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You are not logged in. [Log In] AppleCentral » Forums » Mods and Hacks » Desktop Mods » Case Mods » Question concerning lighting
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#474450 - 01/26/08 03:38 PM Question concerning lighting [Re: Koingo47]
grggary1 Offline


Registered: 01/23/08
Posts: 10
Loc: Coeur d'Alene Idaho USA
Hi guys. You folks are doing some outrageous stuff with your Macs and I love coming here to see the boundless manifestations of human imagination. What I was wondering is what are your sources for some of the cool lighting you use? I live in a town of about 40,000 and doubt I can find anything like what you're using locally. Are there any websites you use/love as a source for lighting effects? I'm sure there are many. I was hoping maybe some of you could make some suggestions for me as to where the best places to look would be. Also, any suggestions as to what to avoid, would be helpful too. With any luck, some day I may be posting some of my endeavors here as well. Thanks in advance for any help/ideas!
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#474451 - 01/26/08 05:46 PM Re: Question concerning lighting [Re: Koingo47]
oojacoboo Offline


Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 1468
I use ebay to purchase my lighting equipment. They have some good deals...
_________________________
"Fix it 'til it Breaks."

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Mac Pro Quad 2.66 - 4GB RAM
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Quad 19" Widescreen LCDs
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#474452 - 01/27/08 07:34 AM Re: Question concerning lighting [Re: Koingo47]
grggary1 Offline


Registered: 01/23/08
Posts: 10
Loc: Coeur d'Alene Idaho USA
Thanks! I guess the next trick is for me to figure out the category. Hopefully it will be an easy search on E-Bay. Also, what do you guys usually tap into for the power for the lighting? One of the spare ATA cables? I'm curious if power supplies become an issue when you add the lights. I suppose it all depends on what kind and how many. Thanks for the help!
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I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate.  And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.

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#474453 - 01/27/08 05:51 PM Re: Question concerning lighting [Re: Koingo47]
Waragainstsleep Offline


Registered: 02/13/05
Posts: 1723
You don't mention what exactly you want to light but assuming its a PowerMac or Mac Pro the ATA cables have no power to speak of. You can use them to rig an activity LED, but I forget whether that mod is drawing power from the bus.
Most desktop lighting is done with Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lights (CCFLs). These are not unlike the backlights in LCDs. They require an inverter to supply them with their power. The inverter is run from a molex connector (You'll find these powering your optical and hard drives). If you don't have spares, you can get Y-adaptors to give you extra connectors. The inverter boxes can usually power multiple tubes.
If you have an iMac, then you may have only the one molex for the hard drive, but the towers usually have at least a couple.
Search eBay for "CCFL" then pick the computing category, they are used for many other things too.

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#474454 - 01/27/08 11:36 PM Re: Question concerning lighting [Re: Koingo47]
oojacoboo Offline


Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 1468
yea, CCFL is the way to go.
_________________________
"Fix it 'til it Breaks."

Jacob - EiC & Director of Technology
Mac Pro Quad 2.66 - 4GB RAM
160 GB SATA RAID 1 - 650 GB Storage
Quad 19" Widescreen LCDs
Accessorized to the Hilt

Top
#474455 - 02/22/08 07:26 PM Re: Question concerning lighting [Re: Koingo47]
flippy10 Offline


Registered: 09/05/07
Posts: 166
Loc: Pelham
For small mods you could probably even go for high output LEDs! They look pretty boss, and create a nice line of light if you're looking for specific lighting rather than general. CCFL are more than perfect for general.

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