Controlling Case Lighting

T

The Freeman

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Jan 28, 2009
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Okay, so I just bought the Lian-Li PC-B25F:
http://www.tech3d.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/lian_li_pc_b25f.jpg

The only thing about this case that worries me is that I think I will probably get bored of the blue ring, either the color or the fact that it may be a bit bright and distracting when watching a movie. I could just unplug it, but I have a better idea in mind.

Ideally I would like to replace the LED (I think it's just one) with a full spectrum LED. That way if I get bored of it being blue I could change it to whatever color I feel like, much like Alienware's FX system lighting or the Logitech G19. I would like to be able to change the color and perhaps the brightness as well.

A friend of mine can build a little controller that can change the colors with a couple of potentiometers that control the speed that the colors change and how long they stay on a specific color. He has it programmed to do random colors weighted toward primary colors. In order to get the desired color you would have to play with the potentiometers until you landed on the desired color and leave it.

This presents some problems:
If I wanted to change the color I would have to use the controller to do it (which would be inside the case). I dont really want to have to reach inside the case every time I want to change the color.
Also, the waiting for the LED to land on the desired color doesn't seem very efficient.

I would like to have the LED controller software controlled (like Alienware and Logitech). When I want to change the color/brightness I would like to just open up a program and select the color from a color palette.

I'm not asking someone to tell me how to do it per-say. All I am really asking for is a push in the right direction, like where to start, what I will need, etc. I have done some light research and have not found exactly what I am looking for. Can anyone give me a good jumping off point?

Thanks,
The Freeman
 
A software type setup would most likely require programming the Printer port (or the serial port - with more work on your part. USB could be used as well, but you'd need even more effort and a controller on the hardware side).

You can easily change the color of a tri-color LED using the outputs of the printer port. Look into printer port relay boards for basic software examples for controlling that port.
 
This is the motherboard I just ordered (to arrive tomorrow):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412

It does not have a printer port on it. Does anyone know how Alienware does there system lighting? I could just have the controls on the circuit board that I'd build inside the case but every time I want to change the lighting I would have to open up the case to do so.
I don't really think that it is that big of a deal, but it would certainly be cooler to just pic a color out of a color palette program.
 
That motherboard *does*, however, include a header for a serial port. Program a controller to talk to the computer on the serial port and control the LED, find some sort of program to run on the computer and talk to the controller over the serial port, and you're good to go.
 
How about just change it via switches and put the switches on one of the 5.25" bays?
 
I made a software-controlled lighting setup recently although it does alot more than you need. It talks via Serial with a C# GUI sending commands. Fairly simple and if your friend can program a microcontroller he should be able to duplicate what I did fairly easily.

Check the final post on this thread
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1501348
 
Turns out that the front LED setup of the PC-B25F is not at all what I thought it was.
It is a square circuit board with a circle of blue LEDs behind a blue film. I will post some pics of it when I get the chance. I still should be able to go with the software controlled idea, although it will be more expensive than I previously imagined as there are quite a bit more than just a couple of LEDs to be replaced.
I can change the colors a bit by changing the film color, although the color options will be extremely limited because of the blue LEDs.
The good news is that with the appropriate time, effort, and money I could make this thing fully customizable with different LED colors AND different films.
Explanations don't really do much without pictures. I will try to get some up when I take the GPU out to RMA it (5870 artifacting in 2D, most likely bad RAM module on the GPU).

@guitarslingerchris, thanks for the thread link, this will sure help a lot if I can manage to find the will to start this project (I fear I may be too lazy).
 
Here's the only picture that I have on me at the moment:
DSC00750.jpg
 
Well, other than mass de-soldering and re-soldering of what look like surface-mount LEDs it shouldn't be hard to accomplish what you want. That's alot of LEDs to swap though :D
 
Yeah, it could get quite expensive. That and the fact that I would still have to buy the stuff for the controller and put in a lot of time. This is shaping up to be a late summer project.
 
If you don't want to go through the work of putting the controller together, LED's, and software then a Computer Color Cannon may be of use to you. If there is room under the circle and above the square circuit board then one possible option is to take a color cannon out of it's housing and then secure it to the square circuit board under the circle part and the light can be EXTREMELY bright (it has 30 mini high intensity LED's) so it should have no problem lighting the circle up. The computer color cannon is a driverless USB device that comes with software providing a control console for manually adjusting the light color as well as the ability to put it into such modes as lava lamp/color wheel mode as well as pulsing mode. There is even iTunes and WinAmp plug-ins to get the light to change color/flash to the beat of music. Check out the video below to see the light in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmUVlY4u-yA

More info here: www.computercolorcannon.com

Of course disregard what I just suggested if you really want to build everything yourself which definitely would be a great learning experience, I just thought you may be interested in a possible alternative solution.
 
ANother option would be using a microcontroller like a PIC, Arduino, ATmel, etc.

I have found some source codes online for how to make a PIC act as a PWM (with 256 steps for each color, technically giving you 16.7 million colors. Keep in mind it is quite possible your tricolor LED will not be CAPABLE of producing 16.7 million colors.

I guess it would be up to you to make the full on interface.

Additionally, the design is for controlling one single LED, you will likely need a transistor or two to control the rest.
 
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