so, people.... http://xi-fi.xbox-scene.com .
are we done with this thread then? everyone should switch over to the new forums? or what?

maybe we should clip this thread and put it in the new site so people can read the whole story from the beginning? (but closed to posting, it's still a good read. and will add a bit more content to the new site).

That is looking bloody amazing

2 CDs? What next? Coffee making?

I am really tempted by this whats the cost gonna be to ship to UK? Any ideas?

that is looking beeautiful. it is everything I had hoped for. great job guys

I know there are more people like me...

I'm lazy. I happened to glance at this post and read up a bit about it, went to the webpage, etc...

Very interesting idea, I'm just an average normal person. Which is what you want, and it sucks to go through ALL these posts to see what is being said, idea, etc...

So basically what im saying is , open up a new FAQ (better then the one on your webpage), about what is going on, to answer basic questions, to show ideas that are being tossed around, etc...Just to sum up everything that is going into this idea, ive gone through 3 pages so far from this post, and I love the idea, but I dont want to look through more , but for sure I would pay $500 for a system like this,

dunno, just thought i might put my 2 cents in as well, doesn't hurt to get EVERYONES thoughts, even if its stupid! im not one to reply to posts or share ideas cause of my laziness, so it took a lot for me to actually reply to this post, so good work on making me interested in you guys.

I prob. wont check for any replies to my msg here, so keep up the work, everything sounds great! Hope to hear some updates! next time i check in on this idea

looks very nice, I think I would buy one.

Holy sh*t! Ok gimme one! = )

How did you get an Xbox dev kit case? We have those at work for our programmers, and they are $15,000 per unit. How'd you toss that much cash up?

nm....

Wow just read about the plexi bending machine. Easy access to the case!

I still don't even know what this thread is about...

This thread isn't dead.. and in time, may be renamed accordingly.

It still serves as a suggestion thread for the project as all of the team members still frequent this thread. (as well as their own private XS forum, and their on XS hosted site and forums.)

No remorse now has he machines back up and running, and promises more progress this weekend

We also have drafts of our PCB controll panel renderd, they shall be coming soon aswell!


http://xi-fi.xbox-scene.com

Palmore what can you tell me of the render of the PCB?

Im assuming that that is the PCB that will let you switch between four hard drives?

Will that electonic piece be installed when you buy XI FI? IF not how easy is it to hook up?

Can that part be purchased seperately for install in a custom PC conversion Xbox?

If so when will it be ready? I could use something like that for my PC conversion Xbox.

Will that switching device use standby power so you can select the drive you wish with the system off?

If a button is pushed accidently for another drive with the drive in use (xbox on) will the drive in use be unaffected untill reboot?

i assume 3 out of the 4 drives will be off? This device will allow only the in use drive to be powered?

What other custom electonic surprises should we expect in the future?

{{DEMON}}

This board render will replace the existing front PCB on the xbox (with a few little surprises ). It should come stock on the xbox, and with enough interest it may be sold seperate.... it will not provide the drive switching, but will have a easyplug connector to connect to the expansion board which will.

Because of cost, the switching device will be a seperate board only for those who want it. Main idea is to use standby to switch drives while power is off. It will switch between 4HD and 2DVD's... but also any combination of them to fit your custom setup.

Thats very interesting.

I appreciate the answer so quickly.

Any chance of seeing renders of the switching device?

Im just so hard up for this project to get finished. I have 4 HDD's and a samsung 616t with a MB with 128 meg of ram on it, smartxx chip with lcd screen sitting here begging for XI FI to be finished.

I also have the same set up ready to get put into a custom built PC case. I have yet to start the project because of a few things. First off i want my finished product to look 100% professional. The things holding me back is a easy simple but professional hdd switching solution. A case that can hold a LCD screen (which my custom case does). Custom controller ports (still working on that).

SO XIFI is a solution i am waiting for. AS well as some of the solutions you are coming up with for XIFI, those items might be ripped out of a XIFI for my own custom system, unless those parts are sold seperately.

Keep us all informed, we are all very excited.

I bought a Xpod becuase it was avalable. IT's a nice case, but it's not XIFI, it's just plexi glass and screws so XIFI will be a better solution.

{{DEMON}}

!!!!!!!!

One step closer, the prototype is complete and pics are in our gallery at

http://Xi-Fi.Xbox-scene.com

It's about time!

Looks good so far..

Im heading over to the site, there better be more surprises there..

What other specifics can you give us on this prototype palmore?

{{DEMON}}

* I wasnt fair with the critisisms in that I hadnt seen the video.

*really took this down because I went back and read it and it seemed a little too critical of something that is so awesome and dont want to perpetuate a negative tone. Also because team members already saw it. Rock on guys.

Heet are you one of them guys that like an xbox to be like an xmass tree? To be honest, I think it looks awsome, I don't see anything wrong with it. I would buy one now if I had the money!

OK i I saw the Video.

The system looks awsome, very pretty.

I do have a few questions..

Is there gonna be a spot for the LCD? Like on the prototype pic. That has always been a delemma about custom cases and using pc cases.

