Case Modding The Playstation 2 by Ben999

Case Modding The Playstation 2

A tutorial by Ben999_

Basically what this tutorial explains is how to make your PS2 look the way mine does. There is a window on the top and bottom of the PS2, a 3" neon placed beside the heatsink, and a 9" neon placed behind the vent. This is definitely not an easy mod, so make sure you are confident with your skills before you start hacking.

What you will need:

-Playstation 2 (version 5 to version 7, v3 & v4 might work, v8 and later will probably work, v2 and earlier will not work with this tutorial)

-Philips screwdriver

-soldering iron (15watt - 45watt)

-Dremel rotary tool

-cutoff wheel attachment for Dremel

-sanding drum attachment for Dremel

-metal file

-wire cutters

-pliers

-masking tape

-electrical tape

-plexiglass (the thinnest you can find)

-pencil

-3" neon w/ inverter (preferably Street Glow Optx Brand)

-9" neon w/ inverter (preferably Street Glow Optx Brand)

-hot melt glue gun (optional)

-wire tie (zip tie, small kind)

The first thing you will have to do is determine what version of PS2 you own. Sony constantly revises the design of the PS2 to cut costs and infringe piracy (forcing modchip makers to update their design). I have completed this mod successfully on a version 5 PS2 and a v7. I believe it should work with later models, but as for earlier I'm not sure. There's a decent chance that a v4 will work. I'm not sure about the v3, but I know that v2 and earlier will not work because the design is totally different. In the earliest models, the power supply is actually in the spot where the heatsink now is. I suppose you could still put a window in the case and light that up if you wanted, but it would be up to you to figure it out. Assuming your PS2 is compatible with this tutorial, read on.

Open up your expansion port cover and have a look.

If you see no screws in the area illustrated above, your PS2 is a v1-v3.
If screws #1 and #2 are present, your PS2 is a v4.
If you see all screws 1, 2, and 3, you have a v5 or V6.

V7 is denoted by model number SCPH-3900x.

V9 (released in Q3 of 2003) is denoted by model number SCPH-5000x.

Next thing to do is disassembly. I don't want to explain how to do it in detail but basically you first remove the screws on the bottom which are hidden under the square pads and covers. Then you take off the top half of the case and pull power and eject button assembly from the top. Then you unscrew the controller ports, removing them from the ribbon cable. Next you unscrew a couple screws by the fan, and then flip over the PS2. Then remove the bottom half of the case. Unscrew the 4 screws on the power supply, and pull the power supply up away from the PS2. Let it hang attached to the power plug and switch. Then remove the Lexan protective clear plastic piece, and pull on the fan plug gently until it unplugs. Now you can put everything except for the top and bottom halves of the case in a safe place.

Before you can cut the case you have to measure exactly where you want to cut and then draw in lines with a ruler. Here is a diagram showing the dimensions of where you need to cut.

The measurements on the sides opposite of the ones shown are the same unless there is another measurement there.

Draw your lines like this.

Then tape around the measurements.

Now the next thing to do is cut out the window. Get your Dremel out with the cutoff wheel attached and start cutting with the speed all the way up. It will melt through the plastic more than it will cut, but that's really the best you can do. Make sure you cut short of the tape about 1/8" to 1/4" and cut from the inside so the Dremel is pointing towards the outside edge of the case always. Otherwise the inside of the Dremel could hit the case and make an unwanted scratch. The remaining material will then be taken off with the sanding drum. This will also melt the plastic but it is much more predictable and precise for close cutting. Go slowly and carefully take off as much as you can but still leave a tiny bit of material. The remaining will then be filed off with a metal file so it is nice and flat and straight. The corners require special attention. Cut as close as you can with the cutoff wheel but don't try to get at them with the sanding drum because it will not be able to reach the inside of the corner. Use the file to get the corners nice and square. Then remove the tape and check to make sure everything looks okay.

Alright, next up is the plexiglass. The easiest way to cut it is to place the cut case halves on the plexiglass and trace the inside with a pencil. Then cut the plexiglass about 1/2" bigger than the line you drew on all sides. Then cut that with your Dremel using the cutoff wheel. Don't pay much attention to making the lines straight since the edges will not be seen. Next you need to glue the plexiglass on the inside of the case behind your cutout area. Do this using hot glue. Glue all the way around the window and try not to let the glue go on top of the plexiglass, instead glue to the edge of the plexiglass. This way there is no extra thickness. If you do accidentally make it too thick in some places then the case might not close well later, so you could use a knife to trim some of the extra glue. Here are some pics.

Notice in this pic that the screw hole has been cut off to allow for the design to work and the plexiglass to fit. It doesn't affect the PS2 when the mod is completed. Also, the memory card door plastic that is to the left in the pic might have to be trimmed on your PS2. I had to on a v7, but not v5.

Around the power and eject button piece, you must leave enough room for it to sit. Make absolutely sure that it fits before you glue in the plexiglass or else you'll have a tough time. Don't glue in that area because then you won't have room for it.

