Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Noir 360 - Wireless Controller

A picture of my black wireless Xbox 360 controller.

Mod cost: $5



Update: If you undertake this little task, send in some pics, I'll be sure to put them up on this page!

This process is actually fairly simple.

Things you will need:
Plastikote or plasti-color (diferent manufacturers, same general product) can be found at most auto parts stores. I went to AutoZone looking for Plastikote which they didn't have, but found plasti-color which described itself as being used for the same things "vinyl seats, dashboards, door panels, etc.".

It costs about $5 a can after tax and comes in a sadly limited array of colors, they had black, red (fairly bright red), slate blue and a champagne type color. Apparently it also comes in yellow (which might be kind of cool) but they were out of it.

The Steps
There are numerous REALLY well done controller dissections out there so I wont reinvent the wheel here, a good example is this one. The only thing they don't cover is how to get the trigger off, which is fairly simple, just use a flat blade screwdriver to pop the little black arms off of the connector on the trigger, then just put pressure on the trigger (pushing it the opposite way you would if you were playing a game) and use the flat blade to pry the sides of the piece its mounted to away from the controller, do it for each side and it should go through nicely. Once thats done take the spring out and put it somewhere safe, then just slide the trigger piece to the side and twist slightly and it should come right off, its really very easy.

Once thats done take the shoulder buttons off the piece they are attached to (this just makes it easier to spray properly).

The PCB should come right off and the rumble motors with it, set this aside.

Now take all the pieces and rinse them in warm water, use soap if you want but only a little, you don't want any of it to remain once you are done rinsing.

Dry the parts thoroughly with a paper towel or let them air dry for awhile.

Once dried simply take the individual part and, in a well ventilated area/outdoors (the fumes from this stuff are even worse than spray paint IMHO) hold the part at arms length, with the spray can close to your body (about 1.5 ft. between nozzle and part) and start lightly making passes over the surface.

!!!WARNING!!!

Make quick passes, do NOT try to get it solid black in one coat. Unlike spray paint this stuff actually causes a chemical reaction with the plastic, causing the color to be absorbed into the plastic itself (which is why I chose this over regular paint which fades and rubs off fairly easily).

This means two things.
  1. If you overspray it will be nearly impossible to correct your mistake properly, as there is no layer of paint to sand down, you will be sanding almost directly onto the original surface.
  2. The parts will be vulnerable to damage until they cure. You can literally take your fingernail and scoop soft plastic right off the surface just after you spray them. So BE CAREFUL!
That being said, make a LIGHT pass, hold the piece for about 30 seconds, set it down, do the next piece, hold it for 30 seconds, set it down, rinse/repeat until all the parts have been VERY lightly coated. You should still see plenty of white, this is fine.

Now, start with the first piece again, give it another very light coat. Very light, keep the nozzle about a foot and a half away from the part.

If you smell heavy fumes please, STOP, this stuff will make you very sick, worse than spray paint. Get a ventilator or move to a better ventilated area if need be, don't mess with this stuff.

Once you go through a second coat on all the parts...go for another one. After the third coat you should be down to touch-ups. Make sure you spray along the seams, there are gaps between the parts and if you don't get the seams properly you will be able to see white when you look at it.

Also pay attention to the inner neck of the joysticks, you have to intentionally spray in there (CAREFULLY!), they won't pick up enough dye just from you spraying the surface.

Once you have your third coat and touch-ups done, let it dry/cure for about 20 minutes, then find a well lit area and go over the parts, make sure you coated them properly, make sure no white shows through.

Once you are satisfied, you can reassemble it. Just reverse the steps outlined above in the disassembly.

This is rather simple and there is only one trick to it.

The rumble motors are only secured in place by being sandwiched between the two halves of the controller. But you have buttons in one half, and rumble motors in the other...gravity being the harsh mistress that she is it can be a PITA to get these to play nice.

Tape to the rescue!

Use a piece of masking tape or scotch tape, do NOT use a really sticky kind of tape (duct tape and five are both right out!), and insert the face buttons (back, start, guide, a,b,x,y) into the front half of the shell, then place tape over them, thus preventing cruel gravity from yoinking them out from under you.

Now simply position the rumble motors on the bottom half properly (the two plastic ridges should be about evenly spaced on the insulator wrapped around the motor) and plop the front half of the shell down on top of it, it takes a bit of wiggling to get everything to go happily back together, and a little bit of force too, but don't be hasty, if its not going, don't force it, take it apart and see if anything is wrong. Patience may save you a $50 controller.

Thats it. Simply put the screws back in, let it cure for about 24 hours, by then it should stand up to even the toughest gameplay.

Enjoy your spanky new black controller!

Picture Time!
The biggest perk of this method vs. ye old spray paint is that the surface stays mostly intact, it doesn't add any appreciable thickness to the pieces (so there are no fit issues), AND it is much, MUCH, more durable than paint.



The the photos above and below you can see how little the surface is changed. The "RT" in the trigger is a VERY shallow impression, but it isn't diminished at all like it would be if you used regular old spray paint.



Stupid huge version of the original.



This silver piece goes with black SO much nicer than the original white.



I couldn't get the camera to NOT focus on my monitor. ;( (p.s.: Clint Mansell ftw)



I am not responsible in any way for any damage that may occur to you or your controller by following the above steps. If you are not comfortable with this type of thing please do not attempt to do it!

User Gallery:
DBiz - via Digg.com
Hozzy - via the comments

205 comments:

1 – 200 of 205   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

The best look OEM, and so does yours. Good work.

Unknown said...

So you can reassemble after just 20 or so minutes, and then let it cure for an additional 24 hours?

Great guide!

Alcaron said...

Yup, though 24 hours may be overkill honestly, whichever brand of vinyl dye you get, make sure to read the label for the cure times.

Honestly i played some Rainbow Six: Vegas shortly after I put it back together (maybe 2, 3 hours after spraying it) and no problem, but I would obviously recommend following the manufacturers cure times. :)

Anonymous said...

Awesome dude !! i dreamt of that ! thanks for the tip !

Anonymous said...

So you figure you that the same exact technique could be done to the 360 case it self?

Alcaron said...

Most definitely, the case is made out of the same kind of plastic.

The only tricky part would be the power button, since it has transparent bits. I haven't taken it apart though so its possible that the transparent bits (like the ring of light on the controller) is a separate piece...

Anonymous said...

Hey, great tutorial!

Just one question. How did you go about painting the part where the battery clicks in?

Just want to make sure it doesn't stick, but I'm absolutely going to do this when I get home!

Thanks again, and good stuff.

Alcaron said...

I only dyed the visible part of the AA cartridge, and it didn't have any fit issues. The charge and play pack did fit a TOUCH more snug, but its only barely noticeable, certainly not problematic in the least!

Just sprayed it like the rest. I would suggest sticking cotton balls or some paper towel or tissue or something inside the AA cartridge though, just so you don't end up spraying down in there and covering the contacts (REALLY shouldn't be a problem though as you shouldn't be spraying at that angle, but better safe than sorry!).

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to do this to my controllers. I have the rechargable battery pack did you paint that as well and if not do you think that it would be find to paint that?

Anonymous said...

Wow, great job. It looks really good.

Anonymous said...

Was there any sign of inconsistent application, or does it cover it fairly easily? I'm thinking about doing the case, but I'm worried that the large, flat surface of the 360 could be problematic in the 'even-ness' portion of the paint.

This is a great idea!

Alcaron said...

I HATE spray painting because I have a hard time doing it properly, and this is obviously aerosol based like spray paint so I was dreading it, but as you can see in the huge version of the pic, theres not any inconsistency.

Just go slow, VERY, VERY, slow.

Cannot stress that enough, three coats plus a touch up is the MINIMUM I'd give it, and if you do three coats and it still needs touch up that should tell you something...none of those should be full coats.

Go VERY light. Do NOT rush. If you take your time, hold the nozzle a foot and a half or so away from the part, it should be just fine.

Just remember, you can always come back and add more, you can't take any off. And at $5 a can if you end up wasting a bunch of it by barely hitting the surface of the part, the only thing you hurt is the environment (stupid trees!).

