Xbox $4 Internal HDMI Mod

2022-06-18

Since I had started messing with homebrew development and game modding on the original Xbox, I thought it would be nice to have built in HDMI output on the console to ease connecting the box up to modern monitors and televisions in proximity with my main computer. As an added benefit, built in HDMI out would provide a much better guarantee I could hook the console up to a friend's or hotel's televisions should I take the Xbox with me.

I was reticent to spend the $100 or so for one of the newer XboxHDMI or HD+ kits that grab raw digital video, though. I like my Xbox, but I don't know if I'd say I like it *that* much. The component cables I've been using have been quite alright for me in terms of image quality, so something similar to that would be fine. With that, I settled on picking up a Wii2HDMI adapter for $4 as a source for a cheap component to HDMI conversion board. Other people had used Wii2HDMI for similar mods, so there was a good amount of information available for the straightforward pinout needed for this project.

I'd heard mixed reviews about Wii2HDMI adapters, primarily concerning (a) color accuracy, and (b) image quality, particularly with respect to downgrades in recent models coming out of Greater China in terms of the chip used for converting the signals. It seems most people swear by the MS9282. I ended up with an adapter with an MS9288A on board, not well-liked in the community, and so I wasn't expecting much.

Lo and behold, I soldered everything up, cut a hole in the case for the port, plugged it in, and... awful video quality! And not just that, but every few minutes, the image would warp at some point, like an old antenna TV signal nearly dropping out for a second. Needless to say, I was rather disappointed, and almost chalked the mod's quality up as the fault of the adapter board and chip. In actuality, that was not the case.

Originally when I soldered it all up, I used some 24AWG solid core wire I had lying around, no shielding (obviously a mistake, in retrospect); I also didn't wire up a mode select switch for the video output mode, no permanently ground those mode select points to force component out of the Xbox at all times. Instead, I relied on the mode select switch on the component cables I had, which I decided to leave plugged in. These two factors were what contributed to the awful, noisy signal of the end result.

As best I could tell, the lack of shielding on the video signal wires heading into the converter board allowed noise from some part of the console to interfere with the signal, and having the component cables plugged in and still hooked up to the TV's component input also contributed to poorer image quality.

So, of course, I took it all apart again, this time taking much more care. I used twisted 34AWG magnet wire (effective 31AWG, thinner I know, but this did not prove a problem) shielded with a ground wire twisted around for each video and audio signal. Additionally, unlike before, I did not have all signal connections share their ground connections, just to be on the safe side.

I also added a mode select switch hidden behind the vents on the side of the console. This way, if I want to disable Component/HDMI out, I can take a pair of tweezers or ice pick and do so without tearing the console apart again. Nice.

And with that, the mod was completed! I could always go back and clean up the rear port cover, bonding it better to the case with Bondo, sanding, and painting it so it looks stock. I could also devise a better mounting solution for the board besides hot glue, but the point of this mod was to be cheap. For $4, I'm pretty happy with the image quality and connectivity I achieved.