Modding or Replacing the Power-LED of a Fractal Design Define

[Karikiro]

This post explains every step to replace or modify the LED, that is mounted in the socket of the powerbutton of any Fractal Design Define (R2, R3 or R4) case.

If you have any questions I will gladly answer them.

The reason I did this is the pointy light the illuminated plastic socket emitts which could possibly blind the user or other persons in the room.

 

Spoiler

Tools you need
mid-sized crosstip screwdriver
small flat-headed screwdriver

 

Before you start
Power off your PC and disconnect the powercord or switch off the PSU.

 

Step 1: Removing the front cover
To remove the front cover simply pull on it. On the bottom side you will find an opening which you can use to do so. Please be carefull when removing it since the frontpanel is still connected.

For easy acces to the powerbutton's socket I suggest you to now disconnect all frontpanel cables and pull the front cover off of the case itself.

 

Step 2: Removing the USB-Connector-PCB
This is necessary to later pull out the socket the LED is sitting in. To remove the USB-connector-PCB undo the two screws with the mid-sized crosstip screwdriver on both sides. Then carefully pull it back a bit and then down and out.

 

Step 3: Removing the Socket of the Powerbutton and the LED

This is a critical step due to the fragility of the plastic you are about to work with.

To remove the socket undo the two screws that are fixing it into place and push it down without any tools until it stops.

It will barely move a millimeter but that is enough for now.

Now take your small flat-headed screwdriver. To prevent scratches during the next step I suggest you to wrap plastic tape around it before you go on.

 

Spoiler

 

If you look carefully you will notice a small gap between the front cover and the socket.

 

Spoiler

 

That is where you want to put your screwdriver and carefully leaver the front covers's plastic up while you push the socket down and out from above.

 

Step 4: Removing the LED from the Socket
The LED is a standart round-headed 3 mm LED with flange. It is glued in with hot-melt adhesive. To pull it out do not pull on the LED's contacts but take your screwdriver, stick it in between the socket and LED's flange and carefully leaver it out. Please take note that the actual button can be easily removed towards the top by pushing on the connector-side.

 

Spoiler

 

Step 5: Modding or Replacing the LED
When choosing your LED keep the following data in mind:
Voltage: 3,3 V
Diameter: 3 mm

As I stated in the beginning I am bugged by the pointy light of the LED.

To change that I use very fine grained sanding paper to matt the LED's surface.

 

Spoiler

 

As you can see the light is now spread more evenly.

In addition to that I also matted the powerbutton's and LED's socket. This spreads the light out more evenly over the socket's surface.

 

Step 6: Remounting the LED
The LED just slides back in. If it is too loose you should consider glueing it in.

 

Step 7: Remounting the Socket
Line the socket's front-facing fin up and slide it in until it stops. Then push the socket up using the ring around the powerbutton as a guide for its final mounting position. After that screw the two screws back in by using the crosstip screwdriver.

 

Step 8: Remounting the USB-connector-PCB
Line the USB-connectors up and slide them up until the PCB finds it's place into it's mounting frame. Then screw the two wide-headed screws on each side back in.

 

Step 9: Remounting the front cover
Pull in all cables and simply push the front cover back on. Reconnect the cables and you are done.

 

Spoiler

 

Quite an improvement I would say.

 

[Tmh85]

Great guide I was thinking about changing mine!

[megadarkwood]

Only if I had a desktop

[TheRoss0411]

Great guide, i won't be doing it but the guide was great

[rmonty]

Great guide, might try this one day

[Grape Guild]

Good, now the 90% of users on this forum that have r4's can mod them!  

 

I feel so original by owning a crappy Coolermaster case.

[Mooshi]

Alternatively, Performance PC has pre-wired 3mm LEDs in various colours that you can just directly swap out. :3

 

This is fine if you already have the tools, but if you don't...it might be more cost effective getting a prewired power LED vs buying all the materials.

 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=60_357_359

 

Good, now the 90% of users on this forum that have r4's can mod them!  

 

I feel so original by owning a crappy Coolermaster case.

 

I would use my uber original Lian Li cube case if the internal layout wasn't god awful. <_<

[Karikiro]

Great guide I was thinking about changing mine!

 

Thanks. I was hesitating at first because of the milky look but it turned out fairly well for me.

 

 

Only if I had a desktop

 

A notebook is generally more expensive than a desktop PC with comparable performance. However, a tower is rather limited when it comes to mobile use. So if you need a PC to work on the go, a notebook might be the better choice.

 

What I mean by that is, that you don't need to feel bad for having "only" a notebook and yours seems rather capable.

 

 

Great guide, i won't be doing it but the guide was great

 

Thanks again. Everyone has their preferences and I hesitated at first, too.

 

 

Great guide, might try this one day

 

Thanks. Definitely, if you see need.

