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LED strip questions.

slifer

Hi, so I'm planning on doing a new build and I'll be needing some LED strips to go with it to make it look better. I don't want to break the bank, but I want it to have great quality. Any suggestions for LED strips? I want to be able to solder a rocker switch something like this:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1909/ele-75/Blue_LED_Rocker_Switch.html?tl=g44c153s315

 

How would I go about doing this? Would it be fine to get cheap LED strips off of somewhere like ebay or are computer specific LED's better for this? I want to be able to connect it via molex.

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I believe Bit Phenoix has some good LED strips. 

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I believe Bit Phenoix has some good LED strips. 

are they easy to splice a rocker switch into?

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Tbh unless you want something that is overly bright, or only overly priced just get the cheap-o LED strips on eBay for like a dollar a foot. They are 12v so you can easily add in any kind of switch or controller. Or just hook it up to a 3-pin fan connector and have it controlled by the motherboard with a program. My industrial case I am just finishing up is quite bright with them, I would say it's more about evenly placing your strips and in good spots. 

Check out my 100% scratch built Tree Stump computer case: http://bit.ly/1IS2yIL


My Industrial X-Mas Present Case Mod: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/273053-one-day-build-industrial-ish-case-mod-for-x-mas/

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Tbh unless you want something that is overly bright, or only overly priced just get the cheap-o LED strips on eBay for like a dollar a foot. They are 12v so you can easily add in any kind of switch or controller. Or just hook it up to a 3-pin fan connector and have it controlled by the motherboard with a program. My industrial case I am just finishing up is quite bright with them, I would say it's more about evenly placing your strips and in good spots. 

how hard would it be to wire in a switch for those ebay ones? do you have any specific diagrams?

Will I need to add in resistors if I'm planning to connect it to molex? Or would it be fine without them.

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This is wat i use http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5M-SMD-5050-150Leds-RGB-LED-Strips-and-44-Key-IR-Remote-Control-and-12V-3A/635229214.html.

 

I was able to wire it up to a fan header and have the IR receiver places by the front fan filter in my corsair 760t for full RGB control and brightness control. Works great. 

 

Note: I use the cases fan controller for power and not the motherboard.

Travis

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This is wat i use http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5M-SMD-5050-150Leds-RGB-LED-Strips-and-44-Key-IR-Remote-Control-and-12V-3A/635229214.html.

 

I was able to wire it up to a fan header and have the IR receiver places by the front fan filter in my corsair 760t for full RGB control and brightness control. Works great. 

 

Note: I use the cases fan controller for power and not the motherboard.

Any pictures on how you wired it up?

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how hard would it be to wire in a switch for those ebay ones? do you have any specific diagrams?

Will I need to add in resistors if I'm planning to connect it to molex? Or would it be fine without them.

If you just read the information that is available for the parts you are looking at it helps a lot. The first switch you listed has this plainly available as a diagram you can use :) You will not need any resistors just your molex connector will be fine.

 

ele-75_2.jpg

 

One pin will go to ground, one pin will go to your 12V power supply, and one will go out to your LED strip. 

 

If you want an RGB strip (multiple colors) you will want an RGB controller like slavano mentioned. I would opt for the RF(Radio Frequency) instead of the IR(Infrared), as the IR you need a clear line of sight to use the controller, the RF can be pointed anywhere and still used. Then you have two options, you can ditch the switch because your controller will have it's own on/off features, or you can wire in the switch to turn on the 12V going into your RGB controller. Though I would recommend just using the controller itself and skip adding an extra button.

 

If you want better more specific information for your application you need to make some design decisions. Basically, if you want only one color LED strip then you will just use your rocker switch and that will work just grand. If you want the option to change colors at the flick of a button you would need an RGB strip and RGB controller. The controller will allow you a few other lighting functions like dimming, flashing patterns, and pulse the lights to the music. RGB will be a little more expensive than a single color, but you can definitely get about 15ft of RGB LED strips along with the controller for under $30 if you get it from eBay or Alibaba. 

Check out my 100% scratch built Tree Stump computer case: http://bit.ly/1IS2yIL


My Industrial X-Mas Present Case Mod: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/273053-one-day-build-industrial-ish-case-mod-for-x-mas/

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Any pictures on how you wired it up?

 

 The first is the IR receiver placed behind the fan filter.

