some resistors, it might only cost you $7.

August post plans

This month I’m planning to write another four posts, not including this one. I plan to start covering some topics other than video game consoles. In particular I have been spending a lot of time over the past few weeks working on my outdoor weather station, which could result in some blog posts. Here’s a short list of some possible posts: [Read More]

Cheap Xbox 360 S Trinity RGH using an LPT port and X360Ace

William Quade on July 31, 2017

Out of the three seventh generation consoles that I have modded, I found the Xbox 360 to be the hardest to hack, mostly because of how hard it was to find current tutorials. Forums are filled with outdated information, and there are just so many different modchips, console revisions, and methods of hacking. I wanted to know how I could mod my Trinity console into a Trinity RGH console.

This post covers the process of doing an RGH2 mod on my Xbox 360 S Trinity console as cheaply as possible. Most guides mention buying expensive NAND programmers, glitch chips, QSB’s, and other specialized parts. I’ll be using a cheap $7 modchip, along with several dollars worth of electronics that you might already own. [Read More]

Adding an HDMI port to the PS2 fat

William Quade on July 24, 2017

In March I added an HDMI port to my original Xbox. This is a similar post covering the process of adding an HDMI port to the PS2 fat. The PS2 has a multi AV output port which supports composite, component, RGB SCART, S-Video, and even RF. These options were fine for 2000, but they don’t work very well with modern HDTVs. Adding an HDMI port allows the PS2 to output video directly to a modern HDTV or computer monitor.

Things you’ll need

Here’s a list of items that you’ll need for adding an HDMI port to your PS2 fat. [Read More]

Original Xbox 80mm fan upgrade

William Quade on July 17, 2017

Last week I wrote about upgrading the fan inside of my SCPH-39001 PS2 to a quieter Noctua fan. This post covers a similar mod, an original Xbox 80mm fan upgrade. I’ll be using a pretty standard Noctua 80mm 12V computer fan to silence my original Xbox.

Things you’ll need

Here’s a short list of things you’ll need to upgrade your original Xbox’s fan.

  • Original Xbox console
  • 80mm fan, I used a Noctua NF-A8
  • Tools to cut plastic, like a Dremel

Original Xbox stock cooling system overview

The original Xbox has a pretty simple cooling system design. There is a single 72mm fan in the back that sucks air in from the vents on the sides. The air goes through components like the power supply, processor, and graphics processor, and then out the back of the system. Both the disc drive tray, and hard drive tray, are used to route air where it needs to go. The fan does a pretty good job of keeping the console cool. I’ve never had my original Xbox overheat, but it can get warm. [Read More]

SCPH-39001 PS2 fan upgrade

William Quade on July 10, 2017

While my PS2 fat console isn’t even close to as loud as my PS3 fat, the fan inside still makes enough noise to be annoying in game. This post covers the process of upgrading the fan inside of my PS2 fat to a standard 60mm computer fan.

Things you’ll need

Here’s a short list of things you’ll need to upgrade your PS2’s fan.

PS2 fat stock cooling system overview

The PS2 fat has a pretty simple cooling system design. There is a single slim 60mm fan in the back that sucks air in from the vents on the front. The air goes through the power supply and heatsink fins, and out the back of the system. The fan does a pretty good job of keeping the console cool. My PS2 does get warm, but I haven’t ever had it overheat. [Read More]