I most certainly plan on painting the case though, just as soon as I send my 360 off for repairs and get it back.

Anonymous said...

So when painting the controller you obviously do left to right strokes (Or vertical). How long would you say each stroke is (In seconds) from left to right or right to left or however you did it?

Imagining it I would think it would be around 1.5 seconds, but I'm not too sure.

Any guesstimate?

Alcaron said...

At the distance you hold the spray nozzle, it doesn't even take a full second.

If you aren't comfortable with it (or really even if you are) get a piece of cardboard or something. Get a feel for what it takes at a foot and a half or so to just lightly spray it.

Remember, and the end of your first coat it should look like it was just lightly sprayed, almost like it was hit with the overspray from something being spray painted in front of it.

Just very light and if you aren't sure, err on the side of caution and just barely tag it. If it takes you 20 "coats" to get it all solid black, no harm done. But if you do it all at once and it goes on too thick, you are SOL.

Anonymous said...

GREAT stuff - I've got a project for myself this weekend!

One thing I was curious about...do you think there's anyway to mask areas off and use multiple colors on a single controller? I'm not the most artistic, but the idea of a black controller covered in red and yellow flames is almost too tempting not to try...

Alcaron said...

I do think you could do that, BUT, the problem there is that they only sell a handfull of colors, and you would have to have some VERY basic looking flames. :(

Sadly I think decent flames would put you in the airbrushing section, and if you put them anywhere that gets a lot of contact (grips, triggers, buttons, etc.) you are right back to the problem of paint wearing off. :(

Anonymous said...

When you say "hold the parts at arm's length," are you suggesting literally holding onto the parts while spraying? Why not set the parts on some newspaper while spraying? What kind of protection are you wearing on your hands/arms when holding the parts?

Alcaron said...

I held the parts, I suggest that versus setting them on something because I could rotate them easily at will (the parts where the seams will be are kinda hard to get to otherwise).

I figured why move myself and the can around to get the best angle when I could just move the part around instead.

As for protection, that where the Latex gloves come in handy. :)

That plus a long sleeve shirt should do you just fine. Just make sure its not a shirt you would mind ruining obviously, lol.

But if you feel more comfortable setting them on newspaper and spraying them that way there is certainly no technical reason why you shouldn't.

Anonymous said...

you could use a clear coat if you did air brushing!

Alcaron said...

It sounds better than it is, the clear coat is glossy and kind of slick, and does still wear down, it just gives you a bit longer life on the paint (though you can still tell when the clear coat is gone because it won't be as glossy).

Thats the whole reason I tracked down vinyl dye, I wanted to change the color but not the surface as much as possible.

You CAN use Rit dye and change the surface even less...but in order to do it right and without melting the pieces it just requires WAY too much time and effort (involving a stock pot, a thermometer, the better part of a workday, and lots of praying).

Also some parts of the controller are glossy and hard to paint, so you have to sand them to prep them for paint, also not something I'm keen on.

Anonymous said...

Alcaron that looks great. I got a question for you though, assuming the console is made from the same material (though if I'm wrong never mind...) could you do this sort of coloring for that too? Of course it'd require a bit more dissection but the thought of having the OEM parts of a console look like the controller you made makes me tickle lol

Kudos dude :)

Alcaron said...

Yep, see my reply above! :)

SuicideNinja said...

Alacron, that looks awesome. I was hoping for a better method than regular paint or purchasing the overpriced shells.

You've come to the rescue!

On an unrelated note, heh, we're using the same template.

http://www.suicideninja.com

Anonymous said...

Couple of questions:

Did you dye the battery case that came with the controller or was it an OEM rechargable battery pack? In either case, how did you protect the metal parts?

Unknown said...

finaly a good looking option!

There so many things out there that I hate...its nice to see it done up right. I was going to buy controller shells in different colors, and a new black painted case...but they were all F-ing shiny, Shiny only looks good until you touch it, I like how MS made the 360 & controllers a dull-ish colar...and now I can have black 360 thanks to you.

Quick question...when you test sprayed it on the card board, di you do any test spraying on tape? I was wandering if I could (very carefully) tape-off the green ring and center power logo. Do you think that would look good?

Anonymous said...

Great job man. I would recommend taking something small like the battery pack and testing it out on there before doing the whole controller so you can get practice at how it reacts.

Anonymous said...

Where can I get a security torx I went to three stores and they didn't have one?

Alcaron said...

Hey sorry about the moderating of comments, I don't know much about Blogger so I'm not sure how to get them to show up without moderation enabled lol.

Anyway, to answer the latest questions:

Battery pack: Masking tape. You don't really need to spray the end of it where the contacts are, its not visible anyway, BUT, if you want to...just use masking tape or that blue painters tape (ugh, the name eludes me, I dont have the wrapper anymore either lol, so dumb).

Also, there aren't any metal contacts on the end of the charge and play pack.

As for the green ring and center power logo, I assume you mean on the front of the 360?

My plan is transparent contact paper...I will lay some of that over it, and using mucho patience and MUCHO sharp xacto knife, I will cut out the shapes of the rings/power icon. Pull the rest of the contact paper away...bobs your uncle.

I plan on using transparent contact paper because then I can see what is on the other side, gives me the best chance of making an accurate outline.

And yes I would definitely recommend a small test piece to start. I went through two wired controllers (whooooole other experiment using rit dye, long story short, better results, SO not worth it) so I had some to test it on. :)

If you have a junk CD-ROM laying around the front bezel of that makes a perfect test surface.

As for the torx. Interestingly enough I saw a set which had the bit (I wanna say T7? Don't quote me) right on the opposite side of the aisle as the paint at the autozone I went to.

If you want to know why I can't tell you the exact size its because I'm an idiot... :)

I thought I had a torx security bit (also called torx pin bit) but...heh, got home and nothing, so I, god this is lame, I took a VERY small flatblad screwdriver, and narrowed the end with a dremel until I could leverage the blad between one of the outer grooves and the pin, and use that leverage to rotate the screw...

Which saved me...a 5 minute trip to autozone...lol...yes, I'm an idiot. :)

btw, here is a link to an example of the bit in question:

http://www.hudsonfasteners.com/sec/sec_tx_pinbit.htm

Home Depot (if they are worth a crud in your area) should definitely have them, heck, wal-mart even sells them (please dont buy from them though lol). I can tell you for a fact though that T10 is too big.

Unknown said...

ah...I never thought about using something clear, so you can perfectly cut around the rind...and the (I'm assuming) much harder power logo...cutting around that will freakin suck.

And I believe its a T8.
I have a good small set of a torx, philips, flat, etc in a little $20 craftsmen thing I got from sears...there not all separate things...its just one screw driver, with changeable heads, and the screw driver has a magnetic head...something I love, so when you unscrew a itty bitty screw you wont loose it, it will stay magnetically attached to the end of the drivers bit.

as for the clear ring area...I plan on using crash wrap, its clear and sticky, and thicker then normal scotch tape. I work at a body shop...so its fo-ree fo-me. ;)

Also, I wonder if any of those black face plates would match perfectly...that would save a bunch of time and hassle. But I'm sure it would be a shade off...and that would irritate me.

Unknown said...

One more thing...sis you test spray on smooth glossy surfaces?

Cause on the front of the 360 theres a smooth glossy circle around the power button, and the power button itself. Just wondering if it would just run off that, and looks crap...or if the spray could still grab on and adhere to it.

StuN said...

That's awesome, I've never bothered with mods before but I may just try this if I can trace the Dye in the UK.

I've only got a couple of 360 controllers, but I wonder if it would also work on my Wii remotes... That way I could have different coloured ones and I'd at least stand a chance of knowing which is my primary controller with my Mii on the memory.

Anonymous said...

So i Know it would voide your warrenty but the controller looks awesome do would be really sweet if you did the whole console

Anonymous said...

That looks really nice alcaron. You can also do the same with an acrylic based water dye too (Multi Purpose Dylon). They cost about £3 over here. All you do it boil a large pan of water and add some salt so that the dye sticks properly, take the water off the boil and add the plastic parts and stirr continuously. Do that for about 5 minutes and leave them in there until everything cools. The result is pretty much the same with extended use not causing wear or tear. I dyed an old PSX purple once, controller and all, looked great :).

twt said...

