Your Opinion on Case Lighting, Please

LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, Alaska Icrontian
edited July 2006 in Hardware
Well, I finally did it. Today I put windows in both of my home computers. (I'll post pics after I do some touch-up painting.)

I would like to light both cases' interiors, but need some suggestions/advice/opinions. I'm not looking for just a hazy blue, green, or whatever glow. I would like something that would highlight the colors that are already in the hardware mix. For instance, both computers have rounded cables - yellow, red, and a metallic (metal braid) floppy cable. Also, of course, the molex cables are black-yellow-red. What would highlight these colors, that would show during daylight and when dark?

Also, there's available now LED case lighting. One product, called the Meteorlight has several LEDs and several colors all in one unit.

Suggestions?

Comments

  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited August 2005
    You could just get 2 of those inexpensive 15" flousescent fixtures. Then mount one next to the SPU area snining down and in witht the other laying in the bottom of the case and run the cords out one PCI cover. It might just be a dumb smoke out my butt idea but it could work.
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited August 2005
    Though I detest case lighting, if you really want to do it I'm going to have to disagree with mtgoat on this one. Flourescent fixtures are a bad idea for computer cases because flourescent lighting requires a high voltage ballast (monster built-in transformer) to fire the lamp. Ballasts aren't shielded very well and may cause "unpredictable operation" in your computer (and any electronic equipment in a 6-8" radius.)

    -drasnor :fold:
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited August 2005
    i would get a uv sleeving kit or at least a single color kit to bring together all your cables, then choose a color light that goes with your sleeving, what color your cases also?
  • rykoryko new york
    edited August 2005
    i second the uv thing. pick your favorite color, sleeve all of your cables, and get a dual uv cold cathode kit. then you can turn on/off the uv lights at your liesure and enjoy the view. check svc.com for dual 12" super bright light kits. they are on sale for like $6 plus shipping. :thumbsup:

    p.s. those meteor LED lights are pretty cool, but they are almost blindingly bright. best to hide them in a corner of your case, and use it as an indirect source of light. if you have it so you can see it clearly through the window, it is going to annoy the crap out of you.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited August 2005
    I appreciate the opinions. This is helpful. Keep it up.
  • aspire-comptechaspire-comptech New
    edited August 2005
    www.svc.com is the best place to buy cold cathodes

    note the coolermaster aurora ccfl's are sound reactive they just dont tell you there but i picked up a set of white ones and rigged em to my desk and the flash to my music looks awesome. yay for at power supplies!

    i would say go for seeving buy new uv reactive sata cables and get one of these
    http://svc.com/clk12st2-22.html
    perfect for night and day
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited August 2005
    I ended up shopping locally at CompUSA. They had some kits that came with two lights, braided steel (look-alike) IDE cables, and an 80mm CCFL fan. It was about $15 for the kit.
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited July 2006
    hey leo, how did the kit work for you, cuz I'm thinking about buying a 80mm ccfl kit myself....well just the cold cathode lights. Also, thanks for the tip on the meteors, I want ridiciously bright UV in my case right now cuz the whole thing will be UV reactive

    edit::
    In your opinion, what would be the brightest UV lights that I can get. Would i be better off with getting a meteor or ultra bright cathodes. Remember, I wanna illuminate my entire case, last time around I got a dual 12' ccfl's that were just standard i suppose (got em refurb off newegg) and they never did the job as far as UV reactivity is concerned
  • jradminjradmin North Kackalaki
    edited July 2006
    Another cool thing to do is impant some colored LED's into one side of your window. You'll need quite a few LED's and a very steady drill hand, but it gives you an awesome faded glow inside your window. This works especially well if you have any lazer cut or etched windows that can refract the light.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited July 2006
    Wow, another ancient thread revived! ;D But that's OK.

    I've had terrible long term results with the longer cathode tubes. Out of three tubes, only one lasted longer than six months, if even that. The circular cathode ring that came with the "Mad Dog" 80mm kit fan is a champ though. I've tansitioned the cases' bling to Antec Tricolor 120mm fans and home-made case lighting. Instead of expensive, poor quality cathode tubes, I'm using flourescent night lights. They are very cheap, do not run hot (not even warm). To use the 120VAC night lights, you must remove a case expansion port cover to run the AC cable through.
    Another cool thing to do is impant some colored LED's into one side of your window. You'll need quite a few LED's and a very steady drill hand, but it gives you an awesome faded glow inside your window. This works especially well if you have any lazer cut or etched windows that can refract the light.
    Two of my computers have Big Typhoon heatsinks with Antec Tricolor fans mounted on them. The three colors from the LED on top of the vaned Typhoon give a shimmering effect. I'm quite please with that.
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited July 2006
    i wish UV lights didnt run hot...and i also wish i had one that was smaller than 5 feet...ohwell though...i'll probably get meteors and then tell this thread afterwards..right now I'm going to buy the orange UV sleeving kit from tigerdirect...it has 20 ft of sleeving for like 6 bucks...not too bad if i must say
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited July 2006
    WuGgaRoO wrote:
    i wish UV lights didnt run hot...and i also wish i had one that was smaller than 5 feet...ohwell though...i'll probably get meteors and then tell this thread afterwards..right now I'm going to buy the orange UV sleeving kit from tigerdirect...it has 20 ft of sleeving for like 6 bucks...not too bad if i must say
    just get a uv fan. itll light up everything and it wont stand out.
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited July 2006
    i meant the actual UV lights, like the black lights u buy and everyone has in their college dormitory lol...as of now, im still waiting for some word on if the meteors are all they are cracked up to be
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