I'm curious to know what others would consider the perfect gaming desk setup. Not in regards to making the desk the computer's case. I'm a woodworker and am going to build myself a nice desk. I need ideas!
Don't say something like "Only you can answer that." Haha I'm just looking for ideas as to what you would consider would be a good idea.
Some ideas so far: usb/plugin on top of desk.
Airflow fans under the desk.
What's the ideal desktop space for duel monitor?
Welcome to my first tutorial! First of all I do not mean to offend anyone at LTT, it's just a joke (every time Linus does DIY it makes me cringe as an engineer student though). That being said, this tutorial is intended to make it as easy as possible for anyone to build a set of LED lights with a similar feature set as the NZXT hue+. This means that every single LED on your strip can be individually controlled. This opens an immense amount of customization options, all within your grasp with the use of a simple app I coded. Oh and by the way the total materials cost is around $25 US.
Before we start a few notes and the obligatory disclaimer: This post is meant to serve as a guide, and I am in no way shape or form responsible for any damage that you may cause to your hardware or yourself. That being said, use common sense and you will be fine. Lastly, I must inform you that the app is NOT color accurate due to the nature of LED lighting, and the patterns represented in the app are there to give you an idea of what they will look like in the LEDs: the two are not in sync.
Here is what you will need:
-Addressable LED strip for a pc case I recommend 1m 60 leds. Here is a link on ebay
-Arduino nano as the brains of the operation. Link from ebay
-Interal mini USB type B adapter. Ebay link
-Sacrificial molex connector with 5v wires.
-Small enclosure to protect the arduino
-Some mounting mechanism, small magnets or double sided tape
-16, 18 or 20 gauge wire if you want to have longer runs
Tools and others:
-Soldering iron and solder, nothing fancy is needed, but a flat head tip and rosin core solder makes it easier
-Miscellaneous tools, scissors, hot glue, pliers, wire strippers, etc.
-A drill to make holes in the enclosure
-Heatshrink tubing, electrical tape works too
-A working computer with the Arduino IDE and FastLED librarie installed
-Optional: Multimeter to double check voltages and connections.
-Optional: Third hand tool to hold everything in place while you solder
-The folder containing all my code: https://github.com/Dany-Boy55/Addressable-WS2812-LED-controller
With all of that covered let's get going with the software:
Open the file “DIY_LEDSV1.5_Addressable.ino” and plug in your arduino to you pc. At the top of the code you should see a line that says: #define NUM_LEDS 60. Replace the number 60 with the number of leds in your strip. The next line: const String Device_Name = "Case Lights" sets the controller name, replace it if you want but keep it short. Go to Tools→ Board→ ard select your arduino version (nano and ATmega328 for the one I linked). Next go to Control Panel→ Hardware and Sound→ Devices and Printers→ (at the bottom) Unspecified → arduino or USB UART→ double click → hardware. There you should the USB serial port (COM#) where the # represents a number, remember it. Then, on the arduino software, Tools→Port→The port number found earlier. Finally upload the code with the → arrow symbol or Control+U. Some LED’s on the arduino should blink rapidly, when they stop you are done.
Now for the hardware, fire up your soldering iron. Identify the white and red wires coming out of the strip and run some heatshrink down them. Grab your molex and extend the cables if needed. Solder red with red (5v) and black with white (GND). IMPORTANT: double check the voltage coming from the molex, otherwise you can fry the strip. Grab the connector that comes with the strip and the arduino. Solder the white wire to a GNP pad and the green (signal) wire to the pad labeled “2”. Drill holes in your enclosure for the USB cable and the connector. IMPORTANT: don not solder the red wire to the arduino! It is better to put some heatshrink or tape over it to prevent shorts. Fix the arduino inside the enclosure with glue and close the lid.
Before you install your lights it’s a good idea to test them, so open up your case, power the LEDS from the PSU and plug the arduino into an internal USB port. In the files you got from my github there should be a folder named app, open the executable in there. Once in the app, click on “Scan for leds”. If nothing happens try it a second time after a few seconds. You should see your controller appear in the drop-down box, click "connect". From here on it should be pretty intuitive, select any pattern you like and you should see your LEDs come to life. Feel free to play around with the effects, colors speed etc.
Now it’s finally time to install your LED strip and do your best to hide the mustard and ketchup cables that connect everything together. Just throw everything into the back or the base of your case and you should be fine. After you finished tidying up, play around with the app and find your favorite colors and patterns.
Thank you for reading this tutorial, and even if you don’t intend to build this yourself, I encourage you to download the app and play around with the patterns and settings. If you have any ideas for new features that you would like to see added please let me know. Also if you find any bugs or problems. The next step is to see if I can find a way to use CPU and GPU temps and utilization for colors, as well as music response. I'm making progress and the feature will most likely be added during the Easter holidays. Anyway, should you have any questions I will gladly answer them the best I can.
Would you like a tutorial on how to build your own mood lighting set (similar to NZXT hue+) for about 20 bucks? The whole build would take about 1 hour for anyone who is mildly familiar to soldering and programming, and about 2 for complete noobs. The whole thing is for a first semester university project which I decided to expand. Obviously it has limited functionality when compared to an actual hue+, but it works nicely either way. I also developed a simple to use app that does everything automatically (no special knowledge required). The whole thing is based around and arduino and the WS2812 LEDS. Here are some pics of my current work: (up to about 500 LEDS can be controlled, I am only showing 5 for testing)
I will gladly answer any questions you may have, and if you are interested I will keep refining the code and work on the tutorial.
Cheers
