Creative Modifications

My nephew loves taking things apart and putting them back together.  Once he's taken something apart, he looks at how it's been made and thinks about how he can make it better. 

He's highly creative. 

I went to visit last week.  His room was a mass of electrical wire, metal parts, soldering irons, tool kits, and solder. 

In the midst of it all was an X-Box 360.  Or what previously had been an X-Box 360 before my nephew had systematically taken it apart.

He told me that he thought his X-Box would be better if it were covered in a clear perspex case, and had LED lights inside that would light up and pulse in time to any music that was being played through it, or in time with any games he was playing.  He also thought it would look good if the lights pulsed as if they were "breathing" when the X-Box wasn't being used.

With this in mind he had dismantled his X-Box, looked at the circuitry inside, figured out what he would need to add and take away from the circuitry in order to have his LED dream made a reality, and had ordered the necessary components. 

He had then set about altering the electrical circuitry inside, adding the lights and other bits and pieces, and soldering every connection that needed soldering.  He had added an on-off switch to the new system of lights.  Whilst doing all this he had discovered the polarity within parts of the circuit board needed altering and had altered it accordingly.

Here are some before and after shots.

This is the inside of my nephew's X-Box after he's partly rebuilt it.

The yellow and green tape shows some of the wires he's added.

Another look inside.

My nephew's finished, newly modified X-Box 360.

This is what he sees every time he turns it on.  Brilliant.

I asked my nephew if he thought he was creative.  He told me he didn't really think he was.  He said he just liked taking things apart and figuring out how to make them better.

Oh, I should probably point out that my very creative nephew is 15 years old.
   


P.S.  I've tried very hard not to embarrass my nephew by gushing.  It was very difficult.  I wanted to brag and gush all over the place, because he's so brill.