Building a better Xbox: Preliminary Evaluation

Okay. I've gutted my Power Mac (leaving the power supply in for later use for fans). I've identified the ports and switches I want to replicate in the finished product. I do want to make this easily removable, so I think all of the soldering will be done with quick connects to allow for this.

Ports:
HDMI
optical out
3 USB out

Switches:
power switch
controller sync switch
DVD tray switch

LEDs
4 Xbox jewel LEDs

For space, I'm going to mount the unit face down in the case, since the DVD drive will be mounted in the standard drive bay, which will require some modding. This orientation will allow for better mounting of the external drive (which I will have to mount either by fabricating something or by adhering the current mounting surface in a non-traditional way). I had originally thought about running leads from the connector to some sort of dock on the top, but I'm not really that interested in quickly removing the drive. The other option was to mount it permanently, which I don't want, either. The only other ports are for the memory cards, which I can also get to by opening the PowerMac case, no real ordeal.

The only last thing to contend with is the power, which I don't want to make unusable with standard equipment, so I think I'll run in 120VAC to both the Mac power supply and a butt connector to the OEM transformer that comes with the Xbox, for ease of removal.

The rest will be cosmetic, except for some slight fabrication of a metal adapter frame to mount the Xbox to the case, and of course some ducting to allow for directed airflow across the stock heatsink/fan which I may replace at a later date.

Skittles Syrup, an Update.

Okay. The coffee press/filter idea was good in principle, but the pressure lowers the melting point of the hydrogenated palm kernel oil, which makes up most of the nonpolar constituents, so with any reasonable amount of pressure, the oils don't filter properly. The best solution I've found so far is to keep the mixture in an ice bath, and drain via sep funnel. This still takes too many iterations for my liking, since the narrow band of temperature is between -2 degrees C (at which the water in the solution starts to freeze and around 5 degrees C. The next iteration, I will use a saltwater bath, which will at least decrease the cooling time between iterations. Any suggestions are welcome, as always!

I Need Philosophers and Scientists to Coordinate in Creating a New Religion

This idea is still in its infancy, but I think I've come up with the ultimate feel-good religion. It has one simple premise, that everything we do in life results in a net increase in Universal entropy.

Before you laugh this idea off, it is fully supported by scientific inquiry, thus far, which puts it head and shoulders above supernaturally based religions.

Next, everyone can contribute. In fact, everyone is already contributing!

The ultimate goal is subject to further study, so there is room for multiple denominations (Big Bang leading to Heat Death vs Bang/Crunch alternation vs Multiverse Theory, etc).

We can incorporate this into current Humanist Ethical frameworks, or start our own from scratch, if anyone is so inclined.

I am open to constructive suggestions, of course.

Your Fellow Minister in Entropy,

Eric

Building a better Xbox: Introduction

I'm not generally a fan of many Microsoft products. Most seem rushed, buggy, and more concerned with keeping trade secrets than working well with other technologies. However, I do like my Xbox 360, for what it does: providing a fairly stable platform to game with friends remotely, a very good Netflix interface, and decent video and audio output overall. However, I have some problems with my 360. It's loud, generates enough BTUs to keep my room a toasty 80 degrees F, and it will probably die if I don't address the airflow problems with the case design.

My solution to this problem?

Gut an old PowerMac G5 I have lying around that I'm not using for anything and put my Xbox innards inside its roomy case with silent, but decent CFM fans.

Potential issues:



Form factor incompatibility

I doubt the motherboard for either is ATX standard, so I'll have to engineer a solution for this. Maybe involving sheet metal.



Power distribution (i.e How will I run my case fans off of the puny power supply from my 360?)

There are options here ranging from using the rails from the PowerMac and splicing the 12V to work with the fans, possibly with a rheostat to control fan speed. Another possibility is to run them from an AC/DC converter, and to mount a surge protector in the case to provide AC to all the components.