 

post-34721-0-89792000-1421612061_thumb.j

 

post-34721-0-58187600-1421612109_thumb.j

 

post-34721-0-86601600-1421612136_thumb.j

 

post-34721-0-88121200-1421612163_thumb.j

 

The last is the connection to the fan controller.

post-34721-0-89792000-1421612061_thumb.j

post-34721-0-58187600-1421612109_thumb.j

post-34721-0-86601600-1421612136_thumb.j

post-34721-0-88121200-1421612163_thumb.j

Travis

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If you just read the information that is available for the parts you are looking at it helps a lot. The first switch you listed has this plainly available as a diagram you can use :) You will not need any resistors just your molex connector will be fine.

 

ele-75_2.jpg

 

One pin will go to ground, one pin will go to your 12V power supply, and one will go out to your LED strip. 

 

If you want an RGB strip (multiple colors) you will want an RGB controller like slavano mentioned. I would opt for the RF(Radio Frequency) instead of the IR(Infrared), as the IR you need a clear line of sight to use the controller, the RF can be pointed anywhere and still used. Then you have two options, you can ditch the switch because your controller will have it's own on/off features, or you can wire in the switch to turn on the 12V going into your RGB controller. Though I would recommend just using the controller itself and skip adding an extra button.

 

If you want better more specific information for your application you need to make some design decisions. Basically, if you want only one color LED strip then you will just use your rocker switch and that will work just grand. If you want the option to change colors at the flick of a button you would need an RGB strip and RGB controller. The controller will allow you a few other lighting functions like dimming, flashing patterns, and pulse the lights to the music. RGB will be a little more expensive than a single color, but you can definitely get about 15ft of RGB LED strips along with the controller for under $30 if you get it from eBay or Alibaba. 

Very informative. I think I may as well go with the ebay options and get a RGB there are options for $20, but how will I solder those ones to the molex power? Or are there packages specifically for computer molex?

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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QGBV7E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

just ordered these but im not sure how im gonna cut them, doesnt seem all that hard, would like to cut some to put in my pc lol

Those are the exact same that i used [the water proof ones( had other plans for them but then changed my mind)]. They are marked at specific locations to be cut. The power requirements for the IR module is 12v and 2A-6A. If you only want a single colour then you can just solder directly to the contact on the strip (please notice that if you go wire directly to the strip, each colour can only take a MAX of 2A. Once you get then it should be self explanatory.

 

If any of you have questions when you get your LED's feel free to pm me.

Travis

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Also I have used that specific switch for LED under glow on a car once and it worked great. So perfect for your build. What case are you using? 

Travis

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Those are the exact same that i used [the water proof ones( had other plans for them but then changed my mind)]. They are marked at specific locations to be cut. The power requirements for the IR module is 12v and 2A-6A. If you only want a single colour then you can just solder directly to the contact on the strip (please notice that if you go wire directly to the strip, each colour can only take a MAX of 2A. Once you get then it should be self explanatory.

 

If any of you have questions when you get your LED's feel free to pm me.

Wait so if i only want a single colour I solder it directly? But what if i want RGB?

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Then use the IR module (the white plastic box).

how would I go about connecting two pieces of strips together? Solder? or is there a special connection to be made
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Ideally the best connection is soldering it. To hook up to molex power all you need to do is wire the IR module itself to the molex, which will provide the 12V power to turn on the box. If you have only the strip then yes you would need different wires for each color. Depending on the type of strip they either share a positive or ground. This means there are 4 wires, One for Red, One for Green, One for Blue, and one Shared. If your shared is the positve wire, then Red, Green, and Blue would all need to be connected to the ground.

 

You could alternatively do a simple 'controller' yourself by wiring in a switch for each color, so you could turn Red, Green, and Blue on and off individually. Although if you have the IR it will do all the for you by just wiring the molex into the 12V Input on the IR emitter.

Check out my 100% scratch built Tree Stump computer case: http://bit.ly/1IS2yIL


My Industrial X-Mas Present Case Mod: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/273053-one-day-build-industrial-ish-case-mod-for-x-mas/

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Ideally the best connection is soldering it. To hook up to molex power all you need to do is wire the IR module itself to the molex, which will provide the 12V power to turn on the box. If you have only the strip then yes you would need different wires for each color. Depending on the type of strip they either share a positive or ground. This means there are 4 wires, One for Red, One for Green, One for Blue, and one Shared. If your shared is the positve wire, then Red, Green, and Blue would all need to be connected to the ground.

