Making your own HDD LED leads

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...s=prewired+led

Some of those have a resistor built into the harness, for operation from 12V.
They would be relatively dim if used on a computer case (due to the extra resistance
being in the path). And since the ends are not shown in the picture, they likely lack
the 2 pin shell on the other end, which is just as hard to add as connecting the LED
to the wires.

Thanks. Sorry for not reading their spec. carefully. Just wanna give him
examples of wiring LED.

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On May 14, 10:47*am, John Doe wrote:
Addendum...

Depending on the LED power source, you must include a
resistance/resistor in-line (in series) with your LED. Or your LED
will instantly burn up. If the source comes from a circuit board,
maybe you could use a 1/8 W resistor. Conveniently, then maybe you
can plug its thin lead through the circuit board, and solder the
opposite lead to the wire going to the LED.

Good luck and have fun.


For a normal LED, 680 ohm should be fine for 12v.



If you are running it from the "HDD LED" connections on the
motherboard case header, then you just wire the LED directly
as the MB has its own inbuilt dropping resistor.

All you have to look out for here is that the polarity is correct.
The lead nearest
the side of the LED with the "flat" part in the skirt of the LED
is the Cathode (negative). Usually the MB header will have a coloured
mark or even a + sign at the base of the pin to indicate the + side

Alternately, you could try both ways, if the LED does not light, you
have it the
wrong way round. Shouldn't do any damage for a short test like that.

On 5/13/2012 8:44 PM, John Doe wrote:
Jimluckyjim2000_2000 yahoo.co.uk wrote:

This maybe such a newbie question it's untrue but how does one
go about making your own HDD LED leads? I have a Fractal Design
Refine XL which has a Blue power light but no HDD LED at all, so
i have right now just rigged up and old lead (that was in a box
somewhere) that comes of the motherboard and sits under the case
and is red, but i'd like to make a longer lead with a Blue LED,
given were dealing with tiny parts (compared to what I'm used
to) any ideas what tools I'd need to get pins/wire in and out of
the motherboard plug side of things?

I think that wire wrapping wire is the tiniest insulated
single-strand wire. Or maybe you can use resistor leads. I think
that 1/8 W resistor leads are very thin. But I'm not exactly sure
what you're referring to (talking about).

Good luck and have fun.


Years ago when I did it more, we used 30gauge wirewrap wire, BUT it
doesn't take kindly to being flexed a lot of times.
(Old Telco technition)

hp wrote:
On 5/13/2012 8:44 PM, John Doe wrote:
Jimluckyjim2000_2000 yahoo.co.uk wrote:

This maybe such a newbie question it's untrue but how does one
go about making your own HDD LED leads? I have a Fractal Design
Refine XL which has a Blue power light but no HDD LED at all, so
i have right now just rigged up and old lead (that was in a box
somewhere) that comes of the motherboard and sits under the case
and is red, but i'd like to make a longer lead with a Blue LED,
given were dealing with tiny parts (compared to what I'm used
to) any ideas what tools I'd need to get pins/wire in and out of
the motherboard plug side of things?

I think that wire wrapping wire is the tiniest insulated
single-strand wire. Or maybe you can use resistor leads. I think
that 1/8 W resistor leads are very thin. But I'm not exactly sure
what you're referring to (talking about).

Good luck and have fun.


Years ago when I did it more, we used 30gauge wirewrap wire, BUT it
doesn't take kindly to being flexed a lot of times.
(Old Telco technition)

If you're making long cable assemblies with WireWrap wire, you can
jam a pair of wires into the chuck of an electric drill, and make
"twisted pair" from them. Then put your LED or thermistor on the end,
put your 1x2 shell and crimp pins on the other end. You can't crimp
Wirewrap wire (diameter too small for a good crimp), so you'd need
the soldering iron. And the result would still not be that robust.

This is a spare LED assembly I have here, where instead of a 1x2
on the end, I have separate pins. This plugs into a Promise controller
card, on the four pin "activity" LED interface. All exposed conductors
are covered with transparent shrink wrap tubing, to they don't short.
In a pinch, this can also be used as an extra (yellow) LED on a
computer case, as the pins will fit on 0.1" centers without the
insulation getting in the way too much.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/1302/wirewrapled.jpg

The picture looks particularly bad, because the focus on that
camera doesn't work unless you use the vendor software. And
for a quick snap, I did that in Linux. (Windows UVC runs the
camera in a low res.)

On the wire colors, I made red the (+) lead, and blue the (-) lead.
The legs on the LED have one shorter than the other, which is
a hint as to anode and cathode. Once you've snipped the legs,
as I've done there, that hint is gone. I can use the "diode"
ohmmeter scale on my multimeter, to verify correct + and -,
as the LED barely lights with the correct polarity of
multimeter connection, using diode test range.