Front button and LED operation and ports

The power button can probably be wired via splicing the current Mac power button into the leads from the switch on the front of the Xbox. The synch button also needs to be replicated, as well as the eject button. The LED system either needs to be replicated and fabricated from new components spliced into the leads on the Xbox, or the current system needs to be grafted in some cohesive way onto the front of the case. Also, the front USB ports should be integrated into the final solution, as well as the rear USB port. It is possible that I could mount the Xbox board in such a way that the rear ports are accessible without port extensions.



As I progress through this project, I will include photos of various stages, and document any problems that present themselves. This should be interesting!

Skittles Syrup: Refining the Process

I've had difficulties with the saturated fats becoming emulsified and therefore partially miscible with the aqueous layer. Hot extraction with canola works well, removing a large quantity of these fats, but I still have to cold gravity filter the resultant mixture which takes a long time. I am planning on using this product in lieu of a vacuum filter assembly since the process looks to be much swifter and much cleaner. Also, I'm planning to post density values of the resulting finished product so that replicable results aren't as much of an "art."

Skittle Syrup Round 1

Purpose: To prepare a viscous solution of aqueous compounds dissolved in water using Skittles candy, removing as much of the non-aqueous constituents as possible. The intended use of the product is yielding a flavored syrup, for use in beverages.

Materials:
200g Skittles (one flavor)
1 1000mL beaker
1 2000mL separation funnel (pyrex or borosilicate) and ring stand
1 100 mm stemmed glass funnel
1 glass stir rod
1-2 pieces of qualitative filter paper (any size that will fit in funnel)
1 serving vessel of choice ~150-175mL

Procedure:
1. Separate out the 5 different candy flavors in mixing bowls, choosing one flavor per iteration.
2. Add 200g Skittles (approximately 190 candies) and 400mL (approx 1.75 cups) of water in large or medium saucepan.
3. Heat to boiling, stirring to completely dissolve Skittles.
4. Add mixture to separation funnel, leaving room for non-polar layer
5. Add 240mL (1 cup) of heated canola oil to mixture to serve as extraction layer.
6. Using heat protective mitts tilt sep funnel gently 180 degrees, holding the stopper firmly, be careful not to cause an emulsion by introducing turbulence to the mixture. We want it to separate cleanly and evenly.
7. Place sep funnel on ring stand and let stand until layers form (5 min).
8. Take off stopper, and drain aqueous layer into 1000mL beaker to keep. Discard non-polar layer.
9. Repeat if there are any white solids in the mixture.
10. Put a stemmed glass funnel in the top of the sep funnel and fit some wet qualitative filter paper.
11. Pour mixture through filter paper and drain filtered soln into 1000mL beaker.
12. If you have a gas range, you can heat the mixture right in the beaker on medium heat, stirring until the level reaches approximately 150mL.

This is your finished solution, and it should cool to the approximate viscosity of grenadine. I put mine in an oil/vinegar dispenser.

I will try to scale this up to larger quantities, and post results.

Skittle Syrup Preparations

I'm going to be preparing Skittles syrup from the candies as soon as my equipment arrives this week. I'll keep a log of my methods both to serve as material upon which I can improve, and for the community at large. Any suggestions are appreciated!

First, to outline what I'm doing:

1. Separate out 5 different flavors in mixing bowls
2. Add (#) of Skittles in (volume) of water in large or medium saucepan
3. Heat to boiling, stirring to completely dissolve Skittles. Allow to cool (how much?)
4. Add (volume) of mixture to separation funnel, leaving room for non-polar layer
5. Add (volume) of canola oil to mixture to serve as extraction layer, shaking into mixture
6. Place sep funnel on ring stand and let stand until layers form.
7. Drain aqueous layer to keep. Discard non-polar layer.

At this point, I will evaluate the mixture, probably putting it in the freezer for a few minutes, as the hydrogenated oils have a high melting point, and will solidify at low temps.

If I still see solids, I will try the above process again and reevaluate whether I want to add a physical filtering step. It shouldn't be necessary, though, as the oils should extract easily this way.

Thanks to those who gave previous suggestions! I decided to go with a pyrex sep funnel because I want to make large batches of this for friends and family. I could have MacGyvered a similar solution (Thanks Jen!) but I really wanted to be able to do this as quickly and accurately as possible and in quantity.