There's nothing wrong with using a normal screwdriver (I had to use one in a pinch, too. ha)

Anonymous said...

I used the same paint with my XboX CombiCable mod three years ago:
http://www.metku.net/index.html?path=mods/xbox_cc/index_eng

Another useful tip is to use Plasti Dip on your controller:
http://www.metku.net/index.html?path=mods/supergrip/index_eng

Anonymous said...

Yu shult of warnd mi aboot de fumz, I think i needt a doctOrrrr

Unknown said...

I realize this can essentially be done to any plastic. But does the original color of the plastic make a difference. For Example the 360 controller is white, no real problem because anything will go over white. Would this work on an original xbox or even a PS2 controller considering they are black to start with. I was thinking of maybe dying them a bright red.

Alcaron said...

You can dye just about anything black, however I don't know how much luck you will have dyeing black to something else, I sincerely doubt it will work well...

Anonymous said...

Excellent job. My friend and I have been toying about with this, but thus far have only colored a test PS1 controller red.

My search for navy blue vinyl dye to match my 360 case has been fruitless, so I opted for Krylon Fusion, which claims to bond with ABS plastics in a similar fashion, but with less of those nasty toxic fumes.

Havn't gotten around to coloring my controllers yet, but I'll try to remember to come back here to let everyone know how the Krylon Fusion holds up.

Alcaron said...

Note that there is a difference between bonding with the surface and bonding with the plastic itself. I think krylon makes a similar product, but I don't know if its possible to avoid the fumes really, its just kinda a necessity.

If its the stuff I'm thinking of then its still paint, and while it does bond to the surface (making it harder to chip/flake off) it is still subject to wear. :(

Also paint makes for potential fit problems with the finished product, and seeing as how tactile response is kind of important, I ruled out anything that could interfere with the operation of the controller itself.

Unknown said...

Not saying much... although you might be able to drain some of the paint from the can and use it in an airbrush application. I've been trying to figure out if maybe adding base pigment colors(water based) would have the same result.
The idea would be that you could use the white spray Plastikote and mix w/e pigments you wanted into it and come up with the colors to do flames or other multicolor applications.

Just an idea... I'm still trying to figure out what chemicals are involved in the Plastikote that allows it to graft to the plastic, as it may not take the pigment or may require an oil base pigment.

Anonymous said...

Hold up, is the little ring of light circle a removable piece if not how did u get around that.

Alcaron said...

http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/repair/controller/102505%20020.jpg

That piece in the bottom left is the ring of light.

Unknown said...

A bit of a paraniod question i know but... Is there any chance of absorbing these crazy chemicals through your hands while you play with the controller? I don't wanna get cancer from playing xbox.

Alcaron said...

lol I haven't done any studies on it or anything so I'm not going to personally vouch for the safety of the stuff in the can, but I'm not personally concerned about it. *shrug*

Alcaron said...

Heh, its not really that hard to do, you know that right?

I dunno that I'd actually do one to sell but you can drop me a line at: alcaron a t gmail . com and I'll let you know.

I definitely understand not wanting to take them apart lol.

Anonymous said...

hi mate, great mod btw.

i just wanted to make sure this was the stuff you used..

Plasti-kote Fast Dry Enamel

if you could let me know that would be great..

Unknown said...

Is it safe to do the joysticks and dpad.

Anonymous said...

Yo, Nice mod Alcaron!

I just went out and bought the stuff, and I think its the right stuff. One question on the color though: Did you use Shiny black, or Flat Black, and will it impact? If it will, i'm going to return the Shiny black, and get Flat Black.

Thanks for your time, and thanks for this entirely!

Unknown said...

After taking the face off, I wasn't able to see how to easily remove the d-pad. There are screws on the back of it, but they aren't coming out easily. Did you remove the d-pad or tape over it? It seems like you had to have removed it given the color in the lip of the circle around the pad. Thanks for the great tutorial!

Alcaron said...

Yeah you need to get both of those little screws out, then there are two tabs in there, just use a screwdriver to release them (its not hard).

As for the gloss or matte, I don't know if you have the right stuff.

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinyl.html
http://www.plastikote.com/plastikote/auto/template.jsp?searchcode=RES&product=UltraVinyl

Those are two of the brands (there are two more but I can't seem to find their websites).

Someone on Digg also posted a link to this:

http://www.parasolinc.com/Products.asp?ProductID=VARIKOTE

Which obviously sounds pretty good too! But I havent used it (lol whats up with these people and "kote" lol).

Unknown said...

Hey Alcaron,

Thanks again for the guide. I just finished painting and will post some pics when it's all dry and put back together. There was only one difference with my experience - I ended up using like 10-12 coats of paint because there were still significant portions of white showing through after even 5 coats. However, I used VERY light coats at a distance of about 1.5 feet though the can called for 6-10 inches so I think it was a wider spraying nosel anyway.

Alcaron said...

Awesome, look forward to seeing it!

And yeah, more coats is not a bad thing, better safe than sorry with this stuff, lol, no second chances!

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty curious about this: Can you do this to the shiny plastic of the sticks and D-pad too, while maintaining usability and texture?

Anonymous said...

Just incase you wanted to add more pics mate. Awesome idea to use dye. I used a Septone Satin Black plastic dye.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7791/hozycontrol1lr9.jpg

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/727/hozycontrol2qu0.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/5714/hozycontrol3xk6.jpg

Cheers
MaT

Unknown said...

I assume that people dont want a fingerprintable controller...so I'd go with flat black or matte, versus a shiny glossy one.

I bought a can today...I first checked advanced auto parts...nope, then checked menards...nope, then checked walmart...yep. SO I bought the flat black plasti-kote can.

I plan on doind a controller this weekend...and judging by how it turns out...I might do my console the weekend after.

* I just read the can, it said spray 10-14 inches away...and the bad news is you should spray around 60-80 degrees (F)...and the weekend high is like 30...so looks like I wont be doing it outside. :p

Anonymous said...

hey i've taken apart my controller and am unable and unwilling to forcefully remove the triggers. I followed the instructions and unclipped the arm from the trigger and then got the black tab off of the edge of the board but the tab that is in the middle of the board will not come out and i do not want to force it too much so it doesnt break. Am i doing it correctly or did i misunderstand the instructions somewhere?

Alcaron said...

Give this a shot and see if it helps.

http://alcaron.blogspot.com/2006/12/triggers-explained.html

Anonymous said...

This looks sick man.. I love it.

Anonymous said...

so hot, i nearly got turned on! lol

Anonymous said...

well... its 11:12, and I just finished dying the controller using your tutorial, as soon as it's dry, I will email u pics of it. I also replaced the grey thumbsticks and d-pad with black ones from an original xbox controller s. Hopefully it will turn out as good as yours, this is my first time using vinyl dye.

Unknown said...

I wish I had read the trigger guide before I started. I eventually got the triggers off, but now the left one kind of "sticks" a little. It's not too bad, just not normal. It still works for gameplay just fine.

All-in-all it came out exactly like yours, Alcaron. I think I'll try blue or red for my wireless. However, my coat left a noticeable rough finish to the controller. Scrubbing gently with a paper towel removed most of the roughness and a little bit of black dust. Using the controller helped to smooth it out, too.

Also, let me HIGHLY recommend that anyone who tries this wear a mask. Even though I kept my distance during painting and painting outside, I found black paint in my mucus this morning (EWWW!). I think I'll live, though.

Here's the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachmarshall/sets/72157594433955592/

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Could you please post a picture of the paint you used? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

this is for the guy who posted the 3 images of his own --- blue ring of light..

how was it done and can you post your own DIY

Anonymous said...

did you have to do anything special to the triggers when painting them? this will be my first real time doing something like this and im not sure what to do about the smooth surfaces. do i need to sand them or something, or can i just paint them as is like the rest of the controller.

Anonymous said...

I'm using the same kinda of Dye, its just I don't know if you used the Shiny stuff, or the flat looking stuff. I guess the Shinier stuff would leave fingerprints, but then again, the flat black looked quite poor, so I bought the shinier one.