You shoul offer 2 fronts when you order. One cut regular and one cut with the spot for the lcd. I also feel that the crystalfontz lcd is what it should be cut for. The popular model everyone is using is the CFAH2004A Standard Series.

Unless it would be possible to give the model of the LCD your are using when you order and have differnt case front custom cut for each order, if a customer is using a LCD. I know i will be using a LCD.

ALso I didn't see the drive switching mechanism. I know palmore, you are using that cutom switcher built for you on your terabox project. I was curious if there was something else being built or do you plan on using the same design as the terraproject swticher. I also dont see how you determin what dvd drive you use. On the video I saw the Xbox Dvd drive open, but i did not see what determins what drive is in use? Are both drives activie at the same time. ( i figure you would use the second drives eject button to open it) but are the drives active at the same time? Is there a mechanism that determins what drive you want to use?

Also, how does 4 HDD's and 2 dvd roms all plug into one xbox motherboard?
Is there a custom piece that comes with it?
IS there a custom IDE cable?

Still many question and Ideas for this project.

{{DEMON}}

Just giving my opinion. You know what they say about them and its true (assholes and whatnot), I could be the only one that feels that way but I still wanted to be honest. In my defense I did say that it looked good and I guess Id get used to the ports up there. And as far as looking like a Christmas tree LOL im not opposed to that but I think your right and that in this case that look might hurt this a little. What I really do like is that its smoke plexi and you can put an XIR and hardwired dongle in there without drilling holes all over the place. Maybe the feelings of the team are that if we want lights and shit then we can mod it. Truth is lights and extra switches cost more money and that would of course raise the price and I understand that.

I have a question along the lines of Demon:
What if you don't want a spot for an extra DVD-drive? many people have Sammy 616's that will read anything you throw at it.

I am also curious to see about the LCD, and internals to switch between drives.

I also agree with Heet, the port and button placement look a little odd.
* Maybe use extensions to get the length to put them in a better place (maybe the ports and power buttons lower with the LCD above, more like an A/V look)

The great news is that this prototype is an amazing step in the right direction. Can't wait to see the final thing.

Ok, I'll try and answer all these questions/issues as best as I can for ya guys =)

First the control ports did have to be moved up, due to the length of the port wires, but with the laminate cover (will be made to cover the lower half of the front as with the initial render) And I feel the black plexi and black controller ports will "blend" well, with the lower half aluminum.

Also, the front panel etching has yet to be completed, we still plan on having the line across the middle, aswell as a Xi-Fi Logo off to the side (small but classy) Both of these can be accented with LEDs to make the etching glow (at least in our plans )

Also as stated the power/eject panel will change from what you see, and will more closely match the render upon completion.

The feet are just a temporary solution until we finalize our HT style feet, we still plan on using sleeker feet, that are also threaded to secure the top section to the rest of the case. But when you don't have those handy, the pads will do for now

As for the LCD, with the case being smoked plexi, you can still mount an LCD behind it, and see it once it's lit up. To custom cut the fronts per order would be out of question, as our first run of the case will be 500 units. Mounting it behind to face will keep it looking stealth and sleek, if the user opts they can cut out a place for the LCD aswell.

we do plan on including an IDE cable for all devices, we're working out a few items in our control panels as well for switching etc. The optional Xpansion kit will allow drives to be switched via the DVD remote


Keep the comments and questions coming, and be sure to stop by http://xi-fi.xbox-scene.com and check out the gallery as well as sign up and send a hello in the forums =)






I also wanted to note your question on the extra DVD bay, that's a 5 1/4 drive bay, that can hold a hot swapable HDD or a fan bus, even a network router or other device, if you decide not to utilitze the space for an additional DVD

Thanks for the answers Palmore! Keep up the good work.

The prototype looks absolutely stunning..
Good work guys!!

Just going to drop my 2 cents in here.

The fan grill on the back was just something I had kicking around and was not something the team decided on. It just looked better than the clear fan sitting there.

Button placement, like Palmore said those are not the final switch arangement.
I did that merly for myself so that it was useable. Keep in mind I have none of the
proposed electronic parts in my hands. Not much point in cutting holes for a switch/buttons that do not physicaly exist yet.

Xpansion port/2nd DVD area, again like palimore said its a standard 5 1/4 size bay
which means you could put just about anything you wanted in there including lots of off the shelf PC mods panels.

Another thing most prob didnt notice was the fact that all the drive mounts are setup as slots. This will make it easy to ajust the drive foward or back to ensure the faceplate lines up nicely. Also happy to say that all 3 brands of xbox DVDroms
mount withthe same hardware with no alignment issues at all.

Heat issues. Well I used the case over the weekend playing some online gaming for 2-3 hours spans. I got around 124-130F. This is about the same that my stock boxes run at in the same inviroment. This is with a cheap clear fan I had around.
Im sure with a decent quality fan temps would drop some. Still dont see an issue with the results I got.

All in all I think it looks pretty good at this point given the resources we have to work with. Does it look just like the render?....no, but hey we do not have a million doller injection molding company at our finger tips either. To this point there has been no outside funding, this is out of our own pockets.