Paul

On 5/15/2012 3:48 PM, Paul wrote:

hp wrote:

snip

Years ago when I did it more, we used 30gauge wirewrap wire, BUT it
doesn't take kindly to being flexed a lot of times.
(Old Telco technition)

If you're making long cable assemblies with WireWrap wire, you can
jam a pair of wires into the chuck of an electric drill, and make
"twisted pair" from them. Then put your LED or thermistor on the end,
put your 1x2 shell and crimp pins on the other end. You can't crimp
Wirewrap wire (diameter too small for a good crimp), so you'd need
the soldering iron. And the result would still not be that robust.

snip

Paul

That TOTALLY depends on the wirewrap wire gauge, we also wirewraped a
LOT of 22 gauge wire in the telephone switches.

If you are using 28 maybe if you are lucky, 30, or 32 then nope don't
even think of crimp joints.

BUT for a single LED, 24 gauge stranded will handle the load with no
loss probably, Think a lot of the internal wiring used in PC's for LED
indicator lights is 24 or 26 gauge stranded.

On 15/05/2012 03:43, KR wrote:
On May 14, 10:47 am, John wrote:
Addendum...

Depending on the LED power source, you must include a
resistance/resistor in-line (in series) with your LED. Or your LED
will instantly burn up. If the source comes from a circuit board,
maybe you could use a 1/8 W resistor. Conveniently, then maybe you
can plug its thin lead through the circuit board, and solder the
opposite lead to the wire going to the LED.

Good luck and have fun.

For a normal LED, 680 ohm should be fine for 12v.



If you are running it from the "HDD LED" connections on the
motherboard case header, then you just wire the LED directly
as the MB has its own inbuilt dropping resistor.

All you have to look out for here is that the polarity is correct.
The lead nearest
the side of the LED with the "flat" part in the skirt of the LED
is the Cathode (negative). Usually the MB header will have a coloured
mark or even a + sign at the base of the pin to indicate the + side

Alternately, you could try both ways, if the LED does not light, you
have it the
wrong way round. Shouldn't do any damage for a short test like that.
Hi Guys sorry for the delay in getting back to you all, I didn't know
about the resister needing to be in place, yes it's coming straight of
my motherboard which is an older S775 (Asus P5E3 Prem Wi-Fi) but i'm a
little unsure of the size of crimping tool i will need to make the cable
up to my own length, I have found this tool
http://www.moddiy.com/products/Profe...ping-Tool.html but
no idea if it will do to crimp the small wires that will be needed.

Having read through the thread it seems were unsure what spec the
resister should be if need at all, do we have a final POV on this one,
I'll be buying from "Maplin" in the UK more then likely otherwise it
will be ebay uk.

Jim wrote:
On 15/05/2012 03:43, KR wrote:
On May 14, 10:47 am, John wrote:
Addendum...

Depending on the LED power source, you must include a
resistance/resistor in-line (in series) with your LED. Or your LED
will instantly burn up. If the source comes from a circuit board,
maybe you could use a 1/8 W resistor. Conveniently, then maybe you
can plug its thin lead through the circuit board, and solder the
opposite lead to the wire going to the LED.

Good luck and have fun.

For a normal LED, 680 ohm should be fine for 12v.



If you are running it from the "HDD LED" connections on the
motherboard case header, then you just wire the LED directly
as the MB has its own inbuilt dropping resistor.

All you have to look out for here is that the polarity is correct.
The lead nearest
the side of the LED with the "flat" part in the skirt of the LED
is the Cathode (negative). Usually the MB header will have a coloured
mark or even a + sign at the base of the pin to indicate the + side

Alternately, you could try both ways, if the LED does not light, you
have it the
wrong way round. Shouldn't do any damage for a short test like that.
Hi Guys sorry for the delay in getting back to you all, I didn't know
about the resister needing to be in place, yes it's coming straight of
my motherboard which is an older S775 (Asus P5E3 Prem Wi-Fi) but i'm a
little unsure of the size of crimping tool i will need to make the cable
up to my own length, I have found this tool
http://www.moddiy.com/products/Profe...ping-Tool.html but
no idea if it will do to crimp the small wires that will be needed.

Having read through the thread it seems were unsure what spec the
resister should be if need at all, do we have a final POV on this one,
I'll be buying from "Maplin" in the UK more then likely otherwise it
will be ebay uk.

For a LED connected to a motherboard "front panel" header, no resistor is needed.

The resistor is already present in the circuit, and is soldered into the motherboard.
The motherboard resistor limits the current for you.

