synching front lights

[omnez]

I just got a new case and it has two vertical light tubes that change color, they plug into the HD and power plugs on the motherboard. The only problem is the one that is plugged into the HD goes through the color cycle about 1/3 faster than the other one so the are quickly out of synch with one another. Does anyone know an easy way of how to fix such a problem?

 

[Cheetah8799]

Can you plug them in differently so that they get their power from the same source? I guess I'm not understanding what exactly they are plugged in to, but it sounds like they are getting very different voltages, and thus get out of sync.

 

[omnez]

They are setup to get thier power from the plugs on the motherboard that would do the hd and power leds so there is only one option for each.

 

[Cheetah8799]

Well, it seems strange that you would plug it into the hd and power led pins on the motherboard. Simply because the hd pins will never be on all the time because it only lights up when the ide controller is in use. The power led pins will always have current going through it because the system is on and the led is always on. I'm betting that is why the lights don't sync properly.

Are you sure they are supposed to plug into those mobo pins, and properly sync as a result?

If you know the brand/model of the case, maybe i, or someone else can look up some info on it and find out for sure how it is supposed to work.

 

[omnez]

It is a DYNAPOWER Black ATX Mid-Tower Case with 430W Power Supply, Model "86B2" -RETAIL I am sure they are plugged into the right spots, the plugs are labled for the hd and power connecters on the motherboard. I see why they are out of synch but I just do not know how to fix it if its possible.

 

[Cheetah8799]

Well, I don't know how much current it draws, or the voltage output for a normal motherboard led header, but if you figured out that info you could calculate what size resistor you would need in order to run the lights off of your normal power supply 12volt. Just drop the voltage down to where you need it, and it should work.

The dynapower site doesn't give much for specs, so it's kinda hard to determine how much current and voltage the lights require, that's why I suggest you find out what the standard mobo puts out, and use those numbers.

You'd also have to wire up the lights with a molex connector to plug it into the power supply. If you have an old dead fan you could use it for parts.

 

[Jeff7]

Do they start the cycle at the same time? If they do, there might not be any way of syncing them, if they're what I think they are. Is it just a clear plastic tube, with an LED at one (or both) end(s)? It is possible that the LEDs' built-in timing chips have slight variations which affect their color switching frequency.