Installing a Cathode



You will need:


1. Seperate all the wires that come with the cathode. One has two Molex plugs (looks like hard drive plug) and a switch in the middle. If you want to, you can run that switch to somewhere outside the xbox so you can turn off the cathode. Otherwise, I prefer to cut out the switch because I don\'t care if the lights are switchable. See image below for an example.




2. Use a small phillips screwdriver to seperate the cathode from the fan.

3. Prepare the cathode inverter. This is done because an inverter can generate a magnetic field around itself, which can cause interference with data passing through the ide cable. (This only happens occasionally, but it never hurts to protect yourself just in case, especially since we\'re placing it right on the cable.) Cut a strip of aluminum foil about 2 inches wide, and 8-12 inches long. Wrap this around the inverter several times, then cover that with a layer of electrical tape.




4. Plug the hard drive line into the female plug, and the male plug into the hard drive. The small 2-wire plug goes into the inverter.




5. Plug the cathode ring into the other end of the inverter.




6. Stuff the extra harness wires down right behind the hard drive.




7. Put the inverter down behind the dvd drive.




8. Tape the cathode ring to the top of the drives. It might take a few tries to get it centered under the jewel correctly. I also tape down the ide cable so it doesn\'t get in the way.




9. Kick back and enjoy the glow.





Super-slim install:

Ok here are a few tricks to make this install thinner. Normally, this is not neccessary as the cathode ring fits fine underneath the jewel. But... if you want to put the cathode underneath the metal shielding, it will need to be skinnier.

Trick 1: You can hack the hard drive tray so the cathode will sit lower. Just use a hobby knife or a dremel to slice of the areas you need lower. Check the image below to see where I hacked this one.




Trick 2: You can remove the cathode ring from it\'s protective plastic cover. The cover is easily removed by prying the sides apart. Be very careful with the cathode as it is very thin fragile glass. Make sure nothing will press on it when you put the case back together.




Why would you want to install a cathode underneath the metal shielding? Well, because it looks cool that way in any of the clear/translucent cases. Here is a Halo-SE for an example:




aweirdguy