Tell me if I'm wrong, I'm probably not doing this for a couple days, as the weather in NY is atrocious right now.

Anonymous said...

I just tryed the krylon fusion on one of my faceplates and i do not recomment the krylon stuff at all. Its basically paint for plastics which i thought it was a dye. I gonna try the duplicolor next and see how that goes.

HoZy said...

Hey Alcaron,

Check it:
http://hozy88.blogspot.com/

Linked to your blog of your mod ofcourse aswell ^_^

Cheers
MaT

HoZy said...

Alcaron,

http://hozy88.blogspot.com/2006/12/black-magic.html

Take a look buddy, Direct post to mine, Linked back to yours ofcourse.

Cheers
MaT

Shaun said...

Does the paint/dye that you used "bleed" around the area you initially spray it? I am thinking of painting the inset XBOX 360 on the side of my case black and I will have to mask around the outside of the lettering with masking tape, but I was concerned that it would still get under the tape due to bleeding (think water-colors).

One other question is if this paint "layers". I was thinking of also making a face-plate with the Gears of War logo, so I'd need to be able to layer red on black. I'll post pics of the completely black faceplate and/or the black inset lettering on the side when I get it done.

Anonymous said...

Great guide, but what do you think about plastic dyes, like rit? Do you think that would work?

Anonymous said...

Hey man, a few ppl have asked but no answer. can you use the dye on the joysticks and the d-pad? i got the dye already but i would like to know before starting.

its gonna be my little x-mas gift to myself. :)
Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I did this but used red for the triggers and buttons, it came out really well imho. One issue is the eject button on the wireless controller rechargeable battery pack, that bugger just won't keep a coat on it, so I'm going to sand it down and try again later. Thanks for taking the plunge!

Shaun said...

I used this method to paint my faceplate. Check it out at http://quake120.blogspot.com

I used the Krylon Fusion which I would NOT recommend for a controller or another surface that is going to see a lot of wear and tear. It is more paint-ish than the Dupli-Color. It still looks quite good though.

Anonymous said...

I for the life of me cannot get my 360 controller apart. I have the wireless one. I've taken all the screws out and yet cannot seem to separate the controller. It almost feels like something is still screwed together or clipped together on the inside. I've pulled quite hard just shy of snapping the plastic on the controller. I'm afraid to pull any harder and cannot tell what is still holding it together. I'm ready to whip my controller at the wall.

Alcaron said...

Did you get all seven screws? If you have only six screws then you are missing one, the extra one is most likely the one that is under the serial number.

Rub a fingernail over the serial number sticker on the back of the controller and you should find an indent...the last little bugger you are looking for is under there!

Unknown said...

i am having trouble finding a security driver know any retailers that might have them.and if so whats size?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that was it. I'm a retard. LOL! So now I'm in between coats. It looks pretty good so far. I can't wait to try and put the controller back together... *sigh*

Anonymous said...

So, I finished my painting and put the controller back together. But, for some reason it is not powering on. I am quite sure I put it all back together exactly how I took it apart. No paint got on anything electrical. The battery contacts are all fine, etc...

Is there anything simple that I may have overlooked that you may have ran into as to why my controller won't power on? I took apart my other controller to compare and it all seems to be the same... Well, the controller looks pretty cool even though I can't use it yet. Hopefully I didn't toast it for good. lol!

Alcaron said...

I would say make sure the button pads are all aligned right, if the pad under the guide button isn't aligned then it wont make contact and thus wont turn on. I think you would have to try very hard to toast the controller.

Anonymous said...

yeah im having the same problem i cant find a torx screwdriver i went to my local auto center but they had crap.

Anonymous said...

Well, I can't get my controller to work. I don't know what the hell I did, but it just won't work. It looks really nice though! LOL! I'll send some pictures your way for the hell of it!

Unknown said...

I used plastikote, flat black, it turned out good.

I did do one retarded thing though...I used some paper towels and sprayed the front and back of the controller pretty thoroughly, let it sit for abit and I flipped them over and sprayed the insides of the shell, and once that was done I flipped in back over...and realized that the first time I flipped it...I didn’t' wait long enough, because there was some paper towelage stuck on the controller...I used the rest of the can (which wasn't much) to try and hide it...overall though it came out pretty good.

I just bought 4 more cans...I'm planning on doing the console itself this week end...then I'll post a picture of the 360 and the controller next to each other.

Anonymous said...

I painted mines
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/memocobra/VenomControl1.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/memocobra/VenomControl.jpg

Anonymous said...

Im in the middle if disecting my controller right now. I'm playing with the D pad right now and don't know how to get it out. i took the screws out from the back of the D pad but it still wont budge. How did u get it out? should I use tweezers for those little clip parts on the inside of the part, and is it easy to get it back in place? Thanks and I can't wait to finish.

Alcaron said...

Yeah I just used the head of the screwdriver to push the clips in and it popped out no problem.

Putting it back together was even easier.

Anonymous said...

Should I use flat black or gloss black? What did you use?

Muki Key Oot said...

My question is about the button that connects the battery pack case to the controller. (the one that uses AA batteries)

The case itself looks glued together (at least no obvious screws I found), so how would you go about painting it and the "button" that latches it on without leaving a seam?

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot for this guide, I just finished doing my two controllers in black ad blue. Here's links to the picks:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d119/jrr03/random%20internet%20shit/100_3406.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d119/jrr03/random%20internet%20shit/100_3404.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d119/jrr03/random%20internet%20shit/100_3409.jpg

I used the gloss black paint (Duplicolor brand), but only because, one, at the time of purchase I didn't know there was two different blacks and Autozone only had one black can anyway, and two, I was too lazy to return the gloss black and go somewhere else to try and find the flat one. But for others in the same situation, I'd say go ahead and use the gloss. It isn't that glossy anyway, and fingerprints don't show up on it at all.

Also as can be seen I painted the thumbsticks and D-pad which some have been asking about, and so far there doesn't seem to be any problem. I scratched at them with my fingernail and they were just fine still.

I'm way to impatient and did kind of a sloppy job, but overall I'm still satisfied with the outcome. The only real noticeable flaws are the white on the black sync button which I had scratched with a screwdriver trying to unjam it (I didn't place it right when putting the controller back together) and some white that can be seen on the black controller at the points it rests on, which I'm pretty sure happened while I had the controller resting against my desk as I went at it for like twenty minutes removing and replacing one of the triggers over and over trying to figure out how to unstick it.

And with that said, bluemandude mentioned one of his triggers sticking a bit, which I think might be the same problem I had. I was able to fix it by just scraping a flat blade screwdriver along the inside of the spot on the arm where the peg from the trigger sits in. That's where it was sticking, so opening up the space there just a little was enough to fix the problem.

Anonymous said...

Here's some pics of the 4 that me and a buddy did today. Still going to do a few more in the coming days...










They really were easy to do. Now to see how long they last when in use. Pictures don't do them justice. All 4 of these controllers look incredible up close.

Anonymous said...

Question:

Can I buy the paint in Europe?

Anonymous said...

I must have entered the links wrong before. Here are the 4 controllers that I did.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0155.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0156.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0157.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0162.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0167.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0169.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0171.jpghttp://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0172.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r237/CraigThames/100_0173.jpg

Unknown said...

This was an awesome tutorial.

Here's 2 of mine.
Picture Linked Here

Anonymous said...

Hey Alcaron,

Great guide. I just finished mine. I painted the triggers and everything. Used Dupli-Color Vinyl in flat black. Everything went smooth without a hitch.

Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98472371@N00/sets/72157594459658694/

Anonymous said...

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/6605/s003cw5.jpg

went for a more school spirited theme, GO BUCKEYES!

Anonymous said...

How does the dye stick to the thumbsticks/d-pad just about to dye mine and making sure before I dye them.

Anonymous said...

Hey just gonna do my after i can find that fricken torx any good advice before i start doing it

True Gamer said...

What does to cure mean? Let it set?
I've managed to find some matt black stuff in the UK at halfords - couldn't find any online! I'm testing on an DSL filter at the moment to see if I got the right stuff, I put a screwdriver to it after about 20mins and it scrapped off but with some of the white plastic too. Does this mean I have the right stuff? and if I leave it long enough it should set hard?

