Linux and RGB

[carenrose]

I'm relatively new to the world of making things light up. I've got old hardware that's nothing special, but I wanna make it glow anyway. The motherboard does not have RGB headers.

 

I'm thinking a basic setup of

• (non-addressable) strips in/maybe under the case
• bias lighting behind the monitor
• case fans
• CPU fan
• maybe cheap RAM heatsinks
• A cheap controllable keyboard and mouse would be cool too - but not necessary. Is any of this necessary?

I plan to dual-boot Win7 and an Ubuntu derivative, maybe I'll add/replace with another distro if I find one better suited to ... whatever it is I plan to do with this computer.

 

What options do I have, and what do you recommend?

[Bombastinator]

Heh. An rgb question I might be able to help with.  A rarity.  If your mobo doesn’t have rgb the OS you run won’t matter because the rgb will be separately controlled anyway.  It won’t even really connect to the machine except for power.  It works a lot like old 3 pin fan controllers did.  There will be a knob. (Or buttons or a remote)

Rgb is a separate system much like fan control.  Even has its own cables. Rgb fans will have two cables or you can buy stick on bits for non rgb fans.  The stuff goes into a controller box that is powered by its own fan header or sometimes molex or some equivalent.  You control that separately.
The really annoying bit about rgb is that even though there is a standard, the manufacturers are still chasing the proprietary model and like to swap their pins around to make you choose their private “ecosystem”.  (It’s stupendously obnoxious and will eventually fail.  It always does) but it means everything wants to be the same brand.  Ideally sold in the same package.

[carenrose]

Aww, I was hoping there'd be some way, like a controller that could be connected by USB or something :-(

 

 

[Bombastinator]

5 minutes ago, carenrose said:

Aww, I was hoping there'd be some way, like a controller that could be connected by USB or something :-(

 

 

? USB would be one way to get power in.  Fans are internal to cases.  There are a lot more simple power ports than USB.  USB is also data though. I suppose it’s possible some manufacturer or other could have ported controller software for Linux that outputs to usb.  The problem is the shortage of standardization.  Someone or other could have also written something, but people who write Linux stuff generally do it for just their own hardware.  Younger people tend to have more modern hardware and older people tend to be unimpressed by RGB.  You’d need a younger person who inherited old hardware, wanted to RGB it up, wrote the code to do it even though an external controller is less work, released it, and documented it well enough that it could even be followed by someone else.  That’s a lot of commas.  It might exist.  I kinda doubt it.

[thrasher_565]

9 hours ago, carenrose said:

I'm relatively new to the world of making things light up. I've got old hardware that's nothing special, but I wanna make it glow anyway. The motherboard does not have RGB headers.

 

I'm thinking a basic setup of

• (non-addressable) strips in/maybe under the case
• bias lighting behind the monitor
• case fans
• CPU fan
• maybe cheap RAM heatsinks
• A cheap controllable keyboard and mouse would be cool too - but not necessary. Is any of this necessary?

I plan to dual-boot Win7 and an Ubuntu derivative, maybe I'll add/replace with another distro if I find one better suited to ... whatever it is I plan to do with this computer.

 

What options do I have, and what do you recommend?

there are internal usb and external usb controllers. but if you want to use software then i would first see if it works with Ubuntu.

or there Manuel controllers. depending on what fans you want will most likely decide what controller can be sued with it.

 

rgb all smd light up the same color and are 12v but harder if you want custom length. good thing is any rgb should work with each other as long at you have the same connectors on it.

argb each smd can have its own color and are 5v but eayser to do diy cables.

[Hashiba]

18 hours ago, carenrose said:

I'm relatively new to the world of making things light up. I've got old hardware that's nothing special, but I wanna make it glow anyway. The motherboard does not have RGB headers.

 

I'm thinking a basic setup of

• (non-addressable) strips in/maybe under the case
• bias lighting behind the monitor
• case fans
• CPU fan
• maybe cheap RAM heatsinks
• A cheap controllable keyboard and mouse would be cool too - but not necessary. Is any of this necessary?

I plan to dual-boot Win7 and an Ubuntu derivative, maybe I'll add/replace with another distro if I find one better suited to ... whatever it is I plan to do with this computer.

 

What options do I have, and what do you recommend?

I'm seeing a custom mechanical keyboard in your near future, welcome to the edge of the rabbit hole

 

I would check QMK and some of the mods: https://beta.docs.qmk.fm/features/feature_rgblight

 

Have Fun!

[carenrose]

I've found https://github.com/chestm007/linux_thermaltake_riing/blob/master/README.md ... and the controllers it's compatible with apparently connect to the internal USB headers on the motherboard.

 

Thoughts/etc?