Gamecube LED fan mod/repaint

[robm]

I've had this Gamecube laying around my house for a while, doing absolutely nothing, so I decided to break it out and do something with it. It's a unit that I got in a big box of 10 consoles for 30 bucks (1 dreamcast, 1 genesis, 2 psones, 2 ps1s, snes, gamecube, and N64. Ok so nine.)

It's a silver edition with an extremely annoying Pokemon sticker on top. (Sorry. I hate Pokemon.) The lid is broken, the hinge was broken off. This resulted in the lid switch breaking off, so the disc does not spin. An interesting note: Nintendo apparently intended to put an LED in the fan housing, as a perfect, 1/4" round indentation was placed precisely where a fan LED should be. Odd.

The paint is an automotive, Silver Mist Blue Metallic. The controller plate is straight up black.

I will post a how-to on the LED fan mod - it's an interesting process.

Plans:

Make a clear viewport in the lid and make it easily removable
Blue LED mod the fan (Done.)
Relocate the power LED to light up the clear lid viewport, make it blue instead of amber
Repaint the case (Done.)
Bypass the lid switch

Here's the original horribleness:

The completed, painted case:

The LED fan mod:

 

[zeturi]

That is awesome, the black and the blue look really good together. But what about the top of the disc lid???

 

[robm]

That's coming next

The lid is going to get a clear viewport, the power LED will be relocated to a point where it will light up the plexiglass, and will be easily removable. The hinge was broken off, so I gotta do something creative with it.

 

[XCVG]

Beautiful, even at this stage.

Also, check your PMs.

 

[βeta]

That paint looks awesome. Link to brand?

 

[robm]

Heh, when I went to go get the cans to post this reply, I find that I was wrong about the color name: it's Twilight Blue Metallic.

That would be Duplicolor, available at your local Advance Auto Parts. https://www.duplicolor.com/color_selection.pdf

Part number for Twilight Blue Metallic: DSCC 353, color from 1998 and earlier Chrysler vehicles.
Front controller plate painted with Duplicolor's Brite Touch line of economy "general purpose" paint, gloss black, part number BT42.

 

[βeta]

Are you going to polycoat it or anything? How scratch resistant is it?

 

[robm]

Well, the paint is an automotive-grade paint, so it hardens up pretty good. I've been a little rough with it getting the two case halves back together, no ill effects yet. I may or may not clear coat the blue, haven't decided yet - I kind of like the matte finish.

 

[robm]

Ok, here's the lid with the hole cut out, the plastic installed, and needing a bezel really bad:

Turned out ok; I'm on the hunt for a good looking bezel.

 

[βeta]

That needs a bezel really bad. Or you could just sand and repaint it.

 

[robm]

Actually, that's a bit of roughness on the cut - not so much the paint. I want a bezel to soften the transition from the lid to the clear plastic anyway.

 

[βeta]

Cut a tiny strip of aluminum?

 

[robm]

Nah, I'd prefer black plastic to tie together the black controller plate.

Though, I do have aluminum laying around, so if I get desperate...

 

[βeta]

I think aluminum would look good.

 

[XCVG]

I agree with robm, black plastic. Matte would look better than gloss.

 

[βeta]

I was thinking about just a small strip that would sit like a collar in the cutout.

 

[NINT5DO0]

Yo when are you going to make a tutorial i have my gamecube tookin a part and have been looking for ever,i just took it apart all the way right now,lookin for a energy source to put leds

 

[zeturi]

You can tap some power off of the 5v or 3.3v lines. You can find pinouts for those areas in the gamecube portable guide in the megasticky. You can use some resistors to make sure the voltage is not too high for your LEDs. The value of the resistors will depend on the kind of LEDs you buy.

Also, please no bump topic one old year.