H.D. said...

This is AWESOME! I hated the thought of using paint because it would just wear off, not to mention feel different than the original texture. Now I pretty much have to do this. I just need to figure out what colors to use...
I'm thinking black case, red buttons/triggers, but that seems a little over-done. I may do some tests on one of my old broken xbox1 controllers to see about layering and bleeding.
If I do I'll let you know the results.

Anonymous said...

how did u guys get the screws off on the wireless controllers, i got about five off, barely, and the other 2 i think i stripped. If u guys have any suggestions please let me know, thank u.

Anonymous said...

Just got done doing both of my controllers and DVD remote. I used the Duplicolor Vinyl stuff. I dont think it's dying the plastic i think the stuff is just paint. Put about 4 coats on the controllers let it set up for about 4 hrs and could scratch right back to the white pretty easily. But other than that controllers work just as good as before and looks 10X better than boring white also i used this http://www.unicornelex.com/detail.php?itemno=24-3201& The T9 works great. Thanks Alcaron

Unknown said...

meh i think my controller is dying because several of the buttons don't work with halo 1...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the fantastic guide. Here's mine. It's red with black accents. El Diablo!

[URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/9742/p12300765lk.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://imageshack.us][IMG]http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3739/p12300774qo.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

One "tip" to share. Before I ran into this guide, I heard you could "dye" the parts. So we stupidly bought some RIT clothing dye and put everything in. The only place the dye was absorbed was in the top of the thumbsticks. They completely retained their original feel. Then we taped off the top and used black Dupli-color on the rest. We'll see how it holds up!

Anonymous said...

Yea.....nice. But I got a Question,
where can I get a Security Torx?
I already know what size(T8) but I cant find any. PLZ tell me where to find one.



My E-Mail address is pricanmaniak@bellsouth.net

Anonymous said...

How does one make the green lights aroudn the big X button a different color?

Anonymous said...

damn alcaron you are the mother f@#$ing man, i tried this and it worked beautifully the first time with no complications, it worked so well, that when i show it to my friends they don't even realize that theres anything special about it, i have done 3 wireless controllers so far and plan to do many more, i have even done one that was a total blackout with the gray bar across the bottom as well as the thumbsticks and d-pad blacked out. MY next project... black wireless headset.
P.S. i would add a pic, but it looks exactly like your controller except i used gloss black across the back, start, bumpers and trigger buttons which makes for a very nice subtle contrast.
P.P.S. hey alcaron, i think someone followed your guide and is now selling black dyed 360 controllers for $100 on ebay. check it out.
thanks

Anonymous said...

also i forgot to mention about that security torx bit, it is a T-8 bit and i used a bit in a ratcheting driver, it was too short, so i had to grind away the base of the bit with a dremel to lengthen it about 1/8" in order to avoid scratching the plastic when i put it back together, so when you get one, get a torx driver, not a torx bit. make sure you get one with a good long shaft on it.

ha, long shaft.

Anonymous said...

Im gong to do this but I wrote my name on the back of my controller pack with a black sharpie marker. Do you think If I sprayed over it you would still be able to see it or what? Also how do you go about holding them in our hand, wouldnt you get finger prints or smudges from the gloves?

Frank O'Hara said...

hey man
..

thanx for the idea
.
i've been looking for an
east/cost-less mod that really
made a diffrence
.
i did mine in red
and switched out my 360 thumbsticks
and d-pad for original xbox
thumbsticks and d-pad
due to the black color
.
i also switched out some buttons
to make a blue and gold
(go mountianeers)
color scheme
,
and flipped the middle
guide button
.

heres some pice of my mod..

http://www.imagehosting.com/show.php/284307_IMAG0006.JPG.html

http://www.imagehosting.com/show.php/284306_IMAG0004.JPG.html

http://www.imagehosting.com/show.php/284305_IMAG0003.JPG.html

http://www.imagehosting.com/show.php/284304_IMAG0002.JPG.html

http://www.imagehosting.com/show.php/284303_IMAG0001.JPG.html


(sry for the crappy quality)




o an is the led mod you did
any hard at all
.?

Anonymous said...

Alcaron, you are the man! I've been looking for paint to use on my plastic Nerf gun (I hope I'm not breaking posting codes of conduct for this forum/thread by mentioning something other than the XB360) and I came across this. My friend used the Krylon Fusion paint and the handle of the gun leaves a faint stickiness much like that of when regular spray paint is used. I have two questions. Does the Duplicolor or Plastikote (flat paint) products leave the same feeling? I was guessing it wouldn't since everyone loves it and hasn't had a problem with the XB controller being used frequently. Do you recommend a certain product? I'm trying to find one that carries an olive green, something that I can use to make my guns look like a Halo or Gears of War weapon. Thanks a lot for your time and post.

Anonymous said...

How do you make the hole in the tourque screw driver?

Unknown said...

Hi,

Ive got a couple of issues with this, I bought some really cheap plastic dye stuff and it's a bit dodgy. Around the raised sections (Most noticeably, where the DPAD sits) the paint just won't stay, it just runs off. I am holding the can about 1.5 feet away with the part on the floor.

I intend to go out tomorrow and buy some Plastikote stuff, but is there any way I can make this work...?

Ben

Anonymous said...

"Hey just gonna do my after i can find that fricken torx any good advice before i start doing it"
Not only do you need a torx, you need a security torx. Or you can do what I did.
HUGE HINT!
Use a standard (flat) screwdriver from a precision kit. You can go beside that security peg and kind of "kitty corner" it into 2 corners of the torx design. Be careful unscrewing as you will need to spin the screwdriver around the axis of the center peg, not turn the screwdriver itself. After you do one screw you'll see what I mean. Putting them back in is just as easy. Why couldn't they just use a phillips like on the wired controller?

About halfway through the 'painting' I said to myself "I must be doing something wrong, this is going way too well." In the end my controller turned out great, just like the guide. One noticable difference is that I didn't sand the release button on the battery pack and it's a high gloss surface. The dye didn't soak in and just peeled off. However it is only on that release button and doesn't look bad. Perhaps I didn't let it cure enough, or perhaps it wasn't meant to be. In the end, I'm completely satisfied and...
Great guide!

Anonymous said...

For security Torx bit hit up e-bay.

You need a T-8 security torx bit... many on ebay are called "tamper proof" instead of security.

You MUST have a long-reach bit, 3" is good, the one I got was even 6" (doesn't really matter). I got several bits from Sears but they won't fit into the deeper holes on the bottom of the controller. Also, ebay saved me about $17 =P

Unknown said...

Hey alcaron,

this thing is gonna be sweet. i do have a question though. Should i use a Primer. i do alot of painting and I have a ton of primer and it works great all the time. If this does work and people want to use it I have 1 suggestion, keep it far away and use it in moderation. It can literally eat away the plastic. This is the coolest mod I have seen. Just the other night i was looking for cool mods and i stumbled upon the 360 elite which looks really cool, but way to expensive for when it comes out. Then I found your site and this looks sweet. Also I am working on a site right now and I was wondering if i could add a link to your site. It wont be done for a while but it will look cool. Thanks much for the mod, im gonna try it out on my controller and if it works ill try it on the counsel. Ill see if i can send in some pics, thanks much.

P.S. i was also wondering about tagging a picture on my box and i was thinking about using the clear contact tape you were talking about and just cutting out the image and spraying around it and then reversing that with the other color so if u have any ideas on if that would work on not that would be great! Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hey so I did my DVD remote (link to picture at end) and got it all finished, I didn't use the same fancy thing for the controller because it results in a huge buildup of paint that is expensive, doesn't feel as natural (feels fine but would be weird to grip for 6 hours), and takes a while... plus I am thinking it might not be as durable. Though I did put on a couple light coats of a sealer. I used Dupli-Color (black and yellow, plus clear-coat sealer).

I'm going to write up a tutorial for this at some point but basically I painted the whole thing yellow, used hot-glue to place the random marble effect, and then painted it all black (then pealing off the hot glue).

http://www.GoDivine.net/remote.jpg

Thanks a ton for your tutorial Alcaron, never could have done it without your tutorial! I have tried tons of modding and this was one of the first ones that actually turned out like it was supposed to!