 

 

Good, now the 90% of users on this forum that have r4's can mod them!  

 

I feel so original by owning a crappy Coolermaster case.

 

How is this case that well known? I first saw it on Tom Logan's YouTube-channel, when he did its review.

 

I build a computer into some low-end HAF case some time ago and there really is a big difference in terms of quality and design, compared to the Define.

 

 

Alternatively, Performance PC has pre-wired 3mm LEDs in various colours that you can just directly swap out. :3

 

This is fine if you already have the tools, but if you don't...it might be more cost effective getting a prewired power LED vs buying all the materials.

 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=60_357_359

 

 

Good, now the 90% of users on this forum that have r4's can mod them!  

 

I feel so original by owning a crappy Coolermaster case.

 

I would use my uber original Lian Li cube case if the internal layout wasn't god awful. <_<

 

If you already have a soldering iron, you can just buy a LED anywhere for <0,5$, if not, your option might be the cheaper one.

 

I agree with you on the Lian Li cases: premium build quality and materials but rather conservative and impractical layouts.

[anthonyc813]

Alternatively, Performance PC has pre-wired 3mm LEDs in various colours that you can just directly swap out. :3

 

This is fine if you already have the tools, but if you don't...it might be more cost effective getting a prewired power LED vs buying all the materials.

 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=60_357_359

 

 

I would use my uber original Lian Li cube case if the internal layout wasn't god awful. <_<

I just got the pre wired LED today and its a 2pin connection... My ASUS Sabertooth 990x r2 and my R4 define windowed have 1pin PWR LED... Am I looking at the wrong wire? The other 2pin are PWR SW and the on board speaker... How would I change the blue led and where do I plug it in? Any help would be awesome!

[Skylark]

I just bought the LEDs to do this, now I just need some time

[anthonyc813]

Cancel that... Just read in the product description it can go into the IDE_HDD.... time to troll some more R4 mod threads to see what else I can do to her!

[btg0002]

just as a different way to accomplish this same thing, only not as totally effective.....you can put some cookie sheet between the led and the clear illumination area to diffuse the light (I know this works as I did it when I swapped my A/C cluster lights in my truck over to LED a few years back to eliminate hotspots

[Karikiro]

I just bought the LEDs to do this, now I just need some time

 

 

Cancel that... Just read in the product description it can go into the IDE_HDD.... time to troll some more R4 mod threads to see what else I can do to her!

 

I just recently lowered the USB ports further into the front panel to fit the bavel of the plastic cover.

 

More info and mods here. (see "January Update", which is not quite refined, yet)

 

just as a different way to accomplish this same thing, only not as totally effective.....you can put some cookie sheet between the led and the clear illumination area to diffuse the light (I know this works as I did it when I swapped my A/C cluster lights in my truck over to LED a few years back to eliminate hotspots

 

Thanks for the tip. I didn't thought of that, but in my case I think sanding my single LED was the easier solution. Your lights probably had quite a lot more LEDs so yours was the better for you.

[rovopio]

im going to get Define R4 on early / mid march because thats when it's available at my place..
im thinking about getting a Define R4 white,, i'd like to ask about the led light though, is Define R4 power led light that blindingly bright...? is there any way to turn the power led off...? im thinking about getting the white version, and tbh, i don't like the color red at all for the case, so do you / anybody knows whether there's any way to make the led light not turn on while using?

cheers

======
pps: if i buy smthn like this http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=60_357_359&products_id=21665&zenid=007a2b828c4c90ccd475ea98c639ef3f from the US, how easy / hard is it to change the LED? is it plug and play or do i have to use soldering iron, and other tools.

i dont hv any of those so if i can't do it with screwdriver only, i'll give up but if it could, then i'll order

[Karikiro]

im going to get Define R4 on early / mid march because thats when it's available at my place..

im thinking about getting a Define R4 white,, i'd like to ask about the led light though, is Define R4 power led light that blindingly bright...? is there any way to turn the power led off...? im thinking about getting the white version, and tbh, i don't like the color red at all for the case, so do you / anybody knows whether there's any way to make the led light not turn on while using?

cheers

======

pps: if i buy smthn like this http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=60_357_359&products_id=21665&zenid=007a2b828c4c90ccd475ea98c639ef3f from the US, how easy / hard is it to change the LED? is it plug and play or do i have to use soldering iron, and other tools.

i dont hv any of those so if i can't do it with screwdriver only, i'll give up but if it could, then i'll order

 

If the LED is prewired, a soldering iron is not required. It can be a bit tricky to remove the socket though, but it is not impossible.

 

To turn it off you simply leave the PWRLED connector unplugged when assembling the computer. It can always be plugged in later on.

 

If you would like to replace the red LED of the white version make sure you are buying one with 3,3V operation voltage and 3mm external diameter. The cable should be about 50cm long to fit nicely.