You now have to unscrew the DVD drive cover in order to cut it out. There are 4 small screws you unscrew. Then you will want to cut it to your liking. Cut as much as you want, but leave at least one "block" length on the back and sides. Make sure you DO NOT CUT OUT THE WHITE SPINDLE. It is the most important part of the top. Make sure also that the spindle is solid and not too flimsy or else it will spring when you eject the tray. Use the Dremel again with the cutoff wheel and then with the sanding drum and file. I have only one pic of the actual top, but you can see how I cut it in the pic that shows through the window.

This is from my first PS2 modding. Disregard the white stuff. I'd use the design in the next pic.

You may even want to leave an extra row of blocks on the front edge of the cover, since when I'd open the tray with no disc inside it would make a slight spring noise because the spindle is not totally solid. If you cut it like this though it will work just fine.

Now that the first half of the mod is over, the next part is to actually wire up and install the neons. First of all you will need to bend down one of the metal pieces that the power supply screws into. This allows the 9" neon to fit. Here is a pic of it.

It's the metal piece in the middle on the right. Use a pliers to first straighten the top of it. Then bend the whole thing down.

This is the neon that goes by the heatsink, the other one is the exact same brand except it's 9". I got them from the local Advance Auto Parts.

The next step is to trim the wires of your neons and inverters so that there is no excess inside. Excess wire will ruin the look completely. Plan this step carefully, otherwise your wires will be too short, which is just as bad if not worse. Make them a little long if anything. To check how long they should be, check where they get soldered to in the next set of pics. To see how to solder the cut wires, scroll down a little to a later section of the tutorial. Then you will have to mount the 3" neon beside the heatsink. Hot glue it on both ends. Then you will place the 9" neon as shown in the pic. It will be wire tied to the metal in the PS2. The power supply will keep the other end from moving around when it's screwed on later.

If you pull up those metal fins you can keep the wire real nice along the edge. Then it just goes through the little hole that the power cord plug goes in.

Check the very left edge of the neon. The wire tie is looped through the mounting hole and through the metal of the PS2. The neon will not sit perfectly parallel to the motherboard. That line in the middle of the pic is because the image was messed up for whatever reason and I tried to fix it.

Study this pic carefully because this is how you want it to look when you're done. The wires are not too long and the reach where they need to go.

Now about the soldering of the wires. I will explain my own method that I use. When you are connecting the two ends of the wire you cut from the neon going to the plug in the inverter, you will want to strip the insulation and then twist the corresponding wires together. Then you cover the connections with solder. After that, tear off a small piece of electrical tape and let it sit underneath the positive wire. Then put a bit of hot glue over the wire above the electrical tape and then pinch the tape closed. Once the glue dries it leaves a very safe connection that has the wire encased in glue, also wrapped in electrical tape. If there is excess tape you can cut if off with a knife or scissors. Now do the same thing with the negative wire, except wrap it with a little bit bigger piece of tape that goes around the already wrapped positive wire. Then trim the excess and you'll be left with a very good connection. Of course you could always use heatshrink tubing, but I know I always forget to slip it on before I solder the wire. It's also a pain to use, this method is easier and cheaper. I got pics of the process as well in case that confused you at all.

Twist the wires together and then solder them.

Well here you see my ghetto-ass hot glue gun (the thing is a beast!) gluing inside the connection.

Result is a nice tight connection.

The next step is to solder to the power supply which will give you a steady 12v of power for those neons or any other device you plan on hooking up in your PS2. I created a diagram that shows where to solder to. It works for a v5-v7 power supply and probably any made after that, but I really don't know about a v3 or v4 PS2. A v1 PS2 has a weird setup with the power supply soldered directly the motherboard, but the 12v is also available. I don't have a diagram for it though, but basically if you want to figure out where it is then all you have to do is locate the power supply which will be wherever the power plug enters the PS2. Then look for where the power supply hooks into the motherboard, usually by a set of pins. 2 of those pins are 12v, 2 are ground (negative). So you'd just have to use a multimeter or the bare wires from the neon when it's hooked up to see when it lights. Then once you get the wires soldered to the points on the power supply, you can either put electrical tape over it (looks ugly), or you can shoot some hot glue over it and then quickly scrape over it with something flat like a CD case or whatever you can find. That way it is not too thick, but then it still looks cool.

Here's where to solder the wires to.

The connection will look something like this.

I think you're pretty much done at this point. Put everything back together, don't forget to slip the Lexan protective sheet back under the power supply (I always forget). Then the bottom of the case and everything in reverse order. Then you better hope everything works when you power it up. Good luck! Here are some extra pics of the finished product.

Just a few things to take into consideration. The neons have sticky pads on them at let them stay mounted. Also, optionally you can install switches for the neons, even though you will never use them because it looks so badass. The very best place to put the switches is the spot where the PS2 is uneven and hangs over next to the DVD drive. You can sort of see it in the pics. Installing a switch is not hard, you simply route the positive wire from each inverter to a SPST switch before it goes to the power supply. You would cut the wire, splice the end, and then solder to one of the switch poles. Then solder another wire to the other pole of the switch and extend it to the power supply.

See that blue thing on the left and the taped thing right next to it? Those are the switches I installed on the first PS2 I modded. That is the best placement for them. They then stick out the uneven side thing. The next pic shows them from the outside.

Check out the very top of the pic. That is where the switches are.

I can't think of anything else to say about this mod, so good luck with it and don't get mad at me if you screw it up.

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