Anonymous said...

Whats up. Just read your guide 3 days ago and I got started on my project today. My plan is to paint my console, universal remote and controlers (as well as Hard Drive).

I went to walmart on Friday, picked up everything I thought I would need. Contact paper, Masking tape, Needle Nose pliers, Utility knife, latex gloves, screwdriver set, etc. I couldn't find the Duplicolor Vinyl Dye anywhere, so I took a trip to Advanced Auto Parts and I was lucky to find out they had tons of the stuff in pratically every color. I picked up 2 cans of the Vinyl flat black dye.

So today I began, I started on my Universal remote. Taking it apart only required a small phillips screwdriver. After thta I washed it in a little bit if detergent and dried it off properly. The next step was to spray 1.5 feet away like you said, I took my time and was very patient so it actually took me like 15 coats to get it perfect. At that distance the spray touches only lightly and has a broad range so your guaranteed to not overpaint. lol, I can't believe it but It took me like 3 hours and 1 can just for the Hard Drive and Universal remote. The end result was a perfect and even black, but dang, I was tired though. You think I was spraying it from too far?

Being that the cans are only $5 I should be down to buy some more tommorrow though. Ihave the case and 2 controllers left.

Oh yeah as for the smell and vapors, my advice is to do it outside in a very well ventilated area. I held my breath for like 1 minute 30 seconds at a time everytime I sprayed and then went inside immedietly to get some clean air since I was on my patio/balcony. That way I never breathed in the vapor and hardly even smelt it. A mask is easier and saves alot of time so I might buy a respirator before I do the case. Great guide though.

Anonymous said...

Hey Alcaron, I just got done with the Universal remote, I have a question though. Is the paint (dupli color vinyl dye) suppose to have such sandy, rough finish. I mean its not that rough, but its very noticable. It looks perfect, but it feels coarse. Should I sand it down with a fine grit sandpaper?

Anonymous said...

Robert;

I sprayed much closer than that, though I think I did end up getting to close for the last coats, it still turned out great. I was probably around 8" inches away, sometimes even closer.

As for your sandy texture, it should really take a texture very similar to the texture pre-paint. Mine came out very similar to the stock texture. Duplicolor makes a clear-coat (sealer) that I used and it looks very nice. I used several coats on my DVD remote and it turned out very glossy, but I used a lot less (2 light coats) on my controller for a more flat feel and look (the remote is fine but would feel weird gripping for a long time). Maybe the sealer would help?

The vapors were pretty bad, I actually didn't notice a thing (did most of it in a closed garage) but I inhale a lot of stuff at work so I'm not particularly sensitive... but everyone else noticed the smell throughout my house.

Anonymous said...

Vlad whats up. It seems the remote came out great, even though it feeles slightly different, it resists almost all nail scratches. I was kind of worried, so I wiped it with water, scratched it, ect after it cured just to make sure. It doesnt haev any damage. I guess it'll feel more normal after some continous useage.

Today I did my wireless control. You know what, I ran into a dilemma though. First off I couldn't find the proper T-8 torque screw anywhere. Walmart, Auto Parts, Home Depot etc. I managed to remove one screw with a normal phillips 1 screwdriver, but I couldn't get the rest out, I tried real hard on one, and the small pin in the middle of the torx screw broke, so there was nothing stopping the phillips screwdriver from moving around in one spot without unscrewing anything. At that point with nothing left to open the screw I was like I'll just do this another way.

It took about 2 hours but I used a very sharp Xacto blade, some masking tape, and I sucesfully masked the guide, joysticks, directional pad, lights, and battery contacts on the back. It took alot of percision, especially on the guide. I had to be very carefull not to scratch anything with the blade, and things like the guide had to be done with laser percision, like 1/4th of the circle at a time.

Anyways It worked out, I was able to paint the inner parts of the joytiq/directional holes, etc. Ill post pictures later, you wouldnt be able to tell I never opened the controller.

Anonymous said...

yo thank you.....i just did it in like 3 hours...ur awesome

Anonymous said...

yo alacorn, did you sand the triggers and rb/lb buttons before you started spraying. Just wondering since they have a glossy surface and the triggers suffer the most usage.

Anonymous said...

Here are some pics of my finished controller. Remember that due to soem issues with my torx I painted without taking the controller apart. I spent alot of time masking and using a sharp blade to cover the parts liek the guide, etc. the only issue is that part directly under the directional pad, it was impossible to get paint under there. But its on the inside though.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h128/agentsanderson/1Medium.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h128/agentsanderson/2Medium.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h128/agentsanderson/3MediumMedium.jpg

KoenigseggCCX said...

i was wondering, for the triggers, do i have to sand them then spray them, or just spray them since they're glossy and smooth, and also, would u guys refer duplicolour or krylon fusion?

KoenigseggCCX said...

also, does anyone know fir sure where i can get duplicolour paint?

Anonymous said...

I sanded the triggers and shoulder buttons lightly to be on the safe side. I used fine grit sandpaper, just to get the glossyness off. I recommend Duplicolor, I have a can of that Krylon stuff but I never tried it out, it seems to just be paint for plastics, not dye.

Duplicolor is available at Advanced auto parts, Autozone, pep Boys, and if your lucky Walmart and Kmart. I suggest you call around to save you time and gas money, cause out of all the shops I listed and checked around me, only advanced auto seemed to have it readily available.

KoenigseggCCX said...

Also, i live in Canda, british columbia, so are some of those stores in BC?

KoenigseggCCX said...

and, would plastikote work? anyone tried?

Anonymous said...

I got my Dupli-Color from Walmart. Worked like a charm. Walmart's got way more colours than my local auto stores, too. I particularly love the bright yellow and cherry red.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I didn't sand my triggers, Back, Start, or RB/LB. They turned out beautifully perfect.

Anonymous said...

Controller Looks Great!!!

Could you perform these same steps to an HD DVD add on. Do you have one that you have already done this to???

If so could your provide some information on disassembling the drive.

Unknown said...

I did my wired control in yellow but it's not the yellow i really wanted in the end when i finished it, i did the buttons in black wich worked out nicely. i was wonder where u can get some star torx with the hole in them in the "T8" size because i've seen them everywhere in other sizes but not in that size and it's damn annoying, searching around.

Anonymous said...

Can you do this to a Nintendo Wavebird Gamecube controller? If you have one around you please look at the material and let me know if this can be done.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean by the rinse/repeat part? Just wondering...

Anonymous said...

im just wandering... will this mess up any of the buttons... meaning will they still fuction correctly or could something be messed up... and what about the rumble? Will it still rumble?

Thanks
-aRZie

Anonymous said...

question i've tried this mod and everything worked fine...until i got to the battery pack...

now after letting it dry i tried pushing on the tab... what happens now is the paint gets scraped off because of the direct plastic to plastic contact made when pushing down...not sure how to get around this because now my whole controller looks awesome black...but near the tab of the battery pack you can see white...

Unknown said...

I bought some Dupli-Color and took ont his task, and it worked wonderfully. I used it on a PS1 controller to be on the safe side.

Anonymous said...

I used your advice to mod my GH2 controller to look like my elite.

It was really easy. Thanks!

[IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z250/njhardhat/openguitarherocontroller.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z250/njhardhat/Elitecontrollermod.jpg[/IMG]

Anonymous said...

i love this idea, but i have a couple questions. Can this be done on a gamecube controller? and i really want to start airbrushing/ customizing controllers in general, but i dont know how i could secure my work from wearing off, can this be done? is there anyway to paint detailed things on controllers and have it last a year or so, with extreme use?

im very excited for your response, you seem very educated on this sort of thing.

Alcaron said...

I have never owned a gamecube so I honestly have no idea what the surface is like. As long as the surface is plastic (i.e. not painted plastic or clear coated with anything) you should be fine.

I hate to say it but when in doubt...be willing to sacrifice.

I "wasted" two perfectly good 360 wired shells trying to find the best way to dye them, but it was worth it because now I know what will and wont work, how close it came to working, (as in, rit dye ALMOST worked, but it needed just a TAD too long at just a hair too high a temp) so...