Your choice meets all those criteria so it should be perfect for the Define R4.

 

Oh, and it is just as bright as any other LED. If you look directly into it, it is fairly bright, but on an angle it is darker.

[flibberdipper]

I can't wait to see a build log with a red LED.

[Skylark]

I can't wait to see a build log with a red LED.

You'll have pics tonight of that

 

Also, what grit sandpaper did you use @Karikiro

[rovopio]

If the LED is prewired, a soldering iron is not required. It can be a bit tricky to remove the socket though, but it is not impossible.

 

To turn it off you simply leave the PWRLED connector unplugged when assembling the computer. It can always be plugged in later on.

 

If you would like to replace the red LED of the white version make sure you are buying one with 3,3V operation voltage and 3mm external diameter. The cable should be about 50cm long to fit nicely.

Your choice meets all those criteria so it should be perfect for the Define R4.

 

Oh, and it is just as bright as any other LED. If you look directly into it, it is fairly bright, but on an angle it is darker.

 

 

this is going to be my very 1st pc...

was a notebook user and i couldn't tell which way is left from right regarding what PC components does and which ones suits my needs. Extensively googling for the past month. so i'm sorry if my question is very basic...  i'd like to ask a follow-up question...  is it okay / safe to leave the powerled connector unplugged? will it lead to anything bad? does electricity runs through the powerled connector?

 

what sort of precautions / things i should do when i leave it unplugged? is it okay to leave it dangling around just like that...? or do i need to tape it somewhere on the side of the case? or do i need to tape the end of the connector with that black tape that is used to insulate electrical wiring thingy...?

[Skylark]

I can't wait to see a build log with a red LED.

 

Mission Accomplished.  This was actually surprisingly easy, only took about 5 mins

[anthonyc813]

I second that! It was simple and a pleasure to do! Just the HDD activity light goes on but its better then the blinding stock blue LED! No hot glue or tools required either!!

[Karikiro]

You'll have pics tonight of that

Also, what grit sandpaper did you use @Karikiro

For the LED itself I used 240 grained sanding paper and for the socket 1000. You can use anything you want. I just went with what I had to hand.

However, you need to use a high density graining for a smooth surface. I recommend <=1000 grains per cm².

this is going to be my very 1st pc...

was a notebook user and i couldn't tell which way is left from right regarding what PC components does and which ones suits my needs. Extensively googling for the past month. so i'm sorry if my question is very basic... i'd like to ask a follow-up question... is it okay / safe to leave the powerled connector unplugged? will it lead to anything bad? does electricity runs through the powerled connector?

what sort of precautions / things i should do when i leave it unplugged? is it okay to leave it dangling around just like that...? or do i need to tape it somewhere on the side of the case? or do i need to tape the end of the connector with that black tape that is used to insulate electrical wiring thingy...?

It is only dumb to not ask a question.

Yes, leaving any frontpanel connector unplugged is save, because none of them acts as a power source and therefore doesn't carry any voltage in it's unplugged state.

If you would like to keep your cabling tidy, you can strap the unused cables anywhere you want, but you can also just leave them behind the mainboard tray or drive cage.

[Hypnotoad]

I plan on changing mine to green. I will also use some sort of sandpaper to help diffuse the light and make it less blinding when all other lights are off in the room at night.

[Bit8xPr0]

@Karikiro Karikiro I am planning on doing this with a Green LED and I want it too match the Cooler Master Sickleflow 120 Green LED fans. I'm 14 and I don't know if I have all the equipment. Should I buy these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-x-LED-3mm-Green-Assortment-Kit-Ham-USA-Seller-Free-Shipping-/231128289110 or spend $3 on that 2 led molex thing. I didn't want any leds at all but I would rather have Green then Blue and I need some kind of Cooling in my case.

 

[TheNinjaNextDor]

I can't manage to take the socket out.

[Karikiro]

@Karikiro Karikiro I am planning on doing this with a Green LED and I want it too match the Cooler Master Sickleflow 120 Green LED fans. I'm 14 and I don't know if I have all the equipment. Should I buy these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-x-LED-3mm-Green-Assortment-Kit-Ham-USA-Seller-Free-Shipping-/231128289110 or spend $3 on that 2 led molex thing. I didn't want any leds at all but I would rather have Green then Blue and I need some kind of Cooling in my case.

The ebay link leads to an offer of fifty LEDs. Unless you have experience in soldering and plan to put those LEDs elsewhere I suggest you to buy the pre-wired ones.

It will be way easier that way, since you only need to attach the cables.

 

I can't manage to take the socket out.

It really can be quite a task to remove it. Just make sure that you follow the instructios I gave in step three. Don't be afraid to put some well adjusted force onto the socket by pushing the button from the top, too.