All you need is:

1) LED (physical size to match the other case LEDs)
2) Two wires.
3) Plastic 1x2 shell
4) Two crimp pins (from a pack of ten or more pins).
I doubt you can buy just two pins. The pins would be "female",
as the motherboard header is "male".

Attach wires to LED end and insulate any exposed wire (so the legs of
the LED don't short together). Attach wires to crimp pins,
slide crimp pins into 1x2 shell. Insulate any exposed wire,
if present.

I use shrink wrap tubing to cover any exposed bare wire.
You heat shrink wrap tubing until it contracts around the conductor.
It will shrink to around 50% of its original diameter. Don't use
a direct flame, as that might damage any nearby plastic or
existing insulation. The hot air off the tip of a wood burning
set, or the hot air off the tip of a soldering iron, can shrink
the tubing. While electrical tape may appear to do the job, it
can later separate when you don't expect it. Which is why I
don't use electrical tape all that often.

Paul

On May 17, 7:55*am, Jim wrote:
On 15/05/2012 03:43, KR wrote:







On May 14, 10:47 am, John *wrote:
Addendum...

Depending on the LED power source, you must include a
resistance/resistor in-line (in series) with your LED. Or your LED
will instantly burn up. If the source comes from a circuit board,
maybe you could use a 1/8 W resistor. Conveniently, then maybe you
can plug its thin lead through the circuit board, and solder the
opposite lead to the wire going to the LED.

Good luck and have fun.

For a normal LED, 680 ohm should be fine for 12v.

If you are running it from the "HDD LED" connections on the
motherboard case header, then you just wire the LED directly
as the MB has its own inbuilt dropping resistor.

All you have to look out for here is that the polarity is correct.
The lead nearest
the side of the LED with the "flat" part in the skirt of the LED
is the Cathode (negative). *Usually the MB header will have a coloured
mark or even a + sign at the base of the pin to indicate the + side

Alternately, you could try both ways, if the LED does not light, you
have it the
wrong way round. *Shouldn't do any damage for a short test like that.

Hi Guys sorry for the delay in getting back to you all, I didn't know
about the resister needing to be in place, yes it's coming straight of
my motherboard which is an older S775 (Asus P5E3 Prem Wi-Fi) but i'm a
little unsure of the size of crimping tool i will need to make the cable
up to my own length, I have found this toolhttp://www.moddiy.com/products/Professional-Molex-Crimping-Tool.htmlbut
no idea if it will do to crimp the small wires that will be needed.

Having read through the thread it seems were unsure what spec the
resister should be if need at all, do we have a final POV on this one,
I'll be buying from "Maplin" in the UK more then likely otherwise it
will be ebay uk.

As stated, you do not need a resistor for a LED being supplied
from the motherboards "power" or "HDD" led outputs.

Very old or custom motherboards my be different, but your
standard ASUS etc boards on the consumer markets do NOT need resistors
to be added, they are already built into the motherboard.

Figure LED dropping 1.7v. 330 ohm on 5 volts supply drops 3.3.

W/ 12v supply resistor needs to drop 10.3v, somewhere over 1K should do
it.

Jim wrote:
On 15/05/2012 03:43, KR wrote:
On May 14, 10:47 am, John wrote:

snipped

Hi Guys sorry for the delay in getting back to you all, I didn't know
about the resister needing to be in place, yes it's coming straight of
my motherboard which is an older S775 (Asus P5E3 Prem Wi-Fi) but i'm a
little unsure of the size of crimping tool i will need to make the
cable up to my own length, I have found this tool
http://www.moddiy.com/products/Profe...ping-Tool.html
but no idea if it will do to crimp the small wires that will be
needed.
Having read through the thread it seems were unsure what spec the
resister should be if need at all, do we have a final POV on this one,
I'll be buying from "Maplin" in the UK more then likely otherwise it
will be ebay uk.

If this is your Motherboard (link below), then it has the usual 2pin header
for a HDD-activity LED on the'System panel connector' (see the manual at
below URL).

http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=P5E3%20Premium/WiFi-AP@n&p=1&s=22&os=17&hashedid=y0FpG1REOUaqwk2E

Or; http://preview.tinyurl.com/d4chlqp

I am in England, I have a spare HDD-activity-LED lead spare that I would be
glad to post to you, rather than see you having all the trouble of
making-one-up !
The lead is about 13inches long (should be sufficient).
If you would care to email me with your address, I'll send it to you.
My email is: patrick dot jdp at ntlworld dot com

Pic of motherboard end;
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61091123/DCP00450.JPG

Pic of LED end;
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61091123/DCP00451.JPG

Pic of whole lead;
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61091123/DCP00452.JPG