Anonymous said...

can i vinyl dye the controller, then air brush with acrylic paint, then use automotive clear coat over the air brushed areas, and expect a high quality finish?

Anonymous said...

I've already taken my controller apart once and I didn't have much trouble with it. But this time my d-pad is giving me problems and now when I re-assemble it, the d-pad doesn't work. Did anyone else have this problem?

Great tutorial though, and my controller does look bad ass.

Blogzilla said...

i just dyed my wavebird.... still drying..

i did just about everything wrong that could be done wrong.. but the X button is dry and it looks sick

will post again....

holy tension..

Anonymous said...

Hey Alcaron,

The blue LED's in the pad, what's the part number and are they run of the rechargable battery pack?

I've been having big problems getting it sorted out correctly, their always to dim (4.0 VF is a bitch!!!)

Thanks for your help.

Anonymous said...

Hey, great post btw, I just wanted to ask, is there any way to paint the buttons as well? I'm thinking, it will look super slick if the controller is all black, and the joystick + dpad + buttons are all gray, and the middle 360 button could be black too.

If painted black, I still want the letters to show on the buttons, I just want it gray. Is that possible? If not, do you think it will still look good if its just all black with no letters?

Thanks. Its just an idea I had. I was inspired by this:
http://www.extreme-mods.com/images/360_all_black_controller_case.jpg
its a normal black controller but its a black and white picture, but it still looks sick.

Anonymous said...

will the vinyl work on the the ABXY buttons or do you recommend using a diffrent kind of spray paint?

Anonymous said...

I tried it on one of my wiimotes and it didn't seem to stick really well. i made sure to take it slow and i got about 5 thin coats on, but in the end it just peeled off. maybe it's because the wiimotes are glossy and the 360 controllers are matte?

Anonymous said...

Hi Alcaron, your post was critical to getting my project done, its just finished today, and my instructions are nearly done as well
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/6605/s003cw5.jpg
That is where my pics and instructions are at, I really liked the vinyl dye tip, but ended up using plastic bond paint since I couldnt find vinyl dye in the colors I wanted, it turned out very well, I am also lighting the jewel up red, as well as painting the body red and the buttons and parts all black, its very very nice looking, I also swapped out the thumbsticks and d-pad so i could have black ones. To find out how to do all that, just go to the above link thanks again for the tutorial

Anonymous said...

Does this come in other colors like green?

Anonymous said...

awesome guide, looks like i have a project for over the weekend
:)

i don't know if this would work, or if it's been posted, but i searched vinyl dyes and found this

http://www.parasolinc.com/dyes_paints.asp

they have 14 colors in spray cans and can color match to whatever you want in a quart.
worth a shot?

Anonymous said...

do you know of any detailed guide to open up the wireless headset? I have an elite xbox but a white headset, thanks in advance.

Anonymous said...

Hi.

Thx a lot for this!!! I just got done putting the controller back together and it looks really cool. (I made mine a candy apple red. Ces't tres chic.) Anyway, I used something called Krylon Fusion as it was the only thing I could find that said it bonded with plasitc. I'm gonna wait a couple of hours and hopefully it'll be fine.

A couple of notes on things I had problems with... the screws on the wireless controller: I could not for the life of me find T8 Torx with a hole under $40 (part of a larger set) and I didn't want to pay for a whole new controller. I had some Torx heads at home and what I did is i inserted a very small flat screwdriver inside the screw and basically just tore off the pin in the center. There's not bad markings or anything and it's now just a torx screw. So that was how I solved the screw problem.

Another thing... make sure that you've got all the pieces out and take special care with the start and back buttons.... tape their sides so that they don't get stuck.

Pretty simple and satisfying all in all. Cheers and thanks again mate!!

Roux

Anonymous said...

so does anyone know how to get the blue light as shown in the picture?

Anonymous said...

i found your page a few hours after i painted mine lol this info would have been handy... i used spray paint.. ugh i would like to sand it all off and use the stuff u sed but its plastic. lol but check out the pics

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b390/psx2p/102_3509.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b390/psx2p/102_3508.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b390/psx2p/102_3507.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b390/psx2p/102_3505.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b390/psx2p/102_3504.jpg

Anonymous said...

I undertook your mod, however i did it on the harddrive case, as i have bought the chameleon case and didn't want to go out and buy a whole new case for harddrive also. The finish using this stuff is amazing. Once i get the tools i will also be doing the controllers. For anyone in the uk having trouble finding the paint i got mine from halfords for £10 its called flexible vinyl paint.

Pics.:

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1526/img0008pa6.jpg

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/363/img0009jt1.jpg

This colour goes with my case perfectly.

Thanks,
james

Anonymous said...

I have just painted my controller using this method, and it was very simple to disassemble and re-assemble the controller, and was simple enough to paint it neatly and evenly. Thanks for the information, here are some pics:

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/40/img0036kp1.jpg

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/8643/img0037nz0.jpg

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/2087/img0040fv7.jpg

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/106/img0041gp2.jpg

Anonymous said...

new challenge for you...try out the wireless network adaptor...i want to do mine but dont want to mess anything up...the white adaptor on the elite just looks tacky dont know why they didnt make a black one?

Anonymous said...

Hey do you think you can do a black wireless headset to match the 360 Elite? I need to know if this can be done so I can try it. Thanks and I hope you can get to this soon!

Anonymous said...

I found out that you can use a screw driver if you dont want to buy a torx screw driver. From a standard eyeglasses screw driver kit I used the 07" flat head size to loosen them a little, then the 05" flat head to finish the job

Anonymous said...

OK well i decided to have some fun with this also, went out bought a cheap 1.69 dollar bit, security torx t8 bit and i unscrewed the top four screws but then i couldnt get the bottom two out the bit tip wasnt long enough the whole on the wireless controller was too deep for the bit, how do i fix this?

i went 5 different places and searched for a longer bit or an actual screwdriver but no place had a screwdriver or longer bit, they all had a torx t8 driver but no security whole and i dont wanna destroy the screw

Alcaron said...

You can use a really small flat head screwdriver, I had to grind one down a bit but a small enough head should be fine.

Anonymous said...

so your telling me with all the technilogical advances today i have to destroy a screw to remove it? and that is the only way.

Alcaron said...

Well, I suppose you can if you want. But if you get the right size flat head you can leverage it in there and unscrew the screw just fine.

Anonymous said...

well that is boo boo. so the flat head has to be like a mini eye glass kit flathead? cuz that hole is tiny. man i wish i woulld of found THIS site before i tried to jam that bit into the hole now im going to have to sand down the ring around it...i would use 2200 sand paper correct?

Anonymous said...

HOW DID THAT GUY GET BLUE LED LIGHTS? AND IS IT POSSIBLE TO UPLOAD STEP BY STEP PICTURES? LIKE http://redkrieg.com/2006/12/27/black-360-universal-remote-mod/.

THANKS

Anonymous said...

I painted my Xbox 360 using this method. It looks great! I'll post pictures once I have time to paint my controllers.

Anonymous said...

You'll need a size 8 torx (T8) security (aka: tamper-proof) screwdriver to open the controller. I found one for $2.99 at SEARS. Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Hey man I actually painted my controller without using your tutorial (had not come across from it yet) and I dont know what the hell I did wrong because during the second day of playing it, the controller's paint started coming off. is it the brand? the kind of paint? maybe too much paint was used? I used "Krylon, Fusion for Plastic" ...crap, I guess that really isn't plastic right? Please advise of what I did wrong to see if I should use another type of paint or let it dry more or what.

Anonymous said...

The Dupli-Color, Vinyl & Fabric (Flat Black) will make your 360 controller / console look just like an elite. I wouldn't recommend the Krylon, Fusion for Plastic.