Cant Wait. And cant believe its really gonna happen. Btw I know to think that this thing will look exactly like the render is very naive and I didnt mean to sound like I did (although I know it came off that way). Those ambient temps look great! How many hd's was that with though?

any updates?

Check the offical XI FI website. Palmore include an update.

Palmore, talk to us here!!! we all want more info!

Love XI FI, want one! any new news?

I also PMed you a while back about the xtenders. Get back to me if the team still needs help on that.

{DEMON}

i think palmore has his work cut out for him, he is doing this and the terabox. its crazy

for the heat temps, were they taken with 3 hard drives, or just 1? do the hard drives get any ventillation? just a concern for a potential buyer (me).

-patg

Been 20 days since we had an update.

Hope you all are hard at work.

I really want a XI FI for Xmas.

Be a pal and give us some juicy tidbits and stop teasing us palmore with the Home made terabox.. we want something that we can ALL enjoy (Xi Fi).

Happy Thanksgiving all,
{DEMON}

1 Month and not one update.

Did this project die?

Things going on?

Or are we gonna get a Xmas Surprise?

Palmore please!!!! tell us whats up.

{DEMON}

why is there 4 hds and 2 dvds?

4hdds fine...

but

2 dvds?

Weird.. Why not jus one?

[QUOTE] Month and not one update.

Did this project die?

Things going on?

Or are we gonna get a Xmas Surprise?


As for the delays, that's understandable... and for those that are weary about the fact that it's a plexi case...PLEASE... let me fill you in on some cost breakdowns... (and these are conservative estimates based on my first hand knowlege in the toy/ electronics industry)

$10,000 for case prototype design & Development minus electronics)

Palmore & friends have spent countless hours on this I'm sure...) most prototoyping companies could easily charge $10,000 for developing an item like this (and that's just for the case desgin...) Many charge more!!!! If you design the case in china then maybe half that cost. If you're a skilled negotiator you can get the factory to do the case design prototype for free. In return the factory gets exclusive rights to be the sole manufacturer. If demand is high and you need another factory, renegotiate or just pay them for the dev of the tooling model.

Another 5K for pcb develoment (a real pcb manufacutred to inudsrty standards). this is a conservative estimate using off the shelf stuff...no custom ic's.

Prototype steel mold (injection molding) $20-40 k
Or more depending on complexity, number of parts, & your negotiation skills and payment terms. (i.e. You pay fast, you get a good price... pay you factory slow or give them a hard time, or bad communication...tooling prices increase...)

Manufacturing cost... For an item to make sense financially I don't think manufacturing can cost more than $5-10 per unit (need to check me notes at work...) you want to mark up the final retail cost 3-4 times... For an item like this with limited runs the price increases due to the tooling cost... For example... If you had an order for 100,000 units or more you can renegotiate your tooling terms since many factories like that number. A number like that justifies tooling and develepment for a factory...

Now think about it... do you think there is enough interest to sell 100,000 units... how about 50k, 20k, 10k...

Say you get one order for 10k units. Given the fact that most folks here won't want to may pore than $60 for such a beast... you're working at cost.. (almost free...)

Hats off to Palmore and the gang... they've gone above and beyond in an impressive organized fashion.

I can wait another month and plexi suits me fine. They've taken the simple hi-fi case design that works well given the limits of the materials they have.

Been thinking... Team Xectuer have mentioned they're working on a multiple hard drive solution. I would hope that they as market leaders of tis xbox modding cottage industry are reading Palmore's postings. Hope they incorporate some of the features into their future hard drive switch product...

They apratently have the funds to tool a new faceplate. I'd love to see them take on the HI-FI case... I just think this is possible given the fact that there are lots of PC case munufacturers in China that could bang a product out like this...

I would take the tooling from an existing HTPC/ mini itx case and have the facorty rework it preserving as much of the injection molded tooling as possible to accomodate the XBOX...so that a case isn't being redesigned from scratch...This way they could use exisitng molds and not have to tool many parts...

Just thinking out loud. If I had $120k to burn...I'd would... even if the profits are low. But that kind of logic expalins why I'm broke...LOL!

Project Die?
Problems?
No Xmas Release I assume?


Please let us know whats up... Xifi seems so close!

{DEMON}

here's the news (in rough order of occurrence)

-the prototype case revisions are complete...
-Palmore has stepped down and made myself project lead...
-we're working with a respected site to be the official reseller...
-we're waiting for contacts at several plants to get back to us...
-we've started work on the user manual and brainstorming future case modifications
-we're still developing the electronics kit (but we're pretty far along)

here's what to expect in the near(ish) future:
-snapshots of a new prototype with the inclusion of our recent revisions
-a competition where you can win a special edition of one of these bad boys before they're up for sale

We're not dead, we've just finished the revisions (a long process with not much that warrants news), and we're running into some communication problems with the manufacturers, once we're past that, things should start falling into place...

don't give up on us


~TS

sweet, glad to here evrything is moving along . can't wait to here about this "Contest"!

Ya, twisted! get that bad boy done.

yay!