 

You could alternatively do a simple 'controller' yourself by wiring in a switch for each color, so you could turn Red, Green, and Blue on and off individually. Although if you have the IR it will do all the for you by just wiring the molex into the 12V Input on the IR emitter.

Alright thanks!

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Alright thanks!

For the four wires that connect each strip together, would I have to purchase specific wires or will any 4 wires soldered in the right order work? (I want to use black wires instead of the multi coloured ones) and what gauge would be prefered?

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Yes any wire will work, a pretty small gauge 22-24 AWG wire is probably the biggest I would go with them. The strips will come with one side already with a connector and wires. If you aren't using an IR emitter you can snip the connector and solder to those wires instead which will be easier than to the strip directly. 

Check out my 100% scratch built Tree Stump computer case: http://bit.ly/1IS2yIL


My Industrial X-Mas Present Case Mod: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/273053-one-day-build-industrial-ish-case-mod-for-x-mas/

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Yes any wire will work, a pretty small gauge 22-24 AWG wire is probably the biggest I would go with them. The strips will come with one side already with a connector and wires. If you aren't using an IR emitter you can snip the connector and solder to those wires instead which will be easier than to the strip directly. 

I'm planning on using the IR emitter. What kind of soldering iron will I need to solder this together? It seems pretty straightforward so I think I will give it a try, and maybe learn more advanced soldering later on. (DIY ftw!)

So my questions for soldering iron..

What Wattage should I be looking at? And how high/low of temperatures should I get? Adjustable temps or no?

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Then you will want to save your connector and that will also save a bit of soldering, if you are using one strip and don't need to cut and spread it out, you will avoid almost all of the soldering that way :)

The better soldering iron you get the easier it will be, and you will find more ease in doing projects with it. But ideally you would want at least a 30W which you can get anywhere for pretty cheap. I got this part description "60W Soldering Station Solder Iron Welder Digital Desoldering Tool w 5 Tips 937D+" on Ebay for $43 and it is sooo much better than any of those basic ones I've ever used. Any soldering station along those lines will be easier to dial in and faster to use and more effective. They usually include a few different shaped soldering heads as well. If not they are cheap to get a multi pack of those on ebay.

 

Ideally if you have $50 to put towards it, do it. If not you can still accomplish your task it might just be a little more time consuming. It really helps to have a little alligator clip holder you can get from harbor freight for like 3 bucks, they come with a magnifying glass and two adjustable arms that really help hold even small wires in place to be soldered.

Check out my 100% scratch built Tree Stump computer case: http://bit.ly/1IS2yIL


My Industrial X-Mas Present Case Mod: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/273053-one-day-build-industrial-ish-case-mod-for-x-mas/

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Then you will want to save your connector and that will also save a bit of soldering, if you are using one strip and don't need to cut and spread it out, you will avoid almost all of the soldering that way :)

The better soldering iron you get the easier it will be, and you will find more ease in doing projects with it. But ideally you would want at least a 30W which you can get anywhere for pretty cheap. I got this part description "60W Soldering Station Solder Iron Welder Digital Desoldering Tool w 5 Tips 937D+" on Ebay for $43 and it is sooo much better than any of those basic ones I've ever used. Any soldering station along those lines will be easier to dial in and faster to use and more effective. They usually include a few different shaped soldering heads as well. If not they are cheap to get a multi pack of those on ebay.

 

Ideally if you have $50 to put towards it, do it. If not you can still accomplish your task it might just be a little more time consuming. It really helps to have a little alligator clip holder you can get from harbor freight for like 3 bucks, they come with a magnifying glass and two adjustable arms that really help hold even small wires in place to be soldered.

Thank you for your help ! I will look into the different soldering irons and invest accordingly. I will bump this post up if any issues arise. thanks!

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Please note: it is a good idea to NOT use the fan headers on the motherboard for this. This is because motherboards are delicate and if you accidentally short something, irreparable damage caould be caused.  I mention this because earlier in the post i said i used a fan controller. It is a cheep one that comes with the case and is easy to replace.

Travis

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Please note: it is a good idea to NOT use the fan headers on the motherboard for this. This is because motherboards are delicate and if you accidentally short something, irreparable damage caould be caused.  I mention this because earlier in the post i said i used a fan controller. It is a cheep one that comes with the case and is easy to replace.

Thanks for the heads up! I was never planning to do the fan header idea though cause I have no idea how it works xD But yeah

 

I'll likely have it powered by the external brick provided or wire it to a molex..

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