Elliot said...

great tutorial, i just did a white into black, and it turned out great, very straight forward. Notes to consider is: 1) If you dont have a security torx8 or cannot get one dont worry, get a normal t8 and flatblade screwdriver. Use the flat blade at first and if you feel a 'strip' its most likely the middle but breaking off which i felt was good, the t8 fit perfectly. 2) go slow wait 5-10 min before respray, do 2-3 coats. 3) gettin paint in the screwholes on the bottom can be a lil tricky, remember when painting do full strokes meaning, start your spray off of the controller and then sweep across it and end off of it. NEVER SPOT BLAST IT IF YOU MISS A SPOT. That will give you horrible results. Be patient, i think i did about 20 passes over the entire controller. and 4) i put the triggers on toothpicks and stick the picks into a juice carton to dry. (had to puncture it with small phillips driver) ill post another walk through later.

Anonymous said...

Some advice: With the Dupli-Color Vinyl & Fabric (flat black), I've noticed that a discoloration occurs once the paint starts to run low in the can. See image:

http://a1.nupload.net/v/mlZ//001.jpg

Understand that there is an easy fix. Purchase another can of paint and apply another coat. It is possible, however, to try to even out the color using your remaining paint. I don't recommend it, though, as it will require additional coats. With additional coats, more problems with arise.

I'll post better quality pictures of my controllers and console once I get my hands on something other than a cellphone. Also, I will post a few pictures that I took while I was painting.

One other thing... For those wanting to paint their console flat black. I highly recommend that you purchase the "Xbox 360 Faceplate - Black" from www.buy.com. It matches the Dupli-Color flat black perfectly! For those hesitant, check back here later on this week to see my images.

Anonymous said...

I painted two controller. Also, I used the glossy black on the top buttons and start/select buttons. Both turned out the same. Here are some pictures:

http://a1.nupload.net/v/mEG//001.JPG
http://a1.nupload.net/v/mEJ//002.JPG
http://a1.nupload.net/v/mE6//003.JPG
http://a1.nupload.net/v/mEH//004.JPG

*note: if you notice any white spots on the controller, it's just lint.

I'll see about taking some pictures of the console later this week.

Anonymous said...

Hey does anyone know if you dye the console, without taking it apart, if you void the waranty.
i would take it apart and do it in a heartbeat. but its not worth giving up the waranty, i've already went though 3 in 2 years

Anonymous said...

You're warranty will be voided. The only thing that you are allowed to paint is the faceplate, which I wouldn't recommend you send in with your 360 if the time does ever come.

"This Limited Warranty shall not apply and Microsoft has no liability under this Limited Warranty if the Xbox Product:

...is damaged by Acts of God, power surge, misuse, abuse, negligence, accident, wear and tear, mishandling, misapplication, or other causes unrelated to defective materials or workmanship;"

Painting your 360 falls within "abuse / negligence" and "other cause unrelated to defective materials and workmanship."

Another things to note. If your 360 has HDMI, it will be unlikely for it to get the RRoD / 3RoD. They've apparently fixed this issue in the newer models. However, I can't guarantee this.

Unknown said...

I’m trying to find out about Unified Communication for a project but there doesn’t seem to be much information available. Is it the same as VoIP, and if not how is it different?

Unknown said...

Just did my first controller today. Im surprised how good it turned out! I used the Duplicolor vinyl and fabric to paint it... took about 3-4 hours from start to finish. Heres what I was left with:

http://i28.tinypic.com/103h0zb.jpg

Awesome tutorial! Going to start on my other controller next week.

Anonymous said...

You said that you should "rinse and repeat". So, do you suggest letting the coat cure then rinseing it under some water and letting it dry before the next coat?

Anonymous said...

Very cool. The finish looks nice and professional. From picture, it doesn't even look like you spray painted it, which I assuming was what it was supposed to look like. Kudos for good work and doing this is worth a try.



__________________________________
Free Xbox 360 Elite

Anonymous said...

wow

Anonymous said...

I just came across your little tutorial here and i def want to paint my controller. but i decided to paint my case first, a gloss black. the only thing i got done so far is the faceplate (the hardest) i took every piece off of there and its very simple to do. it appears on mine they had some hollow plastic standoffs which they heated and then compressed...very simple to scrape that off with an xacto blade. the hardest thing to do was the power button. but i figured out a very simple yet tedious time consuming way...put any kind of clear tape over the button and cut out the power symbol with an xacto blade...remove the tape and your left with a covered power symbol. i will post pics as soon as i get some. it took be about 45 mins and a couple tries to cut that out of the tape but i got it done and it works perfectly...

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I'm in the UK and I'm wanting to give your tutorial a go. It's getting a bit difficult to distinguish between my four white controllers! I've tried looking for
the Dupli-color (which i can't find here) but I've found Plasti-kote(http://www.godfrey-diy.co.uk/specialist-paints/spray-paint/plasti-kote-aerosol-100ml-chrome/item03122370.html)

Will this do the same trick? It does say suitable for plastic but will I have to use a plastic primer as well?

Thanks!
Heinrich

Alcaron said...

Yeah I believe Plastikote is basically the same stuff as what I used.

If you are concerned, get a piece of similar plastic and try it on there.

Anonymous said...

I just did my controller and batt pack... omg it looks nice. Thats is the perfect thing to color plastic components with. I also just finished my box. I can't believe how professional it looks. thanks alot for the idea man!

Anonymous said...

where can you buy the tool to open the controller

Anonymous said...

hey alcaron i just painted my controller with the exact products you told me along with my console and i notice that my xbxo360 controoler is not function properly,for instance i cant use certain buttons in game-like i cant drive in gta or i cant use taunts in smackdown vs raw-something is wrong what could it be

Justin said...

I painted my controller today. Used Duplicolor - Red which I picked up at the local Napa Auto store. Worked like a charm. The Controller Looks like I picked it up at the store.

I painted it red for my wife so she has her own controller.

Thanks for the great guide.

Unknown said...

Hey just one question...How did you get the ring of the xbox controller to be like neon blue? And can I put any color I want?

Anonymous said...

This is to anyone who can shed some light... Should I sand down my bumpers and triggers? Also, is this stuff ok to use with the a,b,x,y buttons along with start and back buttons? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Dominic, you can paint the bumper and triggers, along with start and back buttons without sanding them. i did and they turned out fine!! but make sure to give them very light coats!! i dont know about the AXBY buttons though!

Alcaron!! do u have an email address that i could send you pictures of my controllers and faceplate i painted?

Anonymous said...

hey alcaron, where'd you find the security torx 8 driver? ive looked everywhere, but cant find one

Anonymous said...

hey i was looking for this because i just painted my Guitar Hero Controller and wanted to match my controllers to it, i know, i know, im a loser, haha but yeah thanks for this im definitely going to do this.

CHeers,
Dannie

Anonymous said...

What vinyl dye brand has anyone used for this? Just want to know which one works the best, I'm going to do the whole case.

Anonymous said...

Did you dye a rechargeable battery pack too? If so, how does the push button on the top of the pack work after being sprayed? (Any tighter/looser?)

Thanks! I plan on dyeing a controller soon, just wanted to get everything out of the way first.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know of a brand that comes in orange?

I want to make my controller black, but i want all the buttons orange.

Anonymous said...

yo man thanks i read your instructions and it came out bad-ass. (except for the right trigger and the gray thing for the bottom... :/ )

scott594 said...

Hi man, thanks for the great guide. i have painted my controller gears of war style using the vinyl spray from halfords in England. It worked great!! I couldnt have done it without your help. check out the video on youtube.... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eyMXFUOqbZI also i was wondering your email address to send you pics of my future controllers!! thanks once again! scott594.

scott594 said...

Hi Alcaron. Thankyou you were a great help!! I am english and so got my vinyl paint from halfords!! I did it Gears of War style!! Check out my vid on youtube ... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eyMXFUOqbZI. by the way i was just wondering what your E-mail address was to update you on my further controllers!! Thank you i couldnt have done this without your advice thanks. Scott.

Anonymous said...

Hi, just one question.
Did you use any kind of clear coat after painting your controller?
Oh and I painted my xbox 360 case black, but i want to temove the spray paint I used on that so I can put the vinyl dye.
What could I use to remove the old spray paint?
Thanks.

Anonymous said...

hi. why is it that you hold it for 30 seconds after making the pass?

Anonymous said...

hey i cant find vinyl dye ANYWHERE! ive asked a bunch of stores but nobody knows where i can get it! i live in toledo ohio, somebody PLEASE HELP ME FIND THIS STUFF!

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